Questions: What comes to mind when you hear the word prophet? One who predicts future events? Bravery? Truth-teller? Forth-teller?

In Scripture, all of those attributes are true. Think of Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and John the Baptist, as just some examples. Each man was used by God to tell the truth forthrightly; each man was brave; each man did speak of future events that would and did take place, etc.

Now think of the text below from 2 Kings:

10 They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, ¹¹ and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the Lord carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the Lord to anger, ¹² and they served idols, of which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this.” ¹³ Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”

¹⁴ But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. ¹⁵ They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them. ¹⁶ And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. ¹⁷ And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. ¹⁸ Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only. (2 Kings 17:10-18)

Teaching: Israel once again fell into idolatry and apostasy. They failed to believe God and follow his revealed covenantal promises. They sinned, and they grew increasingly callous. They sacrificed their children by burning them atop idols. The list is long of their abominations. And yet, God sent his servants the prophets. And what was their duty? To call the people back to God, to holiness, to restoration.

Encouragement: As I’ve said countless times to our people, “Soft preaching makes hard people; hard preaching makes soft people.” That is undisputable. If you tickle ears and pimp people sentimentally, you’re a hireling and coward. God hates such shenanigans. God calls his servants the prophets to tell the truth, to serve the Lord, to fear God and love the sheep of his pasture. The fear of man is a snare. If we’re God’s shepherds, we’re to fear the Lord and serve the Lord. And that baseline will shape the trajectory of our ministries because that’s the solemn office to which some of us are called. The crux comes in having people with enough discernment to distinguish between hirelings out for their own fame and fortune and the true men of God who are laboring to please the Lord Jesus and to serve his bride, the true church.

Text: “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly” (1 Peter 2:19).

Context, Context, Context: Peter, the apostle of hope, was writing to Christians who were dispersed across what is much of modern-day Turkey and, by extension, to Christians throughout church history.

Peter wrote this letter during the mid 60s A.D., just thirty years or so after Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the Jerusalem tomb.

Question: Why did Peter write this letter? In short, he wrote to encourage them to stand strong amidst some level of persecution because suffering is part of the human condition. To live means, to some degree, the embrace of suffering.

But what about unjust suffering? Good question. Let us think of the Lord Jesus Christ for a moment:

• Do we have grief and troubles? So did Christ. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me. (Matthew 26:38).
• Do our bodies suffer? So did Christ in his bodily form. And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. (Matthew 27:30)
• Are we mocked and slandered? So was Christ. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. (Matthew 27:31).

Encouragement: The Lord Jesus suffered all of this and more. But he endured the cross so Christians wouldn’t. He became the curse for us (2 Corinthians 5:21) so that we who repent and believe upon him would be reckoned righteous in the eyes of holy God. That’s the great exchange, you see? Our rags are replaced by his robes. My sins but his saving effectual grace. My disobedience forgiven because of his obedience, even unto death upon the tree. We press on because our savior pressed on, even as the Roman nails pierced the flesh and spikes crushed the bones and the spear opened his side. But three days later, oh yes, three days later, God again demonstrated the schemes of hell are but part of God’s plan to thwart the arrows of hell. Press on, pilgrim. God sees, and God has won the victory through the person and work of Christ. Look to him in your suffering, knowing that he knows it all and he overcame, and so will you if you are in him.

Solomon was great in some ways. In other ways, however, he failed profoundly. Towards the end of his reign, Solomon’s heart strayed from the Lord. He became idolatrous. He gave in to his flesh. He built altars to idols. He had multiple wives and concubines. Solomon became a syncretist and he sullied much of his legacy.

Text:

11 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, ² from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. ³ He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. ⁴ For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. ⁵ For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. ⁶ So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. ⁷ Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. ⁸ And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods. (1 Kings 11:1-8)

Context, Context, Context: Syncretism is the blending and/or combination of opposing worldviews. For example, if I said that as a Christian, one of the core beliefs is that Jesus rose bodily from the tomb in Jerusalem on a Sunday and was seen by hundreds of people afterwards, and even ate with them. That is a truth claim. It’s either true or it isn’t.

But let’s say Joe Snuffy claims he’s a Christian, too, but that he believes that Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, Sun Myung Moon, and Joseph Smith are just like Jesus, prophets of God and ‘good’ men. Well, Houston, we have a problem. Because both claims cannot be simultaneously true. I could be right or wrong. The second guy could be right or wrong. We could both be wrong. But we cannot both be right. This is where apologetics can be helpful.

Well, think of Solomon. He’d earlier prayed for wisdom and God granted him that. Solomon’s wisdom was world-famous. As was his wealth. But Solomon got too big for his britches, we might say. He grew proud. He grew increasingly prurient. He grew self-absorbed. And syncretism crept in. He tried to blend or combine contradictions, but reality is not a contradiction. Either God is who he says he is and has revealed himself to be, or idolatry is just fine and dandy. But idolatry is not just fine and dandy, of course. God calls his people to genuine holiness and devotion to the truth, not to play around with erecting statues, poles, Asherah, or high places for Chemosh (1 Kings 11:7). God will not share his glory with idols.

God’s Response: “And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the LORD commanded” (1 Kings 11:9-10).

Encouragement/teaching: The chastisement of the Lord among his people is demonstration of God’s love for his sheep. Divine discipline is indicative of the heavenly Father’s love of his people. “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Hebrews 12:6). Trying to blend contradictory allegiances is at the heart of syncretism and it is nothing short of idolatry. Keep short accounts with God, the only living and true God, because all else is wood, hay, and stubble.

Introduction: Theology is unavoidable. What a man believes about God shapes his life. It is unavoidable.

Theology, simply defined, is the study of God. Does God exist? Yes or no? If God doesn’t exist, morality is reduced to moral relativism, human assertions, and the will to power. But if God does exist, what is his nature? Has he spoken/revealed himself? Yes or no? If he has spoken/revealed himself in words, in history, in creation, and in conscience, how should we then live?

These are some of the fundamental questions and issues addressed in theology.

Connections to Current Events: If you take some time and think through what is happening currently in the Middle East, a person’s theological beliefs/worldview shape his understanding.

I had the misfortune of viewing Greg Locke’s screed recently (linked below for you) of why I call it a misfortune. This level of theological muddleheadedness is replete with problems. Christians worship Christ, not a temple. This should be so basic. Christians do not worsip real estate, be that a former temple (Solomon’s) or a city (Jerusalem) or a race (Jews, e.g.). Christians worship the Lord who was “born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead” (from the Apostles’ Creed).

But there is a push among many influential people who claim to be Christian who are calling for race wars, blowing entire countries to smithereens, and for rebuilding the very temple that was destroyed in A.D. 70.

Will folks even take the time to read Scripture’s own testimony of why the temple was destroyed? It was in direct fulfillment of 1 Kings 9:

⁴ And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, ⁵ then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ ⁶ But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, ⁷ then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. ⁸ And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ ⁹ Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore the Lord has brought all this disaster on them.’” (1 Kings 9:4-9)

In short, the destruction of the temple by the Romans in A.D. 70 was a direct result of unbelievers rejecting Jesus. Unbelievers, Jews and Gentiles, hated Christ, who put an end to repeated ineffectual sacrifices and ritual days of atonement. That’s what the book of Hebrews is all about.

Concluding Thoughts: I write as a Christian. These shallow and immature calls for levelling real estate (a la Greg Locke and other loud Christian Zionists), of rebuilding a temple, of racial wars upon entire demographics, etc. are not biblically, theologically mature worldviews or Christian. They are, in fact, completely opposed to Christ. Christians are to preach the gospel, to plant churches, to shepherd well, and to pray for those who persecute us.

Text:

¹¹ Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king and David our lord does not know it? ¹² Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. ¹³ Go in at once to King David, and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, “Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then is Adonijah king?’ ¹⁴ Then while you are still speaking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.” (1 Kings 1:11-14)

Context, Context, Context: King David was now an old man. He had been a man of war for years. The consequences of his sin against Uriah and his (David’s) adultery with Bathseba, as well as his (David’s) disastrous relationship with his son Absalom were coming full circle. David was still king, yes, but his power was weakening in myriad ways. He was physically diminished; he was old (1 Kings 1:1), etc. And David’s enemies thought it was the time to strike, the time to assert themselves to gain power, and to install themselves as king in David’s stead. Adonijah saw himself as that man, as one willing to try and replace David and David’s son, Solomon.

Teaching: And yet God had his servant, Nathan. Nathan was a phenomenal prophet. He was a truth-teller. He was God’s man for David, just as David was God’s man. So Nathan goes to David’s now-wife Bathsheba and explains to her Adonijah’s wicked plan to replace David as king. Bathsheba lets David in on Adonijah’s plot. God was determined, you see, to bring about the immediate son (Solomon) as king, but ultimately God the Son as king. That’s what this is all about.

No powers of hell or schemes of man can topple God’s plan for Christ as king. As Psalm 2 phrases it, “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” But then you get to verse 4: “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.”

Encouragement: Folks can and do try to outsmart God. That is clear. But what should be even more obvious is this: that’s a fool’s errand. You can deny reality but reality still wins. You can mock God, but God still is. You can plot and scheme and lie, but God still sees and God is holy. You can take counsel together against the Lord, but God laughs at you. There’s no outsmarting God’s plan, and his plan was and is and ever shall be this: Christ is king.

Servant leadership. The phrase is so often used that it has perhaps suffered from overuse as a term. There is nothing wrong with the phrase but it perhaps needs a bit of clarification.

Questions:

• How many of us know people in positions of leadership but who fail at serving people?
• How many of us know people who covet the title of “leader” but fall short of leading selflessly?

Connection: At the church I’m privileged to pastor, we are currently going verse be verse through 1 Peter. The apostle of hope ends the second chapter of that epistle by going in-depth on what it means to serve people well. In verses 18-19, for example, he writes, “Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly” (1 Peter 2:18-19).

A key phrase in that passage is “mindful of God.” What Peter means there is this: biblical leaders are to lead well because they live out a life that demonstrates reverence for God. God is the leader’s commander, if you will. And the leader is mindful of that. That cognizance shapes the trajectory of his leading the people God has sent him to shepherd. That awareness of God’s evaluation of his leadership leads him into humble servant leadership of people God has ransomed by his own blood.

Encouragement: Like all things in Scripture, Christ is the supreme model. He is to be the biblical leader’s perfect paradigm. He’s the model. Do we men fall short of that standard? Of course. But that is not reason to not aim for that standard. Servant leadership is a fine phrase; it’s living that out before God and his people that tests one’s mettle.

Text:

14 Do not enter the path of the wicked,
    and do not walk in the way of the evil.
¹⁵ Avoid it; do not go on it;
    turn away from it and pass on.
¹⁶ For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
    they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
¹⁷ For they eat the bread of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence.
¹⁸ But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
    which shines brighter and brighter until full day. (Pr 4:14-18)

Teaching: Solomon instructs his son in wisdom. The father teaches the son the ungliness of folly and the beauty of wisdom. Solomon provides the imagery of two different paths. One path is trod by the wicked. The wicked “walk in the way of evil” (v. 14b). And Solomon instructs his son plainly: “Avoid it [the path of the wicked]; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on” (v. 15). Walk the beautiful path, the path of wisdom.

Then Solomon describes the moral character of those who trod the path of evil. He tells his son that those who trod that path “cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble” (v. 16). There are some folks whose lives are restless; therefore, they meddle in other people’s lives. They stir the pot, we might say. They are nosy people. They insert themselves into our lives without invitation. They “eat the bread of wickedness,” (v. 17), Solomon writes.

That’s a pretty unsavory individual, the one who refuses to stay in his lane. He just cannot be content; therefore, he meddles. He intrudes. He is nosy. And he’s an irritant.

Encouragement: We’re to turn away from such people and walk the path of the righteous. Why? Because that path “shines brighter and brighter until full day” (v. 18b). We’re to keep our hearts “with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (v. 23).

Introduction: “Take a knee.” It’s a welcome phrase we hear sometimes as soldiers, especially when we’re physically exhausted, spent, and our gas tank is running on empty. (Yes, I’m hearing Jackson Browne’s song in my head, too, now.) Here’s the way Browne wrote about this feeling:

runnin’ on empty
(Runnin’ on) runnin’ blind
(Runnin’ on) runnin’ into the sun
But I’m runnin’ behind

Regardless of our stations in life, I would think all of us have experienced seasons when we knew that we were running on empty and that we needed to take a knee.

Connection to Scripture: In 1 Samuel 30, it’s a low time in the life of David. His wives had been captured by the wicked pagans, the Amalekites. Much of the territory had been reduced to scorched earth. The invaders had taken captives. And the word on the street got back to David that he was a wanted man (1 Samuel 30:5). David was running on empty. David very much needed to take a knee.

Text and Teaching: But listen to what Scripture records about this incident and learn what it has to teach all of us who have found ourselves running on empty and in need of taking a knee: “And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God” (1 Samuel 30:6).

Encouragement: First, David was self-aware. Second, because David was self-aware, he turned to God. David knew the situation was too much for human effort to conquer. He knew where he needed to look for strength, and he did it. He strengthened himself “in the LORD his God.” There’s much wisdom here, dear ones. Some battles are too big for us. If we think they’re not, that may be a sign of our hubris. Let us be self-aware and turn to the One whose strength is all-powerful and holy and not delude ourselves into webs of entrapment woven by human vanity.