10

Jump Start # 257

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 257

1 Samuel 6:19 “He struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He stuck down of all the people, 50,070 men, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter.”

  We continue following the Ark of the Covenant from our last Jump Start. Remember, the Philistines battled Israel. More than thirty thousand were killed. Eli’s two sons, priests, were killed. The ark of the Covenant was captured and carried away by the Philistines. These things happened as a form of punishment because of Israel’s lax and wicked ways toward God.

  What happened to the ark? The Philistines kept it for seven months. At first, they put the ark in their temple dedicated to the god, Dagon. At night, the statue of Dagon fell. The next night, the head and hands of the stature were cut off. The Philistines were terrified. They moved the ark to Gath. God struck the people of Gath with tumors. Fearing more trouble, the Philistines offered to return the ark to Israel. They offered burnt offerings and placed items of gold with the ark as a means to satisfy both Israel and the God of Israel.

  The ark is taken to Beth-Shemite, a city in Israel. It is here where our verse today is found. The people of Israel looked inside the ark. God struck them dead. More died here than were killed by the Philistines in the initial battle. There is a reason for this. No one was to touch the ark. It was sacred. It would be housed in the holy place in tabernacle and later in the Temple. God had said if a person touches it they will die. The men of Beth-Shemite disobeyed.

  Why did they open the ark? Did they want to make sure all the contents were still there? Did they want to make sure that the Philistines hadn’t stolen something or worse, added something that wasn’t supposed to be there? Was it curiosity? Did they just want to take a peek? The Philistines had it and they were still alive, maybe it would be ok to just take a look.

  Whatever the reason, they looked and they were punished. God knew. God always knows. The men of Beth-shemite serve as a great lesson for us. Often, we know what God says, we just disobey anyway. Now, we may justify it, have a good reason in our way of thinking, or think, we’ll just take a quick peek, still God knows. The men of Beth-shemite illustrate hearts that just won’t accept what God says. It’s not enough. Some of us, and I’m real guilty of this, always have to touch a wall when there is a sign that says, “Wet Paint.” I’ve walked away with paint on my fingers for doing that. Dumb. The sign tells you. Why don’t you believe it? How much more so with God. He tells us, but we just don’t believe it. This is a matter of trust.

  I’m glad I wasn’t at Beth-shemite. I’m curious. I’d like to see what was inside the ark. I would have died, no question. And for what reason, being curious? No. For not trusting God. Is it any wonder that some today just do not think God will punish them for lying, when He says He will. Or, what about hatred? Or, impurity? Or, taking God’s name in vain? On and on we could go. You see, these Old Testament stories serve two purposes. First, they tell the story of the Bible. They are real stories. Secondly, we see ourselves in these stories. We are not much different than they were.

  What’s a person to do? Believe God. God must trump our curiosity. God must override any reason we can come up with for disobeying Him. It’s God’s way, every time. Next time you feel like taking a peek into something you’re not supposed to, remember what God said. Trust God. He means what He says.

Roger

07

Jump Start # 256

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 256

1 Samuel 4:10-11 “So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent; and the slaughter was very great, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas died.”

  This is the punishment that God promised, as we talked about in our Jump Start yesterday. Eli’s two sons, were the priests of Israel. They were immoral and indifferent to God. Through their lack of respect for God the nation was tail spinning. God had enough. To show the seriousness and severity of matters, God allowed the Philistines to strike Israel hard. Our passage identifies four massive defeats for Israel.

  • 30,000 soldiers died that day. That is a larger number than American forces killed at D- Day. It is more than were killed at Antietam, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.

 

  • Every man fled to his tent. This indicates fear and abandoning the battle lines.

 

  • The priests were killed. Eli’s sons, wicked as they were, served as the link between God and Israel. That link was broken.

 

  • The ark of God, or the ark of the covenant was stolen. This was God’s and Israel’s most sacred item. It contained the tablets of stone, the 10 commandments; Aaron’s staff and a bowl of manna, which God had fed Israel during the wilderness journey. All of these had huge historical and spiritual significance for Israel. Joshua marched the ark around Jericho for seven days as God directed, then the walls came tumbling down. Now the ark was gone.

  This is one of the darkest days in the history of Israel. The significance and meaning behind these things is as important as the loss of life. It is as if God was giving up on Israel and saying, “You don’t want me, you don’t want to follow me, I’ll remove myself from you.” And He did.

  God does not tolerate disobedience. Israel still worshipped God, but God was not the centerpiece any more. God was discarded and taken advantage of. The patience of God had run out, so God left Israel to themselves. It must have broken God’s heart to see what was happening to His people. But a lesson had to be learned.

  I’ve wondered what life would be like if God did that to us? In many ways, it wouldn’t surprise me if He did, we so deserve it. Our culture has mocked God, rejected God and ignored God. We flaunt self, worship self and our stuck on self. Our churches have become places of entertainment and the worship of happiness.

  What would it be like if God did to us like He did to Israel? What would it be like if God turned His back to our prayers? What if the Bible, all Bibles, every Bible—printed, electronic disappeared? What if we were totally on our own? No one to Thank. No one to bless us. No one to reach out to. No one. Just us. Do you know what that would be like? Israel got a taste of what Hell is like. That is the very essence of Hell—the absence of God.

  The worst thing Israel faced was not the death of soldiers, but a future without God. Fear and panic took over. Desperation fills the heart. On your own totally without God. No hope. No future. No help. That is Hell. That is what Israel experienced.

  One final thought, what we are describing is the way many live today, by choice. By their own choice, they do not pray to God, open His word and read, embrace His ways, or devote their lives to Him. Without realizing it, by their choice, many are living a life of Hell right now. It’s not poverty…it’s not hard life…it’s not dysfunctional relationships…it’s the life without God. No God at all in their life.

  These thoughts ought to make us cling even tighter to the hand of God. It reminds us of a song we sing, “I need Thee every hour.” I need Thee this hour.

  Life without God—why would anyone choose to live that way? Are you?

Roger

05

Jump Start # 254

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 254

1 Samuel 2:12 “Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the Lord.”

  Few words could cut the heart of a parent as much as those that are found in our verse today. Eli had served as a priest. He was old. Now, his two sons were priests. They were grown. They were adults. The expression “did not know the Lord” indicates a lack of reverence and respect for God. Intellectually, they knew there was a God. But they had no respect for what God had done for Israel and no respect for the Law of God.

  A few verses later we find: “Thus the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men despised the offering of the Lord” (17). Eli, their father heard all that his sons were doing, including having sexual relations with women. It seems that most everyone knew how vile and corrupt these sons were. Finally, God speaks. He tells Eli that he is removing them from the priesthood. They will both die and God will restore the sacred office of His priesthood.

  We find in this passage men who were serving God but who do not respect God. Unique? No. Have you ever taken a Bible class offered by a major university? Anymore, the teacher has little regard for inspiration and no respect for the authority of God. The class butchers what the Bible teaches.

  Being called “worthless” by God has to be the strongest of rebukes. Something that is worthless is worth nothing, it has no value. Today, we’d say, “It’s a piece of junk.” Strong, strong words for those who defile God’s worship and His ways.

  Many parents can relate to ole’ Eli here. You love the Lord and have tried to teach your children what is right. You have taken them to Bible classes, VBS, church services since they were young. All seems fine. They grow up, move out, marry, start a career, a family and somewhere along the way, toss God out of their life. They don’t think about it and they definitely don’t want to talk about it. They get weary of ole’ Mom and Dad preaching to them about getting back to church services. And Mom and Dad? Well, they are hurt. The kids never realize it. Mom and Dad feel like a failure. Sometimes it is hard for Mom and Dad to go to church services, when they see generations of families worshipping together. Not theirs. It seems the faith has stopped with Mom and Dad. Mom’s cry silently about this. Dad’s are clueless as to what to do.

  I have seen this picture over and over, in so  many different places. I have preached the funeral for the mom or the dad. Tons of family show up. Never seen them before, especially at church services. Nice people. They seem to love each other. They just have no place for God in their lives. I’ve talked to some of these grown children. They’ll admit that they ought to start coming but they never do. Promises are made but never kept. And life just goes on.

  My heart breaks for such parents. I know God’s does. Is there anything that can be done? First, pray. Prayer should be our first choice. Take it to the Lord in prayer. God is good. God is powerful. He can open closed doors. He can break through hard hearts. Next, bring it up, but be careful how you do it. Grown kids don’t like to be preached to, about anything. Talk to them. Generally, not always, something way down deep is a problem. Was the congregation too judgmental? Do they feel the Bible is too strict? Do they feel that they have done too many bad things? Maybe they just don’t understand or even know the Lord. They might talk. They may not know themselves why they gave up on the Lord. Habits are easy to get into. The habit of just ignoring God is an easy habit. Live for today. Live for Friday, payday, the weekend, fun and then just keep repeating that over and over again.

  It may be good to try to just get them back into the word of God. Getting them to start reading the Bible is a great step. Faith comes from the word of God. Well, how do I do that? Bring up last Sunday’s sermon…share what you have been reading…pass along one of these Jump Starts. Put your energy into finding what connects with your child. Don’t give up. I think Eli gave up. We can’t. We won’t.

  My heart breaks for such parents. God loves you. Keep trying.

Roger

04

Jump Start # 253

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 253

Ruth 1:16-17 “But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or turn back 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 I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.”

    These are sweet words spoken by Ruth. Preachers have used these in weddings. The circumstances of these words make a wonderful lesson.

    A Jewish couple, along with their two sons, from the tribe of Ephraim move to Moab. While in Moab, the man dies. The two sons grow and marry women from Moab. The two sons die. All that is left is the mother and her two daughter-in-laws. The mother prepares to return to Judah, where she was from. She tells her daughter-in-laws to return to their people. One does. The other, Ruth, refuses. She travels with the mother back to Judah. In time, Ruth meets and marries Boaz. She had a son, Obed, who became the grandfather of David, the shepherd, the giant killer, the king of Israel.

  It is interesting how God works things and moves things and arranges things. We don’t see it at the time, but He is busy fulfilling His will in the lives of people all around.

  I want to look at this statement of Ruth. It reflects the love she had for her mother-in-law. As it turned out, it just turned out well. But in doing this, Ruth not only left her home land of Moab, she left the faith of her people. Moab was a pagan nation. Idols were common. To embrace the God of Israel, included the 10 commandments and no other gods. Her reason for changing was not so much that she saw the difference, understood and was taught, it was her feelings for her mother-in-law.

  I wonder what would have happened if the roles were reversed? What if Ruth was from Israel and her mother-in-law from Moab? Would she still say, “your God will be my God?” Often, when couples date and fall in love, the subject of church or faith doesn’t come up until trying to find a place to get married. How sad. The joining of two hearts, two lives, two check books, includes two faiths. When one is a believer and the other is indifferent or just, different, it creates issues and problems many don’t think about. Then, if children are born, which faith, which church, which way are we going to train them?

  I love the spirit of Ruth. I am glad that she did not return to Moab, like her sister–in-law did. I think God had things planned that no one else could see. But to embrace a faith without knowing what it is about, without understanding what is required is blind and can lead to great regret.

  Couples need to talk about God. They need to bring along a Bible on a date and study. They need both to come to understand the God of the Bible and His ways. A couple that is committed to the Lord is a powerful and wonderful sight. Strong, connected and helping others is something you will find in such a couple. None of this, “Do we have to go to church today?” stuff. When one is having a bad day, the other is there to encourage and pick the other up emotionally and spiritually. Prayers shared at the table. A family that is raised in the way of the Lord. The joy of being one in name and one in aim.

  It’s sad to see couples not like this. Something is just missing. One comes to worship the other is never seen. Or, if they both come, one is not engaged. It is as if God is a burden rather than a blessing. It is as if God is squeezing the joy out of life rather than God is the source of both life and joy.

  If you’re not married, get serious about your faith and the faith of the one you are dating. If you are married, and your mate doesn’t believe, or doesn’t care, work at it in a positive manner. Present God as glorious. Find ways to encourage the things of God. Talk about these things. Many have fears and bad experiences from the past.

  Those that have a mate that loves the Lord and is walking with Him, you are blessed. Thank the Lord, not just for your mate, but for the faith of your mate. Help them to be strong. Together, find ways to serve the Lord.

  Your God shall be my God is possible. How wonderful it is, when done right!

Roger

03

Jump Start # 252

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 252

1 Kings 13:18 “He said to him, “I also am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’ But he lied to him.”

  Our verse today is found in the midst of a long story involving two prophets, one young and the other old. We are not told the names of these prophets. It is a sad story that has puzzled me ever since I first read it many years ago.

  Jeroboam, in the chapter before, changed everything that God had established. Jeroboam was the king of Israel. They had just split off from Judah and became a separate nation. Fearing the people would return to Judah when they went there for the annual sacrifices, the new king built idols, appoint priests from different tribes and made two cities within Israel as designated places to worship. His desire in keeping his new nation together, led him to destroy the pattern of worship that God had authorized.

  In chapter 13, where our verse today is found, God appoints a young prophet to go and rebuke Jeroboam for these sins. The rebuke was severe. God was going to destroy all the false idols that Jeroboam built. The king was angry. He stretched out his hand to hurt the young prophet. God immediately made the kings hand dry up. The alter split. All the ashes fell out. The king was terrified. He begged for mercy. He offered the young prophet a reward, up to half of his kingdom.

  The young prophet had been told by God before his journey started to eat nothing, drink nothing and not to return the way he came. I can’t imagine what he felt as he approached the king by himself and denounced the sinful practices. It is an example of extreme faith and courage and obedience to God.

  It seems the story ends. The young prophet goes on his way, the king has turned from his wicked ways, a good day! Then our verse! An old prophet hears all these things and sends for the young prophet. When the young prophet refuses, stating God’s command to him, the old prophet lies. He tells him that an angel spoke and told him to come. Innocently, the young prophet goes. Eats a meal. As he leaves, he is killed by a lion. The old prophet buries him.

  I don’t like this old prophet. First of all, he lives in Bethel where the king is. Why doesn’t he speak out against the idols? Why does he let all these things go on? He doesn’t seem to be much of a prophet in my book. Then he lies. That fries my bacon when someone lies. I don’t care if they are covering their tracks, trying to sell a car, or get out of trouble…deceit, dishonesty and destruction live side by side. Now, it’s bad enough that he lied, but he tried to make it look like the truth by saying, ‘an angel spoke to me.” This story had centuries ago, but even now, smoke comes out of my ears because of this old prophet. Using God to get what you want…how empty headed and hearted he was.

  The spirit of the old prophet lives on. In the name of religion many have lied to build a personal fortune, to fund colleges, to defend doctrines and to justify behavior that God does not allow. The common thread today, especially in books, is to simply list a Bible verse. Some how using a verse makes everything right and it gives the appearance that what is being done is taught by the Bible. So many verses are misused, misquoted and misapplied to make God say things He never said. How about using the verse the way God did? How about keeping the verse in the context? Just finding a verse and then using that to justify what you want is not much different than a lying old prophet who claimed an angel spoke to him.

  How was the young prophet supposed to know? He took it on good faith. The old man was a prophet. He claimed an angel spoke. HE is in the same spot we are today. First, God doesn’t contradict Himself. Second, he knew what God said. The old prophet sounds very similar to the serpent talking to Eve in the garden. Someone who changes what is found in the Bible is not speaking the truth. Paul told the Galatians that if “we or an angel” preach a different gospel than what you have received, they were to be cursed. The Bereans were commended because when they heard things, they searched the Scriptures daily to see whether they were true or not. God’s word is final. Anything that differs from the word of God ought to raise red flags within us. We need to know what God says. We need to be able to recognize things that are false.

  Religious people can lie. They can say, “God said,” when God hasn’t said. If the folks in the pews opened their Bibles and checked what the preachers were saying and made them toll the line with the Bible, there would be many changes. Preachers get away with things because “they are preachers and they wouldn’t lie.” I’m a preacher. I know better than that.

  I don’t like how this story ended. I understand that the young prophet disobeyed. He was tricked, deceived and lied to. It wasn’t rebellion. He thought he was obeying the new message of God. Didn’t matter to God. A lion came and killed him. I wish the lion ate the old prophet. I think God had in store worse things for the old prophet. But there is a lesson for us. Disobedience, even when you are told that you are not disobeying, is still disobedience. God hates that. God will hold us accountable for these things.

  This chapter speaks volumes of lessons for us. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God, that’s what we find in Romans. A faith apart from what the Bible teaches is shallow and not going to be right with God. Anything less than the Bible, is not enough. Anything more than the Bible is too much. We must stand upon the word of God.

  Roger