I Kings 11:9-11: “The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command. So the LORD said to Solomon, ‘Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.’”
If we were able to end the story of the life of Solomon with I Kings 10, we could conclude that Solomon was one of the greatest examples of unwavering obedience to the Lord. Early in Solomon’s reign, we find that the LORD was pleased with the king because he had asked God for a discerning heart . . . one inclined to the will of the LORD (I Kings 3:10). Although God had offered Solomon any desire of his heart, the king in response did not ask for personal wealth or power; instead he asked that God would help him be wise and obedient to the commands of the Lord. God was so pleased with the king’s response that God promised that He would add to Solomon’s request all of the blessings of which he did not ask.
The height of blessing for Solomon came in chapter 10, when it is recorded that the king received 25 tons of gold annually, not including the revenues from merchants and tradesmen (vs. 15). Solomon used many of these precious metals to construct a beautiful temple to the Lord; he also built for himself palaces constructed of ivory, fine gold, and ornate wood. Dignitaries from distant lands came to see the grandeur of the king and to hear the wisdom of this son of David who had been so blessed of the Lord. When the Queen of Sheba had traveled a great distance to see this ruler whose fame had spread throughout the ancient world, she was overwhelmed at the man that God had blessed. She praised the Lord, saying, “God has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel” (10:9).
Yet, as we begin to read chapter 11, we find ourselves looking to see if we have not turned too many pages. There seems to be a disconnect from everything that we have read to this point. Previously, Solomon had been found kneeling before the altar of the LORD, with his “hands spread out toward heaven” (8:54). The picture is of a monarch who is not too big for his “royal britches” to surrender himself to the will of God. He is a humble figure who cries out to the Lord, “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below.”
Before chapter 11, there is focus, certainty, and exclusivity in Solomon's commitment to the One True God. But now we find in chapter 11 an older king who violates the will of God . . . that the Israelites should not marry pagan wives. Solomon had many female wives and companions (1000 total), many of whom were from royal families of pagan nations. These wives turned his heart away from worshipping God alone; the king began to worship the detestable gods of the Canaanites . . . gods like Molech to whom the pagans would sacrifice children. Solomon set up altars on high places for these gods; he had become so brazen in his disobedience to the Lord that he was willing to set up these shrines on mountaintops.
The Lord became angry at Solomon, for Solomon knew God’s command not to follow other gods; still, the king rebelled against the Lord. In response, God declared that the kingdom would be torn from his descendants and given to other rulers. God raised up adversaries who rebelled against the rule of Solomon, not unlike what Solomon himself had done to the Sovereign Lord. And for the remainder of Solomon’s life, he would be found attempting to crush the factions of resistance that were growing both outside and within his own nation.
As tragic as this story of Solomon’s later life is, I believe that we can learn an invaluable lesson from it. We must remember that God is to be worshipped solely and exclusively. There are not to be any persons or things that would displace the true worship of the One True God. Solomon knew this early in his reign; however, over time, the king permitted people into his life that would sway his commitment to the Lord. Solomon knew better, for he had been given wisdom from God; still, the king grew away from his intimate relationship with God. What is noticeably absent in the latter part of Solomon’s life is any reference to the daily communion of the king with His Lord. We don’t find Solomon seeking God each day, renewing his intimate walk with God and striving to the obedient to his Lord.
Thus, we must be committed to renewing ourselves daily by communing with the Sovereign Lord. This daily fellowship is the antidote to spiritual lethargy leading to self-centeredness and rebellion against the Lord. The Apostle Paul mentions this in Romans 12:2; namely that we will prevent any conformity to the world by renewing our minds and hearts toward the Lord. If you learn this lesson, you won’t have to worry about a “chapter 11” in your own life.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Wealth Management
Proverbs 15:16: "Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil."
We live in a society today that is consumed with the desire for material prosperity above all other pursuits. People are selling their souls, their families, their health, their happiness, and their divine purpose in life for more material possessions. Whereas wealth per se is not inherently bad, it nonetheless can become an idol passionately pursued to the detriment of all of the areas mentioned above.
The Apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy said it well: "Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it . . . . People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction . . . . Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" (I Tim. 6:6-10).
Happiness and fulfillment in life are not necessarily a function of one's wealth. Some of the most contented people are those who do not necessarily have much materially but who are in a love relationship with the Lord and are faithfully fulfilling their Divine calling in life. At the same time, some of the most frustrated and unfulfilled people are those who have much materially but who have consumed themselves with the pursuit of those things.
When we displace the worship of God with the false god of material gain, we should expect that turmoil awaits us just beyond the horizon.
We live in a society today that is consumed with the desire for material prosperity above all other pursuits. People are selling their souls, their families, their health, their happiness, and their divine purpose in life for more material possessions. Whereas wealth per se is not inherently bad, it nonetheless can become an idol passionately pursued to the detriment of all of the areas mentioned above.
The Apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy said it well: "Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it . . . . People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction . . . . Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" (I Tim. 6:6-10).
Happiness and fulfillment in life are not necessarily a function of one's wealth. Some of the most contented people are those who do not necessarily have much materially but who are in a love relationship with the Lord and are faithfully fulfilling their Divine calling in life. At the same time, some of the most frustrated and unfulfilled people are those who have much materially but who have consumed themselves with the pursuit of those things.
When we displace the worship of God with the false god of material gain, we should expect that turmoil awaits us just beyond the horizon.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Freewill Offerings
Exodus 35: 4,21,29; 36:4-6: "Moses said . . . 'Everyone who is willing is to bring to the LORD an offering of gold, silver, and bronze' . . . . And everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him came and brought an offering to the LORD . . . . All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the LORD freewill offerings for all the work the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do . . . . So all the skilled craftsmen who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left their work and said to Moses, 'The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be done.' Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: ' No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.' And so the people were restrained from bringing more."
The chapters just before this citation in Exodus, present the Israelites at Mount Sinai in the wilderness. Their story is one of rebellion, then Divine confrontation, repentance, Divine encounter, overwhelmed response and joy, and lastly gracious giving.
In chapter 32, Moses had gone up, per the Lord's instruction, onto Mount Sinai to receive instruction. After he had been gone for many days, the rest of the Israelites decided to incite Moses' brother, Aaron, to build them false gods to worship.
The people quickly removed their precious gold jewelry and presented it to Aaron so that it could be crafted into the idols that their hearts earnestly desired. Of course, these inanimate objects were no gods at all. The people desired them because they would not rebuke the people's licentious behavior. In effect, the people desired themselves to be gods, and they were using the golden idols to legitimize their debased behavior. Once the golden calf was presented to the people, they rose early in the morning to offer burnt and fellowship offerings to it. They gave freely and abundantly, because their heart was directed toward self-adulation and indulgement.
When Moses returned to the camp, he noticed that the people were "running wild . . . out of control" (32:25). God, in turn, brought judgment upon the rebellious Israelites. First, the Levites, who had committed themselves to the Lord, were instructed to strike down the people in the camp with a sword. About 3000 died from this slaughter. The Lord then struck the rest of the people with a plague for their sin of rebellion.
When God later threatened to destroy these descendants of Abraham, the people "mourned and no one put on ornaments" (33:4). They had had a divine encounter with the Lord, and they recognized that they had rebelled against the Holy God. They repented of their sinful, immoral acts of defiance against the One True Holy God.
Moses returned to the top of Mount Sinai a second time and communed with the Lord; and during this meeting, Moses was permitted to see a glimpse of the glory of the Lord. When Moses returned to the people, his face glowed with the radiance of his divine encounter with the glory of the Lord. The people were fearful of Moses, but he was able to entreat them to approach him, so that he could share the commands of the Lord and call them to obedience.
One can note the different disposition of the people between the first and second return of Moses from the mountain. In the first instance, the people did not look forward to Moses' return with the Word of the Lord; they celebrated that he was not around to impede their satisfying their cravings of the flesh and their self-centeredness (I John 2:15-17; John 3:20). With the second advent of Moses from the mount, the people were looking forward to his return, and they had a healthy fear of the glory of the Lord. They recognized that the universe did not revolve around them (they were not God), but that the One Holy God was Sovereign and Supreme and worthy of praise and obedience.
After Moses' second return, a petition went out to the people to bring of their own free will, offerings to the Lord . . . offerings of precious metals like gold, silver, and bronze in order that a tabernacle might be built for the Lord. So many were moved to bring their best to God that Moses had to order the people to stop giving to the craftsmen. Their overwhelming response of giving was evidential fruit of transformation that had come through repentance and submission to the Lord.
There is an incredible application that we can see from the above story, namely, that the one to whom we freely give our very best is the one to whom we recognize as our lord. To the one who indulges his own selfish desires, he is the one who has himself on the throne of his life; to the one who freely gives of his best (including himself) to Jesus Christ is the one who has the evidential fruit that the One True Lord is on the throne of his life.
The chapters just before this citation in Exodus, present the Israelites at Mount Sinai in the wilderness. Their story is one of rebellion, then Divine confrontation, repentance, Divine encounter, overwhelmed response and joy, and lastly gracious giving.
In chapter 32, Moses had gone up, per the Lord's instruction, onto Mount Sinai to receive instruction. After he had been gone for many days, the rest of the Israelites decided to incite Moses' brother, Aaron, to build them false gods to worship.
The people quickly removed their precious gold jewelry and presented it to Aaron so that it could be crafted into the idols that their hearts earnestly desired. Of course, these inanimate objects were no gods at all. The people desired them because they would not rebuke the people's licentious behavior. In effect, the people desired themselves to be gods, and they were using the golden idols to legitimize their debased behavior. Once the golden calf was presented to the people, they rose early in the morning to offer burnt and fellowship offerings to it. They gave freely and abundantly, because their heart was directed toward self-adulation and indulgement.
When Moses returned to the camp, he noticed that the people were "running wild . . . out of control" (32:25). God, in turn, brought judgment upon the rebellious Israelites. First, the Levites, who had committed themselves to the Lord, were instructed to strike down the people in the camp with a sword. About 3000 died from this slaughter. The Lord then struck the rest of the people with a plague for their sin of rebellion.
When God later threatened to destroy these descendants of Abraham, the people "mourned and no one put on ornaments" (33:4). They had had a divine encounter with the Lord, and they recognized that they had rebelled against the Holy God. They repented of their sinful, immoral acts of defiance against the One True Holy God.
Moses returned to the top of Mount Sinai a second time and communed with the Lord; and during this meeting, Moses was permitted to see a glimpse of the glory of the Lord. When Moses returned to the people, his face glowed with the radiance of his divine encounter with the glory of the Lord. The people were fearful of Moses, but he was able to entreat them to approach him, so that he could share the commands of the Lord and call them to obedience.
One can note the different disposition of the people between the first and second return of Moses from the mountain. In the first instance, the people did not look forward to Moses' return with the Word of the Lord; they celebrated that he was not around to impede their satisfying their cravings of the flesh and their self-centeredness (I John 2:15-17; John 3:20). With the second advent of Moses from the mount, the people were looking forward to his return, and they had a healthy fear of the glory of the Lord. They recognized that the universe did not revolve around them (they were not God), but that the One Holy God was Sovereign and Supreme and worthy of praise and obedience.
After Moses' second return, a petition went out to the people to bring of their own free will, offerings to the Lord . . . offerings of precious metals like gold, silver, and bronze in order that a tabernacle might be built for the Lord. So many were moved to bring their best to God that Moses had to order the people to stop giving to the craftsmen. Their overwhelming response of giving was evidential fruit of transformation that had come through repentance and submission to the Lord.
There is an incredible application that we can see from the above story, namely, that the one to whom we freely give our very best is the one to whom we recognize as our lord. To the one who indulges his own selfish desires, he is the one who has himself on the throne of his life; to the one who freely gives of his best (including himself) to Jesus Christ is the one who has the evidential fruit that the One True Lord is on the throne of his life.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Redeeming the Firstborn
Exodus 13:13: "Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons."
One of the very first instructions that God gave to Moses and the Israelites when He delivered them from bondage in Egypt was to sacrifice each firstborn male of their livestock to the Lord as an offering of remembrance and thanksgiving. God wanted the Israelites to remember that His wrath passed over them because they were protected by a perfect (without blemish) lamb's blood that had been placed on the sides and tops of the door frames of their houses in Egypt (see Exodus 12). All of those who did not have a lamb's blood on the door frames saw God strike dead the firstborn of both man and livestock.
Now that God had brought deliverance to the Israelites, He wanted them to know that the firstborn of both man and animal now belonged to Him. These firstborn had been bought with a price . . . the price of the sacrificed lamb in Egypt. Now, these firstborn were to be sacrificed on an altar to the Lord.
It is very interesting that the firstborn male donkeys and the firstborn sons of man were mentioned as the exceptions to sacrifice. The donkey's exception most likely was due to the importance of the animal for transportation through the wilderness. For the firstborn man made in God's image (Genesis 9:6), God decreed that his life would be saved as well.
What is ironic are the similarities between the donkey and man. Both are selfish, obstinate, unclean beings that have to be broken to accomplish the will of their masters. Whereas the donkey is bridled into submission, we too must surrender to the yoke of Christ (Matthew 11:29-30). We must renounce our obstinacy of disobedience to God and surrender to Him as Lord and Savior.
We can see the imagery of our salvation in the exception decree above. Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) has been offered as the payment for our sins. He is the One through whom we find deliverance from the bondage of sin. Still, we must submit ourselves to Him and renounce the obstinate rebellion that we have had against His Lordship. For those who choose to surrender to His yoke, the blessing of His substitutionary sacrifice brings us deliverance from the wrath of God. But for those who do not yield to Him as Lord, no redemption from the Lamb is provided. As just as with the unredeemed donkey that was taken aside and killed by the breaking of its neck, so too the unyielding, unregenerate one will find that God's wrath will break his outstretched neck of rebellion through judgment (e.g. eternal damnation).
This is why Psalm 75 is a good word of encouragement for all of us to surrender to the Lord and a word of warning for the defiant ones against the Lord: "Do not lift up your horns. Do not lift your horns against heaven; do not speak with outstretched neck . . . . I (God) will cut off the horns of all the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up."
One of the very first instructions that God gave to Moses and the Israelites when He delivered them from bondage in Egypt was to sacrifice each firstborn male of their livestock to the Lord as an offering of remembrance and thanksgiving. God wanted the Israelites to remember that His wrath passed over them because they were protected by a perfect (without blemish) lamb's blood that had been placed on the sides and tops of the door frames of their houses in Egypt (see Exodus 12). All of those who did not have a lamb's blood on the door frames saw God strike dead the firstborn of both man and livestock.
Now that God had brought deliverance to the Israelites, He wanted them to know that the firstborn of both man and animal now belonged to Him. These firstborn had been bought with a price . . . the price of the sacrificed lamb in Egypt. Now, these firstborn were to be sacrificed on an altar to the Lord.
It is very interesting that the firstborn male donkeys and the firstborn sons of man were mentioned as the exceptions to sacrifice. The donkey's exception most likely was due to the importance of the animal for transportation through the wilderness. For the firstborn man made in God's image (Genesis 9:6), God decreed that his life would be saved as well.
What is ironic are the similarities between the donkey and man. Both are selfish, obstinate, unclean beings that have to be broken to accomplish the will of their masters. Whereas the donkey is bridled into submission, we too must surrender to the yoke of Christ (Matthew 11:29-30). We must renounce our obstinacy of disobedience to God and surrender to Him as Lord and Savior.
We can see the imagery of our salvation in the exception decree above. Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) has been offered as the payment for our sins. He is the One through whom we find deliverance from the bondage of sin. Still, we must submit ourselves to Him and renounce the obstinate rebellion that we have had against His Lordship. For those who choose to surrender to His yoke, the blessing of His substitutionary sacrifice brings us deliverance from the wrath of God. But for those who do not yield to Him as Lord, no redemption from the Lamb is provided. As just as with the unredeemed donkey that was taken aside and killed by the breaking of its neck, so too the unyielding, unregenerate one will find that God's wrath will break his outstretched neck of rebellion through judgment (e.g. eternal damnation).
This is why Psalm 75 is a good word of encouragement for all of us to surrender to the Lord and a word of warning for the defiant ones against the Lord: "Do not lift up your horns. Do not lift your horns against heaven; do not speak with outstretched neck . . . . I (God) will cut off the horns of all the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up."
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Being an Effective Leader For God
Exodus 29:12,20-21; 30:20: "Take some of the bull's blood and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger . . . . Slaughter it (a ram), take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. . . . And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments . . . . Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die."
This Exodus account presents God's expectations for the leaders of the people of Israel in the Old Testament. Specifically, God is consecrating the Israelite priests in order that they might serve as spiritual leaders, offering sacrifices for the people to the Lord.
One of the first things that these leaders were to do was sacrifice a bull at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and offer it as a sin offering for themselves on the horns of the altar of the Lord.
We can find in this account the extreme importance of leaders to deal with their own sin issues before beginning their calling to lead others spiritually. When we today think of being called to serve the Lord, we first should think introspectively at ourselves . . . do we have unconfessed sin that needs to be presented to the Lord? If so, we then need to sacrifice our wayward, disobedient lives to God through repentance and confession. We need to turn from any sin and recommit ourselves to obedience to the Lord. Our blessing is the assurance that Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 2:2); He is the horn of our salvation (Luke 1:69) that has the power and authority to forgive our confessed sin (1 John 1:9). Without the power of God's salvation through Jesus Christ, we stand as powerless leaders without hope of God's mercy. But because Christ is our Sovereign Lord, who reigns supreme over all things, we have the assurance that through His Power, we who have submitted to Him have received His Divine adoption and have obtained the power to accomplish all that He wills for our lives as leaders.
Secondly, the blood of the ram was to be placed upon the right ear, thumb, and toe of the leader. We can see the incredible imagery of this symbolic application to leaders today. We are called to incline our ears to the Savior, not to the feigned philosophies of the world that war against the Lordship of Christ. We are also directed to make the paths of our feet and the work of our hands actions worthy of our Savior. Whatever your hand finds to do and wherever your foot leads you . . . you are to do all things to the glory of God (I Cor. 10:31), remembering that He is the LORD and that He has bought us with His precious blood (1 Cor. 6:20; 2 Cor. 5:15).
As the priest was to wash himself before entering the presence of the LORD to do the Lord's work, so to the leader today is to prepare himself daily before embarking on the tasks to which God has assigned him. This is the washing of sin from one's heart through repentance. Once sin is confessed, the leader should petition the Lord for wisdom and guidance to perform his duties in a way consistent with the will of God, bringing glory to God in all things.
This Exodus account presents God's expectations for the leaders of the people of Israel in the Old Testament. Specifically, God is consecrating the Israelite priests in order that they might serve as spiritual leaders, offering sacrifices for the people to the Lord.
One of the first things that these leaders were to do was sacrifice a bull at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and offer it as a sin offering for themselves on the horns of the altar of the Lord.
We can find in this account the extreme importance of leaders to deal with their own sin issues before beginning their calling to lead others spiritually. When we today think of being called to serve the Lord, we first should think introspectively at ourselves . . . do we have unconfessed sin that needs to be presented to the Lord? If so, we then need to sacrifice our wayward, disobedient lives to God through repentance and confession. We need to turn from any sin and recommit ourselves to obedience to the Lord. Our blessing is the assurance that Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 2:2); He is the horn of our salvation (Luke 1:69) that has the power and authority to forgive our confessed sin (1 John 1:9). Without the power of God's salvation through Jesus Christ, we stand as powerless leaders without hope of God's mercy. But because Christ is our Sovereign Lord, who reigns supreme over all things, we have the assurance that through His Power, we who have submitted to Him have received His Divine adoption and have obtained the power to accomplish all that He wills for our lives as leaders.
Secondly, the blood of the ram was to be placed upon the right ear, thumb, and toe of the leader. We can see the incredible imagery of this symbolic application to leaders today. We are called to incline our ears to the Savior, not to the feigned philosophies of the world that war against the Lordship of Christ. We are also directed to make the paths of our feet and the work of our hands actions worthy of our Savior. Whatever your hand finds to do and wherever your foot leads you . . . you are to do all things to the glory of God (I Cor. 10:31), remembering that He is the LORD and that He has bought us with His precious blood (1 Cor. 6:20; 2 Cor. 5:15).
As the priest was to wash himself before entering the presence of the LORD to do the Lord's work, so to the leader today is to prepare himself daily before embarking on the tasks to which God has assigned him. This is the washing of sin from one's heart through repentance. Once sin is confessed, the leader should petition the Lord for wisdom and guidance to perform his duties in a way consistent with the will of God, bringing glory to God in all things.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Wicked Self-Centeredness
I Kings 3:26: "The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, 'Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don't kill him!' But the other said, 'Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!'"
Inserted within the pages of the history of the early years of King Solomon's reign, we find an interesting story of two women who had both birthed a child around the same time. While sleeping, the first woman tragically lay on her child and suffocated him to death; yet instead of grieving the loss of her precious child, the woman was consumed with envy of the other woman who still had a live child. One can see between the lines of the story that this woman was consumed with herself. Life to her was all about her desires, even if it meant harming others in the process. She was unable to celebrate that this other woman was blessed with a child; she coveted the live baby to the point of stealing it in the middle of the night. Specifically, the woman took her own dead baby and placed it beside the sleeping mother and in turn took the woman's live baby back to her home.
As one might expect, when the woman awakened to find a dead baby beside her, she was distraught. But as she looked closer at the child, she realized that the baby was in fact not her own. She knew that someone had come in the middle of the night and switched babies. She went to the woman who had taken her child; but of course the woman denied any wrongdoing. She swore that the live child was her own.
The disagreement intensified to the point that the king was made aware and granted permission for the two women to present their case to him. Of course, both women swore that the live child was their own, prompting the king to make an apparent drastic decision to resolve the conflict. Solomon, who had been blessed with Divine Wisdom (3:12), decided to divide the child in two and give each woman a half.
The rightful mother would not permit the king's edict to be executed; she had compassion for her son (the words literally translated here mean, 'her compassion grew warm') and she asked that the baby be given to the other woman. The mother would not have her baby killed; it was better for her baby to be given to the other woman.
But so show how utterly debased the first woman was who had switched the children, she urged the king to cut the child in two. She was not interested in having the baby; she wanted the other woman to feel the pain that she herself had endured with the loss of her own child. She was consumed with herself; and truly she would have been an unfit mother for any child.
In the end, the wisdom of the king and the selfless act of the rightful mother prevailed as the king gave the living child to the true mother. No other information is given as to the fate of the wicked woman; one would almost hope that the king enacted his sovereign judgment against such a detestible act. Nonetheless, the people were in awe at the wisdom that God had bestowed to the king in being able to administer justice.
Sadly, we find people today who have the same wicked disposition as the woman mentioned above. There are those who are always looking for ways to exploit others for their own selfish desires. They are not able to be content with what has been given to them; they are predators who prey on others for their self-aggrandizement . . . even to the point of wishing evil to others so that others cannot have an "advantage" over them. This level of "personal consumption" is evil in its most hideous form. In the end, the Righteous Judge will enact justice for such wickedness.
Inserted within the pages of the history of the early years of King Solomon's reign, we find an interesting story of two women who had both birthed a child around the same time. While sleeping, the first woman tragically lay on her child and suffocated him to death; yet instead of grieving the loss of her precious child, the woman was consumed with envy of the other woman who still had a live child. One can see between the lines of the story that this woman was consumed with herself. Life to her was all about her desires, even if it meant harming others in the process. She was unable to celebrate that this other woman was blessed with a child; she coveted the live baby to the point of stealing it in the middle of the night. Specifically, the woman took her own dead baby and placed it beside the sleeping mother and in turn took the woman's live baby back to her home.
As one might expect, when the woman awakened to find a dead baby beside her, she was distraught. But as she looked closer at the child, she realized that the baby was in fact not her own. She knew that someone had come in the middle of the night and switched babies. She went to the woman who had taken her child; but of course the woman denied any wrongdoing. She swore that the live child was her own.
The disagreement intensified to the point that the king was made aware and granted permission for the two women to present their case to him. Of course, both women swore that the live child was their own, prompting the king to make an apparent drastic decision to resolve the conflict. Solomon, who had been blessed with Divine Wisdom (3:12), decided to divide the child in two and give each woman a half.
The rightful mother would not permit the king's edict to be executed; she had compassion for her son (the words literally translated here mean, 'her compassion grew warm') and she asked that the baby be given to the other woman. The mother would not have her baby killed; it was better for her baby to be given to the other woman.
But so show how utterly debased the first woman was who had switched the children, she urged the king to cut the child in two. She was not interested in having the baby; she wanted the other woman to feel the pain that she herself had endured with the loss of her own child. She was consumed with herself; and truly she would have been an unfit mother for any child.
In the end, the wisdom of the king and the selfless act of the rightful mother prevailed as the king gave the living child to the true mother. No other information is given as to the fate of the wicked woman; one would almost hope that the king enacted his sovereign judgment against such a detestible act. Nonetheless, the people were in awe at the wisdom that God had bestowed to the king in being able to administer justice.
Sadly, we find people today who have the same wicked disposition as the woman mentioned above. There are those who are always looking for ways to exploit others for their own selfish desires. They are not able to be content with what has been given to them; they are predators who prey on others for their self-aggrandizement . . . even to the point of wishing evil to others so that others cannot have an "advantage" over them. This level of "personal consumption" is evil in its most hideous form. In the end, the Righteous Judge will enact justice for such wickedness.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Defiling the Sanctuary
Ezekiel 5:11: "Because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your vile images and detestable practices, I myself will withdraw my favor."
When one studies the history of Jerusalem just prior to the Babylonian Captivity in 586BC, one finds that it was filled with people who had chosen to refuse to submit to God as their Sovereign Lord. Although they continued to perform their religious practices at the temple, their hearts were filled with debauchery, violence, and immorality. When God sent the prophet, Ezekiel, to warn the people of their sin, He referred to the people as "obstinate and stubborn" (2:4) who were committing "detestable" acts against the Lord (8:17).
Although the people of Jerusalem had started years before their practice of idolatry and immorality in private settings for fear that their deeds would be exposed (see John 3:20); now they were flagrantly worshipping their idols and enacting their filthy, licentious practices on mountaintops. They wanted to displace the true God with any substitute they could find, whether it was a sun god or the Sumerian god of vegetation, Tammuz, or gods depicting insects and animals . . . any other deity that could validate their wicked behavior. The people chose these inanimate "deities" because they would not challenge the people's evil behavior. Thus, these Judeans could commit any evil that they desired and could ascribe the behavior to the will of the gods. In effect, these rebellious Israelites were worshipping themselves . . . they now thought that they had free reign of their own lives. Neither God nor man would tell them what they could do. In time, God would enact His righteous wrath against these people; He specifically used the pagan Babylonians as the instrument of his vengeance against these obstinate Israelites. Many of the people of Jerusalem were either killed or sent into captivity for their corporate rebellion against the Lord.
For true followers of Jesus Christ today, we would do well to remember this historical account, namely, that debased, defiant sin against the Lord will bring His Holy response of wrath(Galatians 6:7-8). And since our bodies are considered the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19), we should examine how we are glorifying the Lord by our behavior. Are we submitting daily to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and are we demonstrating a life of purity consistent with that submissive spirit? For the person who would say that he has a relationship with Jesus Christ, yet does not follow His commands as found in Scripture is "a liar and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:4). True proof of a transformed, yielded follower of Jesus Christ is the evidential fruit that one displays in his day-to-day life experiences.
When one studies the history of Jerusalem just prior to the Babylonian Captivity in 586BC, one finds that it was filled with people who had chosen to refuse to submit to God as their Sovereign Lord. Although they continued to perform their religious practices at the temple, their hearts were filled with debauchery, violence, and immorality. When God sent the prophet, Ezekiel, to warn the people of their sin, He referred to the people as "obstinate and stubborn" (2:4) who were committing "detestable" acts against the Lord (8:17).
Although the people of Jerusalem had started years before their practice of idolatry and immorality in private settings for fear that their deeds would be exposed (see John 3:20); now they were flagrantly worshipping their idols and enacting their filthy, licentious practices on mountaintops. They wanted to displace the true God with any substitute they could find, whether it was a sun god or the Sumerian god of vegetation, Tammuz, or gods depicting insects and animals . . . any other deity that could validate their wicked behavior. The people chose these inanimate "deities" because they would not challenge the people's evil behavior. Thus, these Judeans could commit any evil that they desired and could ascribe the behavior to the will of the gods. In effect, these rebellious Israelites were worshipping themselves . . . they now thought that they had free reign of their own lives. Neither God nor man would tell them what they could do. In time, God would enact His righteous wrath against these people; He specifically used the pagan Babylonians as the instrument of his vengeance against these obstinate Israelites. Many of the people of Jerusalem were either killed or sent into captivity for their corporate rebellion against the Lord.
For true followers of Jesus Christ today, we would do well to remember this historical account, namely, that debased, defiant sin against the Lord will bring His Holy response of wrath(Galatians 6:7-8). And since our bodies are considered the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19), we should examine how we are glorifying the Lord by our behavior. Are we submitting daily to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and are we demonstrating a life of purity consistent with that submissive spirit? For the person who would say that he has a relationship with Jesus Christ, yet does not follow His commands as found in Scripture is "a liar and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:4). True proof of a transformed, yielded follower of Jesus Christ is the evidential fruit that one displays in his day-to-day life experiences.
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