October 1, 2010

October 1, 2010 1 Kings 3

Sometimes I am really caught by surprise by the mercy of God. Solomon is one example. He makes a treaty with Pharoah and marries his daughter to seal it. Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary states, “At Sinai Israel was forbidden to make alliances with the Canaanites (Ex. 23:32). This was to keep Israel’s loyalties from being divided between God and pagan powers.”[1] Now I realize that Egypt is not Canaan. However, I would have thought that the principle would have remained the same. After all, Solomon’s love affair with his pagan wives eventually turned his heart from the Lord (1Kings 11:4ff). He began sacrificing to their gods on the south west slopes of the Mount of Olives. To this day the Jews despise that area.

Solomon heads to the high place at Gibeon. Why Gibeon? The ark of the Lord was not there; it was in Jerusalem. David had moved it to Jerusalem. The Israelites had been instructed in the law to bring their sacrifices only to the priests at the tabernacle. Yet Solomon takes a 5 mile hike to Gibeon instead of the one mile hike to Mount Moriah, and sacrifices a thousand offerings there. And yet, God appears to him in a dream. Solomon does not have it right, yet God appears to him. Maybe that is why some of my liberal acquaintances seem to have the blessing of God upon them, even when they don’t have it “right.” Maybe that is why I sometimes have the blessing of God upon me, even when I don’t have it ”right.” Keep in mind, the Lord eventually is displeased with Solomon (11:4ff) because his wives turned his heart away from the Lord.

Hmmmm. . . so should I presume upon the great mercy of the Lord? Absolutely not! I should remember that eventually God will reign me in, if I don’t. I hope I move beyond my presumptuous heart. In the meantime, I will rejoice in the great mercy of our Lord. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john



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[1]Youngblood, Ronald F.: Bruce, F.F. (Hrsg.): Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary : An Authoritative One-Volume Reference Work on the Bible With Full Color Illustrations. electronic edition of the revised edition of Nelson's illustrated Bible dictionary. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1995



Ephesians 4

When Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, part of the job of the Holy Spirit is to make us one, to bring unity. The Holy Spirit does that immediately upon our conversion. We are part of one body, headed by one Lord. Our job is to preserve what He has already created. It is His glory to give us gifts as to how we fit into His body. Understanding our giftedness in the body and using it peacefully to build His body brings him glory.

Picture this: a general fights a nasty battle with an unusually cruel foe, which irrationally hates him. At great cost to himself he defeats the enemy and captures some of them. But rather than sending them to Guantanamo Bay for interrogation, he dresses their wounds, feeds them the finest food, clothes them and gives them each specific gifts to organize themselves into a fantastic army. These captives he gifts! But these captives are captivated by their captor. They have lost their desire to fight him and desire to follow him. How does their former commander handle having his former soldiers fighting against him? His only chance of survival is to get them to fight one another. Get them to be jealous of each others gifts. Get the infantry to demand that the artillery fight only with rifles. Get the air force to insist that all of the infantry fly. And the story goes on.

How does the general prevent the enemies scheme? He insists that his soldiers speak the truth to one another in love. They must understand that their giftedness is for a specific purpose and not everyone else operates as they do. They speak truth with a motivation of wanting the best for their fellow soldiers not wanting their fellow soldiers to become like them. As they do this they are able to understand one another and remain where they belong in their unit. As a result, the general is glorified because his army becomes more effective at capturing more of the enemy and enlisting them in the general’s army.

So it is with Jesus. We are captivated by His love. He has gifted us. We must speak the truth in love. We must preserve the bond of unity that is already there in peace. As we do, He is glorified. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John