Running With The Horses, Part 3
As we continue looking at Jeremiah 12:5, God tells Jeremiah this: “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses?” We want to continue looking at this response of God to Jeremiah and how it relates to us. Please refer back to parts 1 and 2.
Revelation 6:5-6 continues with the third horse, and it reads, “When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come!’ I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, ‘Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!’”
We have had famines all throughout time. We see this in the days of Abraham. Genesis 12:10 tells us, “Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.” Issac also saw a famine as we read in Genesis 26:1, “Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar.” Jacob also saw a famine, as we see in Genesis 42:5, “So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain, for there was famine in the land of Canaan also.” This was the famine that brought Jacob to Egypt, for Joseph was sent ahead to save the people.
These are just a few of the times in the Bible (there are many more), but even today we see famines, mostly in Africa, but this is not totally what this Scripture is talking about. Today if there is a famine or natural disaster, countries from around the world send relief. But, notice the cost of the wheat and the barley? A day’s wage! You see, the longer the horses ride the greater in intensity their judgment. This is talking about global famine, a famine where other countries will not be able to send relief. How then will you be able to run with the horses? Will they bring you down?
Today food is everything. We have so much, especially in this country, that all we have to do is go to our refrigerators or open our cabinets or run to the nearest store or even the gas station. For many people, food is their god as Philippians 3:18-21 tells us, “For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Messiah. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Messiah Yeshua, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.” Today we must put nothing before our Messiah. We must have that self-control which is a fruit of the Spirit and we must put our mind on things above. We must return to fasting and praying. We must learn to deny ourselves and pick up our cross and follow our Messiah.
In Revelation 6:7-8 we see the horses continue to ride, as it tells us, “When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, ‘Come!’ I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.” We see here that the fourth horse will bring such destruction and it will encompass all the other three horses.
So, maybe you may say that you are able to run with the horses, but when the fourth horse comes along it will bring an overwhelming time of trials and tribulations. It will take great faith to overcome the trials. Over the decades, we have seen different wars. Even here in America we had the Civil War and of course different attacks on our country like Pearl Harbor, 9/11, and civil unrest. We have seen so much violence in our larger cities, mass shootings almost every weekend if not daily. We have had different plaques like ebola, polio, the Spanish Flu, the bubonic plague, influenza, and the coronavirus for some examples, where thousands of people have died. We have had recessions and depressions and great poverty over the years.
But today God wants to do a work in you so that you will be an overcomer. 2 Peter 1:5-11 tells us, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Messiah Yeshua. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Messiah Yeshua.”
Paul tells us in Romans 5:2-5, “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
In John 16:33 Yeshua tells us, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
God wants us to overcome. He wants us to have the faith that will see us through. He wants us to learn to trust Him in all things. How about you? Will you win the race? Let God prepare you today so that you will be able to cross the finish line as an overcomer.
We are going to look at the last three horses next month, but till then run the race with endurance.
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