An old story example (part 2)

Sometimes, truth shows up in unexpected places.  We found this to be true in the last post, when we found that a part of Israel’s genealogy record contained an example for us to consider.  As a refresher, here is the passage:

1 Chronicles 5:18-20
The descendants of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh…waged war against the Hagrites…They received help against these enemies because they cried out to God in battle, and the Hagrites and all their allies were handed over to them.  He was receptive to their prayer because they trusted in Him. 

From this snippet of history, we found that God fulfills His promises.  He was willing to do so because these three tribes humbly cried out to God and trusted in Him for the result.  We then looked at a few of the promises God has made to us church-age believers and considered if we were approaching those promises the same way the Israelites did with what God promised to them.

However, that’s not where the story ends for these three tribes.  After settling in the land, they lived there for many generations…and the next part recorded by the Chronicler is also an example for us.  Unfortunately, though, it’s not a positive example:

1 Chronicles 5:23-26
The descendants of half the tribe of Manasseh settled in the land from Bashan to Ball-hermon (that is, Senir or Mount Hermon); they were numerous…They were valiant warriors, famous men, and heads of their ancestral houses.  But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors.  They prostituted themselves with the gods of the nations God had destroyed before them.  So the God of Israel roused the spirit of King Pul (that is, Tiglath-pileser) of Assyria, and he took the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh into exile.

They had skill, they had fame, and they had authority – everything the world says you need to have a life of enjoyment and significance.  But they forgot how they got those things.  They forgot Who gave them those things.

Instead of continuing to trust in the God of their ancestors, they were distracted and enticed by the same failed gods that had destroyed the nations before them.  It’s easy for us to sit back and wonder ‘How in the world could this happen?’, but any one of these could be a contributing cause:

·       Perhaps their ancestors didn’t teach their descendants as well as they should have.
·       Perhaps the descendants didn’t want to listen to “the old ways”.
·       Perhaps their skill, fame, and power felt more secure than trusting an invisible God.
·       Perhaps the cultural gods validated feelings and activities that were contrary to God’s teachings.

Whatever the reasoning that happened from generation to generation – whether it was a slow decline or a sharp turn off the path – the generations that came from the three tribes that defeated the Hagrites were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors.  Even though they took those steps, they still had their skill, fame, and authority…so maybe they took that as proof they could get away with abandoning God.

But God saw the state of their hearts as more important than the power they had – and He roused the spirit of King Pul to conquer the northern tribes, taking them into exile.  The exile occurred because Israel repeatedly violated God’s first commandment, to have no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3).  It is interesting to note that after the exile was over and God returned the Jews back to the land He had promised them, they never again had an issue with following other gods. 

When life is going well…we, too, have a tendency to forget that God brought us to this place and time in our lives.  We get distracted and enticed by other cultural gods, mainly for the same bullet point reasons we considered above.  And God takes our relationship with Him just as serious as he did with the Israelites.  The author of Hebrews gave us this warning:

Hebrews 12:7, 10-11
Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons.  For what son is there that a father does not discipline?...He does it for our benefit, so that we can share His holiness.  No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

As a good father, God is willing to punish us when our priorities are out of line.  Just like He did with Israel, He is willing to let us suffer consequences so we can understand who He is and who we are in Him.  When we are disciplined, our best course of action is to learn from it and be trained by it.  Let’s be like Israel, who learned from their exile, and not repeat those same actions again.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

An old story example (part 1)

I don’t imagine that you’ve spent much time reading the Old Testament book 1 Chronicles.  Don’t worry, no judgment here…I’m not in it very often, either.  And if you’re like me, when you read through any Old Testament book, it’s very tempting to just skim past the genealogy sections, right?  So-and-so begat son-of-so-and-so, name-I-can’t-possibly-pronounce had a son with-another-name-I-can’t-pronounce.

However, genealogy sections were vitally important to the ancient Israelites.  Knowing where you came from had significant influence on your social standing.  Even though we can’t trace our own lineage back through those genealogies, that doesn’t necessarily mean those sections are empty of anything useful for us church-age believers.  While there are a lifetime of stories behind each name…oftentimes, there are interesting stories couched in between the lists of family lineage.  As the Apostle Paul said, the Old Testament is available to us for examples and insight into the God who loves us (1 Corinthians 10:11).

So, I want to share with you two little stories I found amongst the genealogies.  I think you’ll find them as interesting and as informative as I did.  We’ll look at the first one in this post and the second one in the next post.  The first story shows three of the twelve tribes establishing themselves in the Promised Land, but the local inhabitants weren’t willing to just hand it over.  As you read the following five verses, look for the reason why the three tribes were successful:

1 Chronicles 5:18-22
The descendants of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 warriors who could serve in the army – men who carried shield and sword, drew the bow, and were trained for war.  They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab.  They received help against these enemies because they cried out to God in battle, and the Hagrites and all their allies were handed over to them.  He was receptive to their prayer because they trusted in Him.  They captured the Hagrites livestock – fifty thousand of their camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep, and two thousand donkeys – as well as one hundred thousand people.  Many of the Hagrites were killed because it was God’s battle.  And they lived there in the Hagrites place until the exile.

Over 44,000 warriors…that’s a lot of skilled fighters; however, that wasn’t the primary reason they won the battle.  The three Israelite tribes were victorious because they cried out to God in battle…He was receptive to their prayer because they trusted in Him.  Despite their numbers and strength, their winning strategy contained two humility-filled steps: crying out to God and trusting in Him.  Not only did they seek God’s favor and assistance, they were counting on Him to fulfill the promises He had made to all the Israelite tribes (see Genesis 12, Genesis 26:3, Genesis 28:13, Numbers 34:1-12 for a few examples).

Since God had promised the land, the three tribes knew they couldn’t obtain the promise fulfillment without God’s involvement.  After the battle was over and the three Israelite tribes had won and taken control of the land, they recognized that it had been God’s battle all along.

Now, of course, us modern-day believers cannot claim this promise from God.  We’re not Israel, and God isn’t going to move us all to Palestine.  That said…what a great example this is for us…we can take this little snippet of history and be reminded that God fulfills His promises.  God keeps His word.  People may have lied to us.  Others may have let us down.  Our God isn’t like that.  He doesn’t leave us in the lurch.  He won’t forget.  God is good for His word, every time.

So, what promises are you crying out to God about?  What promises are you trusting in Him to fulfill?  We can’t do it on our own, no matter how skilled we are.  If you need a reminder, here are a few to consider:

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take up my yoke and learn from Me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

John 5:24
Truly I tell you, anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.

Hebrews 13:5-6
Keep your life free from the love of money.  Be satisfied with what you have for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.  Therefore, we may boldly say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?”

There are many more promises available to us, and I encourage you to look for them as you read through the New Testament.  But let’s take the Old Testament story as our example, alright?  Cry out to God and trust in Him to fulfill the promises He’s made.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Skeleton key: Wisdom calls out

Imagine this scene with me:

After taking up the challenge to find the Book of Life, you’re on a plane for Tel Aviv.  Ever since leaving the old man in the bookstore, you’ve been mulling over the “skeleton key” he gave you:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Shortly after takeoff, you settle into your seat and drift off to sleep.  In your dream, you find yourself in a small ancient city.  As you watch the townsfolk ago about their business, you notice a beautiful woman moving amongst the crowds.  Somehow, you know her name is Wisdom.  Her face conveys a warm confidence; her voice is clear and strong.  At various points in the city – the busy streets, the shopping district, the city’s main entrance – she stops to call out:

“How long, inexperienced ones, will you love ignorance?
How long will you mockers enjoy mocking and you fools hate knowledge?
If you respond to my warning, then I will pour out my spirit on you and teach you my words.”

But no one replied.  Hardly anyone even acknowledged that she was speaking.  After each stop, Wisdom’s countenance darkened, but grew more sad than angry.  After making her final plea at the city’s main entrance and having no one respond, she gave one last pronouncement:

“Since I called out and you refused, extended my hand and no one paid attention,
since you neglected all my counsel and did not accept my correction,
I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity.
I will mock when terror strikes you,
when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when trouble and stress overcome you.”

And then she turned to leave.  As she started to disappear among the crowd, you decide to give chase.  After almost losing her down a busy street, you finally catch up to her.  Out of breath, the only words you can get out are “Don’t go”.

She looked at you with a disappointed frustration in her eyes and replied:

“They will call me, but I won’t answer; they will search for me, but won’t find me.
Because they hated knowledge, didn’t choose the fear of the Lord,
were not interested in my counsel, and rejected all my correction,
they will eat the fruit of their way and be glutted with their own schemes.

For the apostasy of the inexperienced will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
But whoever listens to me will live securely
and be undisturbed by the dread of danger.

Dread began to creep into your mind as you realized how much trouble the town was in because danger was coming…and they were willfully ignoring her warnings to prepare.  Wisdom stepped back into the flow of people, and then you lost sight of her.  You were left standing there, trying to process her warning, but a running child bumps into you – and a sudden jolt of turbulence shakes both you and the rest of the plane awake.

As you shake the cobwebs from your brain, Wisdom’s words are still running through your mind: Calamity was coming because they hated knowledge, didn’t choose the fear of the Lord.

-----------------------------------

How often does that happen for us modern believers?  We don’t prepare, grow, or invest during times of plenty – and when a real crisis hits, we’re not ready?

You can’t train for a 100 mile race by going out for a jog the night before.  It’s too late to prepare for the earthquake when The Big One hits.  You can’t mend fences after the other person has died.

Wisdom’s words listed above are from Proverbs 1:22-33.  Solomon’s warning to his son is clear: Dangers in life and hard situations will come, and you need to be prepared for them.  In order to be ready then, Solomon’s son needs to use the skeleton key now:

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Wisdom and discipline are the guides on the path God has set in order for us to skillfully navigate this world.  However, both wisdom and discipline are intentional choices – they won’t happen by accident or through wishful thinking. 

If we’re going to respond to Wisdom’s warning, if we want to live securely and be undisturbed by the dread of danger – knowing that the lady Wisdom isn’t going to just walk up to us in the grocery store – how are we to intentionally find what she teaches? 

James’ letter to other believers gives us the answer:

James 1:5
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God – who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly – and it will be given to him.

We need to ask the source, because He promises to give it to you – and God always fulfills His promises.  Asking God for wisdom is a practical use of the skeleton key, because when you ask, you are going to Him out of respect and honor that characterizes the fear of the Lord.  But once you ask…be ready to be taught.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

I offer you…a skeleton key

Imagine this scene with me:

You are an ancient treasure hunter, looking for your next big score.  You have found golden items from antiquity, ancient burial pottery, and rare-gem jewelry.  However, you have recently heard that ancient wisdom literature can bring in great value.  So now you find yourself in a dimly lit, dusty bookstore and trinket shop, talking with a disheveled old man that you suspect was there when the pyramids were built.

You describe to him what you’re looking for, this “Book of Life” you’ve heard about, and his right eyebrow pops up.  He suddenly has more energy about him than he did a moment ago, and he’s staring intently into your eyes.  His head cocks slightly to the side as he dryly says, “What you seek can be found, but it will cost you some effort.”

You insist that you’re up for the challenge, so he continues, “I know the intro to the book.  I can recite it for you, but after hearing it…you’ll have to decide if you’re willing to take up the search from here.”  His voice suddenly grew stronger and pulsated through the words as he began to quote from memory:

These sayings were written down so we’ll know how to live well and right,
to understand what life means and where it’s going;
A manual for living, for learning what’s right and just and fair;
To teach the inexperienced the ropes and give our young people a grasp on reality.
There’s something here also for seasoned men and women,
still a thing or two for the experienced to learn –
Fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate, the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women.

“And now,” he said in a loud whisper, “the next line is the most important.  It is the skeleton key.  Use it as a guide when you discover the text.  Knowing this will open up the rest of the book.”

Want to know what he said?  Are you curious about this “skeleton key” to the “Book of Life”?

Then I should probably tell you that while I invented the story, the text quoted by the old man was not made-up.  It was taken from Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of the Bible, The Message, and it is the first six verses of the book of Proverbs.  And yes…verse seven is the skeleton key to the entire book.

While a paraphrase can be helpful from time-to-time, it is ultimately one person’s summation and rephrasing of a previously translated text.  So, before we get to the skeleton key, let’s look at the direct-from-Hebrew translation:

Proverbs 1:1-6
The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
For learning wisdom and discipline;
for understanding insightful sayings
for receiving prudent instruction in righteousness, justice, and integrity;
for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced, knowledge and discretion to a young man –
              let a wise person listen and increase learning
              and let a discerning person obtain guidance
for understanding a proverb or parable, the words of the wise and their riddles.

Solomon recorded many wise sayings and proverbs in order to pass them down to his son.  His introduction to the proverbs heavily emphasizes the benefits of heeding their wisdom and the costliness of ignoring their warnings.  The concepts of wisdom and discipline, understanding, righteousness, justice, and integrity will be explored further on in the text.  But before he develops these topics, Solomon gives his son the skeleton key to the entire book:

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
fools despise wisdom and discipline.

The Hebrew word translated as fear refers to honor, respect, and awe.  If Solomon’s son wants the benefits listed above, he must approach God with respect and honor.  If the son believes he can figure out life without consulting God, then his puffed up self-worth will prevent him from seeing God properly…and if he doesn’t recognize that God and His ways are higher than ours, then he’ll have no opportunity to learn the wisdom principles Solomon wants to share with him.

You and I have the same opportunity – to learn the wisdom principles contained in the book of Proverbs.  Knowing and understanding them will make us skilled at living this earthly life.  However, we, like Solomon’s son, must approach them with humility toward God and what He says about the human experience.

That is our first step, the beginning of true knowledge.

Keep Pressing,
Ken