May the mumbling commence!
When we become too comfortable with and confident in our
abilities, we run the real risk of straying from the path that the Lord has
laid before us. If I think I can do it
all by myself, I’m in deep trouble. At
times, it makes me think of my five-year-old son – who wants to do things for
himself… even when he cannot do them.
Read from Second Kings chapter fourteen and learn a little about King
Amaziah of Judah:
When Amaziah was
well established as king, he executed the men who had assassinated his
father. However, he did not kill the children of the assassins,
for he obeyed the command of the Lord
written in the Book of the Law of Moses: "Parents must not be put to death for the sins of their children,
nor the children for the sins of their parents. Those worthy of death must be
executed for their own crimes."
It was Amaziah who killed ten thousand Edomites in the
Valley of Salt. He also conquered Sela and changed its name to Joktheel, as it
is called to this day.
One day Amaziah
sent this challenge to Israel's king Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz and grandson
of Jehu: "Come and meet me in
battle!"
But King Jehoash of Israel replied to King Amaziah of
Judah with this story: "Out in the Lebanon mountains a thistle sent a message
to a mighty cedar tree: 'Give your daughter in marriage to my son.' But just
then a wild animal came by and stepped on the thistle, crushing it! You have indeed destroyed Edom and are very
proud about it. Be content with your
victory and stay at home! Why stir up trouble that will bring disaster on you
and the people of Judah?"
But Amaziah refused to listen, so King Jehoash of Israel mobilized his army against King
Amaziah of Judah. The two armies drew up
their battle lines at Beth-shemesh in Judah. Judah was routed by the army of Israel, and
its army scattered and fled for home. King
Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah at Beth-shemesh and marched on
to Jerusalem. Then Jehoash ordered his army to demolish six hundred feet of
Jerusalem's wall, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. He
carried off all the gold and silver and all the utensils from the Temple of the
Lord, as well as from the palace
treasury. He also took hostages and returned to Samaria. (Verses
5-14)
Just like any other part of the human family, Amaziah
had his strengths and his weaknesses.
Look at how he faithfully executed the Laws in the books of Moses. Amaziah also led Judah into a successful
battle with the Edomites.
But then Amaziah got proud. He trusted in his own abilities too much and
picked a fight that wasn’t in the Lord’s will – and that’s the kind of battle
that you can never win. Our human
opponent matters much less than being in line with the will of God. So, let’s check our motives carefully before
we join in any battle – physical or spiritual.
And let’s lean on the wisdom of the Lord. Trying to lean on our own understanding will
only lead to disaster that could have been avoided if only we would have
listened to God’s voice. Read from Acts
chapter twenty-seven:
We had several days of rough sailing, and
after great difficulty we finally
neared Cnidus. But the wind was against
us, so we sailed down to the leeward side of Crete, past the cape of
Salmone. We struggled along the coast with great
difficulty and finally arrived at Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea. We had lost
a lot of time. The weather was
becoming dangerous for long voyages by then because it was so late in the
fall, and Paul spoke to the
ship's officers about it.
"Sirs," he
said, "I believe there is trouble
ahead if we go on – shipwreck, loss of cargo, injuries, and danger to our
lives." But the officer
in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship's captain and the owner
than to Paul. And since Fair
Havens was an exposed harbor – a poor place to spend the winter – most of the
crew wanted to go to Phoenix, farther up the coast of Crete, and spend the
winter there. Phoenix was a good harbor with only a southwest and northwest
exposure.
When a light wind began blowing from the south, the
sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled
up anchor and sailed along close to shore. (Verses 7-13)
Oh, sometimes, we have our minds set on a destination,
and nothing will keep us from pressing forward.
Never mind that difficulty and struggle has plagued us from the beginning! No matter the imminent danger!
God says wait, and we ignore our Lord. The lightest of possible breezes in our favor
will send us on the path again willy-nilly.
May we learn to listen to your voice, O God. May we leave pride and knowledge at Your feet.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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