Choices

I’ve heard it said, “You can’t serve two masters.” That’s the basic message I found in 1 Kings 18.

The people in the northern tribes comprising Israel during the time of Elijah the prophet thought they could serve both the idol god, Ba’al, and the true God, Jehoveh. While we can’t be too critical of the average person in Israel, we can evaluate the religious leaders – the teachers of religion for the people. King Ahab had built false altars and had encouraged worship at those altars of the idols that Jezebel, his non-Hebrew wife, worshiped.

The false priests Ahab appointed were primarily worshipers of Ba’al, but they tried to appease the people by implying they were worshiping the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) as well. The people followed blindly along, but the leaders and teachers are the ones God penalized.

The chapter tells a story about Elijah calling the people together after a three-year drought in order to have them decide which god they were going to follow. He had the prophets of Ba’al build an altar, put their choice bull on the wood on the altar, and call upon Ba’al. These prophets begged and pleaded with their “god,” with all kinds of shenanigans, to consume the offering. The prophets of Ba’al danced, shouted, and cut themselves from morning until late in the afternoon. Nothing happened. At one point, Elijah mocked them and said that perhaps their god was occupied in the bathroom. They feverishly picked up their attempts to get Ba’al to perform.

Late in the day, Elijah told them that that was enough and called to the people. He called out to the people, “How long are you going to jump back and forth between two positions? If ADONAI is God, follow him; but if it’s Ba’al, follow him!” (Verse 21). So Elijah told the people to look to the altar he had built. He had them pour buckets and buckets full of water all over the offering (the bull the Ba’al worshipers had given him), all over the wood, filling a trench around the altar.

At the time of the evening offering, Elijah simply prayed to God.

“ADONAI, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Hear me, ADONAI, hear me, so that this people may know that you, ADONAI, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back to you” (1 Kings 18:36-37, CJB).

God was calling them to repentance. When God’s fire fell upon the offering, it consumed everything, even the stones on which the offering had been laid. There was not a drop of water left anywhere. The people responded by falling on their faces and crying out, “ADONAI is God! ADONAI is God!” (Verse 39).

It’s the same for us today. We can’t worship idols and God at the same time. We have to choose. We can’t have our earthly desires and lusts and self-righteousness and be true worshipers of God. Many times people in Christian circles choose what parts of Scripture they are going to apply to their worship. Many times people in Christian circles listen to the leaders and teachers who construe Scripture to their own agendas. God will hold the leaders accountable, but He will also hold each person accountable to choose what it actually says in His Torah. We have to choose. We can’t say we follow Christ and then stretch Scripture to say what we think it should say or what we want it to say.

Jesus is Our Leader

We have hope that Israel did not have. They were restricted and disciplined based on how they and their leaders maintained a relationship with God. We also are to maintain a relationship with God, but the responsibilities of our leaders are more restricted. Let me explain.

In David and Solomon’s era, the leader (i.e. King) reflected the spiritual condition of a nation. They could demonstrate their allegiance to God by maintaining obedience to God. God gave them four conditions, which must be met by any and all leaders of Israel in order for Israel to be safely under God’s wings. These conditions were given to David, but in 1 Kings 9, they are told to Solomon for a second time. The first time was at the consecration of the Temple, and in chapter 9 it’s 13 years later and Solomon desperately needs a reminder of the conditions required for God’s blessing on Israel.

The first condition Solomon is reminded of is that Solomon was to live in God’s presence – that Solomon was submissive to God.  Second, Solomon was to display pureness of heart – integrity and pertaining to morality. Third, Solomon was to do what God commands – not passive assent but in actual behavior. And, fourth, Solomon was to keep the laws and regulations of the Torah (the Old Testament Law). Solomon’s commitment to these conditions currently (13 years after the Temple dedication) were in doubt, so God mercifully reminds him and gives him a warning.

The spiritual condition of the leadership reflected the spiritual condition of the nation. And the people’s standing with God was determined by their spiritual fitness. This is true for us today. Our spiritual fitness and the promises of blessings from God are dependent on what our leaders are doing in the spiritual realm. It doesn’t matter what side of situations you find yourself on, there is corruption, greed, sin, lies, and dishonesty. Is our fate going to be determined by these leaders? Remember, these leaders reflect the spiritual conditions in with which each individual person is living.

I, for one, do not want my spiritual condition determined by the spiritual condition of our leaders. We are not going to have blessings because our leaders are corrupt. Don’t lose heart. For those who believe in Christ, our leader is not those in governmental authority! Our leader is Christ, and as we line up our spiritual lives with Him, we are guaranteed blessings. So, let us all place Jesus in authority over our lives, and truly have blessings coming our way in which we can be thankful this holiday season.

Belief vs. Trust

In 2 Samuel 11 and 12 we again see the contrast between King Saul and King David. God left Saul in that when Saul decided not to turn to God, “God left him” (1 Samuel 16:14). However, with David, even when he committed grave sins, God did not leave him. What was different about these two men?

It wasn’t that David believed in God and Saul didn’t. They both acknowledged God’s existence. They both seemed to have a healthy understanding of God’s nature, character, and sovereignty. They both believed in God. Yet we have Scripture telling us that God left Saul. We need to remember that the Holy Spirit wasn’t available to Old Testament people. So in 1 Samuel 16 where it says that God’s spirit left him, it wasn’t talking about the Holy Spirit leaving Saul’s internal being. It means that God pulled back his blessings and support for Saul’s endeavors.

The next question is why did God not pull back from David after he sinned? It’s simply a difference in trusting versus believing. David repented and placed his trust in God for his redemption. Saul tried to bargain with God and perform sacrifices without a contrite heart. So, even though David committed adultery and murder, right standing with God was returned to him. (You can read David’s confession to God for these sins in Psalm 51).

So is “belief” enough to gain salvation? We need to be careful what we mean by “belief.” “Belief is the level of relationship between God and His created beings that even the demons possess. Belief is merely acknowledgment of God’s existence . . . but belief does not include appropriate worship of Him or response to Him” (Bradford). So what are the missing ingredients? Trust and a complete reliance on God in every aspect of our lives. “Trust is when we allow belief to turn to God-centered inner transformation of our hearts . . . that then produces obedience” (Bradford).

I think I know some people who believe in God, but have not fully allowed God to transform their lives. Are they “believers” then? I’m not pretending to know what is in the heart of every man. I don’t know the extent of their relationship with God. I think this is a question each individual has to ask of themselves. I think it’s an urgent question. Believing is not enough. Fully worship and trust in the Almighty God is the way to salvation.

Repentance and Lordship

Last week I talked about the difference between Saul and David. Both men had similar personalities including ruthlessness, lying, and other immoral traits. The difference between them was a matter of the heart. Saul refused to see God as preeminent while David recognized his own shortcomings and repented of them. Today, I’m going to do some more meditating on repentance.

In another Bible study I do with a different friend, we read an article by Robert Boyd Munger entitled My Heart – Christ’s Home. Basically this article is an allegory or a metaphor where each room in the house is given over to Jesus. Each room represents a different aspect of our personalities, hobbies, or concerns of our hearts. As we walk with Jesus through our hearts, we see where some of the things we value are not things we want Jesus to see or be exposed to. One room at a time is examined and changed by the influence of Christ in our lives. Not only is the room changed but our attitudes about our thoughts and behaviors change leading us to repent and turn things over to Jesus.

In the final section of the allegory, there’s a locked but stinky and small cupboard. Just when we think we’ve turned over everything to God, the smell from this room becomes unbearable and Jesus says if something’s not done about it, He’ll be forced to move to the porch or away altogether. In the allegory, the smells emanates from the stuff we want to take to our graves with us, often things dealing with some long past event or feeling or thought. Some strongly held belief, which we just don’t want to let go of. Yet Jesus stands outside this closet and asks us to get rid of the smell.

It’s not enough to ask for Jesus to forgive us for our sins. Yes, He will forgive us, but the quality of our relationship with Him will be hindered. In the allegory, the homeowner realizes that if he truly wants a great relationship with Jesus everything about his house needs Jesus to touch it – even those things we wish to keep hidden. Some of those things may require more strength than we possess to deal with. The closet holding our most stinky stuff torments us, yet we are unable to power our own way into making the necessary changes (even as we repent). So the homeowner realizes that the power to change is totally reliant on Jesus. However, Jesus tells the homeowner that He doesn’t have the authority to do whatever He wants with the house since He’s not the one who owns it.

So the homeowner decides he wants to give Jesus the house and gets the title and signs it all over to Jesus. Now everything part of the house is under Jesus’ control. I have given Jesus various rooms in my heart to sort through over the last 40 years, but it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I was willing to give Him everything – including the stinky cupboard. The thing I was holding onto of which I just couldn’t let go was the idea that if things got too depressing and hopeless, I could kill myself. Holding onto that belief hindered my relationship with Jesus. When I finally decided suicide was not an option and I was giving every aspect of my life over to God, my outlook on life and my relationship with Jesus became better. My relationship with God is more intimate because there’s not the underlying stink of thinking I was in control of my own life and death. I have given my heart to God fully. Repentance of the individual characteristics of the various rooms was good enough to maintain a static relationship with Jesus; however, I now experience a dynamic and peaceful relationship with Jesus knowing He’s in total control of my life.