Okay, I admit it. I want to be great. I remember in my college years, a friend told me, “John, I believe that God has something really significant for you in your life. He wants to do great things through you.” Man, talk about appealing to my pride. Obviously after 40 years, I still remember the statement and cherish it. Something deep inside me desires that I be recognized by others as having done something really significant in the world. I’m talking about encyclopedia-type significance. Obviously, it hasn’t happened. Every once in a while, I look in the mirror and recognize the desire to be great. I quickly and painfully shove it back down into the deep hole from whence it crawled out. Maybe, if I bury it deep enough, it will go away. It doesn’t go away. It slowly eats on me like a cancer. Sometimes I think it is the source of a depression that occasionally comes over me. What’s so wrong with wanting to be great anyway? Nothing-as long as it is sourced in and subordinate to the glory of the Lord. But that is the catch, one usually wants it for oneself, not for Jesus.
Today’s passage is a case study of two men who both wanted to be great. In so doing they manipulated the glory of the Lord in order to attempt to achieve greatness for themselves. Rehoboam was the favored recipient of the throne of Solomon. He chose to have his coronation in Shechem. Why Shechem? Jerusalem was the capital of Israel. David had captured it and made it the capital. Solomon had expanded it by building a magnificent temple. He built palaces for himself and his wives. He increased the economy so well that silver became almost without value. How could Rehoboam improve on that? Certainly to top Solomon and David would be difficult. Shechem lay to the north of Jerusalem about 16 miles as the crow flies. The mountains of Ephraim run north south through Israel and one of the best east-west passages runs between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerazim. Shechem lay in the valley between the two. So Shechem was economically strategically located for unity of the country from east to west. The differences between the northern tribes and the tribe of Judah had never really been settled under David and Solomon. Being farther north than Jerusalem Shechem was politically more advantageous at uniting the country north to south. But more than anything else, Shechem had a deep spiritual representation. It was the first place that Abraham built an altar to the Lord after arriving in Canaan (Gen 12:6,7). Jacob built an altar there after returning from Padan Aram (Gen 38:18-20). Jacob dug a deep well there (John 4:12) which Jesus visited. Upon conquering Canaan under Joshua, the nation gathered there to pronounce the blessings of the law on Mt. Gerazim and the cursings of the law on Mt. Ebal (Joshua 8:30-35). Joshua gave his farewell address here (Joshua 24). It is as though Rehoboam was trying to use the glory of the Lord to build his repertoire to advance his own glory.
Jeroboam seizes upon the passing of power to make old rivalries fester. He leads the people in what would appear to us as a reasonable request. When one is bent on using the glory of God to build your own glory, reasonable requests often seem distorted. Intent on being seen as greater than his father, Rehoboam gives that infamous reply which led to the division of the country. So in seeking to use the glory of God to promote his own glory, Rehoboam falls flat on his face, and the nation experiences a civil war from which it never recovers.
Jeroboam successfully becomes king of the northern tribes. The northern kingdom needs a recognized capital. Shechem is the logical place. Jeroboam also sees Penuel as significant. Penuel, next door to Mahanaim straight east on the other side of the Jordan River is where Jacob wrestled all night with God. Mahanaim is the stronghold to which David fled when running from Absalom. David had received strong support from there when he needed it. Surely the grandson of David, Rehoboam, might find some allies in that area. Yes, securing Penuel in his quest for greatness was a wise move. Jeroboam now controlled all the area east of the Jordan and all the area north of Jerusalem on the west side of the Jordan. But Jeroboam faces the age-old problem that all men who form a coup face. What if the people tire of him as their leader, and what could cause them to be tired of him?
The temple in Jerusalem is the only temple of the Hebrews. It is a magnificent structure. What would happen if in the midst of celebrating the yearly festivals in Jerusalem, the people decided that it wasn’t so bad being part of the same country? They might want to be reunited. His greatness would be challenged. Something had to happen to help the people gel not only politically but also spiritually. He appealed to making worship easy, “It’s too hard to go up to Jerusalem.” He made two places in Israel for worship, one in the south and one in the north. No one ever had go that far again. Sounds a little like a drive-in church or internet church. The God worshipped in Jerusalem was a little difficult to grasp; there were no images of Him. An image of this god would make it easier for the people to understand him. Also the people of other cultures who lived in their midst had their images. It was a good cultural fit. Yes, Jereboam made his greatness secure, but at what cost? He eclipsed the true glory of our Lord.
I have to admit; I too want to be great. I’d like to have people point at me and say, “Now there is a really great pastor. Look at all the lives that have been changed because of his ministry! Look at all the people that flock to his church and buy his books.” But at what cost? I hope I can faithfully finish my life saying, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” It is really all about Him. It is about His glory. Help me Lord! I want too often to eclipse You. It is only Your glory that ever matters! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
PSALM 100
You know that there is only one reason a sheep would enter into the gates of the temple. There is only one reason that a sheep would enter the court. A sheep comes to die, to be a sacrifice. He first tells us that we are His people and the sheep of his pasture. Then He commands us to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Hmmmm. . . Why in the world would I ever want to do that? I can only do that if I am convinced that He is good, merciful and true.
How can a God who is good, merciful and true ask me to die for Him? Doesn’t that seem kind of incongruent? If He were good, would he not protect me from death? Does not goodness protect from unpleasantness and death? Does not goodness seek pleasure for its object? If God the Father loved God the Son, how could He ask Him to die for us? Sounds like a pretty awful thing to ask of your beloved son. Does love require the preservation of goodness, the expression of mercy or the enforcement of truth? If so, then perhaps it would change the way we view the expression of love. What if those three elements were more important than providing comfort or pleasure for the object of love?
Did you know that www.Dictionary.com has 47 separate entries for the definition of “good?” Its first entry is, “morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious: a good man.” However, its nineteenth entry is, “agreeable; pleasant: Have a good time.” Can a certain circumstance be morally excellent but not pleasant? If so, then it can be both bad and good at the same time. Can a certain time be morally excellent but not pleasant? Is the death burial and resurrection of our Lord a ‘good’ thing? So while He was hanging on the cross, was it a ‘good’ time or a ‘bad’ time for Him? Well, it was both. It was bad. It was not pleasurable. It was not agreeable. It was good. It accomplished our redemption. It made it possible to restore us to a morally excellent state.
While Jesus was upon the cross, He cried out, “My, God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” He was enduring the moral punishment for our sins. He was enduring the full wrath of a righteous God against our sin. At the point in which He cried out, He was not experiencing the mercy of God, but the wrath of God. Whether you agree or not, the moral excellence of God, (his goodness) was on display. There is goodness in justice, and His justice was being meted out. But His goodness led to the showing of His mercy. Dictionary.com defines mercy as:
1. compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence: Have mercy on the poor sinner.God accepted the sacrifice of His Son and had mercy upon Him, raising Him from the dead.
2. the disposition to be compassionate or forbearing: an adversary wholly without mercy.
3. the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, especially to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty.
4. an act of kindness, compassion, or favor: She has performed countless small mercies for her friends and neighbors.
5. something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing: It was just a mercy we had our seat belts on when it happened
His death, burial and resurrection are also evidence of His truth. Since truth is the actual state of a matter, it is impossible that the Creator could be anything but truth. However, truth also refers to faithfulness to a standard. That the Son should die for us at the request of the Father clearly demonstrates that He is true. He remained faithful to His love for the Father, and they remained faithful to their love for us.
The definitions all sound rather cold and factual, but grasping His goodness, mercy and truth are very important in my motivation for entering His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise as a sheep. I can joyfully enter, knowing that I will die, because His goodness means that upon my sacrifice, He will produce the highest form righteousness in me. My death releases Him to build righteousness in me, ever expanding His glory. As His goodness is displayed in my death, He pours His mercy upon me resulting in my resurrection as He was raised. His goodness and mercy showered upon me yields faithfulness in my relationship with Him allowing me to fully enjoy His love. Immersed in the bliss of His love, I cannot but help to bring great glory to His name! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
HOSEA 9
Where is the glory in this? It seems to only be about the shame of Israel in their idolatry. They made love to their Gods on the threshing floor. God had given them great material blessing in their abundant harvests. But rather than thanking Him for the abundance, they worshiped their idols and attributed their abundance to them. God in His glory provides us with abundance, but rather than thanking Him for the abundance and giving it to others, we attribute it to ourselves and spend it upon ourselves. We in essence worship the idol of ourselves, materialism. It is His glory that He is so patient with us. It is His glory that His patience one day comes to an end. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Colossians 1
This chapter reads like an unbelievable resume. Jesus is the King of a kingdom. He is deeply loved by the Father. Jesus is the first born of creation, meaning that he is pre-eminent over all of it. He created everything. He is head of the church. All the fullness of God dwells in Him. He reconciled His enemies to Himself. More than anything else, because He is in me, I have the hope of glory. The greatest glory of the universe lives in me. There is hope. It doesn't matter what anyone else says. I've been accused of having no leadership skills, of being demon possessed, etc. What does that matter? Not one whit. Jesus lives in me! I will share in His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
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