Shalom Aleichem...
Reflections is a weekly Christian Teaching Ministry. Each week we will talk about the Bible and lessons we can put to use in our daily life. We will try to, on a weekly basis, provide to you stories, thoughts, and just easy ways to live your life on a straight path.
THIS WEEK'S TEACHING....November 12, 2018
This seems like a subject I have talked about before....very familiar material...oh yes, its because it is a subject we have all talked about for years...politics and religion. I know this a little late since the elections were Tuesday but it is still relevant, I believe.
From the moment the first settlers came to America, and dedicated the land to "the glory of God, and the Propagation of the Christian Faith," the Christian church has played a central role in shaping the governmental structure of our nation. In this election year, we felt it would be timely to look at what God’s Word says about civil government, and how Christians are to relate to secular authority. The Bible says more about this issue than you may realize.
Sadly, Christians who are involved in the political process are often derided as being some sort of fringe group, the "radical Christian right." However, our critics often overlook the fact that Christians have been on the cutting edge of some of the greatest reforms in history, including the development of many hospitals, charities, and the founding of some of our greatest colleges and universities. From the abolition of slavery, to the civil rights reforms of the 1960s, Christians have been on the front lines of making the world a better place for all.
Much is said about the "separation of Church and State." While an in depth discussion of this topic is beyond the scope of this study, there are a number of Scriptural principles that should be examined. While it is true that the Bible teaches that spiritual government (Church) and political government (State) are two separate institutions, they are to function in ways that are complimentary to each other.
For example: In ancient Israel, Moses was the political leader (Exodus 18:15-16), while his brother Aaron served in the Priesthood as the spiritual leader (Exodus 28-29) A similar relationship is seen between King Josiah and Hilkiah the Priest (2 Kings 22.) Another example would be Nehemiah the Governor (Nehemiah 7:1-7,) and Ezra the Scribe (Nehemiah 8:1-8.) Above all, the highest law is God’s Law, and He expects all human governments to be subject to it (Psalm 2:10-12; Isaiah 8:20.)
Please understand, we are not "preaching politics." Ultimately, genuine change comes through changed hearts, which only occurs as people respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, we do still live in a fallen, sinful world, and as we will see, God has ordained the system of civil government to protect the innocent, and to maintain proper order. The Christian life carries a prophetic voice that calls us to shine light into dark places. Jesus’ call for His people to be salt and light to a dying world covers every aspect of life (Matthew 5:13-14,) including how we vote and relate to our government. Christians are to be peaceful, law abiding citizens, (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-15.) We are to pray for and honor our government leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-3,) faithfully pay our taxes (Matthew 22:21,) and to work for the highest good of all people (Proverbs 3:27; Galatians 6:10.) This includes working to promote Godly principles in politics and government (Proverbs 29:2.)
By the way, this is a little off subject however, I have been asked this question recently about the number of Scripture references in Reflections..."Pastor Patrick, you use a lot of Scripture references in your teachings but you do not write them out for us to read. Why is that?" The reason I do not writer out each Scripture is because "I WANT YOU TO LOOK IT UP SO YOUR BIBLE IS MORE THAN A COFFEE TABLE BOOK!!"
Back to the teaching....
The above-mentioned Scripture, Romans 13:1-7, is a key text in understanding what the Scriptures say about the relation of civil and spiritual authority. In this passage, we see that civil government is ordained by God to punish evil, and preserve the peace in a society. It even goes as far as to call government servants ministers of God! (Obviously, they don’t always live up to it, but that is God’s ideal nonetheless.) In light of this, the Bible calls us to obey all civil laws, unless these laws are in direct violation to the laws and commandments of God.
There are a number of people in the Bible that God specifically called to work for change in the political and governmental arena. This includes men and women such as Joseph (Genesis 41:39-41), Deborah (Judges 5:1-7), Gideon (Judges 6:11-14), Samuel (1 Samuel 3:1-19), David (1 Samuel 16:1-13), Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:1-11), and Daniel (Daniel 1:4-6; 18-21).
In our day and age, there are a number of avenues through which we can work for change in civil authority. One important avenue we should avail ourselves of is Election Day; the God given privilege of voting is something we should never take for granted. I do hope you all voted on Tuesday and maybe volunteered also.
Keep in mind that following Jesus transcends blind loyalty to political parties, and to a degree, there is room among Christians for some honest difference of opinion in regard to politics. Nevertheless, there are some Biblical principles that God requires us all to follow when it comes to the stands we take.
These Biblically mandated issues include:
Speaking out for innocent life (Proverbs 31:8.) This includes unborn children (Psalm 139:13-16; Isaiah 44:2, 24; 49:1-5; Jeremiah 1:5)
Confronting sin and moral decay (Proverbs 14:34; Isaiah 5:20; Jonah 1:2)
Defending the poor and oppressed (Psalm 10:2; Isaiah 10:1-2; Amos 2:6-7)
Working toward the peace and blessing of Israel (Genesis 12:3; 27:29; Psalm 122:6)
Secondly, contrary to popular belief, character DOES count when choosing our leaders. Exodus 18:21-22 gives us a good model to follow. These passages show us that civil leaders are to be "...able men who fear God...men of truth, hating covetousness (greed)". If our country had always followed these common sense guidelines when casting our votes, we would be a much stronger nation today.
The Bible describes leadership as being a sacred trust, and placing a person in such a position is a very serious thing. For example, in 1 Timothy 5:22, Paul instructs the young Pastor Timothy to "Lay hands suddenly on no man (to ordain him into the ministry,) neither be partaker of other men’s sins" In other words, if we hastily put a person into leadership who is not worthy of it, we risk bearing the guilt of that person’s sin.
What does this have to do with voting? As we mentioned earlier, the Bible also describes government leaders as being ministers of God. In this case, we "ordain" our leaders by our votes, support, and influence. If we support politicians who support ungodly causes, or promote immoral behavior, God holds us responsible for that. To bid a person "Godspeed" in their sin is to become a doer of that same sin (2 John 11.), a very sobering thought.
Finally, we can never fall into the trap of substituting political involvement for the Gospel. We must recognize that politics can never be an instrument of salvation. While we can and should work for positive change, this is, at best, a Band-Aid solution. At their root, a nation’s problems are always spiritual in nature. When it comes to eternal issues, simply "moralizing" our culture is not enough. Winning people to our political causes is not enough. People can embrace all of the "Christianized" cultural influences in the world, but without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, they are still be totally lost.
It has to start with each of us as individuals. God gives us the wonderful promise that "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. " (2 Chronicles 7:14)
We can all start right where we are. Remember...if you did not vote...you cannot complain!
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." (Psalms 33:12)
DID YOU EVER WONDER???
When an elderly lady died in the geriatric ward of a small hospital near Dundee, Scotland, it was felt that she had nothing left of any value. Later, when the nurses were going through her meager possessions, it's quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital. One nurse took her copy to Ireland. The old lady's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas edition of the News Magazine of the North A slide presentation has also been...And this little old Scottish lady, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the authoress "" Goes to show that we"".....
AN OLD LADY'S POEM
What do you see, nurses, what do you see?
What are you thinking when you're looking at me?
A crabby old woman, not very wise,
Uncertain of habit, with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles her food and makes no reply""
Who seems not to notice the things that you do,
And forever is losing a stocking or shoe....
Who, resisting or not, lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding, the long day to fill....
Then open your eyes, nurse; you're not looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am as I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of ten...with a father ! and mother,
Brothers and sisters, who love one another.
A young girl of sixteen, with wings on her feet,
Dreaming that soon now a lover she'll meet.
A bride soon at twenty--my heart gives a leap,
Remembering the vows that I promised to keep.
At twenty-five now, I have young of my own,
Who need me to guide and a secure happy home.
A woman of thirty, my young now grown fast,
Bound to each other with ties that should last.
At forty, my young sons have grown and are gone,
But my man's beside me to see I don't mourn.
At fifty once more, babies play around my knee,
Again we know children, my loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me, my husband is dead;
I look at the future, I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing young of their own,
And I think of the years and the love that I've known.
I'm now an old woman....and nature is cruel;
Tis jest to make old age look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles, grace and vigor depart,
There is now a stone where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass a young girl still dwells,
And now and again my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys, I remember the pain,
And I'm loving and living life over again.
I think of the years....all too few, gone too fast,
And accept the stark fact that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, nurses, open and see,
...Not a crabby old woman; look closer...see ME!!
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE...A TEACHING
This week, we look at the Book of Proverbs...
Who wrote the book?
Proverbs, like Psalms, names multiple individuals as the authors of its various sections. Solomon was uniquely qualified to serve as the principal author for this book of wise sayings. First Kings 3:5–9 recounts Solomon asking God for wisdom in his reign over Israel, a request God eventually granted (1 Kings 4:29–31). In fact, Solomon identified himself as the source of most of the book. His name appears at the beginning of three distinct sections--Proverbs 1:1, 10:1, and 25:1—covering almost all of the first twenty-nine chapters of the book.
A short section consisting of Proverbs 22:17–24:34 expresses “the words of the wise” (Proverbs 22:17), which Solomon may have compiled from various sources. Evidence that Solomon drew on multiple sources appears in Proverbs 24:23, where Solomon used the plural noun for “wise” (also translated sages) to describe the authors of this section. Also, due to the book’s similarities with Mesopotamian and Egyptian collections of proverbs such as “The Instruction of Amenemope,” it’s possible that God inspired Solomon to record this section based on wise sayings he had been exposed to throughout his life.1
The final two chapters identify Agur (30:1) and Lemuel (31:1) as their authors, though the identities of these men remain mysterious in history.
Where are we?
The composition of Proverbs remains one of the most difficult questions about the book. Its strong association with Solomon means most of its contents were completed prior to his death in 931 BC. Clearly the book stayed in the southern kingdom of Judah, as Hezekiah’s men compiled more of Solomon’s proverbs in Proverbs 25–29. This indicates that the book was likely in its final form sometime before the end of Hezekiah’s reign in 686 BC.
Why is Proverbs so important?
Proverbs accomplishes something no other biblical book does: it simply compiles numerous short instructions for living an effective life on earth. While other books articulate profound theological truths, lengthy narratives of triumph and failure, or prophetic preaching to a disobedient people, Proverbs concerns itself completely with instructing people in the path of wisdom. The writers of the book recognized the varied circumstances of a person’s life and provided principles to apply in a variety of situations rather than instructions to follow in only a few specific instances.
What's the big idea?
Proverbs states its theme explicitly very early in the book: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). The fear of the Lord refers to our viewing Him with the respect He deserves. It means living our lives in light of what we know of Him, holding Him in the highest estimation, and depending on Him with humble trust. Only then, Proverbs teaches, will we discover knowledge and wisdom (see also 9:10).
In writing the Proverbs, Solomon hoped that his readers would attain practical righteousness in all things and that we would do this by living our lives under the authority and direction of God. He specifically explained the book’s purpose in 1:2–6, focusing on imparting understanding that would impact every facet of our lives. Much of the book emphasizes listening to others so that we might learn from them and apply the combined knowledge of those who have gone before us—such as parents and elders—to the unique circumstances of our own lives (1:5, 8). Wisdom then involves appropriating a measure of humility, first before God and then before others. If instead, we decide to speak rashly rather than listen attentively . . . well, Proverbs deals with that too (12:15; 13:3).
How do I apply this?Read it! Then live it! Proverbs contains some of the most applicable nuggets of truth in all of the Bible. Most of the proverbs are pithy statements brimming over with imagery from the real world. This approach allows us to see very clearly how any particular proverb might be applied to any number of everyday situations we encounter—from getting out of bed in the morning to building a strong foundation in our relationships with others. Proverbs reminds us that God concerns Himself not just with the big, cataclysmic events of life but even those mundane, “invisible” moments in our lives as well.
HAVE A SAFE AND BLESSED WEEK:)
Ho'omaikaʻi ka Pua iā kākou