A common idol

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God: “Because your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of the gods, in the heart of the seas,’ yet you are but a man, and no god, though you make your heart like the heart of a god— you are indeed wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you; by your wisdom and your understanding you have made wealth for yourself, and have gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; by your great wisdom in your trade you have increased your wealth, and your heart has become proud in your wealth— therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you make your heart like the heart of a god, therefore, behold, I will bring foreigners upon you, the most ruthless of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and defile your splendor. They shall thrust you down into the pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the heart of the seas. Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’ in the presence of those who kill you, though you are but a man, and no god, in the hands of those who slay you? You shall die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners; for I have spoken, declares the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 28:1–10)

In the past week I’ve heard this wild claim from several people, not in the same words but with the same notion that “I rule” not God. Some speak from a position of political leadership. Others speak as if their knowledge is superior to God's ways. A few speak as if they will rule their own lives because they are wise enough to do so.

We all do it in varying degrees. This is why the Lord says:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

The Christian life is characterized by new behavior that flows out of a new way of thinking. This is not just doing God's will but thinking His way. However, even Christians can fail to work on this or even fake it — godly on the outside but sinfully motivated at heart:

But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:20–32)

This requires a constant awareness. A friend confessed her struggles with knowing the source of her ideas. “Is it mine? Or is it God’s?” One way I know is if an idea or command comes to mind and part of me does not want to do it, that idea is usually from God. Getting over the notion that I can do whatever I want takes a long time to learn. I am not a god.

Jesus, You show me my weaknesses that include qualities I once thought were strengths. How small I am compared to You, how weak and unable. I’m grateful for those lessons yet sad that it takes me so long to kick that pride out — and even recognize it each time it pops back in.

 

 

When marking my x at the polls…

Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’ And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’ “Now therefore, if you acted in good faith and integrity when you made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house and have done to him as his deeds deserved— for my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian, and you have risen up against my father’s house this day and have killed his sons, seventy men on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the leaders of Shechem, because he is your relative— if you then have acted in good faith and integrity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the leaders of Shechem and from Beth-millo and devour Abimelech.” 
And Jotham ran away and fled and went to Beer and lived there, because of Abimelech his brother. 
Abimelech ruled over Israel three years. And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers. And the leaders of Shechem put men in ambush against him on the mountaintops, and they robbed all who passed by them along that way. (Judges 9:14–25)

This is a parable telling how choosing an unworthy person to be a leader is not a good idea. It is difficult to understand the details of this narrative, but various authors helped me see:

• A lowly bramble could destroy a noble cedar, just as the lowly-born Abimelech could ruin the lords of Shechem.
• We must not be deceived into judging the fitness of a man for any post by the eagerness with which he seeks it. 
• For myself, I need to never be motivation by self-seeking in any part of life. This is a low and dangerous sin that will bring harm to me and dishonor the Lord.
• But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. (James 3:14–16)
• Weakness is better than selfish power as it encourages trusting in God’s strength. 
• Better have no king than a bad king. As a good government is the first blessing of a nation, so a bad government is its greatest curse. 
• Entering blindly into needless obligations will open eyes when these activities begin   to cause harm. 
• It is easier to confer power than to withdraw it from an ambitious person. 
• There is one King under whose leadership all people can be secure and rest: 

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. (Isaiah 11:1–5)

Jesus was mocked as King of the Jews, yet Revelation 1:5 calls Him “the ruler of kings on earth” who is seated on an eternal throne. Blessed are those who have positions of authority and who listen to this One who rules over them. 

Lord and King Jesus, ‘kings’ who do not listen to You are obvious, yet You are King and can use their decisions for Your purposes. You can set kings up and take them down. May leaders in this world fear You and pay attention to Your Word. May “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” This pleases You because You desire all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1–4)

Choosing the right god…

And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. The Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. So the land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died. (Judges 3:7–11)

The world news troubles me. So do local events. The Bible speaks of God's power through His people, but sometimes His people are crippled by fear, anger, personal loss, and a host of life’s responsibilities and distractions that we neglect to plug in to God for His instruction and guidance.

When talking with other Christians, I often hear about their problems. That is okay for I consider listening and caring is important, but I also consider their words as prayer requests, even if they are not given with that designation.

That lack bothers me because it seems as if the people with the problems have forgotten the power and love of our great God. In the above passage, this was happening and God was not happy about their lack of faith in Him. I could pray that He grant them greater ability to trust Him, but that is not what He does about their need. Instead, He sends them into captivity. Interesting is that the meaning of Cushan-rishathaim is “double-trouble.” After years of more stress under this enemy, He raised up one person to get them out of their mess.

Othniel’s name comes from a root word meaning “force of God” which honors the One who sent him. This one man went to war and overcame double-trouble. Like much of what God does, we are not told how this happened, but it did, and the people had rest for forty years.

The NT passage that comes to mind is this one:

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:1–10)

The problem in both passages is God's people serving other gods. In the OT it was the Baals and Asheroth. In the NT it is the world and its fleshy and selfish desires. We may get along nicely for a little while but if motivated by the old nature a long time and as a group, it will eventually wind up as a form of slavery — fighting with one another — unless God raises up someone who honors Him.

Jesus is the force of God to save us from ourselves. And if we neglect Him. We will wind up in slavery to our troubles. Yet in grace, He still fights to set us free. My option is: Have my way and run my life accordingly, or fight alongside Him in prayer for God's will to be done — in my life  and in those who are serving the god of self. That could include a few years of slavery to make it happen, but after that — peace.

Jesus, I see You neglected by many Christians who have not yet humbled themselves to Your Lordship or live according to Your direction and voice. Their goals and aspirations are worldly and I know how easy it is to fall into wanting the wrong things. I tremble at the responsibility of stepping out of this sin and as an Othniel, going to war as Ephesians 6 describes our war against false gods, so that Your people can have peace, yet if this is what You want, grant me all that I need to be faithful.