Category: Devotional

On Leadership & Submission

I find this beginning of the “Divided Kingdom” era fascinating. Rehoboam is the rightful heir to the throne, but God decides to remove the kingdom from him because of the sins of his father, Solomon1. So God makes a promise to Jeroboam2 that if he honours the Lord in the same way David did, he will rule over Israel forever. Of course God knew exactly how it would turn out, so He never really had to worry about making good on that promise. And here’s where the story gets interesting…

On the issue of taxation, Rehoboam ignores the council of faithful older men who advised him to reduce the burden on the people to endear loyalty, instead taking the advice of young people who encourage him to flex his authority and tax them all the more! This leads to a deadly revolt on the part of the people, who end up promoting Jeroboam to king. And so, all of Israel — with the exception of Judah and Benjamin — side with Jeroboam and have nothing to do with Rehoboam and his iron fist.

There is a lesson to be learned here about leadership! If you are in a position of leadership there are two ways you can think about it. One way — the way Rehoboam chose — is the top-down “authority” type of leadership. “What I say goes, because I am in charge!” And that certainly is an avenue open to you, of course we see the consequences of that action in the deadly revolt… The other type of leadership — the way demonstrated by Jesus — is a bottom-up “servant” type of leadership. “We’re moving in this direction because I have sought the Lord and it is what is best for all of us.”

And that would be a great take-away, but there’s more to the story!

After this, Jeroboam — now in charge of most of Israel (the territory of 10 tribes) — decided that people would want to go back to Jerusalem (Rehoboam’s territory) to worship God. So what solution does this bright bulb come up with? Rather than building a temple to Yahweh, the God who GAVE HIM THIS KINGSHIP, he instead chose to bring back the golden calves of Aaron and say that THESE are the gos who brought Israel out of Egypt! Upon seeing this, the Levites abandoned their land and moved to Judah. And those among the populace who wanted to be failed to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob also defected to Judah. That’s right, their priority for God led them into a situation that was less good for them physically and financially, but was infinitely better spiritually.

And herein lies the second take-away for the day; our primary loyalty should be with God. We ought not to act in a way that is self-serving, but instead should be focused on our first (that is, our PRIMARY) love—Jesus. Even if it means submission to an authoritarian leadership. Now, of course we should want the leadership over us (our Governments, our bosses, our pastors(!)) to be Godly and bottom-up, servant-style. I get that. But our leadership preference and physical/financial comfort should NEVER be prioritized above our spiritual health and position.

Let’s be good leaders, seeking good leaders. But let’s also keep our priorities in order!

  1. This would be a fascinating issue to study on another day. If Solomon was the transgressor, why was no punishment visited upon him… for David’s sake? ↩︎
  2. Did the names REALLY need to be so similar? He could’t have chosen a Jim instead? ↩︎

Everything is a Gift from the Lord… Even That!

Our church recently brought on a young man as a pastoral intern who was in charge of the music ministry. I told him that this position was a lightning rod and to mentally prepare for people to be upset with choice he made. But I also said he should do what he can to learn something from every interaction. Good and bad. Sometimes people will encourage us. Sometimes people will offer constructive criticism. But sometimes people will offer destructive criticism and try to tear us down. Those times suck. However, even when that happens, we can still learn from it. What nugget of truth was wrapped in that scathing remark that can be taken and applied?

My wife recently returned from a women’s retreat and was challenged there about trials. The women there were told to “Not let this trial go to waste”. This is the same idea, wrapped up in a concise and repeatable phrase. We can’t suffer only for suffering’s sake! That is crazy. Instead we should think of it like building a muscle. Yeah, it hurts in the moment. But we will be all the stronger for it later.

Now, I’m not much of a write-in-your-Bible guy, but this verse is highlighted in my daily devo Bible.

Enjoy prosperity while you can,
    but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God.
    Remember that nothing is certain in this life.

Ecclesiastes 7:14

Remember that whatever situation you find yourself in, it is not by accident! God has done this on purpose. How does He want you to grow? What can you learn for future application? What purpose does the Lord have for this season of your life?

Living in the Past

Ecclesiastes gets a bad rap for being “depressing” or “melancholy” or whatever. But I find it a fascinating and focusing read. What are we giving our time to? Is it something worthwhile or another bullet on Solomon’s massive list of things that are “meaningless”? To that end, this passage from the end of Chapter 5 is fantastic:

To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.

Ecclesiastes 5:19b-20 (NLT)

I was nostalgic from an early age. I think wistfully about playing with my Hulk Hogan and Junk Yard Dog toys while watching the Paul Daniels Magic Show in the mid-1980s. And sometimes it makes me sad at what is gone. But the great irony is that while I was pining for a time that is gone I missed the time I was IN… then I would wish to have that time back. And so the cycle would continue where I was constantly longing for that which is gone rather than enjoying it while I had it.

In comes Solomon to encourage us to work and accept our lot in life. Because we are so happy in the moment we HAVE RIGHT NOW, that we are not distracted by what we used to have in times long past!

Friends, enjoy what you have. Don’t be discontent wishing you had more. Don’t be heartbroken longing for things lost to time… before long that is how you will think of TODAY. If you root your joy in the Lord that contentment is much easier to harness and cling to.

The Unrighteous Righteous

Throughout Kings we have seen David described as righteous over and over again. We are told that he obeyed all the laws and regulations of the Lord and — if you’re like me — the justice side of your brain is hollering, “WHAT!?”

Is this the same David who married foreign women? The same David who forced himself on a vulnerable married woman? Who tried to cover that affair up? Who had the husband killed so he could marry his baby-mama? The one who was too cowardly or distant to discipline his own children? The one who refused to hold his own men accountable? The one who tasked his son to exact revenge on his behalf? That guy? That guy obeyed ALL THE LAWS AND REGULATIONS? Are we sure we’re talking about the same fellow?

Then we read about Solomon marrying 700 women of royal birth. Remember these were treaties signed with foreign nations! So not only was Solomon amassing women who will turn his heart away, but these women are also of royal birth and represent treaties with a great many nations and/or city-states. And, of course, if you are going to maintain good relationships with those peoples with whom you have a treaty, you are going to honour their heritage for fear of upsetting this new ally. You can see something similar today in the way our political leaders in the west will attend a Catholic Mass on Christmas, a Hindu Temple for Diwali, and a Muslim Mosque for Ramadan.

It is clear that both of these men have broken the laws and regulations. So then, why is Solomon found guilty where David is found innocent? Make it make sense!!

The difference was the same then as it is today. We need to pause the ‘JUSTICE!’ part of our brain and examine the ‘grace’ part. In order to bring a better understanding, let’s look to the Apostle Paul. This passage from Romans is talking about Abraham, but it could just as easily refer to David or anyone else who came before Jesus, but trusted in the Lord:

Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Romans 4:20-22 (NIV)

Today I was again reminded that David was a man “after God’s heart”. This doesn’t mean that David was PATTERNED after God’s heart, but rather that he was CHASING after God’s heart. His eyes were on the Lord, even if his hands and feet and eyes and… other things… were places they should not have been. And that — to quote Robert Frost — has made all the difference.

This is the same way that God sees us today. This is how our faith is credited to us as righteousness. The righteousness that we could not hope to earn by our works. And so this righteousness is a gift of grace through faith that justifies us in the eyes of the God who will be our ultimate judge.

Justified. Just-as-if-I’d never sinned at all.

What Is Love? (Baby, Don’t Hurt Me)

I’ll be the first to admit that poetry really doesn’t do it for me. Psalms are rarely where I turn outside of my reading plan, and Song of Songs is similar. It’s just not how I’m made. I love the narrative of Job and the practicality of the Proverbs, but the rest of the “Wisdom Literature” doesn’t really get my blood pumping. But in spite of that, it is still the Word of God. And even though some of it might appeal to us more than other bits, we still need to ask God to reveal what we can learn and grow in as a result of reading it. Because all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV).

Today is was this chunk near the end of the Song of Songs:

For love is as strong as death,
    its jealousy as enduring as the grave.
Love flashes like fire,
    the brightest kind of flame.
Many waters cannot quench love,
    nor can rivers drown it.
If a man tried to buy love
    with all his wealth,
    his offer would be utterly scorned.

Song of Songs 8:6b-7 (NLT)

This is as good a definition of love as any I’ve ever heard! Love — REAL love — is as strong as death and as enduring as the grave. It is permanent, and goes on eternally from when it begins. Love is a bonfire, a raging inferno. It is all-consuming and can be seen and felt by all who come near it. It cannot be defeated. And love — true love — cannot be bought. There is no shortcut to love. It must be earned, there is no other way to attain it.

This is how WE as Christians are to love, because we are called to love as Christ loves. And this is that love.

Building Good Study Habits

I was a pretty bright kid. This meant that academically stuff came pretty easy to me. It was even suggested to my parents that I skip ahead a grade. My mother declined that offer, however. And the downside to being a bright kid and having academics come pretty easily to me is that I never learned how to study… I never had to! I never had homework because I easily completed it all during class time. Then… grade 9 math hit me like a bus. I was reeling, my grades were suffering and I had no concept of studying and applying myself. It was pretty terrible. And honestly, it took until well into college before I finally figured out how to study.

It was laziness. Never needing to try meant that I never did. And that’s where our Proverb comes in today. Laziness is a hard habit to un-learn and hard work will enable you to be everything you can. But I can’t say it any better than the Psalmist:

I went past the field of a sluggard,
    past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
thorns had come up everywhere,
    the ground was covered with weeds,
    and the stone wall was in ruins.
I applied my heart to what I observed
    and learned a lesson from what I saw:
A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest—
and poverty will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.

Proverbs 24:30-34

I don’t think I can say any better than the Scriptures, so I’ll simply leave it there today.

Exploring Themes

Today I decided to write down the overarching theme that I perceived in each Proverb. With each additional Proverb, I would consult my list, if it fit with one of the existing themes, I would add a tick mark beside it, otherwise I would write down a new theme. At the end I counted them all up.

The themes I ended up with (you might well end up with a different list with different counts if you decide to do this) were: Fighting, Laziness, Intentionality, Loyalty, Integrity, Discernment, Sanctification, Reputation, Wisdom, Giving, and Trust in God.

The winners by my count were Discernment and Integrity with 9 Proverbs each. This was a good reminder for me of the value of these traits.

Discernment allows us to pursue only those things & relationships which are good for us, which will edify and encourage us, which will make us into better people and allow us to fully step into what God has for us. You can — as Fleetwood Mac put it — Go Your Own Way, but that will not give you the fullness and satisfaction in every sphere of your life that following Christ offers.

Integrity is so critical to the life of the believer. My father used to tell me that your word is your legacy. It’s how you will be remembered. And if it is how we will be remembered, then it is also how we are known. So we say what we mean and mean what we say? Are our promises good as gold? Can people take us at face value and never be afraid. That’s how God is, and if we are seeking to be like Him, then all of the above should be true about us. Whether it’s fair or not, people judge the king by his messenger. What kind of messenger are you for THE King?

That’s my takeaway. What theme(s) stood out to you from today’s reading?

Listen First, Then Speak

Another day in the Proverbs, another day of hearing things that directly challenge and encourage me. I know people refer to the Psalms and Soul Salve, but for me Proverbs fits that bill much better. And today the theme that jumped out and struck me was about listening. About gathering information in order to make informed decisions. This is not always something we are good at, and so it becomes a worthwhile challenge to hear. From today’s passage (all renderings are NLT):

Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions. (18:2) Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish. (18:13) The first to speak in court sounds right—until the cross-examination begins. (18:17) Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes. (19:2) Get all the advice you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life. (19:20) If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge. (10:27)

As James chapter 3 highlights so forcefully, the tongue has the most damage-inflicting power of any muscle in our bodies. James tells us it’s full of poison. All the more reason that we should seek council, listen to all the witnesses, and ask for what Paul Harvey would call “the rest of the story”.

As we read yesterday, there is a path that seems right to us, but is less to death. This is what we read about throughout the book of Judges! People did what was right in their own eyes and it led to horrific outcomes! If you don’t remember how bad it got, go read Judges 19 again. And then — after acting like fools — we wonder why God has abandoned us! Like we left Him behind to go our own way, and then act like it was His fault! And if we never learn to listen, we will end up in that same scenario over, and over, and over again.

People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord (Proverbs 19:3)

Do I Know What’s Best?

It’s fun to look for emerging themes as we read through the Proverbs and today’s theme struck me as the very theme highlighted by a proverb appears TWICE near the beginning and ending of today’s reading. Here it is:

There is a way that appears to be right,
    but in the end it leads to death.

Proverbs 14:12 & 16:25 (NIV)

And throughout today’s reading we see that the foolish1 follow their own path and chart their own course, but instead of finding success and joy, they find destruction and emptiness. And more than that, they also hurt those around them in a sort of hurricane of destruction. We read about households, neighbours, children, parents, and even the Lord being affected by the ill-conceived, ill-informed, and ill-executed plans of the willfully ignorant. But the great irony — as Solomon points out — is that they are “pure in their own eyes”!

This is yet another example of why it is so absolutely critical that we have a brother or sister who can sharpen us and tell us when we are being big stupid idiots. Once you find a person who can tell you that your being stupid as an act of love and friendship… return the favour and never let that person go!

  1. It is worth noting that “fool” or “foolish” refers to a person who is obstinate, unyielding in their position, and without understanding. This is not someone who has been bamboozled in a moment, but represents a lifestyle of doing it “their way”. ↩︎

Choose Your Fighter

We’ve hit the point in Proverbs where there is a steady theme of widsom vs folly, but there isn’t necessarily any connective tissue from one verse to the next as this section is essentially putting forward various scenarios that contrast a wise and foolish approach. As you read through today’s passage you will undoubtedly find several of these contrasting statements that pop out to you, based on what is going on in your life and in the lives of those around you. The applicability of the Scripture never ceases to amaze me. But I think my BIG takeaway from today’s reading is this:

There are two approaches to every situation. One that is born of wisdom and leads to good outcomes. The other is born of folly and leads to poor outcomes. The former is the outworking of the pursuit of God, while the latter is the outworking of selfishness. How will you pattern your life? In the image of God, with Him as your “GPS”, or in the image of the world, with yourself as an idol?

Every situation has both path available to you. Choose wisely.