When I set out to write this article, I had in mind a fairly short piece that would be somewhat lighthearted and at the same time praise God for His sovereign intervention in the lives of His people and those who stand against Him. But when I got to where I thought I was going to close the article, I felt compelled to write a little more about something God seemed to be bringing to my mind. I have no doubt that this transition will be apparent to anyone who reads on.
In Acts Chapter 23 we have a historical record of a serious matter related to the Lord's Church, but each time that I read it, I have a tendency to chuckle a little. In this passage of scripture we find the Apostle Paul has been taken into custody following some commotion that was instigated by the Jews who opposed his teaching about Jesus and the resurrection. The Roman authorities are holding him and we find that a group of over 40 Jewish men have formed a conspiracy together to put Paul to death. The plan involved, what amounted to be, an insincere request that would be made by the religious leaders, to Lysias, the Roman Commander, to have Paul brought down to the Jewish Council in order for them to make a more "thorough investigation" of him. With no intention of there actually being a more "thorough investigation", the men would lie in wait to ambush Paul as he was being brought to the Council. These men are serious about putting Paul to death and the scripture tells us that they had bound themselves under an oath that "they would neither eat or drink until they had killed Paul".
There is one major problem with their plot to kill the Apostle and the oath that these men have bound themselves to. Paul is a servant of the most high God! The Sovereign One intervenes in this matter by allowing Paul's nephew to overhear the plotters as they discuss their plans and intentions. The nephew is then able to report this to Paul and then to the Roman authorities. The Commander then takes matters into his own hands to see that no such thing occurs. He assembles an impressive military escort to take Paul on to Caesarea and deliver him to Felix the Governor. We read that the escort consisted of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen. 470 to 40 were not very good odds for those planning the ambush. Isn't it ironic that God is using the very people (the Romans) who drove the nails through the hands and feet of our Savior, to protect a man whose ministry is to proclaim His Son's name among the Gentiles. I also find it interesting that God used the power or strength of men to accomplish His perfect will in this matter. In a different situation we might be saying how insignificant 470 trained soldiers would be up against 40 men and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! It matters whose side God is on.
There is no further mention of these men who had formed the conspiracy. Lets consider two possible scenarios. Even though the soldiers left with Paul during the night, instead of waiting till morning, it is possible that somewhere along the way, this group of oath-bound men lied in wait as the large procession of soldiers passed by. In this case, I can see the men quietly turning to one another, attempting to remain unnoticed, as their stomachs growled with hunger and a parched feeling began to be felt in their throats. Or possibly the soldiers had taken Paul and left several hours before the group of men had assembled together where they planned their ambush. In this case, I still see them waiting and waiting some more as they began to look at one another and wonder what had gone wrong. Their stomachs growl with hunger and a thirst begins to come over them. I have often chuckled at these men. They had no idea that their plan and their oath were destined to be unsuccessful from the time that they were made. These men had found themselves fighting against God.
Wait a minute. What is that growling sound that I hear? I fear it is the growling in the hearts and souls of brothers and sisters in Christ who have made their own oaths against God. No, these are not intentional conspiracies against the Holy One, but against Him nonetheless. And "oath" is probably not the correct word to use here; maybe vows or attitudes would be more appropriate. Vows or attitudes that disregard the things we have come to know about His will for our lives. Vows or attitudes of anger between husbands and wives. Vows or attitudes of animosity between parents and children. Vows or attitudes of ought between brothers or sisters in Christ. Vows to never go here or never go there when God may be leading differently. Vows to assert, what we may wrongly believe to be our "rights", despite what the word of God may say about humility. Vows or attitudes of non commitment to the Lord's Church in a local body. These are only a sample of the things that I believe we do without giving sufficient thought to what we are doing in our relationship with Him.
We must ask ourselves if these "vows" or "attitudes" we have unwittingly made against God have contributed to the spiritual starvation and the dry parched lives of members of the Body of Christ and His Church? Have they done so in my life; or in your life? Have we, in our own ways, found ourselves "fighting against God"; resisting or grieving the Holy Spirit, the Comforter and Helper, Whom Christ said was sent for our advantage. Have we become "dull of hearing"; unable to hear the inward growling that is ours, as we listen for the growling that comes from others?
Just as this group of men had to break their oaths in order to live, we must break our own vows and allow God to change our attitudes in order for us to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. It is abundant life that He desires to impart to His children. We must do so now. We must go to the Christ, His word and the people He has gifted and put into our lives. These forty some men had bound themselves by an oath and we find ourselves bound up (some might say stuck) by the vows or attitudes in our lives that our contrary to those of our Lord.
Father, help us to break our vows or attitudes of anger, resentment, bitterness, independence and pride. Help us to run as fast as we might to the throne of grace, where we can find help in this time of need. Help us to nourish our souls with the truth of your word, knowledge and intimacy with your Son and fellowship with your people. We ask that you would help us to see the things in our own lives that are not consistent with your will and your holiness. Dare I ask that you shine the light of your glory upon me; exposing the thoughts and actions of my flesh? Help us to walk in the Spirit; desiring to walk in newness of life and not as mere men.
1 comment:
Good work, I heard my own stomach growling as I read through this posting, and the sound was deafening. We know that, on our own, we are incapable of toning down or even softening our rumbling growls – that requires Jesus. You are correct about the vows and attitudes that we unwittingly make against God, and the Bible gives countless accounts of man’s folly in this. But why does this happen?
I think the key to the problem here is found in the word “wit.” The dictionary defines “wit(s)” as; powers of intelligent observation, keen perception, ingenious contrivance, or the like; mental acuity, composure, and resourcefulness: using one's wits to get ahead. As often as we inject wit into the spiritual equation for obedience, we will “unwittingly” abandon God’s plan, again and again.
Satan knows that the mind is too cluttered and susceptible to confusion to be a solid anchor (remember Eve?), especially, the minds of immature believers where he works frantically to derail God’s plans for us. The mind is where our “wit” and our “will of the flesh” reside. When we become saved through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts, and that is where Jesus lives within us, as well.
God’s perfect wisdom does not ram His will into our corruptible minds, instead, He places it on our hearts …and wit-free obedience to His will is the cure for chronic indigestion! Wait, for a split second there, and only a split second, I thought I heard the growling wane …just slightly.
Bob
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