Prove Your Faith When Everyone Is Watching

Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!” [1 Samuel 17.41-47] 

Consistent with all the Bible, the story of David and Goliath is about idolatry.

Now, before you think I have lost my direction and become unnecessarily fixated on idolatry, look at what Goliath did, "And he cursed David by the names of his gods" Uh-hmm... idolatry!

Goliath's incitation of the names of his gods changes everything about this story.

David's actions, following his words, tell the remarkable story of faith in God alone. We should pay close attention to David's weapon of choice for taking down Goliath: a sling. Is this not a bit odd since David touted his ability with a club?

But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. [1 Samuel 17.34-35]

Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine. [1 Samuel 17.38-40]

Is it possible that David was so intent on the victory being God's alone that he chose at the last minute to use a sling instead of a club just to prove "that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!"? David's actions revealed that he neither trusted in Saul's armor nor in his own proven abilities with a club. David also knew everyone was watching.

THINK! Although David had a sling with him, we have no Biblical record that suggests he was an expert with it. We know from the Bible that he was an expert on the harp and we have David's own account of his expertise with a club, but we have no indication from the Bible that he was an expert with a sling. The Bible has always been clear however that although David had the sling with him (in his shepherd's bag), he had no stones in that same bag! Why would an "expert" carry a gun without bullets - a bow without arrows - or a sling without select smooth stones? Hint: he wouldn't.

The fact that David rejected Saul's armor (and sword) and his own club as his weapon of choice to take down Goliath is proof-positive that David was intentional that the glory for killing Goliath went to God alone and not himself. David was keenly aware of how idolatry works! Idolatry does not care what we trust so long as it is not God alone! Goliath threw down the gauntlet by inciting the names of his gods (because that's what idolatry does) and David brilliantly responded in faith in God alone... again, because everyone was watching.

I used to think that David must have been a true expert with a sling. I have even written convincing articles to that end based on my own suppositions. But today, after much more reading of God's Word and realization of idolatry's role in the whole Bible, David's actions are in perfect alignment with God's 1st Commandment: "You must not have any other god but me." David not only believed this but was intentional in proving it using his own life as the example. David proved his faith while everyone was watching.

It could be said here that David fulfilled Jesus' demand to give up your own way (the way of man's armor, or our own abilities), take up your cross (ignoring death's threat), and follow Me (God's indisputable miraculous way), long before Jesus said it. 

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

How absolutely revelatory is that?

Father in heaven, may my life prove Your powerful intervention in the lives of those who believe and trust You alone. As You continue to reveal the role of idolatry in the history of Your people, may I rightly conclude its significant role today. May I not only resign to giving up my own way, taking up my cross, and following Jesus, but intentionally seek opportunities to do so for Your glory. So be it.

Ignorance Is Not Bliss

One day Samuel said to Saul, “It was the LORD who told me to anoint you as king of his people, Israel. Now listen to this message from the LORD! This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt. [1 Samuel 15.1-2] 

As random as this instruction from God may seem, it reveals truth we need to understand today. To fully understand this truth however, we must dig deeper...

In Exodus 17 we find the history of Amalek opposing Israel:

While the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek attacked them. Moses commanded Joshua, “Choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle. After the victory, the LORD instructed Moses, “Write this down on a scroll as a permanent reminder, and read it aloud to Joshua: I will erase the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nissi (which means “the LORD is my banner”). He said, “They have raised their fist against the LORD’s throne, so now the LORD will be at war with Amalek generation after generation.” [Exodus 17.8-16] 

Who was Amalek?

Timna, the concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, gave birth to a son named Amalek. These are the descendants of Esau’s wife Adah. [Genesis 36.12] 

Who was Esau?

Isaac pleaded with the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children. The LORD answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the LORD about it. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked. And the LORD told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.” And when the time came to give birth, Rebekah discovered that she did indeed have twins! The first one was very red at birth and covered with thick hair like a fur coat. So they named him Esau. Then the other twin was born with his hand grasping Esau’s heel. So they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born. [Genesis 25.21-26] 

What was Esau's deal?

“I have always loved you,” says the LORD. But you retort, “Really? How have you loved us?” And the LORD replies, “This is how I showed my love for you: I loved your ancestor Jacob, but I rejected his brother, Esau, and devastated his hill country. I turned Esau’s inheritance into a desert for jackals.” Esau’s descendants in Edom may say, “We have been shattered, but we will rebuild the ruins.” But the LORD of Heaven’s Armies replies, “They may try to rebuild, but I will demolish them again. Their country will be known as ‘The Land of Wickedness,’ and their people will be called ‘The People with Whom the Lord Is Forever Angry.’ [Malachi 1.2-4] 

Why did God reject Esau? 

Now, we are getting somewhere... 

God's recorded disdain for Esau is not random and it is not a mystery. Esau is well-known for selling his birthright for a bowl of soup (Genesis 25.27-34). As the Bible documents, this action showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn. The rights as the firstborn he held in contempt were rights assigned by God. Esau placed his hunger above God's way (birthright) thus making a god of himself and thereby ignoring the 1st Commandment. But that's not the end of it...

Later, Esau married local Canaanite women showing further contempt for God Who had already addressed that very subject:

“When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These seven nations are greater and more numerous than you. When the LORD your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you. This is what you must do. You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols. For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure. [Deuteronomy 7.1-6]

So, the bottom line is this: God will not overlook idolatry. Amalek's treatment of Israel went deeper than just the encounter at Rephidim. The people of Amalek were descendants of Esau who blatantly embraced idolatry, first, by placing his own hunger above God's established birthright order and secondly, by marrying into idolatry.

As Jacob (Israel) foreshadows the Church and Esau foreshadows the world, we should not be so quick to dismiss idolatry as only an "Old Testament" problem. Yes, the 1st Commandment lays down hard law:

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. [Exodus 20.2-3]

But Exodus 20.2-3 is no less demanding than Jesus' words:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

God's delayed decision to settle accounts with Amalek (subject passage of this article above) should come as no surprise because of wording found in the 2nd Commandment:

“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.4-6]

If God lavishes love for a thousand generations on those who love Him, what might be expected by the generations of those who do not love Him (understanding that the context of "love" in Exodus 20.2-4 is not having idols). Would not the opposite of lavishing love be damning hatred? And, would not damning hatred play out in curses rather than blessings? And would that not explain then why curses continue passing from generation to generation today? And would that not indict the Church of idolatry as it experiences curses just like the world?

Jesus' demand to give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Him was not a "New Testament" thing. It was very much a continuation of the "Old Testament" demand "You must not have any other god but me."

Esau's rationale that the birthright would be no good to him if he died of hunger is no different than Saul's rationale that the sheep and goats could be used for sacrifices to God. The key word in the previous sentence is "rationale." Rationale does not change God's demand for exclusive trust in Him alone. Our rationale today gives us no right to defensively claim that God uses our own creations to provide what God specifically said He alone would provide.

As the 1st Commandment serves as the flagship of the entire Old Testament, so Jesus's demand that we give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Him is the flagship of the New Testament. Both demands are one and the same. Idolatry is the antithesis of both.

This is not new teaching but rather the teaching that has been lying overlooked in the pages of the entire Bible all along. God's people have grown woefully ignorant through their overwhelming neglect of God's Word, willfully indoctrinated by their "cherry-picking" only passages that support their predispositions, and therefore wrongly instructed in the true Biblical ways of God. Not ironically, the popular religion that allows such Bible-less-ness is wickedly intent on the destruction of God's true Church by their digression into commonplace worldly idolatry:

My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me... [Hosea 4.6]

To prove I am not "cherry-picking" here myself, let's just read more of the context of Hosea's well-known passage above:

My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children. The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the shame of idols. [Hosea 4.6-7] 

God's demand for total annihilation of Amalek was not random. The curses that even God's people experience today are not random. It can all be Biblically traced back to idolatry. Ignorance is not bliss.

Father in heaven, may Your people get serious with Your written Word, and, in so doing with Your Living Word, Jesus. May we comprehend that giving up our own way is indeed giving up on self-preservation (idolatry) so that the undeniable, indisputable resurrection power of the cross might be seen in us. Help us. So be it.

God Is Glorified In Selfless Obedience

The men of Israel saw what a tight spot they were in; and because they were hard pressed by the enemy, they tried to hide in caves, thickets, rocks, holes, and cisterns. Some of them crossed the Jordan River and escaped into the land of Gad and Gilead. Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear. Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself. Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?” Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the LORD’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.” “How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you. Had you kept it, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart. The LORD has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.” [1 Samuel 13.6-14] 

Satan is opportunistic when it comes to our fear. Count on it. When fears come, be need to pay close attention!

Idols (including the idol of "self") play on our fears, bolster our doubt, question God's Word, and incite us to act independently of God and His Word when times of fear come.

Every fear we have is an opportunity to see God's glory, unless of course, we begin to act upon our own ways and/or solicit help elsewhere, other than from God.

In contrast to Saul's succumbing to fear above, we find in today's One Year Chronological Bible reading the story of Jonathan and his armor bearer. Their response to fear was much different.

In short, Jonathan and his armor bearer faced their fears head-on, but not in foolish or arrogant bravado. Theirs was not a heady suicide mission either, but instead a strategically calculated plan of attack, against insurmountable odds (2 against 20), dependent entirely upon the help and leadership of God.

“Let’s go across to the outpost of those pagans,” Jonathan said to his armor bearer. “Perhaps the LORD will help us, for nothing can hinder the LORD. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!”  “Do what you think is best,” the armor bearer replied. “I’m with you completely, whatever you decide.”  “All right, then,” Jonathan told him. “We will cross over and let them see us. If they say to us, ‘Stay where you are or we’ll kill you,’ then we will stop and not go up to them. But if they say, ‘Come on up and fight,’ then we will go up. That will be the LORD’s sign that he will help us defeat them.” [1 Samuel 14.6-10]

When fear entices us to doubt God and turn to idols (including the idol of "self" and its ways), we miss an opportunity to see God glorified through our lives. Not only did Jonathan and his armor bearer defeat the 20 men they encountered, but their fearless obedience ignited a 'domino-effect' of uncontrolled fear among their enemies. God was glorified in their selfless obedience.

Contrast the events described in this article to modern "believers." We find every good reason to rely on our advanced ways of problem-solving (our intellect, our idols) and no reason to intentionally put ourselves in a situation where only God can see us through. Instead of defying fear in calculated defense of "faith in God alone," we rely on perfectly reasonable human solutions and call it good - and worse, we call it God's doing. That is the exact train of though Saul followed and got rebuked for. In contrast, it is everything Jonathan avoided.

Father in heaven, help us to see the contrast between Saul and his son, Jonathan. Help us study Jonathan so that we might emulate his confident faith seeing how his resignation to his own ways foreshadowed Jesus Who said give up your own ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. So be it.

What Part Of "God Alone" Do We Not Get?

“Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the LORD with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless! The LORD will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the LORD to make you his very own people. [1 Samuel 12.20-22] 

It was an idolatrous desire for Israel to have a king. It was wrong for them to want a king.

But though I have rescued you from your misery and distress, you have rejected your God today and have said, ‘No, we want a king instead!’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by tribes and clans.” [1 Samuel 10.19] 

Then, in Samuel's explanation why it was wrong for Israel to want a king, he reminded them of their history with idols: 

“Then they cried to the LORD again and confessed, ‘We have sinned by turning away from the LORD and worshiping the images of Baal and Ashtoreth. But we will worship you and you alone if you will rescue us from our enemies.’ Then the LORD sent Gideon, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel to save you, and you lived in safety. “But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the LORD your God was already your king. [1 Samuel 12.10-12]

What part of "God alone" did Israel (do we) not get? 

You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the LORD to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the LORD for a king!” [1 Samuel 12.17]

As Bible history proves though, as long as Israel's king feared and worshiped only God, Israel was blessed. But, from this point in the Bible forward, Israel would have many more bad kings than good ones. This is not my interpretation of the Bible, but exactly what the Bible says.

God tolerated Israel having a king as long as that king led the people in worship of God alone. Indeed, God granted Israel's misguided request for a king, but it was not "God's best."

I would like to ask all the religious people who suggest that God gave us debt, insurance medicine and technology (to provide for us what God said He alone would provide for us) this simple qualifying question: As the industries of debt, insurance, medicine and technology go (all of which can be identified as idols by their offering of benefits God said He alone would provide), do these alleged "gifts from God" overwhelmingly and undeniably worship God alone and lead us in worship of Him? Of course, they do not. In fact, they all portray and promote "self-focus" as they suggest we do for ourselves (at the exorbitant price of their interest, premiums, prescriptions and gadgetry) what God said He alone would do for us.

Idols have become so commonplace today that we are almost completely blind to their existence. All the while, God's Word is repeatedly warning us to stay away from idols. But! If we do not know what God's Word actually says because we do not read it for ourselves, we are none the wiser and idols therefore dominate our lives.

I will again quote the Apostle Paul here from yesterday's article:

So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. [1 Corinthians 10.14]

Father, may we be found running face-first to You alone as we flee from the worship of idols, which is exactly what Jesus demanded when He said we must give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Him. So be it. 

Has God Abandoned Us?

So the men of Kiriath-jearim came to get the Ark of the LORD. They took it to the hillside home of Abinadab and ordained Eleazar, his son, to be in charge of it. The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a long time—twenty years in all. During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed the LORD had abandoned them. Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to the LORD with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the LORD and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the LORD. [1 Samuel 7.1-4] 

Does it seem like the LORD has abandoned us? 

How would we know if He had?

There is a simple test that indisputably reveals God's blessing. What is is? It is God's blessing. God's blessing sets apart His people from the godless people of the world. If the world is sick, God's people are well. If the world is poor, God's people are rich. If the world is well, God's people are even more well. If the world is rich, God's people are richer.

If God's people today compare themselves to the world, let's just face it, there is no difference. They look the same, act the same, have the same needs, and rely on the same solutions.

All the while, the Bible has for centuries declared God's distinct blessings upon His own.

Sameness with the world says God has indeed abandoned His people.

The thing about deception is that deceived people cannot see that they are deceived. This is the remarkable condition of people who compare themselves to each other instead of comparing themselves to the Word of God. While the Bible declares God's distinct blessings upon His people, it is of no consequence to people who are ignorant of His Word. 

However, when God's people read and understand the Bible for what it actually says, without extra-Biblical interpretation or denominational predisposition, they must conclude that their lives don't match up. They must conclude that their lives are no different than the world - that the LORD has abandoned them. They must conclude that they have followed idols, thus abandoning God. They must conclude that they need to repent and return to Him alone.

God would say to us today the same thing he told Samuel about Israel:

Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. [1 Samuel 8.8]

What makes God's people look like the people of the world? Everything God's people depend on just like the world: debt, insurance, medicine and technology (to name the principle offenders). The Bible is clear that God's blessing is distinguishable provision, protection, health, and even convenience compared to the world. But, there is also another idol that has blinded God's people to the truth of what the Bible says: religion. 

Religion has stealthily crept between God's people and God's Word effectively blinding them to the truth it teaches. For every failure of man to believe and trust God alone, religion offers a consoling partial truth reducing a would-be-believer to sameness with the world. Religion embraces idols saying they are "gifts from God" while ignoring the fact that the world utilizes the same idols in a blasphemous taunt that, in man's advanced ways, he does not need God. Eyes blinded by ignorance of God's Word will never see this despairing discrepancy!

Samuel's story remains forever written in God's Word to reveal that God-abandoned-sameness-with-the-world is God's permanent call to repentance and renewed faith in Him alone. It is an enduring call for God's people to rid themselves of idols paving the way for God's miraculous distinction to be made in their lives. It is the exact same call Jesus made when He said:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

Trusting God alone is serious business to God. Jesus only confirmed it. But, if we do not read and know the entire Bible for what it actually says without extra-Biblical interpretation or denominational predisposition, we are hopelessly blinded by every idol we depend on for blessings that God already promised to provide to distinguish those who are His from those who are not.

In the words of the Apostle Paul:

So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. [1 Corinthians 10.14]

Father in heaven, may Your true followers rid themselves of every idol and perceived idol in deference only to You as Jesus demanded. May Your people seek the distinction of Your hand upon their lives in open rejection of sameness with the world. May Your people faithfully return to Your Word in all it teaches specifically understanding that Jesus is Your Word in the flesh. May Your people understand that Your Word is the antithesis to the world and that Your Word (Jesus) is all that glorifies You. So be it.

No Doctrinal Explanation Needed

“Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don’t speak with such arrogance! For the LORD is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions. [1 Samuel 2.3] 

Like so much Bible truth, Hannah's words here are quickly dismissed as "Old Testament" and, therefore disregarded by "New Testament believers."

Let it be established here right now... If one is truly a New Testament believer, he is also every bit an Old Testament believer. Jesus said:

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! [John 5.39]

Jesus was talking about the Old Testament! With this established, we should go on to consider the context of Hannah's words in 1 Samuel 2.3 by understanding what follows it:

The bow of the mighty is now broken, and those who stumbled are now strong. Those who were well fed are now starving, and those who were starving are now full. The childless woman now has seven children, and the woman with many children wastes away. The LORD gives both death and life; he brings some down to the grave but raises others up. The LORD makes some poor and others rich; he brings some down and lifts others up. He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, placing them in seats of honor. For all the earth is the LORD’s, and he has set the world in order. [1 Samuel 2.4-8] 

1 Samuel 2.4-8 is an explanation of God's judgment spoken of in 1 Samuel 2.3. It has everything to do with the blessings and curses pronounced upon obedience or disobedience respectively in Deuteronomy 28. It has everything to do with the fact that God is a God of order: he has set the world in order.

There are those who very much wish to believe that 1 Samuel 2.4-8 supports the idea that God randomly blesses or curses people, but that is quite impossible to prove based on the combined understanding of 1 Samuel 2.3,  For the LORD is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions, and the last sentence of 1 Samuel 2.8, For all the earth is the LORD’s, and he has set the world in order.

What's worse is that there are those who very much wish to believe that Jesus somehow broke God's order - which, is a ludicrous idea. These same people believe God randomly blesses and curses people according to some random purpose that is completely unknown to man. They will quote John 3.16 without hesitation but must defensively resort to manmade doctrine (not the Bible) while hoping not to have to explain what follows John 3.16:

God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” [John 3.17-21]

God's order is blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. All manner of curses, like those contrasted to blessings in Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 2, are God's judgment with the ultimate curse being eternal separation from God. Because man is sinful by birth, he is under judgment from birth and it is that judgment that Jesus came to redeem man from. 

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” [Galatians 3.13]

So, if, as the result of man's "saving faith" in Him, Jesus redeemed man from the curse, why do "Christians" still suffer curses? Aaaaand, Pandora's Box of proud religious ideas is opened.

Curses are indicators of sin today no less than they ever were:

Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim. [Proverbs 26.2]

And yet, in deceived arrogant pride "Christians" deny God's established order. They must concoct elaborate "open-ended" doctrines that usurp God's established order of things (confusing God's establishment of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience). These "open-ended" doctrines all purport various versions of "why bad things happen to good people" but few, if any, accurately (Biblically) trace "curses" to "disobedience" thus requiring repentance. They push right past repentance and go straight to "faith," be it faith in Jesus to endure or faith in Jesus to overcome, but few if any effectively teach us to repent until the curse is lifted. By the way, "declaring" the curse is lifted is indeed scriptural if the curse is lifted, but if not, continuing to "declare" might better be replaced with repentance. Curses don't lie. And, if a curse cannot be broken with words, that means the blood of Jesus has not been applied. That means that genuine repentance and faith in Christ has not occurred and that true Biblical redemption lies dormant and unrealized.

We can argue my previous paragraph all we want, be we cannot deny Hannah's words in 1 Samuel 2.3:

“Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don’t speak with such arrogance! For the LORD is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions. [1 Samuel 2.3]

It is foolish to declare "Christ has redeemed me" and remain burdened with curses. However, it is wise to declare "Christ offers redemption" and proceed in Biblical repentance and faith until the curses are lifted. But, alas, who really wants to live in daily repentance and faith? <<crickets>>

It all comes down to how we each interpret "give up your own way" and "take up your cross."

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

If there are any self-prescribed allowances made in response to Jesus' demand you must give up your own way then there is no redemption in a person's life but rather a deceptive dilution of idolatry (to self, if nothing else). Try telling Jesus "it's too hard" when He took the sin of the world to His Cross. Our emotion is our enemy. Only full obedience to Jesus transports us to the title "follower of Christ." We can make every possible confession of faith imaginable, but no amount of "rolling the engine over" in confession will start the engine of salvation without the fuel of repentance and faith (giving up our way for His way - the way of the cross - the way of obedience).

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. [Philippians 2.5-8]

It is no surprise that most folks do not quote verse 5 of the passage above You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had! They want the "blessings" of Jesus' death on the Cross, but they do not want or see the need for the same attitude Jesus had - they are unwilling to give up their own way, take up their cross, and follow Jesus. Such a person cannot be saved until that attitude is changed.

God's order will not and cannot be changed. Again, to even think Jesus changed God's order is to deny that Jesus is God.

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? [Numbers 23.19]

It is no mistake in the grand arrangement of God's Word that immediately following Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 2, we find contrast in Eli and his sons who made their own rules to live by (doctrines to justify their actions) that resulted in the following warning from God:

So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me—for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel! [1 Samuel 2.29] 

Eli and his sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were unwilling to give up their own self-indulgent ways and they interpreted God's Word to mean what they selfishly and arrogantly wanted it to mean and not what God said. Oh, I wish this was not true among alleged Christians today!

The solution to the problem described here is also found in chapter 1 of 1 Samuel:

Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the LORD. [1 Samuel 1.10]

In her curse of infertility, Hannah was in deep anguish and cried bitterly to the LORD. She would not have done that if she believed God was random in any way at all. And, she certainly would not have made the commitment to give the child she was asking for to the LORD. Why? Because God is a God of order. Hannah's repentance and faith started with deep anguish and bitter crying and continued with the act of giving her child to God. Her repentant attitude was rewarded not so much with the birth of Samuel (because giving him to God was still the act of her repentance), but with the birth of five more children afterwards.

Hannah's prayer of side by side blessings and curses was a revelation following her repentance and faith - no arrogant doctrinal explanation needed. God's order is established forever.

Father, much has been said here that should solicit response by all who read it. Whether people agree or disagree, I ask that You cause them to go to Your Word to know where they stand. And, may their stance (our stance) be that of Jesus on the Cross - not so much a "stance" however as it is a "hanging" - hanging helplessly submitted to the cross, having given up our own way, that Your resurrection life might follow. So be it.

Talk About A Change!

So Boaz took Ruth into his home, and she became his wife. When he slept with her, the LORD enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the LORD, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!” Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast. And she cared for him as if he were her own. The neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David. [Ruth 4.13-17] 

If we fail to understand the background of this passage, we fail to see just how great a redemption story is seen in it.

Ruth was an idolatrous Moabite. She chose to follow God. She became the great grandmother of King David. Talk about a change!

Father in heaven, help us to see just how capable You are of turning our idolatry into that which pleases You if we give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. So be it.