Your Job is a High and Holy Calling: The Doctrine of Vocation

God is at work in the world. But He normally works through means. That is, through ordinary everyday situations and people. Now for sure, God is God, and can work in His world any way He chooses. For example, He could have continued to create the human race the way He created the first man and woman, out of the dust of the ground. He could miraculously provide our food by turning rocks into bread. When we get sick He could always heal us through the laying on of hands, or through prayer.

God works through ordinary people

But this is not the normal way He works. He chooses to provide for and bless us through the "vocations" of normal everyday people. He uses the Pastor to teach us His Word, the policeman to protect us, the farmer to provide food, the truck driver to deliver food to the grocery store, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, as well as a host of others in the medical field to heal us. Yes He could have chosen the miraculous to do all of these things but instead He chooses to work through the ordinary.

The elevation of vocation

This should be encouraging to us, especially as believers, because it elevates our "vocations" from the mundane and menial to the high and holy. During the time of the medieval church, the only "vocations" ("vocation" comes from the Latin word for "calling") were those involved in full time church work, priests, nuns, monks, etc. The peasant farmer, kitchen maid, soldier, tool maker, although all necessary, were looked upon as unspiritual and worldly. The "doctrine of vocation" taught by the Reformers changed all that.

Even the most menial task is holy

Through the "doctrine of vocation" Christians began to realize that even the most menial task is holy. The priest, nun and monk were no holier than the handmaid, farmer, shoe maker, and soldier. Because the Christian is justified by faith, whatever the "vocation", it is a high and holy calling. The Bible makes it clear that every believer is a Priest: 1Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." Because every Christian is a Priest, every vocation is holy.

God assigned your job

The Apostle Paul says: 1 Corinthians 7:17 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches." It is God who assigns our vocations. Let that encourage you today. And tomorrow, when you wake up and begin getting ready for the day, remember that whatever you do, whether housewife, teacher, truck driver, or grocery store clerk, your job is a high and holy calling.

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Joseph Prince Denies God's Sovereignty

In a video of a sermon excerpt by Joseph Prince, Prince tries to make the protection God provides his people in Psalm 91 all encompassing. In other words, a promise of 24 hour protection from every form of disease, pestilence, and destruction that God sends on the earth. Not only does he make "arrow" in verse 5 to mean missile (yep, as in military weapons) he also quotes John G Lake who said if one was born again, they were incarnate "I want you to hear what Jesus said about himself. God was in Christ, wasn’t He? An incarnation. God is in you, an incarnation, if you were born again. you are incarnate" (John G. Lake, His Life, His Sermons, His Boldness of Faith, 1995, Kenneth Copeland Publications).
Evidently Prince believes this and other blasphemous statements by Lake since he calls him a "great man of God. The point that Prince makes in this sermon is that Believers have the promise of God's protection 24/7.

Suffering is ordained by God

What is not taken into consideration however, is that God does ordain suffering for His children. The Bible is replete with passages on suffering persecution, temptation, and various trials. Christ is even mentioned as our model for suffering- Hebrews 12:2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Prince seems to be saying that Psalm 91 promises God will never allow any suffering to come upon His children.

What about our persecuted brothers and sisters in the Middle East?

Yet what about our brothers and sisters right now undergoing tremendous suffering in the Middle East? "I am gravely concerned about the physical safety of several minority groups in Iraq, including Christians, Shia, Shabaks, Turkmen, Yazidis and others who are being persecuted on the grounds of their religion and ethnicity", said the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsák.
"Reliable information indicates that religious minorities are being targeted and their members subjected to abductions, killings or the confiscation of their property by extremist groups,"
Right now Christians are being killed and tortured all over the Middle East and other parts of the world. ISIS is beheading children, raping women, and killing scores of Christians in Iraq. They are also warning Christians to convert or be massacred. At the same time, ISIS jihadists are crucifying Christians and others in Syria, and the bloody civil war in Syria has left 170,000 dead and created millions of refugees fleeing for safety. Are these brothers and sisters being abandoned by God? Are they not under the protection of God like Prince says every Christian is? Yes this Psalm does promise protection, but often God allows, and even brings suffering and persecution into the lives of His children for their good and His glory (James 1:2-4; Phil 1:29).

The death of Peter

The death of Peter tells us three things about suffering:

John 21:18-19 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go." (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, "Follow me."
1. The purpose of the way Peter was to die was for the glory of God
2. The glory of God took priority over the suffering Peter endured in death
3. Peter’s death was ordained by God

God is not running this world?

But the most disturbing statement comes at around the 17.46 min. mark of the clip where Prince states, "God is not running this world. If God were running this world there would be no hospitals. If God were running this world there would be no need for missiles and weapons."

This is classic Word of Faith theology, which, in case I haven't mentioned it before, is heresy.

The Bible makes it clear that God is running the world, contrary to what Prince and other Word of Faith preachers teach. Let's look at some passages of Scripture that make this clear.

Psalms 115:3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.

In case someone would say, "Yes, but notice the verse says He does all He pleases in the heavens," there's Psalms 135:6 Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.

Daniel 4:34-35 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever,for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?"

Notice in this passage, that God does "according to His will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth." This means that nothing is outside of the realm of God's control. He is sovereign over everything. This control even covers calamities including war.
The Prophet Jeremiah saw the destruction of his people by the hand of God through King Nebuchadnezzar and this is what he lamented:

Lamentations 2:11 My eyes are spent with weeping; my stomach churns; my bile is poured out to the ground because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, because infants and babies faint in the streets of the city.

Yet he saw where this destruction ultimately came from when he said:

Lamentations 3:37-38 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?

Amos 3:6 Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?

We live in perilous times. War, famine, and pestilence is is all over the news. The first hurricane to hit Hawaii in 22 years is about to blow. A second one follows close behind. Earthquakes are being reported in various places, and the worst outbreak of the Ebola virus in History has taken some 900 lives in West Africa. Yet God is in control. He is sovereign over every event. Shame on Prince, and any Pastor for that matter, for not teaching the absolute sovereignty of God to their people.

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Links to Make You Think

Here are this weeks links to make you think.
Ever wonder about God’s sovereignty over salvation and His desire for all to be saved? John Piper has a new book out that deals with the will of God in salvation. Here is a good review of the book.

This is a good article by Ligonier on why we come to while our neighbor doesn't. Does this mean we are smarter or better than our neighbor?

Am I in trouble? A short but good post by Desiring God reminding us of God’s grace when we blow it.

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I Cannot be Punished, for Christ was Punished

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray;we have turned—every one—to his own way;and the Lord has laid on himthe iniquity of us all.

This is an excerpt from a sermon preached by Charles Spurgeon on June 10' 1866 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. The sermon was entitled, Sin Laid on Jesus. You can find the entire sermon here. I chose this portion of the sermon because of the great comfort it should bring to God’s elect. If Christ was punished, how can I be punished? Atonement is just that. It is atonement for every sin, past, present and future. If Christ bore all then there's nothing left to bear. I cannot be punished again for what Christ was punished for. I pray this helps you worship our Savior this Sunday Morning.

We cannot close the exposition of this verse without just remarking upon the "us" here intended. "The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." It is usually conceded by us who hold the doctrine of particular redemption that there was in the death of Christ very much of generality and universality. We believe that the atonement of Christ was infinite in value, and that if Christ had decreed to save every man of woman born, he need not have suffered another pang; there was sufficient in his atonement if he had so willed it to have redeemed the entire race. We believe also that by the death of Christ there is a general and honest invitation given to every creature under heaven in terms like these:—"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." We are not prepared, however, to go an inch beyond that. We hold that from the very nature of the satisfaction of Christ it could not have been made for any but for his elect; for Christ either did pay the debts of all men or he did not; if he did pay the debts of all men they are paid, and no man can be called to account for them. If Christ was the surety of every man living, then how in the name of common justice is Christ to be punished, and man punished too? If it be replied that the man would not accept the atonement, then I ask again, Was there a satisfaction given, for if so it was given whether the man accepts it or not, or else satisfaction by itself is powerless until man puts efficacy in it, which is preposterous to suppose. If you take away from us the fact that Christ did really satisfy for those for whom he stood, we cry like Jacob, "If I am bereaved I am bereaved;" you have taken away all that is worth having, and what have you given us in its place? You have given us a redemption, which confessedly does not redeem; you have given us an atonement, which is made equally for the lost in hell and for the saved in heaven; and what is the intrinsic value of such an atonement? If you tell us that Christ made a satisfactory atonement for every one of the human race, we ask you how it was that he made an atonement for those that must have been in the flames of hell thousands of years before he came into this world? My brethren, ours has the advantage of universality in its proclamation and in its bona fide offer, for there is no man living who shall believe in Jesus who shall not be saved by Christ; but it has a greater advantage than this; namely, that those who do believe are saved by it, and they know that Christ made such an atonement for them that for them to be punished for sin would be as much a violation of justice as it would of mercy. O my soul! thou knowest this day that all thy sins were made to meet on Christ, and that he bore the punishment for them all.

"He bore that we might never bear,
His Father's righteous ire."
Here is a rock to stand on, a safe resting-place for those who trust in Jesus. As for you who trust him not, your blood be upon your own heads! If ye trust him not, ye have no part nor lot in this matter, ye shall go down to your own punishment to bear it yourselves; the wrath of God abideth on you; you shall find that the blood of Jesus has made no atonement for your sins. You have rejected the invitation that was given, and put far from you the cross of Christ, and upon your heads the pardoning blood shall never drop, and for you it shall never plead, but you must perish under the law, seeing you refuse to be saved under the gospel.

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Trusting in the Goodness of God Steven Long 11/01/13

My family and I are going through a particular hard time at the moment. When the ordeal first occurred I was crushed, but immediately went to the Lord in prayer. I knew that He was sovereign over everything that was happening despite the horrible choice I had made. And for weeks I rested in the sovereignty of God to pull us out of the pit.

But then I began to doubt. I didn't doubt God's control or His reign. I began doubting His goodness. I began to ask if He had forgotten His promises to take care of His children. I began to wonder if He had turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to my groanings. There is only one other time in my Christian walk that I ever felt so low and hopeless and the Lord brought me through it just fine. So why did I find myself in such doubt and conflict after God had previously delivered me? This time was different. Before, I didn't have a family. There was no wife or little ones to depend upon me.

But the real reason...the one I had been trying to deny is simply that I had stopped trusting in God's goodness. Sure, I had plenty of faith in His sovereign rule; I readily admit that He is complete control over my situation. But was I resting in His goodness? No!

Sometimes it is not enough to know that God is in control. Sometimes we must understand that He is also good. It is a certainty and assurance that, despite our sin-sick souls, our horrible choices, our doubt and fears, our faithless moments, or even our most righteous and obedient times–nothing will ever change the fact that God is good! The road may not be smooth. The way may be full of obstacles. And the weather may be dreary and gloom. But God will never change. Therefore, I will rest in this thought.

​​​​​​​​Habakkuk 3:17-19

Though the fig tree should not blossom, ​​​​​​​nor fruit be on the vines, ​​​​​​​the produce of the olive fail ​​​​​​​and the fields yield no food, ​​​​​​​the flock be cut off from the fold ​​​​​​​and there be no herd in the stalls, ​​​ ​​​​​​​​yet I will rejoice in the LORD; ​​​​​​​I will take joy in the God of my salvation. ​​​ ​​​​​​​​GOD, the Lord, is my strength; ​​​​​​​he makes my feet like the deer's; ​​​​​​​he makes me tread on my high places. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Fulfillment Through FailureSteven Long 7/04/13

^{This is the written transcript of the sermon preached at Albemarle Reformed Church on Sunday, June 23, 2013. The audio portion can be heard here: [Fulfillment Through Failure - Judges 15:9-20].}

Fulfillment Through Failure

Judges 15:9-20

Thus far in Samson's life we have not yet seen how he has fulfilled the God-given role as judge and Nazarite. We have had exceptional views of his carnality, especially with women, his hot tempered tantrums, and his bull-raging reactions that led to downright murder. Remember Samson's original calling? His parents were given strict orders to raise him in the Nazarite tradition. He was not eat any unclean thing, nor to drink any wine or strong drink, nor to ever let a razor come upon his head, nor even to touch anything that would cause him to become unclean. In fact, his mother had to keep the Nazarite vow herself for the entire gestation period of her son, thus fulfilling God's promise to them that their child would be a Nazarite from the womb.

We look at the totality of Samson's life and say that he failed; and to a good extent, he did! But the closing of this chapter is a bit different as we will see. We have seen already how God can take our own sinful choices, redeem them, and fulfill His purposes. But what about the purpose that He has laid out for our own lives? Nearly every sermon I have ever heard on Samson went a little something like this: “Samson was a saved soul but wasted his life. Don't waste your life if you're a Christian.” It would seem that the author of Judges would have us learn a little more from Samson than that! Looking at the book as a whole we see the entire menagerie of judges along with their strengths and weakness that God raised up; and we see what God mightly worked through them. Taken as a whole, the book of Judges teaches us what happens when “every man [does] right in his own eyes.” In other words, a society void of any kind of true spiritual guidance.

We should not, then, think of Samson's life any different. Instead, we should focus on the bigger picture of the book and extracting the individual principles from each of the lives of the Judges to shape our own understanding and theology of what our lives would end up as in God-less environment. Samson is one of those many pieces of the whole and as we approach the end of his life we can certainly see how God fulfilled Samson's purpose as Nazarite and judge through his own failures. Let us now take time to examine that very thing!

vv.9-10 The Philistines Raid! Verse 8 leaves us with the vengeful Samson hiding out at the Rock of Etam. He has violently burned the crop of the Philistines and killed many of their valiant men and now flees to take rest from his work. But his rest is soon disturbed. The Philistines catch a whiff of the general area that he is hiding out in and in force march on the areal of Lehi. The text states that they “spread themselves in Lehi.” The word literally means 'to uproot' and suggests that they came in force, hence the word 'raid' is used in some translations. We are not told whether any blood was shed on the townspeople or not, but it is quite possible that in retaliation they would more than likely kill some of the men of Judah for their own losses. The men of Judah are certainly frightened enough to send representatives to the Philistines and ask why they have come up against them. This in itself could be an indication that it was more than a simple “camp out” but without exact details it is only conjecture.

Upon being asked they explain the events of the previous verses; how Samson had burned their standing crops and killed some of their finest men. Their answer is clear: to do to Samson as they had done to them. In other words, to kill him. And if they could not kill the man himself they would be content with killing his people.

vv.11-13 The Men of Judah Confront Samson. The men of Judah now have a clear and concise answer. They know that they must turn him over to the Philistines in order to appease their wrath. But they are caught in a dilemma. Can they very well kill their own kin? And if they do not what will be the next move of the Philistines? They cannot hold off any longer, and so they send 3,000 men to the place where Samson is hiding. We are told that he is holding up at Etam, and more particularly at the cleft of the rock of Etam. According to many, this was a place of natural defense and offered great protection. It only makes sense that Samson would have fled here after his initial encounter with the Philistines. According to Josephus, the town of Etam itself was also a place with a plentiful source of water.

The men of Judah are blunt with Samson: “Don't you know the Philistines are rulers over us?” In short they are reminding Samson of their captivity; of the fact that if the Philistines chose to do so they could squash them at any moment. Samson does not seem the least bit worried, as his previous encounters with them has shown. This is an interesting thing for it seems to point to the fact that he was somewhat aware of God's calling on his life; he seemed to understand that his parents had raised him for this specific purpose. It seems impossible to fathom that he grew up without his mother repeating to him several times the word of the Lord: “He shall be a Nazarite; he shall begin the deliverance of Israel.” Yet, it seems that he cares nothing for the plight of his own people. If he did not care enough to save the life of his wife and in-laws, surely he would not exert too much effort in this task that God had called him to.

But notice Samson's response: “As they did unto me, so I have done unto them.” His response is the same as that of the Philistines in verse 9. Both parties felt justified in their own actions. Samson felt justified in killing the Philistines. The Philistines now want to do to Samson as he did to [them]. The Hebrew construction of both the reasons given by Samson and the Philisitnes is almost identical. The paralled expressions are quite similar and, I believe, intentional by the author. But what does he mean to tell us by this? For certain one cannot say, but I believe it is to show the actions of Samson, a man set apart to do God's work, were no different than the uncircumcised nation that God had intended to drive completely out of the land!

But then it seems that Samson has a change of heart. He agrees to surrender to the men only if they do not kill him. The men agree and assure him that they only intend to bind him and hand him over to the enemy. It seems to be a fair deal. Samson will answer to the Philistines for his own actions and the Philistines will leave with him quietly, allowing the land to be at peace once again.

vv.14-17 Heaps upon Heaps. The deal is struck and the men of Judah bind Samson. We are told in the previous verse that they bind him with two new ropes. More than likely, these new ropes were of the utmost strength, and them men, knowing of Samson's strength probably felt secure binding him with the strongest material that was available to them. Another interesting parallel is that Samson divulges to Delilah that “new ropes” would cause him to loose his strength. Perhaps he was thinking of this incident when he fooled her. It seems that the author makes it a point to tell us that the ropes were new; they were strong; something that no ordinary man would be able to break. But then again, Samson was not really an ordinary man.

Upon hearing that Samson is captured and bound the Philistines come running out in a victorious manner to take hold of their captive. Josephus goes as far to say that within the Philistine camp there shouts of joy and shouting, and actually coming out running to take hold of himⁱ But their victory is short-lived. We are told that at this scene the Spirit of the Lord rushes upon him. The description given next is quite amazing:

the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands.

Flax was a plant common to that region and was often planted and cultivated for its many uses, one of them to retrieve the fine threads from the plant to make and twist linen together. The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature says this of the flax plant:

Few plants are at once so lovely and so useful as the slender, upright herb, With taper leaves and large blue-purple flowers, from which are fashioned alike the coarsest canvas and the most ethereal cambric or lawn the sail of the ship and the fairy-looking scarf which can be packed into a filbert shell. It was of linen, in part at least, that the hangings of the. tabernacle were constructed, white, blue, and crimson, with cherubim in woven; and it. was of linen that the vestments of Aaron were fashioned. When arrayed in all his, glory, Solomon could put on nothing more costly than the finest linen of Egypt; and describing "the marriage of the Lamb," the seer of Patmos represents the bride as." arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." ⁱⁱ

Basically, the author is telling the audience that the ropes which bound Samson became as weak and fragile as the plant which they so commonly used to weave the thread for their clothes. In fact, it became like one of those plants that had caught flame, making it even weaker. Imagine the pure strength that God had empowered Samson with! Very few men could have broken an old, rotted rope let alone one that was freshly made and still had its original strength. But this is exactly what happened. And upon being free, Samson discovers the jawbone of a donkey and immediately thinks to use it as a weapon against the oncoming Philistines. He slaughters an incredible 1,000 men. The only other time we are told of a feat that even comes close in Judges 3:31 of Shamgar who killed 600 Philistines in one battle. Samson then goes on to make up a little poem about himself. Commentator of the Scriptures, John Lange, gives an interesting insight into the literal translation of the Samson's poem.

With the jaw-bone of an ass I slew two armies: With the jaw-bone of an ass I took vengeance on a thousand.For in the clause בִּלְחי הַחֲמוֹר חֲמוֹר חֲמֹרָתָיִם the paronomasia is to be noted between חַמוֹר, an ass, and חֲמֹר, a heap, which latter is here poetically used of an “army.”

In other words, he is waxing poetic and in a sense "rhyming" or "paralelling" Philistines with an animal, a donkey, no less which was a beast of burden. Quite fitting as the Israelites were the ones bearing the burden of the beast. And now that he is done with his little game Samson finally throws away his makeshift weapon and rests.

vv.18-19 Samson's Boast and Humility. Josephus records a very interesting thing at this point in Samson's victory and I think it is quite worth a look. He states of this very battle,

Upon this slaughter Samson was too proud of what he had performed, and said that this did not come to pass by the assistance of God, but that his success was to be ascribed to his own courage, and vaunted himself, that it was out of a dread of him that some of his enemies fell, and the rest ran away upon his use of the jawbone; (302) but when a great thirst came upon him, he considered that human courage is nothing, and bare his testimony that all is to be ascribed to God, and besought him that he would not be angry at anything he had said, nor give him up into the hands of his enemies, but afford him help under his affliction, and deliver him from the misfortune he was under. (303) Accordingly God was moved with his entreaties, and raised him up a plentiful fountain of sweet water at a certain rock; whence it was that Samson called the place the Jawbone, and so it is called to this day.ⁱⁱⁱ

At first, Samson boasted in his own strength. But then we see God humble him in the human need and weakness for water. Note how Josephus tells us that he considered nothing of his victory could really be ascribed to Himself that God heard his prayer and opened the rock for him to drink from. In the moment of his greatest strength God brought him to his lowest point (1Pe 5:5). And the text tells us that he entreats the Almighty not to fall into the hands of the “uncircumcised.”

It seems now that the man who once wanted to be a part of the people of the uncircumcised was now coming to the realization that they were the enemies of God's people and that he was the one God had chosen to begin the deliverance of them.

v.20 Fulfillment Through Failure. This is the verse that I want to focus on. We are told that Samson judges Israel for twenty years. Why is this important? I think it is important for two reasons:

1. This is the first indication we have of Samson fulfilling his God-given role. It seems that after this event that Samson was finally living up to what God had called him to do. Some may argue that he was indeed fulfilling this role prior to this incident and that the author is “combining” it with this episode. In either case, it is still the first time mentioned. Until now. We have seen a selfish, ruthless, uncaring, unloving, and fleshly man trapped in a little boy's body. Honestly looking back at Samson's life can we really see the Biblical definition of what a man is supposed to be? I think not.
2. This is the culmination of God fulfilling Samson's purpose for Samson's life. I certainly don't mean that in a seeker-friendly, God-has-a-wonderful-plan-for-your-life, kind of way. But let's face it. If we are believers, true followers of Christ, God has intended a purpose for us. God set Samson apart from the womb, just like He did Jeremiah, just like He did Paul, and just like He did you and me, if we are in Christ. This is not to say that God's will for all His people is to be a Peter, Paul, James, etc. It is simply to say that God has purposed in Christ Jesus from the foundation of the world to buy and own a people that would live out His will here on earth. God's purpose is to place those people in the body, fitted together, in order to build up His spiritual house. Some people waste so much energy trying to “discover” what God's will is for their lives that they miss this entire purpose; or else they trade in what they know God wants them to do just to do what they desire. Either way, God always has a way of bringing it back around, just like He did Samson.

     Despite what you do to avoid the responsibilities that God has given you; despite any childish decisions or actions that you do, God will work out His plan to fulfill your purpose for your life; even it means that you have to go through a lot of pain to get there. And as we'll see at the close of Samson's life, he had to go through a lot of pain to ultimately allow God to fulfill his purpose through his own failures.

i Josephus, Flavius. The Antiquities of the Jews, pg. 105, Echo Library, 2006.

ii McClintock, John, and James Strong. Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol 3, pg 591. Harper, 1894.

iii Josephus, Flavius. The Antiquities of the Jews, pg. 105, Echo Library, 2006.

When Evil Men Reign 2/10/13

^{The following is a transcript of the sermon When Evil Men Reign  preached at Albemarle Reformed Church on Sunday, February 10, 2013}
The saga of Gideon’s family continues. Gideon is dead, his sons are grown, a nation is turned back to idolatry, and a brother is hell-bent on coming to power at all costs. It sounds as if it were the plot to a Hollywood movie. Yet the characters and their stories are very real.

            Chapter 9 is the beginning of the brief rule of Abimelech, the son of Gideon by one of his many women. He is a man that wastes no time in trying to obtain what he feels is rightfully his: the kingship! His father named him rightly, for his name means ‘my father is king.’ This alone seems to indicate that Gideon was indeed establishing a monarchy against God’s will. He is a man of great treachery and little conscience; he does the unthinkable gain power. No politician in our time could compare to the vile act that Abimelech purposed within himself to do. Yet in all this, unthinkable as it is, God had a purpose in allowing this man to excel in evil.

            The first six verses of chapter 9 cover the plot of Abimelech while the rest of the chapter deals with the succeeding consequences of his actions. I would like to deal only with the former, examining the subject of what happens when God allows evil men to reign.

            v.1 – At the very opening we find Abimelech going to his mother and her relatives in Shechem. As a side note, it’s important to understand that Shechem was an important city. It was one of the towns of refuge given to the Levites for a city of refuge (Josh 21:21). It was also the place where Joshua re-establishes the covenant between Israel and Yahweh. We are talking of no small town when we mention Shechem. This implies that Abimelech knew exactly where to go and what to do in order to carry out his plan.

It was previously discovered in chapter 8 that Abimelech is the son of a concubine rather than a legitimate wife. In the culture of Israel it was not uncommon for a man to have many wives as well as concubines. Sometimes a concubine was used whenever a woman was barren and could not have children. This was the case for Sarah as well as Rachel. But usually, a concubine used “legally” to gratify a husband’s lusts, for whatever purposes.

            As a result of the relationship between the husband and the concubine children were born. They actually became an integral part of the family, assuming responsibilities. However, they were not usually included in the inheritance of the father, which was passed down to the firstborn and then the remaining portion being divided up among the other sons. For example, we see Sarah’s reaction to Ishmael as she is concerned that he will take some of Isaac’s inheritance (Gen 21:10-13). A generous father would give gifts to the children of his concubines but usually not an inheritance (Gen 25:6). Abimelech probably understood that his fate would also be the same. This, more than likely, fueled his desire to be king.  

            v.2 – He arrives in Shechem and begins hatching his plan. He is very crafty in the way he pursues it. He gathers all of his relatives together and pitches the idea the idea that it would be better for him to rule over them because he is their relative, their “bone and their flesh.” This phrase is particularly revealing as he is disconnecting himself with his father’s kindred and allying himself with his mother’s kindred. His subtlety in declaring that it is better to have one ruler that seventy rulers could have suggested a couple of things to his relatives: (1) perhaps they thought that Abimelech, being their own relative, would be much more sympathetic to their cause; with a family member in charge they were sure to be heard fairly and swiftly. Surely, their own relative would not neglect them. (2) and perhaps they even feared Gideon’s sons. This is feasible speculation. We are told nothing of their character, whether good or bad, nor are we told how they carried on their father’s business. It is not unlikely that Abimelech’s fear of his brothers spilled over onto his own relatives. Then again, it could have just been the plain evil desires of this man.

            The next part of the plan was crucial for Abimelech to succeed. He convinced his family to go to the leaders of the city and propose the same thing; in short, he needed the leaders to take up his offense. If the leaders got behind him he knew he would have the power to start a rebellion. Once he was able to convince his family to do the talking for him all he had to do was sit back and let the results happen!

            v. 3 – Abimelech’s family carries out his plan. We are told that they go put a bug, so to speak, in the leaders’ ears. The leaders fall for it; they buy into the idea that it’s better to have one leader instead of seventy, and they’re convinced that the one guy who is going to lead them should be somebody related to them in order to ensure their safety and prosperity. The text says that their hearts were inclined towards him. This tells us that there was probably not a whole lot of convincing that needed to be done.

            v. 4 – After the leaders fall hook, line, and sinker for Abimelech they give him money from the temple of Israel’s new god, Baal-Berith. (LXX – Baal-diathēkēs, covenant). The text next tells us that with this money he hired “worthless and reckless men.” The word ‘worthless’ in the Hebrew means something that is empty, and therefore useless. The DBL defines it this way:

i.e., pertaining to a quantity of space which is not occupied (Ge 37:24; Jdg 7:16; 2Ki 4:3; Ne 5:13; Eze 24:11+); 2. LN 65.1–65.16 worthless, i.e., pertaining to not having benefit or utility for an intended purpose, and so not having value (Dictionary of Biblical Languages).

            To put it in more modern terms, Abimelech hired a bunch of mercenaries to do his dirty work! He would certainly need “empty” men for what he was about to do.

            v. 5 – Now is the most vile part of the entire story. He takes his men back to his father’s town and there he kills all but one of his brothers. We are told that he kills all of them on a single stone. What’s the significance of this? Some commentators believe it was a sort of sacrificial offering to Baal:

these were laid one after another upon one and the same stone, as being convenient for the execution of them; or as serving as an altar on which they were sacrificed to Baal, out of whose temple the money was taken to hire the executioners with (John Gill)

This is the first mention of a barbarous atrocity which has, with appalling frequency, been perpetrated in the despotic countries of the East - that of one son of the deceased monarch usurping the throne and hastening to confirm himself in the possession by the massacre of all the natural or legitimate competitors. Abimelech slew his brethren on one stone, either by dashing them from one rock, or sacrificing them on one stone altar, in revenge for the demolition of Baal’s altar by their father. (JFB)

            Imagine the darkness of the soul of this man! Not only did he murder his brothers, but he possibly sacrificed them to a false god.

            v. 6 – After all is said and done the men of Shechem crown Abimelech king. But unbeknownst to them one of Gideon’s sons escapes his fate. He plays a role in the next few verses as he gives a timely parable to his half brother and the men of Shechem. We’re going to see how God deals with this treachery in the coming weeks as we continue on through the chapter.

Application:

            While we may look at this story and see horror in it there is something to be gleaned from all of this. We have to realize first, that God was in control of this entire situation. No matter how evil Abimelech was or how murderous his heart was, God was still in control. He knew exactly what Abimelech would do and he knew how he would do it. That can be a very comforting thought for us. We’re in the middle of some very evil times at the moment. We have rulers and leaders who support the murder of babies; they condone the perversion of licentious and crude behavior of people and they pass laws that allow them to do it! And to top all off they boast about passing those laws as if they have done society a wonderful thing. Ah! But the comfort of knowing God is in control is in the back of our minds.

            Unfortunately, just knowing that God is reigning supreme, even over the evil actions of men is not enough. Believe it or not, God has given us a role to play in all this. Scripture gives believers the role in which we play:

1. Remember that it is God who establishes the authority (Ro 13:1). We cannot deny the idea that God is the one who set up government. He did it with the view that man would rule fairly and justly. But even though those who rule over us be evil and care nothing for justice we must remember that they have still been appointed by God.

2. To rebel against authority is to rebel against God (Ro 13:2). There are way too many people out there raring to start a civil war because they don’t like the politics of our nation. But the apostle Paul tells us clearly in this passage that when we resist the governing authorities we are resisting God Himself. This is not to say that we should never speak out against the evils that our government is committing, or use the liberties that God has given us in order to put those in office who will do right. But unless the government instructs us to do something that violates God’s own commands then we are expected to submit to them. In fact, Paul tells us the consequences in the very next verse if we fail to submit (Rom 13:3-4). We cannot get any clearer instructions from Scripture as to what our role to government should be. Nowhere in Scripture are we ever told to submit to the leaders we like and rebel against the ones we don’t. Unfortunately, our culture replaces Scriptural command with patriotism; or we equate the two. We believe that a “good Christian” should fight the evils of government by refusing to submit. But you will never find God condoning such actions in the Bible—never!

3. Lastly, we are to make supplication for our leaders (1Tim 2:1-2). The one thing that God is going to use to bring about change in our leaders is prayer! Instead of us whining about the next bill that was passed to ban this or ban that we need to be falling on our faces before God Almighty and fasting and interceding on behalf of our nation’s leaders and asking God to change their hearts. Evil men rule because God puts them there; sometimes in judgment but sometimes so that it will cause His people to cry out to Him. It will be the leaders that bring persecution and it is for these same leaders that we are commanded to pray for. If believers don’t intercede form them then who will?

            At this moment in our nation we have evil men that reign. But God has them there for His purpose and His plan. Unless and until the time comes when they force us to obey them rather than God, we are to willingly submit to their authority. And at the same time we are to intercede for their repentance and faith in Christ. 

A Few Post-Election Thoughts Steven Long 11/07/2012

The election is over and the country is still divided. The outcome of the torrential floods of people massing the polls is not exactly what everyone expected; or even likes, for that matter. Emotions are still running high and probably will be in the coming months as Obama is inaugurated for his second term.

Upon signing in to Facebook this morning there was already a flood of comments and status updates about the outcome of the election–most of them negative. The name-bashing and mud-slinging still continue though the race has already been completed. I myself was a bit disappointed with the outcome, but as I reflect on Scripture I had to remind myself of several things, which I would like to share with you:

1. Remember that God is still sovereign (Proverbs 16:33). The American people voted, but Scripture is clear that God is the one who directs the outcome. This is not to say that we should never vote again, but simply to acknowledge that God's sovereignty always supersedes man's choices.
2. Know that it is that God who raises up leaders for a purpose (Proverbs 8:15). God has put leaders in every nation, including ours. We have no idea why, nor can we understand the mind of God. For His own purpose He has guided the outcome of this election. Let us take heart and keep in mind the first point.
3. Keep in mind that sometimes our choice of leaders reflects the spiritual decay of our society (Judges 17:6). As in the days of the judges when men did what was "right" in their own eyes, so we do the same. The vast majority of Americans seem to be content in a land without God. The choice for their candidate reflects this. In the same way that Israel was happy to indulge in their sinful lifestyles and even condone them, much of America has gone the same direction (Rom 1:32). I truly see this election as America getting what they wish for.
4. We are commanded to pray for our leaders (1Tim 2:1-4). Whether or not we approve of our president God still commands that we pray for him and his repentance. Instead of griping about his politics or his view on immigration we need to spend time on our knees and ask God to guide him to lead our country according to Biblical standards. In the same note, we are not to bad-mouth our leaders–any of them–but rather pray for their repentance.
5. We must submit to governing authorities (1Pe 2:13). Note, that this verse says to submit for the Lord's sake because it is He who has ordained and guided these rulers into the positions that they are in. When we disobey the government we are disobeying the direct command of God. The only instance in Scripture we are given that human disobedience was valid was a command from said authority to disobey God (Acts 5:29). Other than this, it is clear what our duties are as citizens, not of this earth, but of a God's Holy City.

With that said, let us remember these things for the next four years as we strive to honor Christ in all we do.