A Word about Rising to the Occasion

 

Today I want to share a word about rising to the occasion as I comment on verses from 1 Samuel 11.

In our last episode, we saw Saul being publicly anointed as king over Israel and Judah. Saul had all the makings of a king, but he was reluctant to take on that role. All he saw were obstacles, like heritage, doubt, fear, and reputation. Despite this, he was anointed king, although some of his subjects shared Saul’s doubts. In our focal passage above, we will find out if Saul could rise to the occasion or if he would fail out of the gate.

Those who train first responders and military people know what happens the first time someone is faced with a critical or dangerous situation. A saying in that profession is, “You don’t rise to the occasion, but you fall to the level of your training and experience.” It rarely goes well the first time you try something new under stress. 

One example of this is demonstrated by police officers involved in on-duty shooting incidents. The record shows that their marksmanship in those situations is abysmal. This is because very few officers are ever involved in on-duty shooting incidents, and also because their time for training is limited. This is not to say that police officers are incompetent, but that being involved in a shooting incident is an extraordinary and life-changing event.

People don’t have to be involved in a shooting to underperform during stressful incidents, either. When my wife was expecting our first child, we attended a Lamaze child-birth methods class together. We trained and we practiced, but on the day our first son was born, things fell apart rapidly. I was trying to help my wife use the techniques we learned, but it wasn’t going well. I knew I had failed when she looked at me and snapped, “Shut up!” The experienced and better trained (and less emotionally involved) labor and delivery nurse took over, and from that point, all went well. As the saying goes, “Don’t try this at home . . .” or anywhere else, for that matter.

In 1 Samuel 11, Saul experienced his first critical incident as king. Did he rise to the occasion? Let’s begin by reading 1 Samuel 11:1-5,

Nahash the Ammonite came up and laid siege to Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.” Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I’ll make one with you on this condition: that I gouge out everyone’s right eye and humiliate all Israel.” “Don’t do anything to us for seven days,” the elders of Jabesh said to him, “and let us send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. If no one saves us, we will surrender to you.” When the messengers came to Gibeah, Saul’s hometown, and told the terms to the people, all wept aloud. Just then Saul was coming in from the field behind his oxen. “What’s the matter with the people? Why are they weeping?” Saul inquired, and they repeated to him the words of the men from Jabesh. 

The Cost Of Compromise:

1 Samuel 11 begins by illustrating the cost of compromise. Israel had been directed by God to possess the entire Land of Canaan, and to drive out all the heathen nations who lived in it. This they did not do. Instead, they decided to live in a compromised situation, which caused them trouble during the time of the Judges, and which continued to bedevil them now.

Compromise among the Children of Israel began when two-and-a-half tribes decided to live on the wrong side of the Jordan River. They had been required to help the other tribes subdue the land, and indeed they were told to actually lead the rest of the tribes when they crossed the Jordan River, but those days were long gone. The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half‑tribe of Manasseh were settled east of the river, and they were essentially cut-off from the rest of the tribes.

Judah was cut-off also. The city of Jerusalem was a strong hold of the Jebusites, who were one of the tribes that Israel was supposed to drive out. They had strong fortifications, and so they remained there, a thorn in the side of Israel. Their position caused Judah to be isolated from the rest of the tribes.

The Israelites were cut-off from the Mediterranean Sea as well, because the Philistines had occupied the coastal plain, and the Israelites didn’t drive them out either. Even worse, the Philistines had prevented the Jews from having their own blacksmiths to work iron and metals. 1 Samuel 13:19-22 says,

No blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise, the Hebrews will make swords or spears.” So all the Israelites went to the Philistines to sharpen their plows, mattocks, axes, and sickles. The price was two-thirds of a shekel for plows and mattocks, and one-third of a shekel for pitchforks and axes, and for putting a point on a cattle prod. So on the day of battle not a sword or spear could be found in the hand of any of the troops who were with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had weapons.

All of these situations were bad, but now, the chickens were really coming home to roost. The people of Jabesh faced subjugation, disfigurement, and humiliation. Even worse, all that some people in Israel felt that they could do was to cry, weep, and wail.

Compromise is an essential political tool, but in spiritual terms, compromise leads to subjugation, defeat, and destruction. In God’s Kingdom, compromise cuts us off from the blessings we will find as we follow God’s will and ways.

Next, let’s read I Samuel 11:6-10.

When Saul heard these words, the Spirit of God suddenly came powerfully on him, and his anger burned furiously. He took a team of oxen, cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by messengers who said, “This is what will be done to the ox of anyone who doesn’t march behind Saul and Samuel.” As a result, the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they went out united. Saul counted them at Bezek. There were three hundred thousand Israelites and thirty thousand men from Judah. He told the messengers who had come, “Tell this to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Deliverance will be yours tomorrow by the time the sun is hot.’” So the messengers told the men of Jabesh, and they rejoiced. Then the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we will come out, and you can do whatever you want to us.”

The Call Of The Spirit:

In other messages, we have seen that when confronted with a sudden crisis, people either, flee, fight or freeze. Are any of these reactions better or worse than others? Examples of all three of these responses are found in Scripture. 

One example was when Joseph was being seduced by Potiphar’s wife and he fled. In fact, he ran away so quickly, that he left behind his clothes that she had grabbed. This caused him problems later, but that did not make his decision to run a poor one.

Another example is found in Ecclesiastes 3:8, which says that there is “a time for war and a time for peace.” Fighting is a valid solution, but it is not the only solution. We don’t have to charge at every one of life’s problems like an enraged bull, unless that is the right course of action.

A third example is found in Psalm 46:10, which says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Sometimes doing nothing is exactly what God would have us to do. As the Country and Western Song advises, 

You got to know when to hold 'em; Know when to fold 'em,

Know when to walk away; And know when to run . . . 

That song continues with this popular wisdom,

Every gambler knows that the secret to surviving is knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep.

'Cause every hand's a winner and every hand's a loser and the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.

So, if we have all of these options, how do we avoid falling into the trap of cynicism, fatalism, and despair? The Bible tells us how in the account of the first miracle Jesus performed at the Wedding at Canna. In John 2:1-5 we see what took place,

On the third day a wedding took place in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’s mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding as well. When the wine ran out, Jesus’s mother told him, “They don’t have any wine.” “What has this concern of yours to do with me, woman?” Jesus asked. “My hour has not yet come.” “Do whatever he tells you,” his mother told the servants.

Jesus also taught in Luke 12:11-12,

Whenever they bring you before synagogues and rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how you should defend yourselves or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must be said. 

Saul modeled this exact behavior here. When there was a crisis, the Holy Spirit called Saul, in this case, to fight, and fight he did. His example also emboldened Israel to fight as well, despite how cut-off they were from each other.

We must not let our sin cut us off from the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Instead, in God’s Kingdon, we must remain close to Him so we can hear God’s still small voice which will tell us what to do.

Next, let’s read I Samuel 11:11,

The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions. During the morning watch, they invaded the Ammonite camp and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. There were survivors, but they were so scattered that no two of them were left together.

Completing The Mission:

I think it is safe to say that, under the leadership and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, Saul rose to the occasion. A key indicator of that was that he completed the mission. Again, we must remember that the biggest failure Israel had was that they compromised and they did not finish the task of subduing the land. That wasn’t because they lacked good models to follow.

Saul was a good role model in this case, but he was not the first good example for the people of Israel. When Joshua fought the five kings of the Amorites to protect the Gibeonites, with whom he had made a treaty, the sun started to go down before the battle was won. In Joshua 10:12-13, this is what Joshua did to complete the mission,

On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” And the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance on its enemies.

As audacious as that request was, it was still not enough. God had to rain down large hailstones on the Amorites, and more of them died from the hail than from the Israelites! Still, the mission was completed.

Earlier in this series, we have already seen that Joshua’s colleague Caleb wanted to take the tough, high ground, even though he was eighty years old. Like Joshua, he wanted to complete the mission. Joshua and Caleb were great models for Israel, as was Saul, in this case anyway, but the greatest model for us all is Jesus.

Saul is a good model to follow because he finished the job, but Jesus is an even better model to follow. Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for sin. He kept all of his disciples except the one who was the son of perdition.  Jesus defeated death and hell. Jesus created the church and gave her a mission for the sake of His Kingdom. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with us when he left. Not surprisingly, as well as Saul did here, he was not perfect. Our Perfect Lord, however, is our Perfect Model.

So, the question comes to us, “Have we cut off our efforts before the mission is complete?” Israel did not subdue the land, and neither have we done so either. In God’s Kingdom, our mission is to make disciples of all nations. Will we cut off before it is completed?

Finally, let’s read I Samuel 11:12-14,

Afterward, the people said to Samuel, “Who said that Saul should not reign over us? Give us those men so we can kill them!” But Saul ordered, “No one will be executed this day, for today the Lord has provided deliverance in Israel.” Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let’s go to Gilgal, so we can renew the kingship there.” So all the people went to Gilgal, and there in the Lord’s presence they made Saul king. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings in the Lord’s presence, and Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

Confirming The King:

Saul’s performance in this event demonstrates that God could use him as king for several reasons. First, Saul reminds us of a common and astoundingly simple lesson: When we do things God’s way it works. Every. Single. Time.

Second, Saul reminds us that compromise prevents completion of the mission. Saul did not negotiate with the forces of evil, nor did he try to appease them. Instead, he followed God’s plan without compromise, and so he was able to complete the mission.

Another lesson for us here is that Saul made sure not to go too far. God had achieved His purpose, and any further killing would not be necessary. Saul’s lesson for us in this case was not to go further than God would have us to go. This is like the fellow who used the fertilizer Miracle Grow on the tomato plants in his garden. He put the prescribed amount on them, and they grew to an impressive size. He was so pleased with the results that he decided to double the strength. Sadly, for him, the tomatoes grew so big that they split open and they were ruined. We must go as far as God leads us to go, but no further!

Finally, one last lesson we can observe here is that gratitude is never wrong. We should show our gratitude towards our human leaders, but we must especially demonstrate our gratitude towards God. The truth here is that it was God’s idea to choose Saul, and it was God’s Spirit who led and empowered Saul to complete the mission.

In God’s Kingdom, we must never cut ourselves off from appreciating our fellow servants of God and also from appreciating all that He has done for us!

Conclusion:

As we saw in the Scriptures we reviewed for this message, Saul did not stumble coming out of the gate. Saul did rise to the occasion, but He did so because he didn’t cut himself off from God’s wisdom and power. If he had relied on his own abilities, this battle could have been, and probably would have been, a disaster. Instead, Saul stayed close to God, and he the Children of Israel enjoyed a tremendous victory instead.

What about us today?

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about the Reluctant King

 

Today I want to share a word about the reluctant king as I comment on verses from 1 Samuel 9 and 10.

In our last episode,  we saw God choosing the first human king of Israel, Saul. Saul had all the makings of a king: the physical makings, the attitudinal makings, the relational makings, and the spiritual makings. Saul appeared to be an exceptional choice, but in our focal passages above, we will find that Saul was a reluctant king of Israel.

Most people have pet peeves that irritate them. A common way that people express those irritations is to say, “If I were king for a day I would . . .” What follows that statement reveals what is irritating that person at that moment. For example, I might say, “If I were king for a day, I would outlaw grocery stores from installing product displays in the middle of an aisle in their shops.”

Yes, one of the most irritating things to me personally is having to dodge around a product display in the aisle of a grocery store while also avoiding a collision with another, oncoming, shopper. I can imagine someone becoming so frustrated with these impediments to shopping progress that he or she begins to charge around the store with a shopping cart, knocking down all the mid-aisle displays which seem to get in everyone’s way. While I would never do that (ahem . . .), if I were king for a day, those displays would be banned forever, like a law of the Medes and Persians.

To be more serious, with great power comes great responsibility, and not everyone is willing to take on great power and great responsibility. Infamously, King George VI of the United Kingdom was not best pleased when his brother Edward VIII abdicated and George became King. Some evidence exists that his daughter, who became Queen Elizabeth II was equally nonplussed with the idea of becoming the monarch. King Saul would certainly understand their doubt, because he had his own. This is why I have called him the reluctant king. All he saw were the obstacles to his leadership.

Let’s begin by reading 1 Samuel 9:15-21,

Now the day before Saul’s arrival, the Lord had informed Samuel, “At this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel. He will save them from the Philistines because I have seen the affliction of my people, for their cry has come to me.” When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man I told you about; he will govern my people.” Saul approached Samuel in the city gate and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?” “I am the seer,” Samuel answered. “Go up ahead of me to the high place and eat with me today. When I send you off in the morning, I’ll tell you everything that’s in your heart. As for the donkeys that wandered away from you three days ago, don’t worry about them because they’ve been found. And who does all Israel desire but you and all your father’s family?” Saul responded, “Am I not a Benjaminite from the smallest of Israel’s tribes and isn’t my clan the least important of all the clans of the Benjaminite tribe? So why have you said something like this to me?”

Saul Faced The Obstacle Of Heritage:

Shakespeare quipped that, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” Saul seemed to believe that the latter was the case for him. He had gone out to look for his father’s donkeys, and suddenly, God’s man is telling him that he was a big deal and that God had big plans for him. I am sure he asked himself the Hebrew equivalent of, “What’s up with that?”

In the human economy, who your parents are can be a very important factor in the way that society treats you. Certainly, this is true in those countries that have royal families and systems of nobility. No one runs to be elected king of Britain. That office is determined entirely by heredity.

Even in the United States, which rejected the rule of kings in 1776, and which rejected the concept of nobility in our Constitution, we still find intellectual elites and leaders of society projecting an aura of royalty and nobility. Why else would our news media care about the opinions of an actor or sports figure about politics or other cultural issues?  In addition, helicopter parents are a thing.

Saul knew that he was not from a great family or a great tribe.  In fact, he was from the smallest of the small. What Saul overlooked was that small things are not necessarily insignificant things. The poem “For Want of a Nail,” is a nursery rhyme that illustrates that fact.

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.

For want of a horse the rider was lost.

For want of a rider the message was lost.

For want of a message the battle was lost.

For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Another way to express the same thought is the saying, “What matters is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.”

Small things are not necessarily insignificant, and to God, they are not unimportant, either. Jesus told us that a sparrow will not fall in the field without God knowing and caring. Even the hairs on our head are numbered. In this case, Saul totally overlooked the fact that the donkeys had been found and that he didn’t need to continue to worry about them. In the midst of anointing the next king of Israel, God still remembered the donkeys!

In God’s economy, it is not about from where someone has come, but it is about where God is taking that person.

Saul Faced The Obstacle Of Doubt:

Let’s read 1 Samuel 9:22-27 and 1 Samuel 10:1,

Samuel took Saul and his servant, brought them to the banquet hall, and gave them a place at the head of the thirty or so men who had been invited. Then Samuel said to the cook, “Get the portion of meat that I gave you and told you to set aside.” The cook picked up the thigh and what was attached to it and set it before Saul. Then Samuel said, “Notice that the reserved piece is set before you. Eat it because it was saved for you for this solemn event at the time I said, ‘I’ve invited the people.’” So Saul ate with Samuel that day. Afterward, they went down from the high place to the city, and Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof. They got up early, and just before dawn, Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get up, and I’ll send you on your way!” Saul got up, and both he and Samuel went outside. As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us, but you stay for a while, and I’ll reveal the word of God to you.” So the servant went on. Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it out on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Hasn’t the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?”

Samuel had a surprise for Saul. God had chosen Saul to be king, and that’s certainly the last thing that Saul expected to hear. Not only did Samuel tell Saul that he would be the king, but Samuel also treated Saul as such. 

First, Samuel promoted Saul in public. He gave him the best portion of meat, and he made Saul the featured guest at the meal. In front of all who gathered there, Samuel made much of Saul, and he did so in front of the leadership of that town. That is not all that he did, however.

Samuel also counseled with Saul privately. This is the correct and wise way to advise a leader. This is exactly what Peter did when Jesus told the disciples that He was going to Jerusalem to become a sacrifice for human sin. Peter confronted Jesus privately, insisting that Jesus should not allow such a thing to happen to Him. That also allowed Jesus to rebuke him privately as well. During my two-decades of service as a military chaplain, I often had the opportunity and need to advise my commanders about delicate situations. This always happened in private, as Samuel counseled privately with Saul in this case.

Samuel also gave Saul several proofs by which he could know Samuel was telling the truth. Let’s continue with 1 Samuel 10:2-9,

Today when you leave me, you’ll find two men at Rachel’s Grave at Zelzah in the territory of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you went looking for have been found, and now your father has stopped being concerned about the donkeys and is worried about you, asking: What should I do about my son?’ “You will proceed from there until you come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one bringing three goats, one bringing three loaves of bread, and one bringing a clay jar of wine. They will ask how you are and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.  “After that you will come to Gibeah of God where there are Philistine garrisons. When you arrive at the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place prophesying. They will be preceded by harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres. The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully on you, you will prophesy with them, and you will be transformed. When these signs have happened to you, do whatever your circumstances required because God is with you. Afterward, go ahead of me to Gilgal. I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice fellowship offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what to do.” When Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed his heart, and all the signs came about that day.

Saul had sought out Samuel so that the man of God could help him find his father’s donkeys. He trusted Samuel with that task, but did he trust him with the kingship of Israel? Let’s read 1 Samuel 10:13-16. 

When Saul finished prophesying and went to the high place. Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where did you go?” “To look for the donkeys,” Saul answered. “When we saw they weren’t there, we went to Samuel.” “Tell me,” Saul’s uncle asked, “what did Samuel say to you?” Saul told him, “He assured us the donkeys had been found.” However, Saul did not tell him what Samuel had said about the matter of kingship.

The Bible does not say what was going on in Saul’s heart at this point. The Biblical test for a prophet is that what they say will happen, does happen. Everything that Samuel said would happen to Saul did happen to Saul, but that apparently was not sufficient proof for Saul. Samuel declared Saul to be king, but Saul, himself, refused to do so. Doubt is a common obstacle we all must face. When we face doubt, we are in good company, and I believe that Saul faced doubt also.  The question is not, “Will we doubt?” The question is, “How do we handle our doubt?” 

Just like with Saul, we have more than ample evidence of God’s love for us, and also for His call upon our lives. With His help, we can express our confidence in Him in our words, and our deeds, and our attitudes.

Saul Faced The Obstacle Of Fear:

Let’s read 1 Samuel 10:17-23,

Samuel summoned the people to the Lord at Mizpah and said to the Israelites, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and afflictions. You said to him, ‘You must set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.” Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was selected.  Then he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by its clans, and the Matrite clan was selected. Finally, Saul son of Kish was selected. But when they searched for him, they could not find him. They again inquired of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?” The Lord replied, “There he is, hidden among the supplies.” They ran and got him from there. When he stood among the people, he stood a head taller than anyone else.  

When people face a threat, they respond one of three ways: they flee, they fight, or they freeze. This tendency has even been codified to some extent in the way school students and teachers are trained to respond to an active shooter. School personnel are taught to, “Run, hide, or fight.” 

What did Saul do? Saul hid among the baggage and supplies. From his behavior, it is clear that he was afraid, but afraid of what?

Again, we are not told what was going through his mind, but leadership is a daunting task. The nature of the role requires that leaders be out front, and they are easily targeted. During the infamous Pickett’s Charge of the Battle of Gettysburg, all three of Pickett’s brigade commanders were casualties, as were twenty-six out of his forty majors, lieutenant colonels, and colonels. Leadership is a costly role.

Another factor in Saul’s situation may have also caused him pause. Like in the television series Star Trek, Saul was about to “go where no man has gone before.” Moses was not king over Israel, and neither was Joshua or Samuel. As anyone who has chopped their way through the jungle will testify, blazing new trails is difficult and scary. Who knows what is around that next bend?

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously said during his first inaugural speech, “All we have to fear is fear itself.” That was manifestly not true, because at that time the United States was suffering the ravages of the lowest point in the Great Depression. The American people had much to fear at that time as did Saul on the eve of his installation as king.

Many commentators believe that FDR knew precisely the kind of obstacles Americans faced during the Great Depression. In that speech, the President was asserting his belief that the greatest obstacle to recovery was fear, an unreasoning terror that caused people to flee, fight, or freeze. This same can be true of us when God asks us to serve in His Kingdom.

When we are afraid to do what God calls us to do, we must remember what Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24,

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will do it.

Saul Faced The Obstacle Of Reputation:

Finally, let’s read 1 Samuel 10:24-27,

Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among the entire population.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”  Samuel proclaimed to the people the rights of kingship. He wrote them on a scroll, which he placed in the presence of the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people home.  Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, and brave men whose hearts God had touched went with him. But some wicked men said, “How can this guy save us?” They despised him and did not bring him a gift, but Saul said nothing.

When I read that passage, I was reminded of a way that my dad would respond to a proposal or a project that he had doubts about. When asked “What do you think about . . . ?” He often would reply, laconically, “I don’t think much about it.” By this he meant that he didn’t think that whatever was on offer was worth his time. This was the attitude that some in Israel had when Saul was announced as their new king. Their attitude, while wrong, was not unique in the Biblical record. Far from it!

• When Joseph announced his call to leadership, he was sold into slavery by his own brothers.  

• Moses was concerned about what the Children of Israel would say when he arrived in Egypt from the backside of the desert to rescue them from their oppression. 

• David was the youngest of eight sons of Jesse, also of the Tribe of Benjamin. He was the little shepherd boy, but he also became king. 

• Isaiah 53:2-3 tells us about what people thought of Jesus, “He grew up before him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground. He didn’t have an impressive form or majesty that we should look at him, no appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn’t value him." 

• Jesus had both a prostitute, Rahab, and a foreigner, Ruth, in His family tree. 

• Jesus came from Nazareth, a despised and rejected city, and he was known as a simple carpenter’s son. He was not considered someone to whom people should listen. 

• Paul summed up all of this in 1 Corinthians 1:27, “Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.”

When we are called to serve God, the only reputation we should be concerned about is His. He is more than capable of defending Himself, and He is more than capable of changing us so we can be suitable to serve Him and His Name.

Conclusion:

The old saying about fugitives from justice applies here: “You can run, but you can’t hide.” This is also the case for God’s people when He calls them to His service.

Yes, Satan, the world, and we ourselves may place obstacles to service in our path. God, however, can and will overcome them! Let us bow our knee to our Lord and let us willingly allow Him to knock down every obstacle to our service to Him.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word abut Keeping Up with the Joneses

 

Today I want to share a word about keeping up with the Joneses as I comment on Judges 21:25 and 1 Samuel 8.

As we began our study of the kings of Israel and Judah we found Israel in the Land of Canaan, possessing their inheritance, albeit incompletely. Living in their midst were other nations, and the Israelites began to see “how the other half lived,” and they got jealous of them.

In our culture, we call what Israel began to do “keeping up with the Joneses.”  You know what that’s like. Your neighbor buys a new car, and you feel the need to buy a Sports Utility Vehicle. Your neighbor digs a swimming pool, therefore you install a hot tub.  Your neighbor sends their kids to play soccer, so you send yours to play softball. 

I once knew a wife who was so caught up in this way of life that when her husband had a heart attack and a triple by-pass, she also had a heart attack and a quadruple by-pass before he was out of the Intensive Care Unit. They were both in the same hospital at the same time for the same surgery. She actually had more by-passes performed on her than he did! 

Israel saw that the people in the land had something they didn’t, and they wanted it.  Let’s see the consequences of this today as we read God’s Word.

Let’s begin by reading Judges 21:25,

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him. 

Israel Lost Its Purpose:

Israel was founded, literally, with a mission from God. They were to be a blessing to the world. They were to be the way of salvation for the world. They were to be the tool of God to overcome the devastation that Satan had wreaked upon the world.

Every tool has a purpose, but if it used wrongly it can break, hurt someone, or damage the material it is used on. A flat bladed screwdriver can be used as a chisel, but it shouldn’t be. Likewise, pliers can be used to tighten or loosen a bolt, but a socket wrench does the job more effectively. And, a socket wrench can be used as an impromptu hammer, but it also can break when it’s used that way. Ask me how I know!

Sadly, Israel lost sight of their mission. They had received their inheritance. They no longer had to wander the wilderness. They were no longer at war, at least temporarily. They became complacent, and they did what they wanted, when they wanted to do it. They became “fat, dumb, and happy.” This is a dangerous and unhealthy condition.

We need to remember, however, that the church also has a mission. We are to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and might. We are to love our fellow men and women. We are to make disciples of all nations, because we are supposed to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.

To avoid making the same mistake as Israel did, the church must remember its purpose and its mission. We must remind ourselves and our children of it constantly, because the saying, “out of sight, out of mind,” too often is a true one!

Israel Lost Its Focus:

Let’s read 1 Samuel 8:1-6,

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. His firstborn son’s name was Joel and his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba. However, his sons did not walk in his ways—they turned toward dishonest profit, took bribes, and perverted justice. So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.” When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand wrong, so he prayed to the Lord.

What should have Israel’s focus been? The same focus we should have. Jesus told us in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” In 1 Corinthians 10:31, Paul taught, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” Both Israel and the church were created to glorify God and both Israel and the church were created to serve God.

If we have this Biblical focus, it will change how we see our lives and the world around us. For example, the noted Baptist author and seminary ethics professor Tony Campolo once commented, “Parents should want their children to be good, not happy.” 

When people lose their focus, they lose their way. They begin to wonder what others think of them. They begin to notice what others do, and what they have. They begin to focus on the minors instead of majoring on the vital things of life. Remember, Peter could walk on the water when his focus was on Jesus, but when he got distracted by the wind and waves, he sank.

When Israel lost their focus, trouble happened, and they began to sink. Their leaders became materialistic and corrupt. The first eight chapters of 1 Samuel, records that the children of Samuel, as well as the children of Eli who preceded him, were corrupt, and they used their positions for their own gain. It is often true even today that pastors are not fired for incompetence, but for lack of character. As one Christian leader has noted, for some pastors, their talents and skills grow faster and larger than their maturity and morality do.

Also, as God’s people lost their focus on Him, they begin to follow the ways of the world. According to a survey by George Barna, moral opinions for church members today are not much different than the rest of society

Finally, as God’s people lost their focus on Him, they began to focus on serving themselves, and they failed to serve God. When that happened, so did trouble and tribulation occur.  For example, in 1 Samuel 4, not only were the Israelites defeated twice by the Philistines, but they also allowed the Ark of the Covenant to be captured by their enemies who did not know or worship God.

When we focus on the world, and not God, we put ourselves at the brink of disaster, defeat, and disintegration.

Israel Got What They Wanted:

Let’s read 1 Samuel 8:7-18,

But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected me as their king. They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to me, since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning me and worshiping other gods. Listen to them but solemnly warn them and tell them about the customary rights of the king who will reign over them.” Samuel told all the Lord’s words to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “These are the rights of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and put them to his use in his chariots, on his horses, or running in front of his chariots. He can appoint them for his use as commanders of thousands or commanders of fifties, to plow his ground and reap his harvest, or to make his weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. He can take your daughters to become perfumers, cooks, and bakers. He can take your best fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He can take a tenth of your grain and your vineyards and give them to his officials and servants. He can take your male servants, your female servants, your best cattle, and your donkeys and use them for his work. He can take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves can become his servants. When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you’ve chosen for yourselves, but the Lord won’t answer you on that day.”

God warned Israel that they didn’t really want what they asked for. The king would tax them. The king would draft their sons to be soldiers. The king would take their daughters to be his servants. The king would take their freedom from them. As Leonard Nimoy’s character Spock once said in an episode of the original Star Trek television series, “After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true.” 

God’s warning did not dissuade Israel from what they wanted. Let’s read 1 Samuel 8:19-22,

The people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us, and fight our battles.”  Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the Lord. “Listen to them,” the Lord told Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.” Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Each of you, go back to your city.”

In the end, Israel got what they wanted, but this was a bad move on the part of God’s people. The kings of Israel, and (later) Judah, were uniformly bad. A cursory examination of the first three kings will illustrate this point. Saul lost his mind.  David was an adulterer and murderer. Solomon took a thousand wives and concubines, including women that the Bible says turned away his heart from God. In the end, Israel suffered tremendously because of this ill-considered and unwise decision.

A corollary of the Spock quote is a common saying, “Be careful what you ask for, because you might get it.” Israel found out the truth of this saying. We must ask ourselves today this question, “Upon what are we focused in our lives and in our families?” Success? Power? Possessions? Leisure? Control?  We must be careful what we ask for, because we might get it, and also the consequences that attend it.

Israel Got Replaced:

Israel was to be God’s instrument of His Salvation. Instead, they became just like the people needing to be saved. They lost their mission.  They lost their focus. They lost their relationship with God as the King of His people. They were no longer of any use to God in pursuing His mission for them. What Jesus said in Matthew 5:13 describes their situation, 

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty?  It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

Although Israel had abandoned their original mission, God gave them another one. They now served as the pathway for their replacement. Instead of being an agent of salvation, they were destined to be the platform from which that Agent (Jesus) would come. Isaiah 40:3 says that, like John the Baptist, Israel was to be, 

A voice of one crying out: “Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.”

Even more telling, Israel herself would need to be saved. Instead of being the means of salvation, they, themselves, needed saving. Instead of being part of the solution to sin, they became part of the problem of sin. Paul, in Romans 11:25-27, says. 

I don’t want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you will not be conceited: A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, The Deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.

Whether we are on board or not, God’s purposes will be achieved. The only question is whether we will get the blessing of being “On Mission With God” or if we are going to need rescuing ourselves.

Conclusion:

A small, weather beaten lifeboat station once stood on a dangerous stretch of coastline where shipwrecks were common. It wasn’t much to look at — just a hut, a few worn boats, and a handful of volunteers who kept watch day and night. They had one purpose: rescue the perishing.

Whenever a ship went down, the crew rushed out into the storm. They saved lives. They pulled half drowned sailors from the waves. The station became famous for its courage.

Over time, people who had been rescued — grateful, successful, influential people — began donating money. The station was remodeled. The rough cots were replaced with comfortable beds. The leaky boats were upgraded. A beautiful lounge was added so members could gather and socialize. Little by little, the focus shifted.

The rescue crew became less interested in braving storms. They preferred staying inside the warm building. They held meetings, planned banquets, and enjoyed fellowship. Eventually, they hired professional crews to do the actual rescue work — though those crews rarely went out because storms were dangerous and rescues were messy.

One day, a massive shipwreck occurred. The hired crew refused to launch. So, a few of the remaining volunteers tried to help, but they were told not to bring wet, cold, injured people into the new building because it would ruin the furniture and disrupt the social events. The rescued were sent elsewhere.

Eventually, the lifeboat station stopped doing rescues altogether. It became a social club with maritime decorations and a plaque on the wall commemorating its heroic past. Meanwhile, shipwrecks continued on the same coastline. People still drowned within sight of the building that had once been their only hope.

Have we lost our purpose?  Have we lost our focus? Are we part of the solution for sin, or are we becoming part of the problem? Are we in danger of being replaced by God?

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about Addiction to Sin

Today I want to share a word about addiction to sin as I comment on Judges 2:8-23.

Royal Pains was the name of a television show that aired on the USA Network for eight seasons beginning in 2009. It was a comedy-drama series that highlighted the travails of a doctor with a concierge practice who made house calls on the rich and famous in The Hamptons area of Long Island, New York. The name of the series was a foreshadowing of the problematic, pampered, and petulant patients the physician dealt with over the course of the program. 

During this series of sermons, we will find that the kings of Israel and Judah were just as problematic for the Children of Israel. The difference is, however, the television show’s patients were as fictional as their doctor, but the kings of Israel and Judah were very human and very real, as were the problems that they caused for God and His people. 

Before we get to the actual kings of Israel and Judah, we must discover how they came to be, and the story begins after the Children of Israel entered into the Promised Land, and after they had possessed most, but not all of it.  That was when they discovered they had a serious problem.  In fact, it was an addiction.

Addictions are real and they have beset humanity from the time that Noah planted a vineyard and got drunk.  Once an addiction sets in, it is difficult to break. I once knew a petite mother of twins who was as straight an arrow as you might ever see.  Her morals were righteous to the point of being a prude.  You can’t imagine how shocked I was to find out that she smoked cigarettes.  She told me that she hadn’t smoked until she was about 40 years old. One day, while she was sitting with her dying mother in the local hospital, she saw a pack of cigarettes that had been left by another relative.  She was very stressed, and for some reason she took a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep pull.  From that point she was absolutely hooked!

I also knew a man who was an alcohol and drug abuse counselor.  Like many in that line of work, he was a recovering alcoholic.  This man was a retired Navy helicopter pilot whose last assignment was to teach new pilots how to fly helicopters.  He told me that he had become so dependent upon alcohol that before he could shave in the morning, he would have to drink a water glass full of vodka to steady his hand or he’d almost cut his throat.  He’d probably drink another glass for his breakfast before going out to the airfield to teach.  About midmorning he’d have to find an excuse to land and go back to his quarters for another glass.

People can be addicted to things besides substances.  For example, many women who are abused by their husbands will leave, but then go back to them time and time again, often until they are killed or seriously injured. They become addicted to the relationship, even though it is an abusive one.

One of the key indicators of an addiction is a pattern of trying to turn over a new leaf but falling back into destructive behavior. Often, people with addictions will try to make up with the people they have hurt by saying things like, “I really mean it this time.  It’s going to be different, I promise!”   Unfortunately, they relapse time and again.

Israel was addicted to something too.  They were addicted to sin. Let’s begin by reading Judges 2:8-13,

Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works he had done for Israel. The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. They worshiped the Baals and abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed other gods from the surrounding peoples and bowed down to them. They angered the Lord, for they abandoned him and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths.

Israel Fell into Sin:

Sin is common to people. In fact, the Scriptures not only bear witness to this, but they also go farther and assert that sin is universal among people. Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, no not one.” Romans 3:23 tells us, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” 1 John 1:8 teaches that, “If we say we do not have sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” If the God of this universe tells us that sin is endemic in the human race, we probably should pay attention. 

However, if we don’t trust God, other evidence of human sin exists as well. The daily news media that we read, hear, and watch produce report after report of how people mistreat one another, and how people lie, cheat, and steal. Stories of political corruption are so common, people hardly pay attention to them anymore. Famed comedienne Carol Burnett once commented about how she was shocked that people are not shocked anymore.

While we may not be shocked, our hearts do bear witness to our sin. Guilt is nearly as universal as sin, even if it is possible for us to feel guilty about things we did not do. A few people in our society are true sociopaths who feel no guilt, but almost all of us know in our hearts that we are not pure and that we are imperfect, frail, and limited, and that we are hapless, helpless, and hopeless, when it comes to defeating sin in our lives.

In truth, sin, like addictions, can be resisted for a season. We can follow our conscience for a time. We can follow the Bible for a time. We can follow a Godly leader for a time. Then, however, we stop meditating on God’s Word, our consciences become seared and unfeeling, and our leaders fall, or fail, or pass away. Moses and Joshua were strong leaders, and while they lived, they helped the Children of Israel avoid many sinful traps, but they were now gone. God’s Word remained, but someone must point to it!

Few human institutions last for long. The average family business will last for a generation and a half, and only really thrive for a portion of that time. Even large, multinational corporations wax and wane, as do the nations of the world.  Our sin and human frailty will always win out over natural humanity. Jesus said that, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Sin is an addiction that we can’t resist; no matter how long we fight it, we will fall sooner or later. Proverbs 26:11 graphically describes this human predicament, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so also a fool repeats his foolishness.” Biblical Israel is a prime example of this!

Israel Suffered the Consequences of Sin:

Let’s read Judges 2:14-15,

The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he handed them over to marauders who raided them. He sold them to the enemies around them, and they could no longer resist their enemies. Whenever the Israelites went out, the Lord was against them and brought disaster on them, just as he had promised and sworn to them. So they suffered greatly.

The Israelites learned a hard lesson: there are no good results from sin. The Bible tells us that sin separates us from God and the natural world as well. Romans 6:23 says that. “The wages of sin is death . . .” Sin brings physical and spiritual death, and it brings separation from people also. Sin promises joy, but it only produces sorrow. Going off God’s script for our lives has consequences.

We need to pay close attention to what happened when Israel went off script. They left heathens in the land that could, and did, attack them. They were plundered, spoiled, and unable to defend themselves. They had estranged themselves from God and so did not have His help to which to turn. They were like an atheist at a funeral. To whom can they turn for nurture and encouragement?

The saying that “the bigger they are, the harder they fall,” applied to God’s children during this time. God had won all their battles for them during the Exodus, and so the people of Canaan were terrified of the Jews. Of course, it was God’s power the Canaanites actually feared, but now God’s people had turned their back on Him and they no longer had access to His might and power. The Song of Debrorah in Judges 5 illustrates how low Israel had sunk. In verses 6-7 we see,

In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the main roads were deserted because travelers kept to the side roads. Villages were deserted, they were deserted in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel. Israel chose new gods, then there was war in the city gates. Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.

Israel was beset by physical enemies who fought against them and dominated them. In our case, in Ephesians 6:12-13 Paul taught us that,

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.

Like Israel, we must learn not to turn our backs on God and His Way. We cannot win our spiritual battles without God’s help any more than Israel could win their physical battles without God’s help. When we leave behind God’s Way, when we go off His script, we leave behind His victories also.

The same truth that confronted Israel is present with us today. Sin only produces sorrow. Those who sin suffer. Those who are sinned against suffer. God suffers. Like the Prodigal Son, we must “come to our senses.”

Israel Repented of Sin and They were Saved:

Let’s read Judges 2:16-18,

The Lord raised up judges, who saved them from the power of their marauders, but they did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods, bowing down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commands. They did not do as their ancestors did. Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for the Israelites, the Lord was with him and saved the people from the power of their enemies while the judge was still alive. The Lord was moved to pity whenever they groaned because of those who were oppressing and afflicting them. 

John Maxwell, a noted Christian expert on leadership, studied the reason why people change their habits and practices and other aspects of their lives. He stated that people change only when three conditions are met:

 * When they hurt enough to make it necessary to change.

* When they know enough about what they need to change.

* When they know enough about how to make the necessary change.

Considering the state that Israel was in, it wasn’t hard for them to meet these requirements! They saw their need, and they saw that only God could fulfill their needs, and so they turned back to Him. What would God do?

Our God is a faithful God. And when we repent, He will save us. He did this for Israel in human, physical terms. He still does this for us today in spiritual terms as well. This is illustrated by Jesus in the Parable of the Prodigal Son which is really the story of a loving father. But the Parable of the Lost Sheep is some ways even more encouraging, because it is really the story of a good shepherd who went out looking for the lost sheep. In fact, God doesn’t wait for us to come home, He comes looking for us, because Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

While God takes the initiative when it comes to caring for His people, we also cannot minimize the role of repentance. Repentance is not feeling bad about something. That is guilt. Nor is repentance an effort to make amends for something that was wrong to do. That is restitution. Instead, repentance is a decision of our will to go in a different direction. Repentance is a “U-turn” in our life’s path. Repentance is a desire in our heart to serve God. Repentance is turning our back on the life of sin.

We all know the jokes about how men hate to ask for directions when travelling. A man and his wife were on a trip, and the husband became frustrated at the slow traffic on the Interstate Highway. He took an exit for a side road and began trying to make his way to their destination. Soon, he was hopelessly lost, but when his wife asked him to turn around and retrace their path to the Interstate, he refused. “Why should I give ground?” he asked. “Besides, there is no traffic on this road, and we’re making great time!”

Meteorologists have coined a rhyming phrase to help people avoid the dangers associated with flooded roads, “Turn around; don’t drown!” Jesus taught us that the path to destruction is broad, and that many will take it. Our only way to avoid destruction is to turn around. 

Israel Fell Back into Sin:

Let’s read Judges 2:19-23,

Whenever the judge died, the Israelites would act even more corruptly than their ancestors, following other gods to serve them and bow in worship to them. They did not turn from their evil practices or their obstinate ways. The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he declared, “Because this nation has violated my covenant that I made with their ancestors and disobeyed me, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. I did this to test Israel and to see whether or not they would keep the Lord’s way by walking in it, as their ancestors had.” The Lord left these nations and did not drive them out immediately. He did not hand them over to Joshua.

How would you respond to someone who had just saved your life? How would you respond to someone who had just given you a home? Would you be grateful? Would you ignore them? Would you spit in their face?

Israel spit in God’s face. They went right back to their sinful ways. They ignored God’s Word and His Way. They went right back to serving their false gods. Remember what Proverbs 26:11 says? “As a dog returns to its vomit, so also a fool repeats his foolishness.” This is Israel in a nutshell.

To put it simply, the children of Israel were addicted to sin. Just like someone addicted to a physical substance, they were unable to change their ways permanently. They might do better for a period of time, but soon they would suffer a relapse. This is such a common occurrence, that it has even become an advertising strategy. Whether it be a potato chip of which is said, “No one can eat just one,” or a lollypop that people can’t resist biting instead of licking, advertisers have learned to capitalize on human weaknesses. So have the forces of evil. Israel could not repent in their own power. They needed help. 

Like Biblical Israel, people today are addicted to sin also. We are unable to repent in our own power. We need help, too. 

Alcoholics Anonymous is one of the most successful programs for overcoming addictions. The first three of the twelve steps in their program points us the way we need to go in defeating our sin addiction: 

* We admitted we were powerless over alcohol -- that our lives had become unmanageable 

* We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

* We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

Our God, as we understand Him from the Bible, has made a way for us!   In Romans 7: 21-25  Paul tells us, 

So I discover this law:  When I want to do what is good,  evil is present with me. For in my inner self I delight in God’s law, but I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.

In Romans 8:1-4, Paul went on to enlighten us even more saying, 

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 

Conclusion:

Are we stuck in the same addictive cycle as the Israelites? Are we like the dog that goes back to his vomit? Are our lives out of control because of sin? If so, God is seeking us today with the solution we need. He offers us His Son who will forgive our sin, and He offers us power to live an abundant life!  Are you tired of running in circles? Come to Him today!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about Biblical Citizenship

Today I want to share a word about Biblical citizenship from Romans 13:1-7.

Few areas of life today are more controversial than politics and governance.  In a modern democracy, the winner of an election may still have almost one-half of his fellow citizens vote against him.

Although we have established here in the United States a “government of the people, by the people, and for the people” we may need to ask the question, “Should we have human governments?”

One response to this question is illustrated in the novel and book “The Sand Pebbles.”  Set during one of the many civil wars in China during the inter-war years, a missionary family declared themselves to be stateless persons.  This didn't help, for that status wasn't recognized by any of the combatant sides.  We must live with human governments whether we like it or not!

Paul taught us how to view human government in Romans 13:1-7.

God Has Ordained Human Government:

In verses 1 and 2 Paul made this point to the church at Rome,

Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God. 2 So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves.

Scholars have discerned that three realms of authority on earth have been established in the Bible.

The first realm is The Family. We see this in the Creation Story in Genesis, in the wedding at Cana, in 1 Corinthians 1:7 and Ephesians Chapter 4.

The next, realm is The Church, which looks back to Matthew Chapter 16 and Acts Chapter 2 for its founding.

Finally, there is the realm of Government, which we see established here in Romans Chapter 13 and also through Jethro’s counsel to Moses in Exodus Chapter 18:13ff, 

The next day Moses sat down to judge the people, and they stood around Moses from morning until evening. When Moses’s father-in-law saw everything he was doing for them he asked, “What is this you’re doing for the people? Why are you alone sitting as judge, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?” Moses replied to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. Whenever they have a dispute, it comes to me, and I make a decision between one man and another. I teach them God’s statutes and laws.” “What you’re doing is not good,” Moses’s father-in-law said to him. “You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You can’t do it alone. Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and God be with you. You be the one to represent the people before God and bring their cases to him. Instruct them about the statutes and laws, and teach them the way to live and what they must do. But you should select from all the people able men, God-fearing, trustworthy, and hating dishonest profit. Place them over the people as commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. They should judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you every major case but judge every minor case themselves. In this way you will lighten your load, and they will bear it with you. If you do this, and God so directs you, you will be able to endure, and also all these people will be able to go home satisfied.” Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. So Moses chose able men from all Israel and made them leaders over the people as commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. They judged the people at all times; they would bring the hard cases to Moses, but they would judge every minor case themselves.

The first two verses in Romans 13 answer the question of why we should be obedient to human government. 

Personal loyalty is the most powerful reason for obedience. People will lie, cheat, steal, and die for those they believe in. The fates of the Apostles, with all of them martyred in one way or another, shows their loyalty and obedience to Christ.

The problem we have with this is that people are human and frail, and they will fail us. The pastor who married my wife and I often said from the pulpit, “Don’t follow me. I am human and I will fail you. Follow God, follow His Word, and follow the Holy Spirit.” 

Governments at all levels are made up of people, they will fail. Our loyalty is to God; however, we need to remember that He asks us to be obedient to our government. 

So, as we loyally follow God and are obedient to our government, what does Paul mean when he tells us to be subject to our government? Paul was not asking us to be doormats or slaves. In fact, he asserted his rights as a Roman citizen several times in the Book of Acts.

The Greek word translated “subject” really means to cooperate, to play our proper part. It was used to describe military units arranging themselves in proper order on the battlefield. It means holding human government accountable, but it does not mean to rebel without just cause.

Because our nation was founded in rebellion, we sometimes forget how destructive rebellion is to society. Our war for independence produced a stable nation but the French Revolution continued for many years and wreaked havoc with French society. 

Rebellion, which God equates with witchcraft, is not something we should choose lightly. We must remember that the American Revolution was sparked by the colonies being excluded from the political processes in the British Government. We should be careful not to leave that step out and go straight to rebellion!

God Uses Human Government:

One reason God wants us to obey human government, according to Paul in verses 3 and 4, is that God uses it:

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. For it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong.

God is not physically present in this world today. He has chosen to use humans to accomplish His bidding. His task for the family is to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. His task for the church is to redeem the ungodly, not control them. The government is God’s chosen instrument to control human behavior.

God has empowered government to control human behavior for him: He has given the state the power to penalize wrong doers. God has also given the state power to reward those who do good. We don’t often see a police officer as a minister of God, but according to Paul, he is! 

And remember, Paul did not live in a democracy the way we do here in the United States. He was the citizen of an authoritarian and often despotically governed empire, yet God revealed to him the role that government played in God’s eternal plan.

God reserves the right of vengeance to Himself; in Romans 12:19 we read, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” God deputizes human government to repay. God even outlines punishments in the Bible that governments can use, such as fines, restitution, death, even banishment.

God does love justice and mercy, but we need to allow Him to discipline His own servant. When we try to do that, we put ourselves in the place of the Master, and this, of course, is wrong.

When I was in high school my father was involved in a minor traffic accident and some citations were issued which resulted in him being summoned to the local court. I went with him that day to observe the proceedings. Another teen who attended my school was also there, contesting a speeding ticket issued to him by a police officer. I knew the teen, and I suspected that he had been speeding, but he was able to refute some of the details of the police officer’s testimony, and he was found not guilty. The moral of that is this: when we follow proper paths of appeal, our issues can be resolved. Resisting on the street causes more offences to occur, and these delegitimize our actions.

God Expects His People To Participate In Human Government:

In verses 5 through 7, Paul gave some practical examples of what God expects of us:

Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

I can think of three basic reasons to obey a government:

* Out of blind habit.

* Out of fear of punishment.

* Out of respect for the God who put government in place. 

My wife is a retired teacher. During her career in education, she discovered that all students would obey a strict teacher, but only the respectful students would obey all teachers. 

As we respect God, we must also respect our government in practical ways such as:

* Paying our taxes and other fees.

* Treating our leaders with respect and honor.

* Obeying the laws of the land.

As Jesus Himself said, we should give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s!

The bottom line is that we must work with and in government. We do this to improve it and to ensure it maintains the appropriate level of righteousness and justice. 

We also need to use it for the best advantage of the Gospel. Paul appealing to Rome in Acts Chapter 25 allowed him to go to Rome and share the Gospel there such that even members of Caesar’s household became followers of Christ.

We also, individually, need to consider becoming part of government so that we, as Christians, can help leaven the loaf, so to speak.

God Expects Us to Govern Ourselves:

In verses 8 through 14, Paul reminds us that God expects us to govern ourselves:

Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not covet; and any other commandment, are summed up by this commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law.  Besides this, since you know the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, because now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, and the day is near; so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk with decency, as in the daytime: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.

It is important to note that Chapters 12 and 13 form a kind of literary sandwich. In Chapter 12, we are urged to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, set apart to be pleasing to God. Paul went so far as to say in Romans 12:17-18,

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 

In Romans 12:21, Paul goes on to say, “Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.”

Then, and only then, does Paul begin his discussion of human government, which is in the context of Christians behaving in a way that honors God. After these seven verses, Paul returns to his major concern, which is Christians not behaving badly. If we govern ourselves as mature people, human government will have less need to interfere in our lives.

But what are we to do when our government become unjust, and when our God-given rights to worship Him are taken away?

First, if we have done what Paul directed in Verses 1-7, we will have the opportunity to prevent that from happening.  As many political commentators over the years have pointed out, “Elections have consequences.” They can be positive consequences or the negative consequences, so we must be sure to play our part in the process. But what if things good bad? Paul comments about this in Romans 15:3-6,

For even Christ did not please himself. On the contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.  For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.  Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice.

Our first concern must be the reputation of God, who has promised to be with us and to help us in every phase of our lives as Paul also noted in Romans 15:13,

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion:

We often find it hard to believe that God can use something so disorganized and riddled with problems as government.  

Of course, if He can use a similarly troublesome body like the church, He can certainly use human governments.  

We need to honor His purposes in that endeavor.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about the Planned Light

Today we will conclude  series of sermons based on our 2026 VBS theme that I am calling The Light of the World. In this episode, we will see that Jesus is The Planned Light.

Many times, we make plans that we can’t keep or plans we shouldn’t keep. For example:

A boy approached a lady in his church and promised, “Lady, if you give me a quarter, my little brother will imitate a chicken,” The lady was not impressed, and she replied, “So, what will he do for this quarter, cluck and flap his arms?” “No,” the boy replied, “he wouldn’t do a cheap imitation like that. He’ll eat a worm!”

Another fellow knocked on his neighbor’s door.  When his neighbor answered his knock, he said, “I’m so sorry, I just ran over your cat with my car. I want to do the right thing and replace him.” His neighbor said, “O.K. then, there’s a mouse in my kitchen.  Go get it!”

A final example of this comes from the personal ads of a newspaper: “If Jack Smith, who deserted his wife and baby twenty years ago will return, the aforementioned baby will knock the socks off of him.”

As we have noted before in both Matthew 16 and Acts 1, Jesus had a plan for the church to be the focus of ministry in the world after His Ascension to Heaven. A major part of that plan was for His church to receive power for its work.  Today we will see how that power came and what it helps us to do. Let’s begin by reading Acts 2:1-4,

When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.

The Plan for Power:

Jesus knew that the task given to the church was beyond our human power to accomplish. That’s why His plan included giving the church power from heaven. He had told His disciples in Acts 1:6-10 to go back into the city and wait for power, and now it had come.

One of the most transforming events in the lives of rural Americans was the Rural Electrification Act (REA) which provided funding to extend electricity to the famers and other residents of rural America. That process, as well as Rural Free Delivery (RFD) brought a power to integrate with society to rural people that they didn’t have before. 

The power experienced by the Apostles was unlike anything ever experienced before or since. There was an unearthly sound that filled the whole house. Something appeared that look like fire. The Apostles were filled with the Spirit of God. They began to speak in other, unknown to them, human languages. Many missionaries have prayed for the gift of tongues while trying to learn a difficult foreign language! 

To imagine the impact on the Apostles, try to think back to the first time you ever tasted coffee. It was strong and probably bitter, and you didn’t know what to think about it. Another way I think about this experience is when I had an injection in a nerve in my hip. It was like an electric shock went down my leg. I squealed like a little girl, and I almost came off of the examination table! The impact on the crowd was also dynamic, as we read in Acts 2:12-13,

They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But some sneered and said, “They’re drunk on new wine.”

Those who witnessed this power were amazed. Many just sat and watched in awe and wonder. Others tried to blame what happened on sin. People often attribute good things to sin or Satan. Even Jesus had this happen to Him. The fact is that God’s power is far beyond what we understand. We shouldn’t try to explain it or scoff at it.

This was the awesome and life-changing power that Jesus had promised. This was power from God Himself which was both the power to supernaturally relate to God as well as power to work outside our own strength in God’s Kingdom. The church had a gift and a power that the Old Testament saints never had. We must be grateful for it and we must allow it to empower our lives for God.

This is like the story of a Hunter walking through the jungle who found a huge dead elephant with a pigmy standing beside it. Amazed, he asked: "Did you kill that?" The pigmy said, "Yes." The hunter asked, "How could a little bloke like you kill a huge beast like that?" "I killed it with my club." The astonished hunter asked, "How big is your club?" The pigmy replied, "Let me think.  There's about 60 of us." With the power of the Holy Spirit, we can do ministry together that we could not have done before He came to us!

God’s plan for the church required that He give us spiritual power beyond ourselves, but it was more than that. Let’s read Acts 2:5-11

Now there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation under heaven. When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites; those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts), Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues.”

The Plan for Relationships:

The church is about people. God created this world for people, and He loves to relate to us. Jesus died for people, and the Holy Spirit was sent to people. We need to be about people too. We all know that the church is not the building, but the congregation. In 2 Samuel 7, David wanted to build God a temple. But God rebuffed him, telling him that God does not need buildings, even if people do.  That is why we have church buildings, so we can house our ministry and for our church buildings can be a springboard to take the Gospel into our community. One Christian writer has called local churches circles of light, bringing the Light of the World to their neighbors so that they can have the Light of Life illuminate their hearts.

Our problem is that our sin not only separates us from God, but it also divides people from each other. One of the first sins mentioned in Bible after the fall was murder. Half of the Ten Commandments dealt with how people are to treat each other. In our own time, very little political moderates in the USA today and even within churches, conflict is a serious issue. One state Baptist denominational leader once told me, “We start most of our new churches by splitting old ones.”

We need help to relate to people, and God gave it to us at Pentecost! Every person present on that day from over 14 nations heard the Gospel in a way that they could relate to effectively. This is the task of every missionary. They use tools like the Jesus Film or the Storying Cloth to share the Gospel It is also the task of every Christian. We can use our personal testimonies or invite people to Sunday School or church.

A long-time denominational leader recently told me that the secret to evangelism in the 21st Century is through developing relationships. This is not always easy, but the Holy Spirit will help us if we live in the Light of the World. What is the Gospel message we are to share? Let’s read Acts 2:14-18,

Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, “Fellow Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it’s only nine in the morning. On the contrary, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all people; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. I will even pour out my Spirit on my servants in those days, both men and women and they will prophesy.”

Let’s also read Acts 2:22-23,

“Fellow Israelites, listen to these words: This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know. Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used[e] lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him. God raised him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by death.”

And, let’s read Acts 2:32-35,

“God has raised this Jesus; we are all witnesses of this.  Therefore, since he has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, he has poured out what you both see and hear.  For it was not David who ascended into the heavens, but he himself says: The Lord declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.’”

The Plan to Preach:

Relating can be hard, but it is easier than preaching! However, if we relate without preaching, we are simply not doing the job. A missionary once told us that she spent so much time being culturally sensitive that she found she wasn’t witnessing. Churches often try to attract people by adapting to culture surrounding them, but as the old preacher said, “If you get with a hotdog you have to keep them with hotdogs.” The offense of the Gospel must take place. God’s truth must be revealed, and He has chosen us to do it!

How do we do this? The same way that Peter did! Peter was an uneducated fisherman. He had run away from Jesus and denied Him with a curse. After the crucifixion, Peter went back to fishing and yet, now, he preached the first Christian sermon. How did he do it?  By letting God empower him. By using the Scriptures. And by sharing what God had done in his life through Christ

God empowered Peter’s human nature for supernatural ministry! Peter was bold, but now his boldness was directed properly. Loose cannons are dangerous, but when aimed properly, they are effective! Peter was a rough man, but now God used that roughness to witness for Himself. Peter was a die-heard Jew, but now the Spirit interpreted that Jewishness properly. God will use effectively what we have when we submit it to His will!

God gave us the power to relate to people and to preach the Gospel for a purpose. Let’s look at what that purpose is in Acts 2:37-47,

Then they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt[k] generation!” So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

The Plan to Grow:

From the beginning, God’s plan has been for the church to grow. The church is the Body of Christ, and so the church is an organism, not an organization. Organisms must grow and develop or they will die. God did not buy us from slavery to sin to have us wither and die. We are divinely appointed to grow!

This passage tells us several ways that God wants his church to grow:

* Growth by salvation (V.V. 40 & 41).

* Growth in doctrine (V. 42).

* Growth in fellowship (V. 42).

* Growth in prayer (V. 42).

* Growth in our awe of God (V.V. 43)

* Growth in meeting peoples’ needs (V.V. 44-5).

* Growth in our worship together (V.V. 46 & 47).

* Growth that happens regularly (V. 47).

So, in light of this passage, we must ask ourselves some hard questions: Are we growing effectively?  Are we growing consistently? Are we growing in all of these areas and more? The answer is that we should be, because we have the power!

Conclusion:

 God doesn’t believe in wasted effort.  According to His plan, He has given His church his church the power to relate to people, preach the Gospel, and grow in fellowship, outreach, and ministry.

Are we being faithful stewards with the light God has given us?

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt