1 Kings 14:9 You
have done more evil than all who lived before you. You
have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you
have provoked me to anger and thrust me behind your back.
When I read some parts of the Old Testament,
I get bothered by the punishment that is inflicted upon leaders, kings, and
people who do wrong. It makes me wonder that if I was alive in those days and
lived according to my current ways, would I have been forgiven or condemned by
God? I find it very unsettling and it
makes me feel really guilty about my sins. I feel unworthy of God’s grace and
separated from His love. I feel like I have created an insurmountable gap
between myself and God. I feel unholy and alone.
In today’s passage, 1 Kings
14:1-11, King Jeroboam is cursed and condemned by God for following
idolatrous and self-serving ways, as well as for being ungrateful about the
original blessings that God had bestowed upon him. Jeroboam was chosen by God
to lead the ten tribes of Israel that had severed themselves from Judah. It was
supposed to be an honor for him and a blessing for his descendants. Sadly,
however, Jeroboam wasted this God-given opportunity. Instead of praising God,
he set up false idols. Rather than give thanks to God, he made up his own new
religion and consecrated his own priests. Jeroboam turned out to be a worse
character than the misguided king that he had replaced.
I know that God is both slow to
anger and immensely patient, but I wonder how long He will put up with our sins
and wicked ways. People feel sexually liberated and independently free,
however, instead of using those rights and gifts to make the world a better
place, young naïve people are being exploited and trafficked across the world;
society has also become more selfish and uncaring to the point that if someone
stumbles and falls in a busy street, people just walk on by.
Jesus has the power to forgive us of
all of our sins, but we've sadly reached a stage where most folks don’t feel
the need to repent or even recognize that our behavior is sinful. As I've
written several times before, what is morally right in the world’s eyes is
everything that gets a person whatever they want; what is morally wrong is
anything that gets in the way of obtaining that desire – which, of course,
means that the true Church of Christ will always be confronting cultural
morality and personal lifestyle choices.
Questions for personal reflection
Am I truly aware
of how badly my sins damage my relationship with God? Am I willing to truly
repent of those sins?
Lord Jesus,
sometimes we treat You as if You’re our biggest pal and indulgent friend
instead of acknowledging You as both our Judge and Savior. We all sin
constantly, but we forget to repent or even cast aside our need to confess to
You. Forgive us for taking You for granted; help us to truly distinguish
between right and wrong, good and evil, honesty and falsehood. In Your Holy
Name, we humbly pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If
you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s message, please send
him an email to Traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is one of my Good Friday drawings called ‘Cross Bound.” If you would like
to view a larger version, please click on the link: Cross Bound.
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