Come Forth! Loose Him, and Let Him Go - Day 150 Through the Bible

Near Mt. Celo Church - top: historic Altapass Orchard; bottom left - Wild Acres Retreat; bottom right, Quiet Reflections Retreat (now part of the Greek Orthodox Church)

Gleanings From Today's Readings

Solomon's Wisdom, Wealth and Worldly Influence (1 Kings 9 and 10) Within a 20-year period, God has fulfilled His promises to Solomon - Solomon's reward for asking for God's wisdom in righteous judgment of His people rather than money or power for himself or the destruction of his enemies.  As promised, Solomon is now the wisest man in history - and the wealthiest the world had known in his time.  Solomon has maintained his friendship and alliance with Hiram of Tyre - a friendship begun with David.  Through Hiram, Solomon greatly amasses wealth from trading on the seas.  The Queen of Sheba (present-day Yemen) adds to Solomon's wealth when she comes to test him and to hear of his purported wisdom and riches.  "There was no more spirit in her" after her visit.  "Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard...Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel!  Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king to do justice and righteousness."

My Lessons and Applications:  With all His God-given wisdom, wealth and worldly influence - how pedestrian Solomon's life becomes in so many ways.  Like the digression of the faith and lives of many we read about in the world today or have personally witnessed, Solomon turns from God and faith to worldly lusts - intermarrying with many foreign wives who turn his heart from God, seeking fulfillment and satisfaction in ostentatious displays of wealth and great cultural advancement.  But he becomes less and less satisfied to the point of saying all is vanity, a chasing of the wind.  He does end his writings in Ecclesiastes with what is assuredly his wisest statement of all:  "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil."  Do I have this Biblical fear of God? Does it cause me to turn, to change when I am heading down the wrong path?  Have I a filter in my conscience formed by the Word of God, through which all my thoughts and actions must pass?  What is the legacy of my walk with God - whether one ordained in suffering, in poverty, or in wealth? Does the impact of my life promote the kingdom of God in the world?

Raising Lazarus from the Dead and the Earthly Consequences (John 11) Lazarus is dead.  Jesus tarried for two days when called by Martha and Mary to come and heal him.  Mary falls at Jesus' feet and honestly says, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died...When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews that were with her weeping, He groaned in His spirit and was troubled...Jesus wept...'Did I not tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?'...He cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth!'...Jesus said to them, 'Loose, him and let him go.'"  With this great miracle and sign, witnessed by so many Jews, Jesus' death warrant was sealed.  "Then the chief priests and Pharisees gathered a council and said, 'What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.'  And Caiaphas, the high priest prophesied unawares the crux of the gospel: "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish...and the Passover of the Jews was near, and they went from the country up to Jerusalem to purify themselves...then they sought Jesus that they might seize Him."

My Lessons and Applications:  Whether a spiritual or a physical death, this is what Jesus says to us, "Come forth!...and to Satan and the world: "Loose him, and let him go." Come forth out of and be free from the bondage of depravity, addictions, wrong thinking and being - spiritual death.  Replace fear of the world with a Biblical fear of God, as warned by Solomon.  This is the conclusion and the end of the all the considering and pondering of God's wisest man.  Through this belief, we will see the glory of God.  We will be loosed from and let go from the bondage of fleshly lusts and unbelief - raised to a higher plane, another kingdom.  The world will not applaud us for this, but it is not the world's favor we seek.  We seek God's glory.

John 8:31 

“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.