"So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom....But King Solomon loved many foreign women...." (1 Kings 11)
Good king followed by bad king followed by good king followed by bad king. This is the history of not only Israel, but also the human race.
There is also, if we would all be honest, something of our lives here. Our Lord Jesus is "walking in a certain direction" and we have at times decided on a "better" way. The hymn writer put it this way: "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love." The objective for us all is to learn from this, from Israel's history, from world history, for us to say what the hymn writer goes on to say, "Here's my heart, O, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above."
The warning which again I received from my readings is that I not be like Solomon. He started out great; he ended poorly. If people think that the New Testament People of God are somehow special, can do what we please and life just goes on and keep saying, "Well, God has everything under control," then our end will be as so many of whom I have been reading. Do not allow yourself or any religionist to deceive you into claiming "special New Testament" status. The New Testament is as full of people who "blew it" as in the Old Testament, as in Church History. You may know some.
I share with you as Paul said, "first of all that which I also received." Warnings, contrary to popular theology, are as, "for our good always," as is, "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Those who believe that they have somehow moved passed warnings from our Lord Jesus, are perhaps in more need of such than others. Remember that our Lord Jesus Christ, "....knows what we are made of; He is mindful that we are but dust." This is a reason that Jesus took our sin, "in His Own Body on the Tree," to redeem us from destruction, to forgive our sin, and the end is, "I go to prepare a place for you."
Father, in Jesus' Name, teach me more and more, "the fear of the Lord." Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
