SOLOMON: From Glory to Disgrace

Artwork by Drew Pocza

          When I hear of individuals that God used throughout history and their lives end in disgrace I am saddened.  I am saddened mainly because I see God how blessed these individuals throughout their lives and yet in the end they turn from the One who blesses them abundantly.  I am sure some of you may know of individuals like this.  If you don’t just read the newspapers or watch the news, inevitably you will see someone like this.  Maybe they weren’t “Heroes of the Faith” per se but they may be people you looked up to or possibly someone who may have even led you to the Lord and yet they passed from the earth denying the God they at one time proudly proclaimed.

          Unfortunately this is the story of Solomon (our “hero” for today), yet his failures and ultimate disregard for God in the latter end of his life didn’t hinder God from using him mightily for his plan, purpose and Kingdom.  Solomon’s story is an interesting account to say the least and God did some fantastic things through him.  Even though he was born with a silver spoon in his hand his life was not as easy going as one would think and it certainly does not end the way one would expect. 

Background

          Before we begin I need to set the stage as to how Solomon came to be King of Israel.  As Todd shared a couple of weeks ago that David’s life was tumultuous at best.  Yes, he was blessed, he was a man after God’s own heart and he was the greatest king Israel has ever had.  It is through his lineage the Messiah would be born.  He was the man who came up with the plan to build a temple to the Lord.  However he was also a man ridden with sin and unfortunately it affected his family.

          Shortly after David and Bathsheba lost their first son due to David’s sin, Solomon was born to the couple.  By rights Solomon was the second heir to the throne of David, right behind Adonijah.  Unbeknownst to Adonijah he did not realize that David promised Bathsheba that Solomon would be heir to the throne.  When David was on his deathbed Adonijah proclaimed himself as heir to the King, yet Bathsheba and Nathan informed him that he was not king.  Adonijah went away without an issue and thus Solomon became king.  There is a lot involved in this story (which ends with the death of Adonijah and others) and I would encourage you to read I Kings 1 & 2 to get the whole gruesome and bloody story.

          Solomon was the third king of Israel and he succeeded his father David.  He began his reign as king on the right foot as he walked with God and sought him in all he did.  Unfortunately, unlike his father, he did not walk with God through the course of his life.  What Solomon is most famous for was his wealth, wisdom, and women aplenty.  He is believed to be the author of Ecclesiastes (which some believe was his letter of repentance), The Song of Songs (A steamy book to say the least) and is believed to have penned or collected partial contents of Proverbs. He reigned as king for 40 years and for most of those years the nation was at peace. 

          Today I would like to look at three key aspects of Solomon’s life that can benefit us greatly.  We will look at Solomon’s wisdom and wealth, making a dream into reality and his fall from grace.

Solomon – A Man of Wisdom and Wealth

          When one mentions the name Solomon the casual Bible reader and serious Bible student often associate him with a leader of great wisdom and wealth and rightly so.  Why is this?  Because he was a leader of a nation who had great wisdom (He is often referred as the wisest man in the Bible) and he was a leader who had extreme wealth (I’ll show you in a few moments). 

          In 1 King’s 3:3 we are told, “Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father…” This is a great way to start of your reign as a king.  One night in Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and asked Solomon, “Ask what I shall give to you?”  Let’s take a moment and pause.  Let’s pretend for a moment that God comes to you one night and asks you for anything you want.  What would your response be?  I find this to be one of the most difficult questions to answer because my inner Pharisee wants to say, “Lord I want whatever you can give to me that will benefit your Kingdom.” However my inner sinner says, “Lord, give me stuff!  Give me money!  Give me LOTS of money!  Give me power and influence!  I promise I will be good with it.”  (I see how you are looking at me, don’t judge me this is my dream.)  Thankfully God has never come to me and we have never had this discussion.  Yet, he did have this conversation with Solomon and he has (to use the words of the Grail Knight from Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade), “Chosen wisely”.  This is what Solomon asks (I Kings 3:9), “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”  Solomon asks for wisdom to rule over the nation of Israel and God grants him his wish (so to speak).  He not only tells Solomon that He will give him wisdom but He will also give him “both riches and honor, so no other king shall compare with you, all your days.” 

          How cool would that be?  I can’t even imagine.  Well, God kept his word and gave to Solomon all he promised.  In 2 Chronicles 9 we see that Solomon’s wealth and wisdom was well known and many nations heard of his fame.  The Queen of Sheba (modern day Yemen) came to see Solomon and to test him to see if he was the real deal.  Solomon answers all her questions she asks and she saw his home, his table with food, his officials, his servants, his clothes, his burnt offerings and she was speechless (2 Chron. 9:4).  She was so impressed that she gave him gold, spices and precious stones.  In return Solomon gave her anything she asked for.  Solomon had it all.   

Solomon – A Man Who Makes a Dream a Reality

          God gives Solomon wisdom and in doing so he is blessed beyond all kings before or after him.  With his wisdom and wealth come the ability and the calling to finally build the Temple of God that his father envisioned.  In his fourth year as king Solomon begins building the house of the Lord.  If you recall David has the initial idea to build a temple or a house for God.  As delighted as the Lord was He forbids David to build it because he was a man of war.  God did tell him that David could collect all the materials and have a vision for the temple and God would then commission Solomon to implement his father’s vision.  David was the visioneer and Solomon made it a reality.  You can read all about it in 2 Kings 6 & 2 Chronicles 3 & 4.  When the temple was complete Solomon brought in the things that his father had dedicated and he also stored the silver, gold, and all the vessels in the treasuries of God.  He then assembles the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the father’s houses of the people of Israel to bring in the Ark of the Covenant.

          Solomon then blesses the house of the Lord and then prays a prayer of dedication of the Temple and offered a sacrifice to the Lord... 22,000 Oxen and 120,000 sheep and held a seven day feast for all of Israel.   He held nothing back for his God and for His people.     

Solomon – His Fall From Grace (…and possible repentance)

          Unfortunately Solomon’s story doesn’t end on a positive note.  As we know God gave him great wealth and wisdom, he blessed him in making the vision of his father’s dream a reality however the Bible tells us that Solomon turned away from the Lord.  In I Kings 11 we see that Solomon had a weakness and his weakness was women.  He loved many foreign women and he intermarried which is something the Lord explicitly had forbidden.  The reason God didn’t want his people intermarrying was not because he was racist but because he is a jealous God and will take the back seat to no one.  He knew these women would turn his attention from Him and Solomon would easily be swayed into following after their foreign gods.  He had 700 wives, princesses and 300 concubines.  I am a poor mathematician but I do know that this is a lot of women.  1 Kings 11:3 says, “his wives turned his heart after other gods.”  This was Solomon’s downfall.

          This infuriated the Lord and in his loving grace and kindness warned Solomon to not follow after these foreign gods.  Solomon did not heed this warning and as a result God told him he would divide the kingdom (after he passed).  Unfortunately we do not have any detailed record that shows that Solomon ever repented of his sin and went back to God.  We can only speculate by reading Ecclesiastes that Solomon may have possibly come to his senses towards the end of his life.  The writer exclaims throughout the book that having everything means nothing if you don’t have God.  The book of Ecclesiastes closes like this, “The end of the matter, all has been heard.  Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing whether good or evil.”  This is the only hope we have that Solomon came to his senses at the end of his life.

Conclusion

          The reality is that whether Solomon came to realize his folly before it was too late or not shouldn’t really matter for us today.  Why?  Because we can learn from his successes and mistakes and finish our lives in victory.  As I conclude I want to highlight some points that we can take with us today from the life of Solomon.

1)     Seek the wisdom of God in all your decisions in life and don’t be afraid to ask God for big things for his glory.  Whether you are an employer, employee, student, stay home mom or dad, retiree, widow or widower seek God first in all matters of your life.  So many of us feel unqualified for life or the duties that are placed before us, seek God and his counsel.  Ask him to give you the wisdom to live your life so you may bring him honor and glory in your life.

2)     We must always be aware of what God is doing and what he is asking us to do.  As you all know being a Christian is not intended to be something you do, it’s something you are.  We must be seeking his counsel and determining what he is up to and be available for him to use us for his glory.  We are to dream.  However our job is not just to dream about what God can do, we need to find out He is doing and get on board with him so the dream can become a reality.

3)     Keep your eyes on Jesus.  There are so many things in this world vying for our attention, affection and devotion and they are all attractive and compelling.  God wants us to keep our eyes on him.  Whenever we allow our worship turn from God to something else this is displeasing to God.  May your legacy be this, “(Insert your name) was a man/woman who loved the Lord, walked with the Lord and finished the race with the Lord.”

RUTH: Romance and Redemption

Artwork by Drew Pocza      

     When people ask me what my favorite movie of all time is they are shocked when I tell them “When Harry Met Sally”.  They are shocked all the more when they discover I love a lot of movies that are considered “chick flicks”.  I know I may not look like I do but I really am a sucker for romantic comedies and serious love stories.  Now, don’t get me wrong I do also enjoy a good zombie movie, horror movie, action flick and science fiction but nothing beats a good ole story about a man and woman falling in love.  Maybe this is why I really enjoy the Old Testament story of Ruth so much.  This story has all the ingredients necessary to make a blockbuster chick flick… it has sorrow, tragedy, loyalty, redemption, obedience, love and marriage. 

          Ruth is our O.T. hero that we will be looking at today in our ongoing series.  The book of Ruth is a short book nudged in between Judges and 1 Samuel.  It consists of four chapters and is at the surface level a love story between a man and a woman.  At a deeper spiritual level it is not just a love story between a man and woman but ultimately a love story with the underlying truth of God’s love for his children that is displayed to us through the act of redemption (namely of his son Jesus).

Background

          We are unsure of the date of writing of this book; some have suggested anytime between 1000 to the second century B.C.  We do, however know the approximate time the actual story takes place as we see in the opening chapter that it was during the time when the Judges ruled (before Israel had a King).  Geographically our story begins in Bethlehem and then moves to the land of Moab and concludes back in Bethlehem once again. 
          There are three key characters and four minor characters who all have some sort of role in the story.  They are as follows…

a.      Elimelech – The husband of Naomi.  Not much is said about him other than who he was, he moved his family to Moab and then he died.

b.     Naomi –  She is the first key character in the story.  She is the wife of Elimelech, mother-in-law to Ruth and one who orchestrates the love story.

c.      Mahlon – All we know is he is the Son of Naomi and Elimelech and husband to either Ruth or Orphah.

d.     Chilion – All we know is he is the Son of Naomi and Elimelech and husband to either Ruth or Orphah.

e.      Orpah – A talk show host… er not Oprah, I mean Orpah… She is a Moabite woman who is a widowed wife to one of the sons and daughter-in-law to Naomi.

f.       Ruth – A Moabite woman who was a widowed wife to one of the sons, a daughter-in-law to Naomi and our main character.

g.     Boaz – A wealthy relative to Elimelech, a kinsman redeemer and eventual husband to Ruth.  

Ruth – A Story of Romance and Redemption

• Elimelech and Naomi were from Bethlehem and when a famine occurred they moved to Moab to live.  They had two sons who married Moabite women (Ruth and Orpah). 
• Moabites - The Moabites were descended from Lot (Gn. 19:27) and so were distant relations of Israel, but they had been hostile when the Israelites had approached from Egypt after the exodus (Nu. 21:29). Early in the period of the judges Eglon King of Moab had invaded and dominated the Israelites for eighteen years (Jdg. 3:14).^[1]
• Tragedy eventually strikes when Naomi’s husband dies and soon thereafter her two sons die as well.
• Naomi becomes embittered (and who would blame her) against God.  She tells her daughter’s-in-law to go back to their homes, families and gods so she could return to Bethlehem.  At first both daughter’s said they wanted to go with her but she convinced them that she was of no use to them.  Orpah eventually leaves yet Ruth clings to Naomi and insists on going with her.
• 1:16, 17 - Naomi urges Ruth to go back to her people and her gods but Ruth insists on staying with Naomi; she says, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God my God.  Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”  In this statement we see loyalty evidenced in Ruth.
• Naomi gives in and returns to Bethlehem with Ruth.  Upon their arrival all of Naomi’s friends recognized her and she informed them her name is no longer Naomi it is Mara; because the Lord has dealt bitterly with her.
• Enter Boaz… One day Ruth informed Naomi that she was going to the field to glean after the reapers and the field she chose just happened to be a part of Boaz’s land.
• The law of gleaning – The Mosaic Law states (Lev. 19:9, 10 & Deut. 24:19) that when a person reaps their fields they are not to pick their entire crop; instead they are to leave some for the sojourners, widows and orphans to pick for themselves.  In some ways it was the Jewish food assistance program.
• As Ruth is gleaning she catches the attention of Boaz.  He asked the man in charge of the reapers who she was and he responded that she was a Moabite woman who is with Naomi and has asked permission to glean in his fields.  
• Boaz then talks to Ruth and tells her that she can glean all she wants and asks if she would do so in his fields exclusively.  She asks why he is being so kind to her and he tells her it is because of her faithfulness and loyalty to Naomi.  He then asks her to join him for dinner.
• After the meal she goes out to glean some more and Boaz instructs his reapers to let her glean as she pleases and to let some of the grain fall from their baskets.
• When she took her gleanings to her mother-in-law she was excited and then asked where she gleaned.  Ruth told her where and Naomi informs her that Boaz is a close relative and he is also one their redeemers.
• A Redeemer - A relative of the same family.  It was the right of the “kinsman” to receive the inheritance of a family without heir (Nu 27:11). He was also obligated to reclaim property of a kinsman who had gone into debt (Lv 25:25–28), especially if it involved someone’s enslavement to a non-Israelite (vv 47–49). In this function the kinsman becomes the kinsman-redeemer ^[2]
• In chapter three Naomi devises a plan to “set up” Ruth and Boaz.  She tells her to wash up and get into her best outfit (so to speak) and when he lies down to bed, uncover his feet and sleep at his feet.  Her hope is that he would accept the offer to be her kinsman redeemer.
• As Boaz goes to sleep and Ruth does as she’s told he asks her what she is doing.  Basically she asks him if he would be the redeemer for the family.  He tells her he will but the problem is there is a closer relative who can act as the redeemer and by rights he has the first choice.
• Boaz says that if the other relative will redeem her then good, but if not he will redeem her. 
• He has a talk with the other relative and informs him that Naomi is selling her land and he has first options to buy it.  He is willing to buy the land but unwilling to redeem Ruth so he gives the right of redemption to Boaz. 
• The transaction is made and Boaz marries Ruth.  They have a child together and his name is Obed.  He is significant because he is the father of Jesse, who is the father of David was promised that the Messiah would come through his lineage.

 Conclusion

          I have quickly and concisely retold the story of Ruth.  I would encourage you to take some time and read the it for yourself.  I think one question we can ask ourselves after hearing this story is, “What does all this mean?  Biblically speaking and for us personally?”  Is the story of Ruth intended to be a feel good love story written to attract the romantics who aren’t really into the blood and guts, rules and regulations, Kings and wars of the Old Testament?  No, everything in the Bible is intentional and has a purpose to it.  With Ruth we see two key ingredients as to why she (in particular) is an important character in the O.T. that plays into both the Kingdom of God and the coming Messiah.  We see in this the story the concept of redemption and the truth of God’s sovereignty. 

          Symbolically Boaz is a type of Christ as he is the willing and able redeemer of one who is poor, widowed and abandoned.  He is capable and willing to allow this person, who really didn’t have much of a future, and redeem her; to accept her into his family and take her as a wife.  This is very similar to what Jesus came to do.  He came to redeem those who are spiritually deprived and lost individuals of the world.  He is the ultimate kinsman redeemer as he is the rightful, willing and able redeemer of those whom the Father has given to him.  His way of paying the debt is through giving his life for the lost and dying on the cross so that those who believe may be redeemed through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  Not only was Jesus willing to become our redeemer he was also able as he was the perfect and chosen redeemer of all humanity.

          Secondly we see God’s providence in Ruth.  None of what happened in this story was by accident.  Every detail was orchestrated by God.  In this we see that with all the tragedy and uncertainty in the lives of these women, God had a plan.  The plan served his purpose because it was through Ruth’s offspring that the Messiah would come.  What is even more astounding is that in the Genealogy of the Messiah four women are mentioned (all except for one were women who had some sort of noted sin that was recorded)…  Ruth – is our good girl but had suffered the pain of loss.  Tamar – she had an illegitimate child by her father-in-law as she tricked him by dressing up as a prostitute.  Rahab – who was a prostitute and mother of Boaz.  Bathsheba – Had an adulterous affair with King David who had her husband killed in battle.  Three of the four women were of “ill-repute” yet God in his sovereignty used them for his plans and his purposes.  This is how God’s providence works.  Sometimes we may not understand why certain things happen or even how God could work in some circumstances but God loves to defy the odds.  He is a God who uses the underdog.  He loves to make the impossible, possible and He does it all on His own terms. 

          This should be encouraging to us all.  Why?  Because I know some of us are in situations in life where things seem bleak, hopeless or just downright depressing.  God knows this and he is a God who can make amazing things happen.  If God can use a conniving daughter-in-law, a prostitute, an adulterer and a widow to bring the redeemer of humanity to be then he can certainly use us for his plans and purposes regardless of where we are today. 

          As a closing I would invite you to pray with me for God to do some amazing things in our lives personally and as a congregation.  For some of us things may look bleak right now but this does not mean God has abandoned.  He is simply waiting for the right time to magnify his name and show us that He has a plan and purpose.  Let us pray expecting God to do some amazingly miraculous things in our lives and in this church. 

---

^[1] New Bible commentary: 21st century edition. 1994 (D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer & G. J. Wenham, Ed.) (4th ed.) (Ru 1:1–7). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.

^[2] Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001). Tyndale Bible dictionary. Tyndale reference library (786). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

GIDEON: God Uses the Ordinary For Extraordinary

Artwork by Drew Pocza

Introduction       

           Any person who has read the Bible and especially believers know that our God is unique in so many ways.  One unique quality I love most about God is the people He calls throughout the Bible to do His work here on earth.  For example, he makes a promise and a covenant with an ordinary gentile man from a place called Ur to become the chosen Father of a great nation.  He empowers a murdering adopted Egyptian Prince to free the Hebrews from a miserable and hard life of slavery.  He uses a prostitute living in the walls of Jericho to assist Israelite spies to overthrow the city. He commissions a shepherd boy to become one of the greatest kings in Israel’s history. He sends a defiant and rebellious racist man (with the assistance of a whale) to bring an evil city to repentance.  He uses a donkey to spare the life of an unfaithful prophet.  He sends his only son as a baby with no earthly father to be the savior of the world.  He grabs hold of a murdering Pharisee to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles and who ultimately writes 2/3’s of the New Testament. 

          Honestly I cannot think of a single affluent or “qualified” individual that God used or called to accomplish his will on earth.  This has always been encouraging for me since I often feel overwhelmed and unqualified to do the work God has called me to.  It is humbling to know God chooses you and me to do great things for his glory.  We may at times feel insignificant or less than worthy and we may feel like the Psalmist who writes, “What is man that you are mindful of him…”  Maybe you are like me and may often ask this question, “Why God did you choose me to be your child and how are you planning on using me for your greater purpose and plan?”

          With all of this said I am excited to share the story of today’s O.T. Hero as he is often overlooked by many as a great man of faith and is just an average ordinary guy who is called by an extraordinary God to do impossible things for His glory.  In fact his name is probably better known in association with hotel Bibles than for the almost unbelievable work God did through him.  What’s funny about our hero today is that his story has nothing to do with hotels, Christian business men and Bibles.  Gideon was an average ordinary man whom God chose to do some extraordinary things through.  His story is tucked away about a 1/3 of the way into the book of Judges. 

 

A Short Background of Judges

          Judges is a fascinating book that details Israel’s history from the death of Joshua to right before they called for a King to rule over them.  The book is named after a group of individuals who served as leaders to the nation of Israel who were commissioned by God to bring the rebellious nation of Israel back to Him.  It was during this time God was the ruler of the nation and it was a time of national decline because of Israel’s rebellion towards God and affinity for worshiping false Gods.  The book follows a continuous and distinct pattern (or a spiral effect) that goes like this….

a)     The people rebelled against the Lord or as the books states often, “The people did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.”

b)     God punishes them by sending other nations to oppress them.

c)      The nation cries out to God for help.

d)     God sends a judge to deliver them.

e)     Once the Judge dies the cycle starts all over again.

          In Judges 2:17 the writer states that God was with the Judge he raises up and saves them from their enemies all of the days of the Judge.  So as long as the Judge who God has called to bring the nation back to Israel was alive the nation was in good standing with God.  In the book there are 12 judges mentioned (see handout for the names of all twelve) and out of these two are probably more familiar… Gideon and Samson.

Gideon – An ordinary man called by God

          The story of Gideon begins in Judges 6 and we see the nation of Israel did what was evil in the sight of God and He gave them over to the hand of the Midianites to oppress them.  The Midianites and Amalekites were kind of like school yard bullies to Israel.  The Israelites were afraid of them so they would build their homes in the mountains and grow crops but when harvest time came the Midianites and Amalekites would come and take their lunch money so to speak by overpowering them and taking all their crops.  The people of God cried out to the Lord for help and the Lord sends a prophet to tell them it is because of their unfaithfulness to him is why all this is happening. 

          The response to their oppression was pretty typical.  Many people are like this today; they spend their lives ignoring God and his ways and doing what is evil in his sight, but then when something bad happens they cry out to God for help.  However in his response we see God’s patience and mercy because he continually sends aid throughout Judges, the Bible and even today.  He is faithful to hear us when we cry out to him even when we have not been faithful to him.

          Soon thereafter an Angel of the Lord comes and commissions a man named Gideon to save Israel from the hands of the Midianites.  Gideon’s response to his call is much like that of Moses when he says, “I can’t do this, I am of the weakest tribe (Manasseh) and I am the least of my father’s family…surely you must have the wrong guy.”  To which the angel of the Lord says, “No, I have the right guy because God is going to be with you and quit calling me Shirley.”  This is usually the response of a humble servant of God.  He/she knows that they are not qualified to do the task without God being with them.  The angel of the Lord tells him that God will be with him in this task he has called him to do and the typical response is reluctant obedience. 

          Gideon responds, “If this is true then please show me a sign that this will be as you say” to which the angel complies and performs a miracle to show that God will be with him.  That very evening Gideon was commanded by God to destroy his father’s altar’s that were built to Baal.  At this point God is calling Gideon to take hold of his own faith and forsake the faith of his father.  Of course Gideon is afraid to do this because he does not want to anger or disrespect his father but he also knows God is calling him from this dead and empty religion of Baal worship to serving the living God.

          This may not seem like a big deal but when you look at what God is telling Gideon to do is in fact a huge thing.  I am sure the last thing he wanted to do was to disrespect his father or tear down the altar’s that his father built with his own hands.  However he knew and feared the one true God and he had to make a decision (so to speak) that evening… Is he going to ignore God’s call on his life because he doesn’t want to hurt his father’s feelings or is he going to be obedient and destroy this abomination before God?  We see he chose wisely but this part reminds me of the hundreds of people I meet who know that God is calling them to greater and better things but refuse to go forward because they are more faithful to their church, denomination or pastor than they are to God.  They are afraid of what people will say about them.  Gideon proclaims loudly who he serves just by his obedience to God.  Was he scared?  Most likely.  Did he think he was going to hurt his father’s feelings?  Maybe.   But we see obedience to God outweighed obedience to man.  The end result was his own father forsook Baal after he had seen what Gideon’s God was capable of.

Gideon and the Fleece

          Once again the Lord tells Gideon he will defeat the Midianites and he seeks God’s reassurance by laying out a fleece (twice) to make sure God was going to do what he promised.  Many look at these “tests” as Gideon not having faith in God.  According to D.A. Carson, “It was common practice in the ancient world to seek last-minute confirmation of divine support before a battle was joined (cf. 1 Ki. 22:6–28). ^[1]  It seems as though Gideon didn’t believe God so he sets up a fleece and asks God that if he is with him then in the evening when the dew comes have it settle on the fleece and the ground around it be dry and then he will know it is from God.  God did as he asked and Gideon still wanted to confirmation that God was with him so he asks God to do the opposite and he does.  When I read this I see such patience and mercy in God.  He already told Gideon he was going to be with him and accomplish great things but Gideon sought more proof.  It would have been easy for God to say, “Well forget it!  Obviously I have the wrong person for the job.”  But he doesn’t and shows great restraint and compassion by complying to Gideon’s request.

          I don’t know about you but there have been times in my life when I did almost the same exact thing as Gideon.  There are times when I am faced with really difficult decisions and I want to be in God’s will; so I “set out fleeces” or bargain with God to reassure me that I am doing the right thing.  How many of you have ever said, “Lord if you want me to do this then you need to do this to assure me I am doing the right thing”?  Some of us like to call it confirmation from God.  Is it wrong to set out fleeces?  I don’t really know.  Apparently God was ok with it since he did what was asked of him.  HOWEVER, I do think if we do choose to set out fleeces that we do so with extreme caution.  Because I do not believe God will always respond the way He did with Gideon and/or sometimes we put more faith in the fleece experience than we do in the God who has called us. 

Gideon’s Army  

          After Gideon received confirmation from the Lord he called together the men of Israel to form an army.  32,000 men showed up to fight.  The Lord says to Gideon, “There are too many men present.  If you go to battle and win then the men can take credit for the work I did.”  So the Lord instructed Gideon to tell all the men who were scared and trembling to go home… 20,000 men left the camp.  With 10,000 men remaining God said, “Still too many.”  He instructs Gideon to take them to the water and those who lap the water like a dog shall go home and those who drink by putting the water to their mouths were to stay.  9,700 men were sent home.  Three hundred men remained and God said, “Now that’s a number I can work with.” 

          Now comes the really odd part to the story.  God informs Gideon that the 300 men and he will defeat the Midianites without shedding any blood.  They were going to defeat them by trumpets and your voices and he does exactly as he promises.  I would encourage you to read the account in Judges 7:19 – 25 to see how Gideon and his three hundred soldiers defeat the Midianites. 

Conclusion

          The key points to Gideon’s life are simple and encouraging (and I want you to take them home with you today)… 

1)     When God makes a promise he keeps the promise no matter how much the odds are stacked against you.

2)     God may call us to do difficult tasks that may put you at odds with your family, friends and loved ones but we must remain faithful to God.

3)     God chooses some unique ways to win battles and he chooses some very ordinary men and women to accomplish extraordinary things. 

          There are a few more interesting accounts of Gideon in Judges 8 and would encourage you to read those as well.  Let us be reminded today that in the eyes of God we are all significant to the part we play in his plan.  No matter how large or small our roles may be in the course of our lives they are all important in the grand scheme of God’s glory.  So take courage and rejoice that God has a plan for all of us to do great things no matter what our qualifications for the task may be. 

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^[1] New Bible commentary: 21st century edition. 1994 (D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer & G. J. Wenham, Ed.) (4th ed.) (Jdg 6:36–40). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.

JOSHUA: The Next in Command

Artwork by Drew Pocza

Introduction       

           Last week we looked briefly at the life of Moses in our ongoing series entitled “Astonishing O.T. Heroes”.  I talked about the five qualities of leadership of Moses and looked at how they could be applied to Spiritual Leaders today.  Today we continue in our series as we move one to Moses’ successor Joshua.  Joshua was (and is) a special breed of a person.  We see throughout his life (especially in his younger years) God (with the assistance of Moses) was preparing him to take over as the leader of the nation of Israel after the death of Moses.  Joshua had some big shoes to fill.  Throughout the scriptures we read about the life of Joshua and see God had his hand upon this man and He accomplished some mind-blowing things through him.  It is true Joshua did have some huge shoes to fill but Joshua served a huge God and did all God had set out to accomplish through him.  He was a man of great faith and great vision and today I intend to look at some special qualities of Joshua that made him the man he was.

         

Background

          Before we begin I think it would be beneficial to look at the background of Joshua to give us a good perspective of the man who was next in line to lead the nation of Israel in this pivotal point in the nation’s history.  Joshua was unique in many ways but the area he was most unique was his loyalty to both God and Moses.  In retrospect as we read about him I find that he is the kind of person that every leader (or Christian for that matter) would want to have by their side.  He shared a relationship with Moses that none (other than God) could ever have; which ultimately led to him having the kind of relationship with God that Moses had.

          His story is interwoven throughout the Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible) but his epic stories are found in the book of the Bible that is entitled after his name.  He was a loyal mentee of Moses and was a huge encouragement in his life.  If we take a brief overview of his life we can not that he faithfully served as a spy in the land of Canaan, a military leader who fought and won great battles and eventually became a great leader who ushered the nation of Israel into the Promised Land.  Here are some key components of this man’s amazing life. 

1)     According to Numbers 11:28 Joshua was an assistant to Moses since he was a young boy.  We are actually first introduced to him in Exodus 17 when Moses sent Joshua out to defeat the Amalekites and he built an altar to the Lord there.  For most of his younger days Joshua was a military leader for Moses and was Faithful in serving him.

2)     He was appointed as Moses successor by God.  He was commissioned by Moses in the presence of the priest Eleazar who would be his counselor for war.

3)     At the ripe ole age of 120 Moses died in the land of Moab; not before God gave him a glimpse of the Promised Land that he was not able to enter.  For thirty days the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plain of Moab.  There was no other prophet like Moses in all of Israel’s History but we do know that Joshua (was a man full of the Spirit) and he was able through the help of God to accomplish all God set before him. 

Joshua:  The Faithful Mentee

          Every mentor is doing their job right when they have a faithful mentee or disciple at their side.  Moses is no exception.  In the earlier days of his life Moses was given an enormous God sized task to accomplish.  There is no question Moses could have ever accomplished what he did without God being present in his life.  I also believe that Moses needed loyal men and women around him to accomplish many of the tasks before him.  I have found that it is vital for any Spiritual leader(s) to have faithful and loyal people in their lives to both mentor and pour their lives into.  Moses had several… but none more loyal than Joshua.  I believe Joshua was Moses’ “go to guy”; if he needed something done and needed it done right and without any lip Joshua was his guy.  We do not read in the biblical accounts of Joshua ever questioning Moses’ strategies, commands and leadership no matter how outlandish they may have seemed.  He trusted Moses exclusively because he knew God was with him and He also knew that Moses was completely submitted to God. 

          For example, when Moses tells Joshua to gather an army together and go out and fight the Amalekites (Ex. 17) Joshua didn’t look at Moses like he had a third arm growing out of his body… Instead he says, “Yes sir!”  When Moses told Joshua to take some spies and check out the land of Canaan to see if Israel could overtake them.  He did as he was told and he was one of two men who came back with encouraging news about how he felt they could defeat the Canaanites. 

          Moses and Joshua had a special bond together.  Moses would take Joshua with him when he went to the tabernacle to worship God.  In Exodus 24:13 we see Joshua goes up to the Mountain of the Lord with Moses.  In 33:11 Joshua stays with Moses in the tent when the Lord speaks to him.

          Overall Joshua has a deep love and respect for Moses.  In return Moses poured his life into this young man and mentored him properly to become the next great leader of the nation of Israel and who would inherit the promise of God. 

Joshua:  The Faith-Filled Leader

          As we have just seen Joshua was a loyal servant, assistant and successor to Moses.  However he was not just a loyal man to Moses he was also a loyal and dependant leader of God (just like his mentor).  As a leader Joshua had to be both a faithful servant but as well as a faith-filled man of God.  As we read accounts of his life we see as a leader Joshua had a full plate both as a Spiritual leader and a military leader.  Overall he had to make some pretty tough decisions regarding sin in the camp of Israel and faced some pretty obscure challenges that were placed before him that required a faith that seemed extraordinary.  There are four key distinctions about Joshua I would like to note about him that made him the faith-filled leader he was.

1)     Joshua was a man of his word.  Integrity and honesty are key to being a faith-filled leader.  In a day and age where leaders will say anything to either appease the people, get more votes or to get out of a sticky situation it is helpful for us as Christians and as leaders to be men and women of our word.  In Joshua 2, Joshua sent out two spies to check out the land of Jericho.  As they were in the city word got out that there were two Israelite spies Rahab the prostitute took it upon herself to protect and hide them men from the authorities.  As the men were about to leave her house she asked that she and her family be spared when the Israelites attacked.  They agreed and ss a sign to not harm anyone in the house Rahab would hang a scarlet chord from her window.  In Joshua 6:22 Joshua tells the spies to go and get Rahab and her family out of the destruction.  He remembered the promise that was made and he kept it.

2)     Joshua was a man of faith.  Sometimes we find ourselves in difficult positions where the odds seem to be stacked against us and certainly Joshua felt this way at the wall of Jericho.  God instructs Joshua as to how he is to destroy this giant wall before him.  The strange thing is his arsenal did not consist of canons, TNT, battering rams and M-16’s.  Instead it contained trumpets, the Ark of the Covenant and peoples voices. 
     God instructed Joshua, the men of the army and seven priests to walk around the city wall for six days and the seven priests will have seven trumpets that they will carry before the Ark.  However on the seventh day they are to walk around the city seven times and on the seventh time the priest’s will blow the horns and the people will shout with all their might and the walls will fall down.  I can honestly say my response probably would not have been that of Joshua’s.  I would have said, “Huh?  Come again Lord?  Did I miss the part about explosives and big guns?”  Joshua’s obedience showed his faith in God and the Lord did all he said he would as a result.

3)     Joshua had to make tough calls.  There are perks to being a leader but there are certainly downfalls.  Leaders find themselves in positions where they have to make decisions for the better of the majority rather than the benefit of one.  In chapter 7 after the great battle of Jericho Joshua goes to war with Ai and fell to this small village losing thirty six men in the battle.  Why?  Because of the sin of one man named Achan.  When Israel was plundering Jericho Achan decided he wanted to keep some plunder for himself (which was prohibited).  This one sin was to God as a sin of rebellion unto the whole nation.  Before Joshua knows what is going on he cries out to God and asks why they lost this battle.  God informs him about the sin that is present in nation.  Soon he finds out it is Achan who has stolen some of the plunder.  Upon hearing this news he has to make the tough call as to how to deal with this sin in the presence of God.  A death sentence is proclaimed on Achan and his family as punishment for his sins.  I am certain Joshua didn’t enjoy making this call but he knew the severity of sin and this sin could not go unpunished.

4)     Joshua was a man who prayed big faith-filled prayers.  This is something we should not be afraid to do as well.  God is a God who can accomplish the impossible and Joshua was not afraid to ask God for the impossible.  In Joshua 10 once again Joshua was engaged in battle.  The battle was taking longer than usual and evening was fast approaching and Joshua prayed for the sun to stay still and the Lord did as Joshua asked.  It takes a man (or woman) of faith to pray big faith-filled prayers.

Conclusion

          There is so much more to the life of Joshua that I was unable to touch on today.  I would encourage you to grab an insert on the back table for some more information and some additional suggested reading to help gain a better understanding of who Joshua was.  As I have read through his stories and prayed over what to say I am encouraged to invest my life, time and energy into a Joshua in my life.  I look at his loyalty to both God and his mentor and desire to be and to have a Joshua involved in my life.  As followers of Jesus Christ it is imperative that we be men and women of our word, be people of faith, make tough calls when it comes to the glory of God and be men and women who are willing to pray big faith-filled prayers.

MOSES: A Called Leader

Artwork by Drew Pocza

Introduction       

          A couple weeks ago Todd began a new series that he and I will be preaching through during the summer months entitled “Astonishing Old Testament Heroes”.  These messages have been and will continue to look at the significant lives of eleven men and one woman found in the Old Testament.  Our purpose in doing this series is to look at the lives of these Biblical characters, the major roles they have played throughout history (in some cases the role they played in setting the stage for the Messiah) and the life lessons we can learn from them.

          Unfortunately since time is limited and some of the characters we will look at have so much written about them that we cannot touch on every aspect of their lives.  However I intend to focus on at least one characteristic about each one.  I have and will continue to provide a sheet of paper on the back table with a coloring page for the kids, some more information regarding the individual I will be talking about and a place for notes.  Today’s O.T. Hero…  Moses has much written about him, in fact four out of the five books of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) are devoted to him and it would be impossible for me to touch on every detail of his life in the set time I have allotted for this sermon; since this is the case I have chosen to focus on Moses’ characteristics of being a leader of God.  In the next few moments we have together we will look at Moses’ life as a leader of a nation of people during one of the most significant times in history. 

         

Background

Before we begin I think it would be good to give a little background and cultural information to help us better understand Moses:  The Called Leader.  Moses is a key individual in the history of the nation of Israel and it is through Him God establishes the Laws of the Nation, performs miracles, a structure for worship and deliver’s his people from slavery.

1)     The Hebrews lived in Egypt (background read Genesis 46 – 50).  For nearly three centuries after the death of Joseph the Hebrews and Egyptians co-existed peacefully in Egypt.  As time passed from the Pharaoh of who knew Joseph to the new rulers who would come and go and eventually a Pharaoh came into power who felt threatened by the Hebrews.  This Pharaoh began to worry that the Hebrew’s were becoming too numerous and if some sort of population control wasn’t instituted then Egypt could potentially be overtaken by the Hebrews. 

2)     The Pharaoh ordered all male Hebrew babies murdered and then enslaves the Hebrew nation to hard labor.  Moses’ mother has to the foresight to know her son was special before God and places her infant child in a basket so the Pharaoh’s daughter would find the baby in the river.  When Pharaoh’s daughter does she takes the baby as her own and names him Moses (which means “drawn out”) since she drew him out of the water.

3)     Moses is brought up as the son of the daughter of the Pharaoh and lives a life of a prince for a good portion of his younger years.  One day he sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and Moses murders the Egyptian.  From that day forward Moses flees to Midian; gets married, lives a shepherd’s life and has an unlikely encounter with God which forever changes his world.

4)     Moses’ life could be broken down into three 40 year clusters. 

a)     His first forty years could be considered his prince years.  He lived in the house of Pharaoh and certainly enjoyed the privileges of the household.

b)     His middle forty years were spent as a humble shepherd.  It was most likely during this time Moses was being trained as a leader for the nation of Israel.

c)      His last forty years were spent as a called agent of God.  It was during this time that Moses led the nation of Israel out of captivity and into the desert.  Unfortunately Moses never makes it to the Promised Land but he certainly used this time to disciple a young Joshua to lead the nation into this land in due time.

d)     For a more in depth look at Moses’ life you should read the Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy or at least look at the breakdown of his life on the back of the insert I have on the back table. 

Moses:  The Leader

          As I was praying about what God would have me speak concerning Moses almost immediately my attention was brought to Moses’ leadership.  This may have been in part because I am in a leadership position myself and I certainly could learn and benefit from this angle.  It was also impressed upon me that in looking at the leadership qualities of Moses not only could I benefit but we as a church can better understand the role called leaders play in the body of Christ and the necessary tools they need in order to be successful from a spiritual and practical perspective.  What I love most about the leadership examples of Moses is that he was not necessarily the best leader in history, nor was he probably the most qualified.  He was, however certainly an influential man whom God called and used in a great way to establish his chosen people.

          As I spent the past few weeks reading about Moses in both the Bible and extra-biblical sources I notices five specific qualities about Moses’ leadership that I believe can benefit us all today in the Body of Christ.  Not only are these qualities of Moses but certainly should be qualities of any leader in the body of Christ or in any leadership role for that matter.

Moses was called by God. 

          This is probably one of the most important qualities of any spiritual leader PERIOD.  Read Exodus 3:4, 10.  As Moses was in the desert serving his father-in-law he came upon a burning bush and heard the voice of God calling him.  The voice of God called him by name and gave him specific details as to what He had in store for Moses.  God tells Moses He is going to use him to deliver the Israelites out the hands of the Egyptians. Calling is essential to the work of God. 

          I run into people constantly who have no concept of calling and leadership.  Believe it or not leadership (especially in the body of Christ) is a calling and is not necessarily something that is learned.  Certainly people can go to school, college, seminaries etc. and learn how to be a leader of the church but if God has not called this individual to this role they will never be effective for the Kingdom of God.  There are people who are able to attract a lot of people, build large church buildings, and convince people to support them in various ways but God will not put his hand of blessing (spiritually speaking) upon an individual who is not called.  As humans we have the tendency to associate success with human accomplishments, charisma as a leader and the likeability (or attractiveness) of an individual.  When we read this passage no where does God refer to Moses’ human qualities, confidence or character as a way to accomplish his will.  As God speaks to Moses you can see God uses the word “I” a lot.  God is the one who accomplishes success and as leaders we would do well to understand and believe this. 

          People have asked me, “How do you know that you are called to the ministry?”  It is a question I cannot honestly answer other than saying, “I just know I am.”  I certainly did not have a physical burning bush experience in my life but I do know that God has been with me every step of the way.  This leads me to the second quality.

Moses was dependant on God.

          When you are called by God you also acknowledge that you cannot lead on your own.  In fact when you are called you respond much like Moses does in Exodus 4:10 – 12 (Read).  When I received my calling my initial response was, “Um, God… Are you sure you have the right man here?  I mean look at me, I am overweight, I am not a dynamic speaker, I don’t fit any mold for a Pastor and besides I was never a leader, I was always a follower in my younger days.  Maybe you were talking to someone next to me and I overheard the conversation.”  It took time for me to come to the understanding that God wasn’t calling me because of the things I thought I needed to be, He was calling me in spite of me.  A called leader knows that success comes when we are completely dependent on God.  Ultimately I have no control over the success of my ministry.  My job is to be available when God calls and completely dependant on him when he does.  Read Exodus 33:12 -16.  Moses basically says, “I will go wherever you call me to go, however I will not go unless you go before me.”  A true leader knows he cannot accomplish anything for God unless God goes before him.

          I am coming up on five years of ministry here at SVCC and I prayed this prayer to God when I was considering coming out here.  There is only one reason why I am here today and have continued to stay here, it’s because I prayed, “God I will go as long as you go before me.  No matter what awaits me in Wisconsin I will only go if you go first and I will stay for as long as you tell me to stay.  I am completely dependant on you to accomplish anything.”

Moses prayed for his people.

          A leader must always pray for his flock.  There were times when Moses was praying that God would shut the complainers mouths and I am sure there were times when he prayed God would get a little tough with them, but I also know he interceded for his people as well.  Read Exodus 32:11 -14 and Deut. 9:25 – 29.  Little did the people of Israel know that Moses was interceding for them.  There are a number of times where God says to Moses, “I’ve had it with this rebellious nation!  I’m going to kill them all and start all over.”  Yet Moses as the leader intercedes for them and because of this the Bible tells us that God relented. 

          I want to assure you as a congregation you are prayed for.  I know there are some who complain, belly ache, and criticize and I pray for them as well.  I know as a pastor prayer matters and I have committed to praying for this congregation.

Moses was in continual fellowship with God.

          Since Moses was a man of prayer we also know he spent time with God.  He was on a mountain with him and was shown the tail end of God’s glory (the most any man or woman in the Bible ever saw of God).  The end result was Moses’ face shined the Shekinah glory for days after being in the presence of God.  Exodus 33:7 – 11 tells us Moses would leave the camp of Israel and make a tent and fellowship with God.  They respected this and they knew the presence of God was with him.  I love that verse 11 says, “The Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to a friend.”

          Time with God is a very important time of a leader’s position.  This is why it is important for leaders to take time away and just be with God.  We sometimes need to leave the camp (or our offices) and go spend time with the Lord.  I love to do this and I plan to do it more in the months to come.  It is during this time with God that He speaks to us as a man speaks to a friend. 

Moses was not perfect.

          Moses was a flawed individual.  He was not perfect, he misrepresented God at times, made bad decisions, and generally ticked off the masses but this did not disqualify him as a leader.  In fact this made him a better leader to the people because in his flaws and quirks the people could see that it wasn’t Moses who was to be glorified, it was God who needs to be glorified.  Read Numbers 20:10 – 13.  This is a sad day in the life of Moses.  He misrepresented God to the people.  It was a mistake that Moses would live to regret.  However God continued to use Moses even after this fatal flaw. 

          As a leader I am aware that I am far from perfect.  I know my limitations and I know there are times I have missed out on a blessing because of my stubbornness or my stupidity.  I do know that God has not abandoned me in my sin.  I know God still chooses to work through me (even when I can’t understand why).  God displays his mercy to us so that we may display mercy to others.  I for one am glad that God uses imperfect people to accomplish his perfect plan.

Conclusion

          The story of Moses’ life is one of the most fascinating stories in the Bible.  It gives me encouragement to know that God is not out actively seeking for men and women who “have it together” to accomplish his will.  I look at the successes and failures of Moses during his lifespan and I see the hand of God in all aspects of this mans life.  As individuals and as a congregation we can also be encouraged that God’s hand is upon us to accomplish his will here is Spring Valley.  God has done some amazing things in the history of the nation of Israel (I would encourage you to read through these stories in the outline) and I believe He can and does still have amazing things in store for his Church as well; what they may be, I don’t know, we can only pray, wait and see.

Astonishing O.T. Heroes

For the past couple of months I (with our youth pastor) have been preaching a series about individuals from the Old Testament that are significant or played some sort of role in the Kingdom of God.  In the next few weeks I will be posting my sermon notes from this series.  I hope you enjoy.