One Year Book of Devotions for Men Part 46

October 25

TO READ: 1 Kings 3:1-15

The Great Ocean of Truth

Give me an understanding mind so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong.

For who by himself is able to govern this great nation of yours?

1 Kings 3:9

Sir Isaac Newton, the brilliant scientist, said toward the end of his life, aI feel like a little child playing by the seash.o.r.e while the great ocean of truth lies undiscovered before me.a Despite his accomplishments in the fields of mathematics and the physical sciences, Newton was aware that what he did know was infinitesimal compared to what he did not know. And humility was the only appropriate response.

King Solomon, as he embarked on the task of governing G.o.das people, was also aware of how much he did not know about ruling and reigning. Humility was appropriate in his case, too. Some men in similar situations crumble under the crushing feelings of inadequacy and distinguish themselves by their ineffectiveness. Others try to hide their ignorance and convince themselves of their independence. Not Solomon. He knew what to do with his limitations and where to take his shortcomings. He worshiped! He turned to the One in whom all knowledge is found, the fount of all wisdom. The Lord responded by inviting Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted, promising it would be given to him. This would appear to be a dangerous thing for G.o.d to do, but G.o.d, having seen Solomon at worship, knew his heart. And when Solomon responded by asking for wisdom, athe Lord was pleased . . . and was glada (3:10).

Solomon was not interested in self-aggrandizement. His prime concern was that he should be equipped to do what G.o.d had called him to do. He had enough wisdom to know that he needed wisdom, and he was smart enough to know that he wasnat smart enough. He also knew that receiving wisdom from the Lord was more important than getting more wealth or more power. Wealth and power without wisdom to administer them can lead to all kinds of evil, and even long life without wisdom can be bitter or futile.

Wealth, power, and longevity have their attractions for men in all ages, but the smart ones ask G.o.d for wisdom to live as they should. Like Solomon, many of them discover that G.o.d, having granted them wisdom, also gives them the other things as a bonus, because he knows they will be smart enough to handle them properly. So get smart, and seek wisdom!

October 26

TO READ: 1 Kings 19:1-18

aIave Had Enougha

Then he went on alone into the desert, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. aI have had enough, LORD,a he said. aTake my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.a 1 Kings 19:4

Every man has his breaking point. At some point, under the right circ.u.mstances, a man will say, aIave had enough.a Often when it comes, it is something of a surprise, and the sudden feelings of discouragement can be crushing, even to the point of wanting to die.

This was certainly the case with Elijah. He had handled the powerful king Ahab without any problem, had confronted and routed the 450 prophets of Baal with ease, and had fearlessly challenged an apostate nation in the name of the Lord. No sign of a breakdown, no hint of impending emotional collapse. But collapse he did.

It was Jezebel, a formidable woman with ferocious habits and far-reaching influence, who proved to be the last straw for Elijah. Jezebel made no attempt to have him killed, although it was undoubtedly within her power. She simply threatened him and gave him twenty-four hours to get out of town, which he did in a hurry.

We can only surmise why Elijah became so frightened. No doubt the years of tension had taken their toll. The emotional struggle with the priests of Baal would have drained the most resourceful person. The spiritual high of the mountain left him vulnerable to a spiritual low in the valley, and the sheer output of spiritual energy over an extended period had no doubt left him depleted. Then the physical strain of running before the kingas chariot could not have helped. But perhaps the straw that broke Elijahas back was when G.o.d did no miracle to eradicate Jezebel, and Elijah realized that this enemy was not going away. She was his thorn in the flesh.

Finally Elijah lay down, disgruntled, dejected, and depressed, and announced that he was through. But the Lord cared for him tenderly and treated him to an unforgettable object lesson. A miraculous meal, a supernatural strengthening, a mighty windstorm, a violent earthquake, a raging fire, and a gentle breeze showed Elijah that G.o.d is not limited to what is mighty and spectacular. He can be equally effective through what is weak. After this object lesson, G.o.d told Elijah to get up, get going, and get on with the job. And that he did, understanding at last that the Lord does mighty things through meager means and miserable men.

When Elijah said, aIave had enough!a he was ready to learn that G.o.d is enough. When he thought, aI canat!a he discovered that G.o.d can. So his depression was not all bad. In fact, it was only as he sank lower that he was raised higher. And the message for all men at all times is still, aThe way to up is down.a

October 27

TO READ: 2 Kings 1:1-18

Hairy and Scary

One day Israelas new king, Ahaziah, fell through the latticework of an upper room at his palace in Samaria, and he was seriously injured. So he sent messengers to the temple of Baal-zebub, the G.o.d of Ekron, to ask whether he would recover. But the angel of the LORD told Elijah, who was from Tishbe, aGo and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, aWhy are you going to Baal-zebub, the G.o.d of Ekron, to ask whether the king will get well? Is there no G.o.d in Israel? Now, therefore, this is what the LORD says: You will never leave the bed on which you are lying, but you will surely die.a a So Elijah went to deliver the message.

2 Kings 1:2-4

At times life gets hairy and scary. How a man behaves at such times speaks volumes about what he believes. Take Elijah and Ahaziah for example. Their reactions to a tense situation provide great insights into what they were made of.

Elijah was aa hairy mana (1:8), and he lived in scary times. King Ahab had led Israel to reject Yahweh and embrace the religion of Baal. Then Ahaziah succeeded Ahab his father as king and perpetuated the apostasy. When he was seriously injured in a fall, he immediately turned for spiritual help to Baal-zebub, not to the Lord. In response, G.o.d sent Elijah to intercept the kingas messengers with a prophetic message rebuking the king and predicting his death. The king did not receive the message well, but angrily sent a detachment of soldiers to arrest Elijah. To the kingas threats Elijah responded cooly, giving G.o.das anger room to burn.

The contrast between the prophet and the king is stark. Elijah trusted implicitly in G.o.das word and in his power to intervene in the affairs of the king. Ahaziah dismissed the Lord as irrelevant. Two contrasting worldviews were on display. One was based on the recognition of Yahweh as G.o.d the Creator, who had chosen the people of Israel as his precious treasure, had given them the land in which they lived, and had promised to bless his people and the world as they responded to him in loving obedience. The other worldview was based on the worship of Baal, a nature and fertility G.o.d, whose worship demanded appeas.e.m.e.nt if the people were to prosper. The former approach believed that Yahweh was sovereign and trustworthy, while the latter believed that Baal was in charge. It was a matter of either/or, not both/and. There was no room for compromise. Either Yahweh was G.o.d, or Baal was. Elijah left no room for doubt whose side he was ona"and neither did Ahaziah! Confrontation resulteda"a hairy, scary scene. And Yahweh proved, once again, that athe Lord is G.o.d!a (1 Kings 18:39).

Men today are often in similar situations. Alternatives to worshiping the Lord abound. Some dismiss him as irrelevant, and some reject him out of hand. Others wish to embrace both him and the G.o.ds who stand in opposition to him, seeing little contradiction and caring even less. But a man must address the issue of who is truly the Lord, because one day he will fall through his lattice and need someone to help and somewhere to turn. The one he trusts at such a moment will either support him or collapse like a rotten lattice. Thatas scary!

October 28

TO READ: 2 Kings 19:1-19

No Time to Go Wobbly

Now, O LORD our G.o.d, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O LORD, are G.o.d.

2 Kings 19:19

aThis is no time to go wobbly, George.a That was the message Margaret Thatcher, prime minister of the United Kingdom, sent to George Bush, president of the United States, at the height of the Gulf War. She was right, of course. In times of national distress, resolute leadership is desperately needed. But leaders, too, are human, subject to doubt and vulnerable to threat.

King Hezekiah needed the same kind of encouragement to stand strong when Jerusalem was besieged by Sennacherib and his a.s.syrian armies. The people were in dire straits, their leader under severe pressure. But he handled it well. Sennacherib arrogantly, belligerently called into question both the capabilities of Hezekiah and the relevance of Yahweh. Hezekiah promptly discarded his royal regalia and donned sackcloth, the dress of the distraught and devastated. He made no attempt to put on a brave face, he issued no propaganda for the ma.s.ses. The situation was critical, he knew it, and he let the people know it. Suitably clad, the king made his way to the house of prayer and sent messengers to call on the prophet Isaiah for counsel and support. He rightly saw that the situation was more than a mere military or political issue; it was a spiritual matter, requiring a spiritual response. It was also a direct affront to the Lord. Since G.o.das own reputation was at stake, Hezekiah urged the Lord to deliver his people.

And what a response he got! In effect, Isaiah told Hezekiah not to ago wobbly,a because Yahweh was in charge. Sennacherib had claimed that all G.o.ds were irrelevant in comparison with his power. But Isaiah reminded Hezekiah that Yahweh is far from being an impotent irrelevancea"Yahweh is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, the Lord of history, and the covenant G.o.d of his people. Because of who he is, G.o.d would defy the defiant and defend the defenseless. He would prove his power on behalf of his people.

Leaders, under the pressure of giving direction to beleaguered believers, aware of their own weakness and the immensity of their adversity, need to know where their resources lie. Like Hezekiah, they need to face reality and to seek the Lord, looking for a word from him indicating the right path. And they must gather round them those who will support and strengthen them in leadershipas lonely hours. Such encouragers can remind them that, because of who the Lord is in the situation, there is ano time to go wobbly.a

October 29

TO READ: Psalm 80

G.o.das Shining Face

Turn us again to yourself, O G.o.d. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.

Psalm 80:3

Humans have ingeniously devised a mult.i.tude of impersonal ways to communicate with each other. Telephone, telegraph, fax, E-mail, and the old-fashioned post all serve to pa.s.s on information. But without exception they lack the personal touch, the intimacy of presence. They tell us only what the sender wants to tell us, leaving us to guess at what he feels. To really know the whole story we need morea"we must meet face-to-face!

The face is controlled by a ma.s.s of muscles. It can be contorted in a thousand different ways, reproducing a plethora of images. Frowns and grimaces, impa.s.sivity and rapt attention, snarls or smiles. Smiles! That is what we long to see.

G.o.d commanded Aaron and the rest of the priests to p.r.o.nounce a specific blessing on the children of Israel (Num. 6:22-27). This blessing included the words aMay the Lord smile on youa (Num. 6:25). Older versions of the Bible say, aThe Lord make his face shine upon theea (KJV). Shine or smilea"the picture is wonderful. It conveys the beaming, approving look of the Lord, showing his deep satisfaction with his people.

But the writer of this psalm lamented that he could see no smile on the face of the Lord (80:3). The people were not basking under his approving gazea"they were estranged from him. And they were not smiling themselvesa"they were drinking atears by the bucketfula (80:5). So what could be done? They needed to ask the Lord, aTurn us again to yourself, O G.o.d. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saveda (80:3).

It is physically impossible to gaze on a smile if you turn your back on the one who is smiling. You need to turn in his direction to see him face-to-face. Likewise, you cannot experience G.o.das approval if you are heading in your own willful direction. The smallest child soon learns that smiles from a parent are much to be preferred over frowns, so he adjusts his behavior accordingly. Grown men need to remember that they are G.o.das children, if they have faith through Christ. So before they act they should think, aWill this action bring my Father delight or anguish? Will it elicit a smile or merit a frown?a Most of us know in our hearts what pleases the Lord. Should we have any doubts, we can always refer to Scripture. How wonderful it will be for us to experience G.o.das shining, smiling face!

October 30

TO READ: 1 Chronicles 28:1-21

Chip Off the Old Block?