I find it interesting that the word “compromise” is in part made up of the word “promise”.
But in the way words are made up, it does hold true to its original meaning: when we compromise, we are accepting less, many times of what we have been “promised”!
As Moses and the children of Israel where striving to leave Egypt, (which is a biblical type of the world or worldliness) they were given 4 compromises. It is not unlike the compromises that the deceiver of the world presents to everyone today.
A synonym is another word that has the same meaning. When we look up the synonyms of the word compromise, it is very telling: to accommodate, to bargain, to concede, a happy medium, half measure, middle ground, sellout, trade off. Antonyms are words that have the opposite meaning and they are also very telling: to contest, to disagree, to resist!
Let us look at the compromises that Moses and the Israelites were offered, and realized that they are not unlike the compromises that will confront you on your journey with JESUS as you make your way to the “promised land”.
• EXODUS 8:25 AND PHAROAH CALLED FOR MOSES AND AARON, AND SAID, GO YE, SACRIFICE TO YOUR GOD IN THE LAND..
In other words, Pharaoh was offering the Israelites a compromise. This first compromise was basically this: Don’t leave Egypt, don’t get to radical and leave everything behind! Stay here where the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, and the lust of the eyes can be satisfied! That way you can still be slaves to those things which have you bound and lost! Just make a little sacrifice to GOD, but don’t get radical and leave the world behind! It is so easy to see how that Pharaoh was such a type of the ruler of the darkness of this world! Modern day Christianity is so beleaguered by the Pharaoh Lucifer who has deceived a compromising church world into thinking that you can stay in sin, never leave Egypt and yet still have the blessings of God and make it to the Promised Land! Our Savior called us OUT of DARKNESS and INTO HIS marvelous LIGHT! How can we worship God and still live in sin? How could we really become who HE has called us to be (kings and priests) if we accept this compromise and live and stay in the ways of the world? Oil and water do not mix, and we will never show the world the PROMISE of GOD, by becoming more like the world! The world has become so churchy, and the church has become so worldly! We must be consecrated to the LORD for HIS use! We must leave the land of bondage behind, and walk away from the places, actions, attitudes, lifestyles, friends, and even family members who would want you to stay bound in sin! As the old hymn states, “Out of Egypt I have traveled through the darkness dreary, Far over hills and valleys and across the desert sands, I’ve exchanged the land of heartaches for the land of pleasure, I’m camping, I’m camping, in Canaan’s happy land”!
• EXODUS 8:28 AND PHAROAH SAID, I WILL LET YOU GO, THAT YE MAY SACRIFICE TO THE LORD YOUR GOD IN THE WILDERNESS: ONLY YE SHALL NOT GO VERY FAR AWAY: INTREAT FOR ME…..
What a sneaky deceiver we deal with! The enemy of our souls will adjust his compromise as long as he can get you to not have that married relationship with JESUS which happens in “Beulah” land! If you fall in love with JESUS, your heavenly bridegroom, the powers of sin will no longer have control over you, and you will be the servant of only JESUS! The father of lies will now say “Oh I understand you need to leave sin, and worldliness, just don’t go to far away, don’t get to radical! do your thing on Sunday, but stay near the fringes of the world, which is the edge of the wilderness, to get that occasional visit from GOD, Oh and while you are there, in order to make you feel so spiritually rich and righteous…”would you pray for me”??? We can get religious all we want, even pray for the ones that have us bound, but until we are willing to do things GOD’S way we will just be religious and self righteous sinners! Sadly, the person in this compromise with the devil still has no relationship with the only one who can make them free! Satan would love it if all Christians would stay on the fringe of the world, yet be far enough into the wilderness of “relationship” to think they are safe! He will deceive you to make you feel so spiritual, and will even ask you for your prayers! He knows that IF YOU STAY TO CLOSE TO EGYPT, you will soon be living back there!
When Lot seperated from Abraham in Genesis 13:12 “..and pitched his tent toward Sodom” Genesis 19:1 “..and Lot sat in the gate of sodom..” He went from pitching his tent toward sodom to living IN sodom….so it is correct to say “where you are looking at today will be where you are living tomorrow”!
• EXODUS 10:11 AND HE SAID UNTO THEM, LET THE LORD BE SO WITH YOU, AS I WILL LET YOU GO, AND YOUR LITTLE ONES: LOOK TO IT; FOR EVIL IS BEFORE YOU. NOT SO; GO NOW YE THAT ARE MEN, AND SERVE THE LORD..
This compromise is even more diabolical than the previous ones. He tells you that you can go from Egypt, but don’t worry about your family and your friends! The little ones and the women can’t handle all that change! You must go alone! Men only, as the journey is too hard for the women and children. You can get really radical in serving GOD, just don’t try to take your family and friends along! Satan knows that if he can get an apathetic man in a family, the moms and kids will have a tough time going it alone for GOD! But if a man, a priest of his home, will take the GOD given place to become the spiritual leader and DIRECT his family toward the wilderness of a relationship with JESUS, the whole family will want to come! Another sad compromise is when the devil has convinced the Church to just be the place of love and acceptance! The place of accommodation and compromise! How many times do we hear Christians now say, “I don’t care what everyone else does….just don’t push it on me..I will leave you alone if you leave me alone!!!” How sad that believers can no longer call sin and darkness just exactly what it is! Compromise will silence the church so that she no longer goes to the highways and byways COMPELLING them to come to the wedding feast, proclaiming repentance for the kingdom of GOD is at hand!
• EXODUS 10:24 AND PHAROAH CALLED UNTO MOSES, AND SAID, GO YE, SERVE THE LORD; ONLY LET YOUR FLOCKS AND YOUR HERDS BE STAYED; LET YOUR LITTLE ONES ALSO GO WITH YOU….
Now the fourth and final compromise. Are you that radical about going all the way? Go ahead and go all the way out in the wilderness, completely leave Egypt and go very far away, along with your family and friends! Just leave your belongings, your herds and flocks, your livelihood, your security in life. After all, if you have nothing, then you have nothing to give or to take with you to the promised land! Friends, all who we are, and all that we have been given in this life, ALL OF IT CAME FROM GOD! We cannot leave anything behind of our life in Egypt! There is not any aspect of your life that GOD is not calling you to leave Egypt on. There is not a part of our life that we can leave in the grips of Egypt and think that GOD will be accepting of it. But when we pull up stakes, take down the camp, and leave with all of our families, belongings, ambitions, desires, hopes, and move out to the wilderness to find that oneness relationship with our Savior, we will be blessed! It is an obvious fact that it is not the natural things that we will take into the promised land with us, but our natural belongings were given so that we could use them to bring glory and honor to our Savior! We also see spiritually that we have been given many belonging or riches of knowledge in Christ Jesus! We stay in the bondage of Egypt when we choose the lesser things of this world over sitting at the feet of Jesus! In Luke Chapter 10, Martha was cumbered with cares of this life and asked Jesus to tell Mary to help her out with her duties! Mary was choosing the riches and treasures of eternal things that she could take along with her into eternity! Jesus responded to Martha, “But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Mary would take all of the treasures and belongings of spiritual riches with her and would not be missing them when she stepped into eternity! She chose those things that she could take along. You will never find the riches of greater heights, depths, lengths, and breadths of our Precious bridegroom JESUS if you are looking for them in Egypt! It is to the separated soul, heart and life of a committed believer that these treasures are deposited! And if you have been given the treasure of eternal life, Ask, Seek, Knock for more of the eternal treasures and belongings that you can acquire in this life! For what you find here while you travel in this wilderness, you will get to take with you into the eternal Beulah land!
Yes I’ve reached the land of promise with the saints of glory
My journey ended in a place so lovely and so grand
I’ve been led by Jesus to this blessed land of story
I’m camping, I’m camping, in Canaan’s happy land !
Be Blessed in JESUS today, READ GODS WORD, and find the treasures therein!!!
Pastor Stephen