Watch

TV Sermon

Life Principle 16: When Plans Turn to Ashes

Whatever you acquire outside of God’s will eventually turns to ashes.

November 1, 2019

Reading Options

A A A

Related Scripture

1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

2 ``Take full vengeance for the sons of Israel on the Midianites; afterward you will be gathered to your people."

3 Moses spoke to the people, saying, ``Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the LORD'S vengeance on Midian.

4 ``A thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Israel you shall send to the war."

5 So there were furnished from the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

6 Moses sent them, a thousand from each tribe, to the war, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war with them, and the holy vessels and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.

7 So they made war against Midian, just as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male.

8 They killed the kings of Midian along with the rest of their slain: Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian; they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.

9 The sons of Israel captured the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their cattle and all their flocks and all their goods they plundered.

10 Then they burned all their cities where they lived and all their camps with fire.

11 They took all the spoil and all the prey, both of man and of beast.

12 They brought the captives and the prey and the spoil to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest and to the congregation of the sons of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan opposite Jericho.

13 Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the congregation went out to meet them outside the camp.

14 Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who had come from service in the war.

15 And Moses said to them, ``Have you spared all the women?

16 ``Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the LORD.

17 ``Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man intimately.

18 ``But all the girls who have not known man intimately, spare for yourselves.

19 ``And you, camp outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves, you and your captives, on the third day and on the seventh day.

20 ``You shall purify for yourselves every garment and every article of leather and all the work of goats' hair, and all articles of wood."

21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to battle, ``This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moses:

22 only the gold and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin and the lead,

23 everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean, but it shall be purified with water for impurity. But whatever cannot stand the fire you shall pass through the water.

24 ``And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may enter the camp."

25 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

26 ``You and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers' households of the congregation take a count of the booty that was captured, both of man and of animal;

27 and divide the booty between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation.

28 ``Levy a tax for the LORD from the men of war who went out to battle, one in five hundred of the persons and of the cattle and of the donkeys and of the sheep;

29 take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest, as an offering to the LORD.

30 ``From the sons of Israel's half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys and of the sheep, from all the animals, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of the LORD."

31 Moses and Eleazar the priest did just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

32 Now the booty that remained from the spoil which the men of war had plundered was 675,000 sheep,

33 and 72,000 cattle,

34 and 61,000 donkeys,

35 and of human beings, of the women who had not known man intimately, all the persons were 32,000.

36 The half, the portion of those who went out to war, was as follows: the number of sheep was 337,500,

37 and the LORD'S levy of the sheep was 675;

38 and the cattle were 36,000, from which the LORD'S levy was 72;

39 and the donkeys were 30,500, from which the LORD'S levy was 61;

40 and the human beings were 16,000, from whom the LORD'S levy was 32 persons.

41 Moses gave the levy which was the LORD'S offering to Eleazar the priest, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

42 As for the sons of Israel's half, which Moses separated from the men who had gone to war--

43 now the congregation's half was 337,500 sheep,

44 and 36,000 cattle,

45 and 30,500 donkeys,

46 and the human beings were 16,000--

47 and from the sons of Israel's half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of animals, and gave them to the Levites, who kept charge of the tabernacle of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

48 Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, approached Moses,

49 and they said to Moses, ``Your servants have taken a census of men of war who are in our charge, and no man of us is missing.

50 ``So we have brought as an offering to the LORD what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD."

51 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all kinds of wrought articles.

52 All the gold of the offering which they offered up to the LORD, from the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, was 16,750 shekels.

53 The men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.

54 So Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it to the tent of meeting as a memorial for the sons of Israel before the LORD.

1 Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had an exceedingly large number of livestock. So when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that it was indeed a place suitable for livestock,

2 the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the congregation, saying,

3 ``Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon,

4 the land which the LORD conquered before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock."

5 They said, ``If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession; do not take us across the Jordan."

6 But Moses said to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben, ``Shall your brothers go to war while you yourselves sit here?

7 ``Now why are you discouraging the sons of Israel from crossing over into the land which the LORD has given them?

8 ``This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.

9 ``For when they went up to the valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the sons of Israel so that they did not go into the land which the LORD had given them.

10 ``So the LORD'S anger burned in that day, and He swore, saying,

11 `None of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob; for they did not follow Me fully,

12 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have followed the LORD fully.'

13 ``So the LORD'S anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the entire generation of those who had done evil in the sight of the LORD was destroyed.

14 ``Now behold, you have risen up in your fathers' place, a brood of sinful men, to add still more to the burning anger of the LORD against Israel.

15 ``For if you turn away from following Him, He will once more abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people."

16 Then they came near to him and said, ``We will build here sheepfolds for our livestock and cities for our little ones;

17 but we ourselves will be armed ready to go before the sons of Israel, until we have brought them to their place, while our little ones live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.

18 ``We will not return to our homes until every one of the sons of Israel has possessed his inheritance.

19 ``For we will not have an inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this side of the Jordan toward the east."

20 So Moses said to them, ``If you will do this, if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for the war,

21 and all of you armed men cross over the Jordan before the LORD until He has driven His enemies out from before Him,

22 and the land is subdued before the LORD, then afterward you shall return and be free of obligation toward the LORD and toward Israel, and this land shall be yours for a possession before the LORD.

23 ``But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.

24 ``Build yourselves cities for your little ones, and sheepfolds for your sheep, and do what you have promised."

25 The sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying, ``Your servants will do just as my lord commands.

26 ``Our little ones, our wives, our livestock and all our cattle shall remain there in the cities of Gilead;

27 while your servants, everyone who is armed for war, will cross over in the presence of the LORD to battle, just as my lord says."

28 So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers' households of the tribes of the sons of Israel.

29 Moses said to them, ``If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben, everyone who is armed for battle, will cross with you over the Jordan in the presence of the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession;

30 but if they will not cross over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan."

31 The sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben answered, saying, ``As the LORD has said to your servants, so we will do.

32 ``We ourselves will cross over armed in the presence of the LORD into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us across the Jordan."

33 So Moses gave to them, to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben and to the half-tribe of Joseph's son Manasseh, the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, the land with its cities with their territories, the cities of the surrounding land.

34 The sons of Gad built Dibon and Ataroth and Aroer,

35 and Atroth-shophan and Jazer and Jogbehah,

36 and Beth-nimrah and Beth-haran as fortified cities, and sheepfolds for sheep.

37 The sons of Reuben built Heshbon and Elealeh and Kiriathaim,

38 and Nebo and Baal-meon-- their names being changed--and Sibmah, and they gave other names to the cities which they built.

39 The sons of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it.

40 So Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he lived in it.

41 Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its towns, and called them Havvoth-jair.

42 Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah after his own name.

1 These are the journeys of the sons of Israel, by which they came out from the land of Egypt by their armies, under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.

2 Moses recorded their starting places according to their journeys by the command of the LORD, and these are their journeys according to their starting places.

3 They journeyed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the next day after the Passover the sons of Israel started out boldly in the sight of all the Egyptians,

4 while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn whom the LORD had struck down among them. The LORD had also executed judgments on their gods.

5 Then the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses and camped in Succoth.

6 They journeyed from Succoth and camped in Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness.

7 They journeyed from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which faces Baal-zephon, and they camped before Migdol.

8 They journeyed from before Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness; and they went three days' journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah.

9 They journeyed from Marah and came to Elim; and in Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.

10 They journeyed from Elim and camped by the Red Sea.

11 They journeyed from the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin.

12 They journeyed from the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah.

13 They journeyed from Dophkah and camped at Alush.

14 They journeyed from Alush and camped at Rephidim; now it was there that the people had no water to drink.

15 They journeyed from Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai.

16 They journeyed from the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.

17 They journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.

18 They journeyed from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.

19 They journeyed from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez.

20 They journeyed from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah.

21 They journeyed from Libnah and camped at Rissah.

22 They journeyed from Rissah and camped in Kehelathah.

23 They journeyed from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.

24 They journeyed from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.

25 They journeyed from Haradah and camped at Makheloth.

26 They journeyed from Makheloth and camped at Tahath.

27 They journeyed from Tahath and camped at Terah.

28 They journeyed from Terah and camped at Mithkah.

29 They journeyed from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.

30 They journeyed from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.

31 They journeyed from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan.

32 They journeyed from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad.

33 They journeyed from Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.

34 They journeyed from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.

35 They journeyed from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber.

36 They journeyed from Ezion-geber and camped in the wilderness of Zin, that is, Kadesh.

37 They journeyed from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, at the edge of the land of Edom.

38 Then Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of the LORD, and died there in the fortieth year after the sons of Israel had come from the land of Egypt, on the first day in the fifth month.

39 Aaron was one hundred twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

40 Now the Canaanite, the king of Arad who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the sons of Israel.

41 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.

42 They journeyed from Zalmonah and camped at Punon.

43 They journeyed from Punon and camped at Oboth.

44 They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, at the border of Moab.

45 They journeyed from Iyim and camped at Dibon-gad.

46 They journeyed from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim.

47 They journeyed from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo.

48 They journeyed from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho.

49 They camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.

50 Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying,

51 ``Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, `When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images and demolish all their high places;

53 and you shall take possession of the land and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it.

54 `You shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the larger you shall give more inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give less inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to anyone, that shall be his. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers.

55 `But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live.

56 `And as I plan to do to them, so I will do to you.'"

1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

2 ``Command the sons of Israel and say to them, `When you enter the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance, even the land of Canaan according to its borders.

3 `Your southern sector shall extend from the wilderness of Zin along the side of Edom, and your southern border shall extend from the end of the Salt Sea eastward.

4 `Then your border shall turn direction from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim and continue to Zin, and its termination shall be to the south of Kadesh-barnea; and it shall reach Hazaraddar and continue to Azmon.

5 `The border shall turn direction from Azmon to the brook of Egypt, and its termination shall be at the sea.

6 `As for the western border, you shall have the Great Sea, that is, its coastline; this shall be your west border.

7 `And this shall be your north border: you shall draw your border line from the Great Sea to Mount Hor.

8 `You shall draw a line from Mount Hor to the Lebo-hamath, and the termination of the border shall be at Zedad;

9 and the border shall proceed to Ziphron, and its termination shall be at Hazar-enan. This shall be your north border.

10 `For your eastern border you shall also draw a line from Hazar-enan to Shepham,

11 and the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain; and the border shall go down and reach to the slope on the east side of the Sea of Chinnereth.

12 `And the border shall go down to the Jordan and its termination shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land according to its borders all around.'"

13 So Moses commanded the sons of Israel, saying, ``This is the land that you are to apportion by lot among you as a possession, which the LORD has commanded to give to the nine and a half tribes.

14 ``For the tribe of the sons of Reuben have received theirs according to their fathers' households, and the tribe of the sons of Gad according to their fathers' households, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their possession.

15 ``The two and a half tribes have received their possession across the Jordan opposite Jericho, eastward toward the sunrising."

16 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

17 ``These are the names of the men who shall apportion the land to you for inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun.

18 ``You shall take one leader of every tribe to apportion the land for inheritance.

19 ``These are the names of the men: of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

20 ``Of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, Samuel the son of Ammihud.

21 ``Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon.

22 ``Of the tribe of the sons of Dan a leader, Bukki the son of Jogli.

23 ``Of the sons of Joseph: of the tribe of the sons of Manasseh a leader, Hanniel the son of Ephod.

24 ``Of the tribe of the sons of Ephraim a leader, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan.

25 ``Of the tribe of the sons of Zebulun a leader, Elizaphan the son of Parnach.

26 ``Of the tribe of the sons of Issachar a leader, Paltiel the son of Azzan.

27 ``Of the tribe of the sons of Asher a leader, Ahihud the son of Shelomi.

28 ``Of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali a leader, Pedahel the son of Ammihud."

29 These are those whom the LORD commanded to apportion the inheritance to the sons of Israel in the land of Canaan.

Sermon Outline

Some people think that God’s refusal to grant them some cherished wish would be the worst thing that could ever happen to them. They believe they will be truly disappointed and devastated if that deep desire continues unmet.

So they pursue their desire, either in opposition to God’s will or in disregard of it—and end up truly disappointed, even if they get what they thought they wanted. They are like the Israelites in Moses’ day, who complained to God and insisted on having meat (Num. 11:4; Num. 31:1-54; Num. 32:1-42; Num. 33:1-56; Num. 34:1-29; Ps. 78:27-31). Psalm 106:15 tells us, “He gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease among them.” The desire becomes a curse.

G. K. Chesterton said, “There are two ways to get enough: One is to accumulate more and more, the other is to desire less.” While you can always collect additional possessions, relationships, success, etc.—there will always be room for more. And when there’s room for more, there’s room for wanting more. The cycle never ends.

If you choose the second route of Chesterton’s advice, “to desire less,” the likelihood of living a fulfilling life increases. But how does one want less?

By going back to the deepest desire present in every human heart—the one thing we’re truly longing for: to know God. Once we satisfy ourselves with His presence, we require far less of what the world has to offer.

You may not understand the longing within you to be a desire for God—in fact, you may simply feel dissatisfaction with your life. Maybe the relationship you wanted and attained isn’t everything you thought it would be. Perhaps you have everything you’d ever wanted and yet still go through periods of longing, sadness, and loneliness.

Dissatisfaction, unfulfilled expectations, and feelings of dejection and isolation originate from the same place: a raging hunger for God. Centuries ago Augustine wrote, “You made us for Yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”

There is always more we can learn about God—we will never fully know Him while we live here on earth (1 Cor. 13:12). But once we enter into a relationship with the Lord, He promises to reveal more of Himself to us as we fellowship with Him. Hosea 2:19-20 says, “I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, and I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord.”

To fellowship with God—to talk to Him and listen to Him as you study the Bible, pray, and worship Him—is to get to know Him better. He has “betrothed” (or engaged) His people to Himself for one reason: to let Himself be known.

When you develop your relationship with God and discover more about His holy character, He illuminates your heart and mind, giving you a greater desire to know Him more intimately—leaving your fleshly desires behind in the process. Your worldly desires simply cannot compare to the deep comfort, joy, and fulfillment that God offers you. Rather, you see the things that you acquire outside of His will turning to ashes, while the blessings He gives you endure and satisfy your soul.

This process deepens:

Our humility. As we see God’s sovereignty unveiled, we more deeply understand our need for Him.
Our gratitude. Knowing that God’s lovingkindness motivates His forgiveness, deliverance, and guidance gives us a thankful heart. Instead of coming to God with complaints about our unfulfilled, selfish desires, we come to Him with adoration and praise.
Our purpose. As the Holy Spirit sheds new light on verses we’ve read many times before, our quest for a relationship with Him becomes stronger, deeper, and more personal. Our appreciation of God’s Word gives us a more profound delight in studying and applying His truth.
Our reverence. Learning something new about our Creator reminds us that we don’t know everything about Him. As we come to terms with the depths and heights of God’s love, power, and wisdom, our awe of Him grows.
Our desire to please God. When we have a holy, respectful fear of the Lord, our desire changes from satisfying ourselves to serving our God. Pleasing Him is not a chore; rather, it becomes a joy done out of humility and thankfulness.

Amazingly, as we pursue our desire for God, He fulfills the other desires He has given us (Ps. 37:4). And so we learn afresh that while acquiring anything outside of His will ultimately disappoints us, He fills us with truly satisfying “pleasures forever” (Ps. 16:11).

This post is a part of the series Life Principles to Live By.

Sermon Companion Subscription

Sign-up to get a digital version of the monthly broadcast schedule, sermon outlines, and tips for personal application sent to your inbox each month.

By clicking submit, you are giving In Touch Ministries permission to send you newsletters, announcements, and other important communications. Unsubscribe at any time.

Prefer to have the print version sent to your mailbox? Sign up now

Explore Other Sermons

TV Sermon

My Assurance: God Is in Control - Part 4

Dr. Stanley unfolds how God is the One who calls us, enlightens us, and gives us the faith to trust in Him.

November 9, 2024

TV Sermon

The Confession of Our Sin

Receive instruction on how you can be sure that all of your transgressions have been forgiven once and for all.

November 9, 2024

TV Sermon

My Assurance: God Is in Control - Part 3

Trust God for His best and be willing to accept His wisdom and instruction.

November 2, 2024

My Assurance: God Is in Control - Part 4

Dr. Stanley unfolds how God is the One who calls us, enlightens us, and gives us the faith to trust in Him.

The Confession of Our Sin

Receive instruction on how you can be sure that all of your transgressions have been forgiven once and for all.

My Assurance: God Is in Control - Part 3

Trust God for His best and be willing to accept His wisdom and instruction.

This Week’s Sermon

My Assurance: God Is in Control - Part 4

Also on TV this Week

The Confession of Our Sin

Today on Radio

When It Is Wise to Wait - Part 1B

Charles Stanley Radio

24/7 Radio

Daily Devotion

The Power of Prayer

Features

Our Eternal God

In Touch Ministries staff

Featured Topic

30 Life Principles

30 Resources

Featured Topic

New Believers

11 Resources

Our Founder

Dr. Charles Stanley

Our Ministry

Learn More About In Touch

Subscribe

Sign Up for Free Resources

Life Principle 16: When Plans Turn to Ashes

Sermon Outline

Explore Other Sermons

My Assurance: God Is in Control - Part 4

The Confession of Our Sin

My Assurance: God Is in Control - Part 3

My Assurance: God Is in Control - Part 4

The Confession of Our Sin

My Assurance: God Is in Control - Part 3