Divine Consideration

“Like as a father pitieth [his] children, [so] the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we [are] dust.” (Ps 103:13-14 AV)

Every parent has done this.  We have forgotten how fragile our children can be.  Whether we were rough-housing and an injury ensued, or we said an unkind thing that our child took very personally, we forget just how human we are.  God does not.  And the reality that He is who He is yet does not forget the nature of our existence is a miracle in and of itself.  It is verse fourteen that truly speaks to the heart this morning.  When we consider just how big God is and how inconsequential we are, it should strike us with awe that our Creator knows and remembers just how small and frail we are.  Just imagine a God who is so large that all the created universe cannot contain Him.  That is what Solomon tells us.  Not imagine how small we must be in comparison.  Much like a scientist who would look at a single-celled organism, we are infinitesimally small in comparison to the LORD.  Yet, He takes pity on us.

A humbling thought is how much our Creator regards us and treats us with respect.  He does not need to do this.  He is God.  All honor and respect go to Him.  As Creator, He can do as He wishes with what He creates.  When it comes to sentient beings like mankind, he regards our low estate.  He sees us exactly as we are and treats us with love and respect.  That is mind-blowing.  A delicate touch is necessary for certain tasks.  The artist who works with Japanese rice paper needs to be delicate.  A craftsman working with centuries-old ceramic as repairs are made works slowly and patiently.  The zookeeper who is tasked with managing a rare and delicate butterfly will do all he or she can to create an environment where the creature can thrive.  A baker making a souffle will watch it carefully.  He or she does not allow for any vibration lest the souffle fall.  A house of cards goes up patiently and slowly.  There is respect for that which is weaker and more fragile.

We can take great comfort in that the God of all things sees us as the delicate and fragile beings that we are.  He knows exactly what we are made of and what we can tolerate.  The promise of pity, however, only applies to those who love Him and obey Him.  He withholds more than we can handle because we fall upon our faces toward One who is infinitely greater.  When we show the respect due our Creator, then He remembers our frame and takes pity.  What a great God we serve and love!

Sin and the Sin of Unbelief

“And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou [art] a man of God, [and] that the word of the LORD in thy mouth [is] truth.” (1Ki 17:24 AV)

Many speculate that unbelief was the sin of the widow that she believed caused the near-death experience of her son.  That might be close.  While during a time of divinely sent drought and famine, the LORD sent Elijah to a widow woman.  This widow had only enough meal and oil left in her house to feed her and her son.  She was gathering sticks to make this food when Elijah commanded her to fix him a cake from what she had first.  He promised that while she did, her meal and oil would miraculously perpetually sustain.  She obeyed, and the LORD provided.  The Bible is silent on how long Elijah was with the widow before her son fell ill.  The scriptures use the term ‘many days’.  Suffice it to say, the miracle of perpetual supply could not be discarded.  Yet it is said she had a heart of unbelief.  This is supported by her profession of faith above.  There was something she was missing even though she lived in the present reality of a miracle.  I can understand this.

There are those saints who believe that when it comes to God’s grace, there are limits based on past sin.  I have ministered to many who refuse to believe God’s grace is infinite.  They hang on to some sin of the past that limits their belief in God’s mercy.  They believe God is gracious enough to save them.  They may even believe God is merciful enough to do some things.  Yet they hang on to their guilt as would rather assume God’s grace is limited rather than hope in an eternally gracious God.  More times that one would think, I have sat in my office with someone who was so despondent that they didn’t think God would answer.  The were in a perpetual state of self-destruction that refused to call out for mercy because they truly thought there was none left.  All one has to do is to read the book of Judges to understand just how merciful God is.  We have all been there.  We have messed up to a point that we think God will never forgive.  We begin to think we have worn out the red carpet of mercy and grace.  We think that God did some miracles in the past, but the mistakes of the present are simply too much for God’s grace to overcome.

When we look at the widow, we see someone who was hanging onto guilt over sin.  She did not believe Elijah could raise her son.  Or, better yet, she believed he could, but probably wouldn’t.  Why else would she call for him?  If she truly believed God’s grace had run out and all she could hope for His a never-ending supply, then why call the prophet of God?  Obviously, she did what she knew was the only thing to do.  She called for the man of God, knowing that he could resurrect her son.  As to whether God would do it or not, that was a completely different story.  We are not advocating that we act in presumption toward the grace of God.  Not one little bit.  If we are presumptuous, then there is no grace to be had.  On the other hand, if we are truly desperate and acknowledge our faults, God will manifest His grace and mercy toward His children.  He can do no other.

Hungers Change

“Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Mt 5:6 AV)

What a promise!  For those who know the LORD and hate sin, this is for what we pray.  We are tired of the old man having his time with us.  We are tired of losing battles.  The flesh is beyond a mere annoyance.  The heart is our worst enemy.  The devil and the world pale in comparison to the wickedness that dwells within.  The Holy Spirit attempts to convict and empower.  But more times that we care to admit, our choice falls on the wrong side.  Paul knew of this battle intimately.  Even toward the end of his life and ministry, he sorrowed after his failures.  His flesh gave him more problems that he cared to recount.  He called this battle the body of death.  It was a daily and constant struggle between righteousness and selfishness.  So, the saint lays his head down each and every night begging God to radically change him into the perfectly righteous child He deserves.  He dreams of heaven wherein righteousness dwells.  He speaks of his glorification wherein the LORD will permanently transform him into the image of His holy Son.  All the battles seem easier to bear when seen through the promise of eternity!

But there must be a hunger for it.  A hunger is not a natural craving.  That is what sin is.  Rather, the hunger for righteousness must be developed.  Remember those days of childhood when we wanted nothing but the sweet?  Cookies, ice cream, candy, etc.  We lived on it.  If it wasn’t sweet, we were not interested.  As we grew older, we developed a taste for healthier alternatives.  An excellent salad sounds a lot better than a sugar-infused main dish.  A good batch of roasted cauliflower sounds much better than brown sugar and green beans.  The savory is more appealing than the sweet.  I was not a fan of seafood.  Frozen fish sticks and tuna were as far as I went.  Any other fish reminded me of my father’s obsession with canned salmon.  But a funny thing happened.  I grew up!  I had stuffed orange roughy, shrimp with cocktail sauce, and some fried clams.  No pun intended, but I was hooked.  Soon I was trying lobster, crawdads, and clams.  I developed a taste for them.  I grew a hunger for them.

Righteousness is contrary to our nature.  If we are to have any hunger for it at all, it has to be developed.  The more we reject sin and strive after righteousness, the more we should hunger for it.  Circumstances from sin are a good way to have a distaste for it.  The key is to grow a hunger for righteousness by continually striving after it.  There is a promise of righteousness for those who hunger for it.  So never stop wanting to do right!

What Works May Not Work

“And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name [was] Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up [his] hand against the king. And this [was] the cause that he lifted up [his] hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, [and] repaired the breaches of the city of David his father. And the man Jeroboam [was] a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.” (1Ki 11:26-28 AV)

Solomon made two major errors.  At the inception of his kingdom, he allied himself in business and marriage with the pagan nations around him.  This came back to bite him hard.  To please his wives, he worshipped their gods and built temples for their gods.  He also built high places of worship which drew Israel out of the temple.  We see his other major blunder above.  His pragmatism nullified his discernment.  He saw an industrious young man who made good on everything he touched.  He governed the ten northern tribes for Solomon and increased the kingdom many times over.  Yet Solomon could not see the pride of his heart.  He could not see that this young, ambitious man would use his drive and success to eventually topple the kingdom.  Solomon’s pragmatism was his strength.  But it was also his weakness.  If it worked, then it must be right.  He married strange wives because it avoided warfare and enriched both Israel and their neighbors.  He employed Jeroboam because he knew what he was doing and his ambition would benefit the crown.  Both calculations were off.  Integrity and character matter more the results.

Ambition can blind the mind’s eye to bigger issues.  How often is this tale told?  So many through the annuls of history have proven over and again that pride in accomplishment often tarnishes the end result.  There was Napolean who invaded Russia but lacked the wisdom to understand how difficult Russian winters were.  Hilter followed suit.  Not content to continue westward, he turned eastward and failed in the same way as his French predecessor did.  This tendency is not limited to military pursuits.  How many famous people have sullied their accomplishments because they could not control other impulses?  Time and again, successful people lose all accolades because of a lapse of judgment.  But what happened to Solomon was more than a mere lapse of judgment.  It was deliberate.  He deliberately chose a more pragmatic rather than principled way.  He chose what worked rather than what was right.  Would he have arrived at the same end?  We will never know.  But what we do know is that Jeroboam split the kingdom and made Baal the god of the north.

I’ll have to admit, sometimes it is easier to plug a hole than to wait in the right situation.  In the ministry, we are tempted to do so all the time.  It is not advisable.  It is better to suffer a need than to fill a need with the wrong person.  Solomon was a very wise person.  Reading the book of Proverbs proves this to be true.  But the thing about that book that people do not consider is that the truths are generally true.  They are not true all the time.  They are patterns that tend to repeat themselves and not absolute laws that are always followed.  They are observations.  They are not absolute.  Proverbs are pragmatic advice that works out far more than it doesn’t work out.  But it is no guarantee.  That being said, one can see how a pragmatic king can make unwise choices.  He compares the odds and makes the wisest choice based on the predicted outcome.  This is superficial reasoning.  What it does not consider are the intangibles.  The things that cannot be seen, like the hidden pride of a subordinate.  Does that mean that pragmatism has no place?  Not so.  It has a major place.  Just not the only place.

Knowing One's Own Heart

“What prayer and supplication soever be [made] by any man, [or] by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house:” (1Ki 8:38 AV)

The Spirit led me to consider the phrase ‘the plague of his own heart’. I thought it was an interesting and very accurate description of our wickedness.  In particular, the word ‘plague’ struck me as very important.  In the Hebrew, the word means spot or disease.  When we think of a plague, we think of things like the black plague or leprosy.  We think of horrible disease that spreads quickly and takes many lives.  So, when the saint dwells on the phrase, he is faced with the unpalatable truth that our hearts are diseased and wicked.  We are full of sin.  Like a plague, it spreads and destroys.  But what also was pertinent are two other truths associated with a sick heart.  The first is that it is known.  It is known by the one possessing it.  The soul is moved to act upon the revelation that his heart is plagued with wickedness and sin.  It is a truth he would rather not consider.  To see it with the mind's eye and the heart of conviction is beyond uncomfortable.  This then reveals the second truth.  It drives him to prayer.  He cannot live with the sickness of his heart.  He must go to the only one who can give forgiveness and heal the sick heart.  The only one who can free from sin is God.

To truly know the plague of our own hearts is not an easy endeavor.  There is a common reaction when speaking to the lost regarding the nature of their hearts and souls.  Being newly saved, I shared the following verse to people close to me. “But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isa 64:6 AV) I remember the reaction.  They were incredulous.  How dare anyone tell them that they were completely and wholly wicked! After all, they knew they sinned, but when compared to their estimation of themselves, they were basically a good person.  That is not what the Bible says.  This happened again while knocking on doors.  An individual could not accept the face of total wickedness in the soul.  After all, they were not nearly as bad as the worst criminals known to man.  To know the plague of one's own heart takes humility and honesty.  It takes examination of the heart against the words of God’s law.  I remember the first time I read the entire bible from start to finish.  I never felt so dirty in my life.

To say that our hearts are plagued is a great description.  What matters is our response.  Solomon knew the nature of the human heart better than anyone.  This is why he wanted a permanent place of worship.  We wanted a predictable and secure place to which the spiritually unclean Hebrew could go.  He wanted a place was the penitent saint could find mercy, forgiveness, and reconciliation.  Note also that the penitent will not go to the temple until he knows the plague of his heart.  That knowledge is of his own heart and not the heart of others.  Of course, we know how sinful other people are.  This is obvious.  The issue we have in knowing just how sin-sick our own hearts are.  The place of worship was built for those who came to the ugly truth of their own wickedness and wished to get right with God.  That is the whole point of our walk with God.  It must be established by faith and obedience.  The plague of our own hearts is the greatest hindrance to this.  It is time to do some radical heart surgery and treatment.  Knowing the condition of it is the start.

Wisdom Is Only As Good As Its Weakest Point

“And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together.” (1Ki 5:12 AV)

It doesn’t escape the mind that God kept his word yet Solomon didn’t use God’s provision to the fullest.  This chapter of First Kings tells of Solomon’s ability to set up a kingdom of influence and peace.  There has never been a time like Solomon’s time.  He could control all the kings of his enemies.  Mostly through diplomacy and shared commerce.  He could frame hostility as a financially and humanly wasteful way.  He built trade partnerships with his neighbors needed to build the temple.  What follows in chapter six is the description of the temple as Solomon gave direction to build it.  In many ways, Solomon used the wisdom God gave.  Yet, in all his wisdom, he couldn’t discipline the flesh.  It was his flesh that caused great harm to the people of Israel.  It was this one area of weakness that had more impact on Israel than all the wise arrangements he made with his enemies.  Wisdom is only as good as the weakest area.  This is one lesson Solomon did not learn.

The following is an AI generated overview of the Mars Climate Orbiter disaster: The Mars Climate Orbiter was lost in 1999 due to a critical unit conversion error where Lockheed Martin engineers provided thruster data in English units (pound-seconds) while NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory navigation team assumed the data was in metric units (newton-seconds). This mismatch caused the spacecraft to approach Mars 60 km (37 miles) closer than planned, plunging it too deeply into the Martian atmosphere where it burned up on September 23, 1999, after a 286-day journey. Cost of Loss: The mission cost $125 million (some sources cite a total program cost of $327 million). Technical Failure: The onboard software calculated trajectory corrections based on 4.45 times less force than intended because the software interpreted the English pound-force values as metric newtons. Systemic Issues: The error went undetected because quality control procedures failed to catch the discrepancy during the nine-month flight, despite warning signs that the spacecraft required more course corrections than expected. Consequences: The loss prevented the orbiter from serving as a radio relay for the Mars Polar Lander, forcing mission planners to rely on the existing Mars Global Surveyor instead.

Looking at the overall project and the amount of intelligence required just to get the Orbiter off the ground and to Mars is beyond comprehension.  Kudos to the men and women who did all the work to make this happen.  Very smart people indeed.  Yet it all went for naught because of one small flaw.  All the wisdom required to make this project happen was undone by one and only one factor.  This is how wisdom works.  Wisdom in one area does not mean wisdom is automatic in all areas.  We tend to live this way.  We are successfully smart is some or most areas of life and think it to be sufficient to cover all areas of life.  We may be great in academics, but lack discipline is self-control.  We may be great in separation standards of outward appearance, but accept worldly entertainment as a release.  We may be disciplined in our personal hygiene, yet overeat.  Wisdom is a complete package.  Not a partial one.  Solomon learned this the hard way.  Humility and constant self-examination are the keys.  Solomon forgot this.  He may have even used his gift of wisdom in ways that solved a short-term goal, but failed in the long game.  Marrying Pharaoh’s daughter may have ended conflict and opened trade, but it also introduced paganism.  Wisdom is an entire concern.  Not only those areas that seem easy to address.

The Prayer of the Second-generation Saint

“And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I [am but] a little child: I know not [how] to go out or come in.” (1Ki 3:7 AV)

This struck me as a perfect prayer for the second-generation Christian.  David learned much in the school of hard knocks.  He went from a Shepard boy to a victorious king by way of very difficult experiences.  His wisdom came by sword and by swagger.  David learned much the hard way.  His experiences from nothing to something were the greatest asset he had.  Solomon, on the other hand, grew up in the palace of a king.  By the time Solomon was grown into adulthood, the vast majority of Israel’s enemies were conquered.  There were not too many battles left.  David cleaned up a mess left by Saul and disobedient Israel.  He established Israel as the major kingdom of the middle east.  This was no small feat.  From the killing of a lion and bear to save his flock, to Goliath, to the Philistines; David fought many battles so Solomon did not have to.  This is the wisdom behind Solomon’s prayer.  He knew he never had the experiences of his father nor would he ever have them.  He would never know what it was like to personally wield a sword at the enemy.  He would never know what it was like to flee from your enemy and hide in caves.  He would never know the weariness of a battle too big for anyone but God.  He grew up protected from the world, and because of it, he lacked much experience.  This gives explanation to his view that he is but a little child.

It takes a great deal of maturity and humility to see one’s own weaknesses.  The pride of our youthful hearts demand we learn the same lessons our parents learned in much the same manner as they did.  This often results in greater consequences than our parents suffered.  It is God’s design to use the experiences and knowledge of former generations to teach the newer generations.  The plethora of knowledge should increase.  But that is not always the case.  The more we learn the less we know.  How else do we explain great wars of each generation?  We simply do not learn the lessons our forefathers learned.  We don’t accept their wisdom and guidance so that we can be further ahead than they were.  Solomon looked at his father.  He saw a great man whom God used.  He knew his father had made some serious mistakes.  He knew he didn’t want to make the same ones.  So, he asked for the wisdom of his forefathers.  This is great, but for one unfortunate truth.

For all of Solomon’s wisdom, he committed two serious errors that began the downfall of Israel.  He married non-Jewish wives for the sake of diplomacy.  He also established extra-temple worship on the high places.  It would be the Egyptian wives and wives from pagan nations that would steer Solomon’s heart from God to false gods.  His reluctance from the sword and attraction toward diplomacy is what drove him.  He learned much.  The book of proverbs is a testament to the wisdom God granted.  But he also ignored much.  The second-generation Christian who knows the testimony of his parents will do well to learn the lessons their bruises teach.  David had many battle scars.  Each one told a story.  Each one was a lesson for Solomon to learn.  The scars of the first-generation Christ often run deep.  But praise be to God that we can pass those experiences on to a generation that wishes to learn.