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| Entering Celo Mountain Lands - heading up the mountain - near Mt. Celo Church |
My Gleanings from Today’s Readings
Unwise Counsel That Divides the Nation – One Generation Past Solomon – 2 Chronicles 11 and 12 – King Solomon is dead. His son Rehoboam is king in his place, but
Rehoboam chooses unwise counsel from the friends of his youth instead of the
counsel of his father’s advisors. When
many from Israel, following exiled Jeroboam, seek to limit the burden placed on
them, Rehoboam does the opposite. He
multiplies their burdens, they revolt, and all Israel with them – except for
Judah and Benjamin. The Levites and
priests also stay with King Rehoboam and leave all the other territories of
Israel and return to Jerusalem. Israel
turns to idol and demon worship.
Rehoboam seeks to reunite the nation, but God says, “You shall not go up or fight against your
brethren! Let every man return to his
house, for this thing is from Me.” The king builds and fortifies cities
(including Bethlehem), fortifies the strong holds, stores food, oil and wine,
and puts shields and spears in every city.
Then the pattern we see so often follows: “When Rehoboam had established the
kingdom…and had strengthened himself…he forsook the law of he LORD and all Israel
with him.” God sends the Egyptians to
destroy them, but Rehoboam and the leaders of Israel humble themselves. Therefore, God relents in their total
destruction and allows them to serve Egypt “that they may distinguish My service from the service of the kingdoms
of the nations. Though Rehoboam
strengthens himself and Judah and reigns 17 years, the treasuries of the
house of the Lord are taken to Egypt and the the legacy of Solomon’s son is,
“He did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD.”
My Lessons and
Applications – We have seen this
often with many of the priests and kings of Israel – David’s sons, Samuel’s
sons, Eli’s sons and others – who were great and godly men – who had sons that did
evil and turned from the LORD and brought shame and dishonor to their
fathers. The Bible admonishes us over
and over: 1) the laws of God - our walk of faith - must be passed
down from the fathers to the next generation.
God killed the disobedient sons of the priests immediately, but the
disobedient sons of the kings bring about the ultimate destruction of the
entire nation – with only the promised remnant remaining. Other lessons: 2) we are required to prepare out hearts to
seek the LORD – through knowledge and application of the Word of God, through
prayer and a personal relationship and daily walk with God, 3) tying in to the
second lesson, we must seek and follow godly and wise counsel, 4) that God honors the truly humble heart of a person or a nation. Consequences will likely follow but the
severity may be lessened. Today’s reading
is an example as well as that of the Ninevites when Jonah was sent to them.
(Jonah 3:5) 5) Service (obedience) to God is an honor and privilege and for our own ultimate well-being; service to
other people or nations may be soul –destroying.
Wise Counsel That Unites the Jewish and Gentile Believers –
Acts 15:1-21 – King Rehoboam listened to very unwise, inexperienced
counsel. The great gospel teachers and
apostles, Paul and Barnabas, defer to the elders and apostles when a certain question and dispute arises. The
Pharisees want the Gentile believers to be circumcised and follow the laws of
Moses. Peter, who
was specifically called by God to take the gospel to the Gentiles, rises up and
speaks to the group, “God, who knows the
heart, acknowledge the Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did
to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by
faith. Now, therefore, why do you test
God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers
nor we were able to bear? But we believe
that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same
manner as they.” Barnabas and Paul then testify to the miracles that God
has worked through them in the midst of the Gentiles. Then James says, 'Simon (Peter) has declared
how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His
name. And with this the words of the
prophets agree, just as it is written, “After
this, I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen
down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; so that the rest of
mankind may seek the LORD, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says
the Lord who does all these things."' (Amos 9:11-12) Then James says to not
trouble the Gentiles who are turning to God but to give them basic directives
to follow (v. 20).
My Lessons and
Applications – King Rehoboam seemed
to base his decision - a rejection of
the old for the new - on personal affinities, never consulting God’s Word
(law), nor praying to God for His guidance, nor listening to the advice of
godly men based on personal knowledge of God through His Word. Paul and Barnabas humbled themselves – as
apostles – to present a spiritual dilemma before the Pharisees who were believers,
the apostles who knew Christ personally and walked with Him, and the elders of
the church who had proven themselves to the apostles as knowledgeable of God’s
law and having a love of the Lord. Paul
and Barnabas testified to the work and witness of the Holy Spirit among the
Gentile believers. This is known as the Jerusalem Council, and this first great debate was over a tradition of salvation by works (Mosaic Covenant) vs. salvation by grace through faith alone, ushered in by Jesus Christ (the New Covenant). Charles Stanley comments, “You don’t have to
work your way to salvation – Christ has given it to you freely. You don’t have to earn God’s love – He loves
you unconditionally. And you won’t be
judged by your performance; rather what God cares about is your obedience and
faith.” (See
also Ephesians 2) We are not saved
by our works - but by faith alone; however, our faith will be evidenced by our
works. (James
2:14-26) James’ comments in this
Council, and the comments of Paul and James in the referenced Scripture always
seemed somewhat contradictory to me, but I think James is extending what Paul
says to differentiate between “professed and possessed faith”. This debate between the Pharisaic Jews and
Apostles regarding salvation and the law of Moses (works) vs. salvation by faith alone becomes a part of the great
divide between Catholics and Protestants that leads to the Protestant Reformation.
The Five Solae (Latin) of the Protestant Reformation: 1) Sola scriptura (by Scripture alone) 2) Sola fide (by faith alone) 3) Sola gratia (by grace alone) 4) Solus Christus or Solo Christo (Christ Alone or Through Christ Alone) 5) Soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone)
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