Quest for Fortune or Faults? – 1 Kings 14:2-3

 “And Jeroboam said to his wife, ‘Please arise, and disguise yourself, that they may not recognize you as the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh.  Indeed, Ahijah the prophet is there, who told me that I would be king over this people.  Also take with you ten loaves, some cakes and a jar of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what will become of the child.’”

Previously, Jeroboam worshipped and consulted his golden calf idols at his altars with his personally selected priests.  Yet when a real problem arises, one apparently unsolvable, he turns to the one true God for the truth.  It seems ironic that Jeroboam would be so silly to imagine that the very prophet from whom he sought a word about the future would somehow be fooled by a physical disguise.  “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked…” (Galatians 6:7a)  God will judge men according to what they are, not what they seem.

This hiding from God while appearing to seek Him is something seen within many congregations today.  This type of person is seeking something other than an intimate relationship with God.  In this case, Jeroboam is not trying to learn what has caused this illness or even to ask the prophet to pray for his son.  He only asks what the future will hold.  Will his son live or die?  Matthew Henry comments “It would have been more pious if he had desired to know wherefore God contended with him, had begged the prophet’s prayers, and cast away his idols from him; then the child might have been restored to him, as his hand was.  But most people would rather be told their fortune than their faults or their duty.”   What action would then be taken based upon the knowledge gained about the future?  None.  If the son is to live, nothing is done for the son.  If the son is to die, nothing can be done for the son.  The entire quest loses all meaning.

There are many folks that will attend a Bible study about the book of Revelation.  They are curious.  They seek information.  They want to know the future.  Yet they are not willing to participate in studies of other books of the Bible that teach of repentance, of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, or of the dangers of sin such as envy, pride, lust, and the love of money.  They are not interested in endeavoring to live a life that glorifies God, that serves Him in reaching the world for Christ, and that serves the community of believers. 

Do not misunderstand.  The book of Revelation does promise a blessing to those who read and hear it.  But there is a condition: the reader must also obey what is read. “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it for the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3)  Indeed the second and third chapters are bursting with corrections needed in the churches.  Repeatedly it is told to the reader what blessing will come to ‘he that overcomes,’ as well as the alternative outcome if the reader does not overcome.

We must seek a close personal relationship with God our Father through Jesus Christ His Son by surrendering to Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to reign in our lives.  If we seek God in this way, we will hunger for all of God’s Word, for the whole counsel of God.  Only then can we overcome.  “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)  Only then will we have peace.  As Jesus tells us “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace, in the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:33)

What good is it to know the future, if you do not know the One who holds the future in His Hands.

May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Nothing Hidden – Mark 4:21-22

“Also He said to them, ‘Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.’“

We do not yet know everything about God, so we have faith.  It is mysterious how the Holy Spirit works in the life of an unbeliever.  A war rages within that individual as the flesh battles the spirit.  It is a mystery because no one, except Jesus, knows the details of what is happening within the heart of that person.  The war is not exactly the same for everyone.  Almost always, though, there is an aspect of pride in the unbeliever that rigorously fights against the truth about Jesus and their own state of sinful condemnation.  Only God knows what it will take for that individual to surrender.  That war may rage for an extended period of time.  As the person grows closer to accepting the truth, the war within them will become more and more violent. 

When that glorious day arrives and the person surrenders to their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it is a joyful time for fellow believers and a time of rejoicing in Heaven.  To an observing unbeliever, the change in the person is a mystery.  The unbeliever wonders what has happened to their friend, and they want that old friend back.

The new believer is a light born into the world, and a light has been born into the new believer.  A light that reveals the truth about sin, about God’s Holy Word, about eternal salvation.  The purpose of the Gospel has become crystal clear to the new believer, and they wonder why the rest of the world does not see it.  This is where we believers, old or new, become responsible.  The world is in darkness and we have the light.  Jesus does not want what He has done for us to be a mystery to those around us.  As He reveals His truths to His disciples, to us, He expects we will share what we have learned.     

“We must expect that what is now done in secret, and from unseen springs, will shortly be manifested and made known. What is committed to you in secret should be made manifest by you; for your Master did not give you talents to be buried, but to be traded with. Let that which is now hid be made known; for, if it be not manifested by you, it will be manifested against you, will be produced in evidence of your treachery.” (Matthew Henry)

At some point the Lord will return, and He will reveal all things.  Nothing will be a secret.  Knowing this should further inspire us, as servants of Christ, to be faithful stewards of the mysteries of God.  It should prompt us to be diligent in sharing the truth with others.  When all is done, can you imagine one of your friends in this world asking you, as they are condemned to hell for eternity for not surrendering to Christ, why you never tried to convince them of the truth?  Why did you not try harder to tell them about how you found the way to eternal life?  We know that God will provide some way for that person to know the truth.  Still, is it not your desire that God use you so He can later say ‘well done good and faithful servant’?

The Apostle Paul reminds us of our responsibility, and the joy awaiting the faithful steward in hearing praise from God.  “Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.  Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful…Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts.  Then each one’s praise will come from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2, 5)

May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Death of the Man of God – 1 Kings 13:20-22 & 26

 “Now it happened, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back; and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the LORD, and have not kept the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you, but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which the LORD said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’”

“Now when the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of God who was disobedient to the word of the LORD.  Therefore the LORD has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to him.”

Reading through all of 1 Kings 13, the scene begins with the man of God boldly prophesying against the altar that Jeroboam, king for the north of the newly divided nation, had set up and thereby drawn the northern nation into the sin of idolatry.  The king stretched out his hand against the man of God and his hand immediately withered for all to see.  Instant judgment.  That same day the altar split, fulfilling part of the prophecy.  Then around 340 years later, the last of the prophecy was fulfilled when Josiah eliminated the false priests.  When Jeroboam asked the man of God to heal his withered arm, the man of God prayed and the arm was restored.  We find out that the man of God was not to take bread or water in this sinful city when he refuses the offer from the king.  As the man of God is on his way home, an old prophet deceives him with the lie that God had told him the man of God should take bread and water with him.  During the meal, the Holy Spirit speaks through the lying prophet, who then gives a true prophecy that the man of God will die due to his disobedience. 

We might perceive this to be a disproportionate punishment.  This man of God did what God wanted him to do, boldly even, against the king, and then he was deceived.  Here the king was breaking commandments by committing idolatry and he was drawing the people into sin.  The king also wanted to arrest the man of God.  The old prophet falsely prophesied, he misrepresented God.  In scripture there are some big names, such as Noah and Moses, of whom we hear all about their service to God, but then they sin against God in some way, and we do not hear anything about them again or their service is cut short. 

Noah, as you know, built the arc that was the salvation for humanity and land based animals during the flood.  After the flood, though, we see that Noah grew a vineyard, made wine, became drunk and was found naked by his son Ham.  According to Genesis 9:28, Noah lived another 350 years after the flood, however, after this drinking binge, we do not hear anything else about him.

Moses was used by God to free God’s people from Egypt, scribe God’s law and receive the detailed architectural plans for the tabernacle and its instruments, including the arc of the covenant.  Big stuff.  Yet he was not allowed to enter into the promised land.  Why?  Because he misrepresented God as we see in Numbers 20:1-13, when he struck the rock in anger to give water to the people, when God had told Moses to ‘speak’ to the rock.  “Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’” (Numbers 20:12)

Charles Stanley says “When we know we have heard from the Lord, we cannot let anyone convince us that He has changed His mind – regardless of the source of the supposed new revelation.”  David Guzik states: “This is an example of an important principle of the way God works. We think that strict judgment should begin among the most ungodly, but often God begins strict judgment among His own people. Usually this is because God knows that the world will not be reached when His people are compromising and disobedient.”  Mr. Guzik refers to this scripture:

“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?”  1 Peter 4:17

Paul said he was an ambassador for Christ (Ephesians 6:20).  As Christians, we must be ever aware of who we represent.  When God gives us a specific word, we should not stray to the right or to the left.  He wants particular representation for reasons often unknown to us, and if we miss the mark, in other words ‘sin,’ it takes away from the glory of God. 

This does not mean God did not love the man of God.  It does not mean that the man of God went to hell.  The gospel teaches us better than that.  “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)  What it means is that when we disobey God, we are no longer useful as a representative of Him.  Worse yet, we are in danger of misrepresenting Him.  This realization should prick our heart if we have begun to comprehend the deep love for us that led Jesus as a lamb to the slaughter.  If you are like me, you want to please Him, you want to stay useful, you want to hear Him say “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  (Matthew 25:21a)  How about you?  If there is any question in your mind whether you have been disobedient or compromising, ask God, and continue asking Him, to keep you on the right path.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  Psalm 139:23-24

May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Teach No Other Doctrine – 1 Timothy 1:3

 “As I urged you when I went into Macedonia – remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine”

When visiting a church in the US, we saw a prominent bulletin board that displayed large pictures of Mahatma Gandhi (Hindu leader for Indian independence) and the Dalai Lama (head monk of Tibetan Buddhism).  In the center was a small picture of Jesus, laughing with children.  The headline for the bulletin board was ‘Live, Laugh, Love.’  The rest of the board was filled in with secular quotes from Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and famous people about their view on a happy life.  It looked like something you might see in a Time Magazine article.

A number of the church members were disturbed enough to ask us about it. First we mentioned that most people only spend one hour a week in church, why feed them the same information they will be readily provided anywhere outside the church?  Secondly, the issue was brought up about teaching another doctrine, any other doctrine than that of Jesus Christ. 

When the author of the board joined the discussion, she explained that she wanted to help people achieve a balanced life that results in happiness.  From a secular worldview, this is an admirable goal.  From a Godly worldview, her goal misses the mark and her methods of providing worldly doctrine were clearly against scripture.  As noted in the above scripture, Timothy was to remain behind to ‘charge’ some, a Greek term used in a military sense as an order, that they teach no other doctrine.  We see this elsewhere in scripture, such as Galatians 1:8-9 “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.  As we said before, so say I now again, if any [man] preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”  The repetition of this warning by the Apostle Paul stresses the importance avoiding any other doctrine.

Both Hindus and Buddhists believe that improvement of life is attained by what Paul describes as ‘works.’  Below is a brief summary of what these cults teach.

Hinduism – Most Hindus believe in an immense unifying force that governs all existence and cannot be completely known by humanity. Individual gods and goddesses are personifications of this cosmic force. In practice, each Hindu worships those few deities that he or she believes directly influence his or her life. Upon death, the kind of body the soul inhabits next is determined by karma (actions accumulated in previous lives). 

Buddhism – While there are varying teachings in Buddhism about the path of liberation, one consistent belief held by all Buddhist schools is the lack of a Creator deity.  They consider Jesus Christ to have been one teacher among many who may have possessed Enlightenment.

These doctrines and beliefs go against scripture such as:  Genesis 1:1; Exodus 20:2-5; Exodus 34:14; Exodus 34:17; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:18-19; John 14:6; Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrews 9:27.  That is just to name a few.

And how is this for seeking happiness according to Ghandi who said “I am in the world feeling my way to light amid the encircling gloom.” 

We do not only despair for those that teach false doctrines in these cults, but we are told by Jude to contend for the faith, “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.  For certain men have crept in unnoticed who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (Jude 3-4) 

I am thrilled that Jesus loves us so much.  This is what He says about those who would deceive His followers with false doctrine and thereby cause them to sin:  “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”  (Matthew 18:6)

Woe to the woman who brought that false doctrine into the church, and woe to the pastor who apparently approved her actions.  We should all be careful and diligent in our words.  Let the Holy Spirit guide your heart, mind and tongue to communicate the only truth, God’s truth.

May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.