Reconciling the Abijah Accounts

Friends,

I am going in a different direction from the norm here, but hopefully it will be a blessing to you.  Something struck me while I was reading 2 Chronicles.  It was an insight that provides an illustration for something that I have come to understand for a while now concerning interpretation…and it is interesting that I would find something of an Old Testament illustration to help provide insight for a New Testament principle.  This is certainly not the first time this has happened.  As I have stated in other places, if I had a dollar for all of the poor exegesis and illustrations using Noah and gopher wood, as well as Uzzah and the ark, to try to justify new covenant authority, I would be further ahead in my retirement account.  That said, the following illustration is actually in context, and concerns two distinct, but related passages. 

What we see in 2 Chronicles 13 is that Abijah becomes king of Judah, following his father, Rehoboam.  In the Chronicles account, Abijah appears to be a man of God who leads the armies of the Lord to victory over the armies of North Israel.  There are twenty-two verses displaying the heroics of what took place under Abijah’s reign.  But, something occurred to me while reading this…there are only four kings of Israel and Judah in the divided kingdom that were considered “good kings” (and all were from Judah, by the way).  They were Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah and Josiah.  Abijah is not on the list.  This is because we need to go to the Kings’ account concerning Abijah to get the other side of the coin.  The account in 1 Kings 15 is about a third as long as the account in 2 Chronicles.  It is here that we see that he “committed all the sins of his fathers.” There is very little information about Abijah and the war with Israel here…it is pretty succinct, and the basis of the message is – Abijah was a bad guy like his father (and most of those who came after him).

So, the question that comes into focus is – how does one reconcile these two accounts?  Many people would have to deduce that one of the stories is correct, while the other one must be in error, because there could only be one possible explanation that is correct.  Yet, I believe that this is the beauty of both accounts -- they can both be reconciled. Both stories concerning Abijah are true…it is simply that the Chronicler has a different focal point than does the author of 1 Kings.  (It is similar, in some respects, as to what we see with the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  Each is accurate, but from the unique perspective of the author…even as to whether there were one or two angels at the open tomb).

One of the difficulties that came as the result of being raised in a church culture and exposed to a model of interpretation where an “either/or” deduction reigned was that it would often pin us into the corner and we would have to take a stand that only one thought could be correct.  And therefore, by the rules of deduction that were in place, the other position, by necessity, would have to be wrong.  So, it could only be gopher wood, and therefore, it could only be Matzos used for the Lord’s Supper (for example). The Chronicler offers a perspective concerning Abijah that is unique in that he is not really as interested in what Abijah is doing, as he is in what God is doing in the situation concerning the war with the kings in the divided kingdom.  It may be true that Judah was “seeking the will of the Lord” in relationship to their battle with Israel, but it would not necessarily mean that Abijah was “a righteous and holy leader for God’s people.”  Abijah himself is not as important in the Chronicles account as much as God is and what He is doing through Abijah in the situation.  It is not the first time that God would have used people with some significant struggles, who would even be at odds with Him…Jacob and Jonah are two others that come to mind.  Besides, if God did not respond to sinful people who sought Him and trusted in Him, we would all be in trouble.  So, Judah has a moment in the sun, where they seek the Lord and He responds by delivering them from a force that was twice their size…once again, a story that is repeated in the Scriptures. It is about what God can and will do with and for His people.

So, what does this mean as it relates to the new covenant?  There are accounts where it seems that there might be discrepancies.  I will offer two thoughts briefly that can be expanded at a later time.  How often a person participates in the Lord’s Supper, for example – was it daily (Acts 2), or was it once per week on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7).  The text in 1 Corinthians 11:17ff offers some insight, but it is not definitive as to which is should be.  It is easy to get pushed into an “either/or” scenario, when “both/and” may be quite acceptable, as well as accurate.  Paul spends the better part of the last section of Romans (particularly chapter 14) explaining how these matters can be so…that there can be a church that has members where some are vegetarians and others eat meat, (or where some meet at the building on Sunday evenings and others meet in homes) -- and it all works.  Even more challenging – are the believers in Acts 2 in the same spiritual situation as those in Acts 8 and Acts 10?  It is apparent that all are in good standing with the Lord and the church at that time…but what of today?  Many believers would say – those Christians are not acceptable…I cannot fellowship with them.  Yet, it is hard to see how we could or would not accept what those in the first century church did accept.  Furthermore, how can we “critique beyond a doubt” using “deductive methods” an event that is altogether spiritual and led by the Holy Spirit?  It is not any different today than it was then.  It is important to consider that there is more than one proper perspective that could be available and acceptable to the Lord and His body as it relates to the above matters, as well as many others…some things to study, ponder and consider.

Blessings, Don

Resting His Case, pt.2

Friends,

Yep, this is one of those types of stories -- A Roman Catholic priest, a Christian pastor and a Jewish rabbi were talking one day about their belief in miracles.  The Roman Catholic said that he believed in miracles and illustrated it by telling of a recent incident when he had flown to Durban. As the aircraft began its final approach, a tremendous storm broke, the rain was pouring down, there were loud claps of thunder and the plane was being tossed about. The priest had prayed for a miracle and "for a hundred yards all around the plane there was a great stillness and the plane landed safely."  The pastor too said that he believed in miracles. When on a vacation in Cape Town, South Africa, he and his wife had taken the trip out to a nearby island.  On their return to Cape Town harbor, however, a great wind suddenly rose and the waves were very soon many yards high. They feared for their lives and the pastor prayed for a miracle, and "for a hundred yards around the boat there was a great stillness and the boat arrived safely in the harbor."  The rabbi said that he had come to believe in miracles through an event that had taken place the previous Saturday.  During a Sabbath service, a visitor from America had arrived with a suitcase full of ten-dollar notes which he chose to give to the synagogue.  According to the traditions, there was a problem concerning how to count all this money on the Sabbath? So, I prayed for a miracle, and “for a hundred yards all around the suitcase it was Wednesday!"  (Adapted from Andy Barnard's Sermon "Keep the Sabbath")

As we return to a group of people including Jesus, His disciples and some Pharisees, once again, we see how Jesus deals with the Pharisees concerning how they have interpreted the Sabbath.  As we discussed previously, the Sabbath law was given to Israel as a mark of her relationship with God (Exodus 20, 31:13-17, Nehemiah 9:12-15).  The Pharisees, who sacrificed to obey their Sabbath laws, thought that they were serving God by adding a number of regulations to what was already sufficient doctrine and practice.  When they accuse Jesus and His disciples, they believe that they are defending God. (Good thing folks today are not guilty of such actions). :-)

By declaring Himself, “Lord of the Sabbath,” Jesus affirms equality with the Father who gave the Sabbath.  In Mark’s account we see that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27), so Jesus continues to teach, train.  The context and background for all of this information is that the Sabbath was originally designed for man’s good.  Jesus comes to this place and time in order to point out that the traditions of the Scribes and Pharisees concerning the Sabbath actually run counter to and diminish the principle and law of the Sabbath itself. And so, as Jesus came to fulfill the Law, the legal purpose of the Sabbath…in being a part of the Law…was fulfilled and abolished.  Therefore, Christians are no longer under the authority of the Jewish Sabbath. By making the statement recorded in Mark 2, Jesus implicitly challenges the whole Sabbath theology of the post-exile Jews.  As indicated in the last message, to require man to deny his own needs in order to keep the Sabbath was to pervert the institution…men were to be free from the burdensome restrictions in keeping the day.  Jesus declares man’s freedom from the rabbinic Sabbath with all of its traditions in as much as He is Lord of the Sabbath.  All of this allowed Him to have the authority to do healings and perform other ministry on the Sabbath day, as we have seen.  So all of this is why the next part of the story makes more sense. 

Following the first discussion (Matthew 12:1-8), Jesus now actually goes to their synagogue, the Jews place of worship. This serves to reveal the growing tension between Jesus and Jewish religious establishment. A man is there who has a withered hand, which means that it is dry, lifeless…perhaps paralyzed.  The Pharisees quickly seize upon the situation and ask Jesus if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath?  Jesus’ response is not to assert His own authority in any way, nor to quote some example from the Old Testament, but to point out the inconsistency of their own practice.  The religious leaders are strict in prohibiting the healing of someone with a malady, but not where their own property is concerned.  The irony being that they would make rules to save an animal, but would not waive them in order to save a man…so, I guess we now recognize these folks as the original tree huggers. ;-) 

Jesus serves by healing a man with a withered hand, which is almost incidental to the story behind the story.  But, the command for the man to stretch out his immovable hand illustrates that the healing is connected to the man’s faith…which is not unlike how Jesus handles some other healings.  The Pharisees see the healing as a deliberate challenge to their Sabbath traditions. A single infringement upon the traditions of the Scribes and Pharisees would not seem to be sufficient to warrant the reaction that they now display.  But, this second “transgression” taking place in such short order appears to be more than they can bear. So, the Pharisees plot together to consider how it is that they can destroy Jesus.  The Lord, understanding their hearts and their nefarious plotting, withdraws from there.

Ross Cochrane offers this -- yesterday, I got rid of some thorny weeds growing like trees in the back garden. The thorns were now like razor sharp nails and so it was difficult to get to the roots without punctures, scratches and a bad attitude. I knew that if I didn’t get to the roots, they would just grow again so I used the mattock. A mattock is a hand tool similar to a pickaxe, particularly suited for digging. Unfortunately, I am not! It took forever to dig around the roots and pull out the bulbous, deformed hand of the root system with its disfigured fingers reaching out insidiously in all directions. Hebrews 12:15 (NLT) warns us "...Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many." There were some poisonous, thorny people that Jesus had to deal with that day in Matthew 12. They were razor sharp in their responses to Jesus and just as destructive. The clawed fingers of their law system were distorted, malformed and particularly difficult to uproot. It is not at all surprising that Jesus uses a man with a deformed hand to illustrate what needed to be done if ever they were to be healed of a deformed heart.  This verse says something about Jesus. He didn’t back away from weeding God’s garden. He meets me on my turf. He confronts me about my legalism in the place where I am more deformed on the inside than this man’s withered hand, in the synagogue of my own making

We have to guard our hearts.  We don’t want to become like the Pharisees, making laws and regulations which bind the hearts and actions of men.  Unfortunately, this practice is still all too alive and well today in many places.  But, we must understand that Jesus comes to set us free from these matters.  Remember the beginning of last week’s message – He does not come to add burdens to our lives and spirits, but to give us rest for our souls. (Matthew 11:28-30, see also 1 John 5:1-4)  This principle of rest should follow times of service, as this is what keeps us fresh, energized and avoiding becoming weary or burned out. We do tend to think that we are invincible, however, and that we can work, work and work some more…but, it can and will catch up to us in physical, mental and emotional distress.  There was a very important purpose for the Sabbath from the very beginning, as the Lord planned it.  And it was intended to be man’s servant, not his master, as the Pharisees had made it.  As I mentioned previously, we need 30 hours in a day to sort everything we have going on, which is all the more reason why we must work at resting.  Granted, we do not keep an actual physical “Sabbath” in the literal sense.  But, in a very real, spiritual sense, we need to make and take time for ourselves, and with our families, not to mention some time for the Lord.

Blessings, Don

Lessons in Soccer and Life

Friends,

Many moons ago I had the opportunity to play some college soccer for four years at a small Christian college in Portland, OR. We had a few unremarkable seasons until my senior year when we won the whole ball of wax, but that is a story for another time. I believe it was during my second season, we had an unfortunate set of circumstances with illnesses and ineligibilities that left us with eight eligible, available players for one game. Our coach made a pre-game agreement with the opposing coach to play the game 8 on 8…we would forfeit, so it wouldn’t matter. Well, as it turned out, the opposing team came out with 11 players against us. Our coach encouraged us to give it our best, and we played most of the game on our half of the field. At the end of the half, we were only down 3-0, and we felt like we were actually winning…and they were feeling defeated – perspective is an interesting thing. They wore us down in the second half, and we ended up losing 10-0. We believed that we played fairly well, and that it could have been much worse. It was only a game, but it is a game I still remember, because I believe we handled ourselves as good Christian citizens, even if the other team may not have done so.

Let’s fast forward about 15 years, and I am coaching a high school girls JV soccer team in SE Washington. We had a number of good players that were talented, and I believe our record was about .500 when we came up against a perennial power in our conference. Due to certain circumstances beyond our control, we had a number of players succumb to illness and two who were declared academically ineligible. Stop me if you have heard this before, but we had eight players who were able to suit up. I contacted the JV head coach from the other team and we had an agreement to play them, 8 on 8. We would forfeit to them and play the game anyway. When we showed up to the field, the Varsity head coach from that team was there and he directed his JV coach to…you guessed it…put 11 players on the field. I could tell that the JV coach felt bad about breaking the agreement, but the head coach was kind of smug about it…they were going to take us to the woodshed and give us a beating. I told the girls that I had been down this road before, and so we lined up much like our college team did, with a 3-3-1 line up, as opposed to the usual 4-3-3. I was exceedingly proud of my girls, as they played hard and defended well, and at the end of the half the score was? Yes – 3-0. The feelings were much the same as our college team…we felt like we had actually won the half, while the opponents looked defeated. We had a good half-time session and our girls came out with some good energy. I was just hoping to keep it within about 10-0, like our college team. Well…a funny thing happened. My center midfielder was able to thread a pass to our forward who was able to get a fast break. She beat the defenders and the goalie and scored! We couldn’t believe it – we scored and it was 3-1. Now, I would like to believe that I am a faithful person, but I had not seen too many miracles in my life…but, there was a small part of me that said – could the improbable happen? Could we actually make some sort of a comeback down three? Or girls were pumped, and the other team’s players were on their heels. Our girls exhibited the best control of the ball that I had ever seen them exhibit that half and we were able to run the play to our forward again, and she was able split the defense for a another goal, making it 3-2. Finally, we were able to put together a really good cross, redirect play down the field and score our third goal to make it 3-3 – true story! I couldn’t believe what I was watching. The coaches on the other sideline were screaming, but I was feeling mighty good…in a Christian sort of way.  With about five minutes left in the half, one of my midfielders was able to get a break and she had a really makeable shot on goal, but put it just wide to the right, so we just missed on the go-ahead goal. Nonetheless, we held them the last few minutes to end the game in a 3-3 tie. Let me tell you…we had a victory celebration! And they looked entirely defeated. They were good sports, as we all shook hands at the end of the game, and the JV coach was congratulatory of our efforts. The disgusted head coach of the other team wouldn’t come out on the field to show any sportsmanship…and I had all I could not to yell – How do you like them apples?! But, I didn’t…I was good sport…and just smiled (grinned) and walked back to our sideline. I thanked the Lord for a fulfilling result from the game…and even a positive fulfillment for the memory from 15 years before…as well as a story I can now share more than a decade later.

Why do I share these stories? I want you to know, as you have probably heard, that preparation, perseverance and faithfulness can bring about good results. Do not ever give up! It is easy to do, I know. I have been on the winning and losing side of many games as a player and a coach in a number of sports. But, it was almost like the Lord afforded us a reward for hard work, good attitudes, good play and we were very grateful. Do I believe God plays team favorites? No, but I do believe that he rewards the faithfulness of individuals…and that can affect an entire team. For our team, it was a real bonding time. We finished the season a little over .500 for the season, but we all had a memory that would last a lifetime from that one game.

In Matthew 17:14ff, Jesus and three of his disciples (Peter, James and John) come down from “the mount of transfiguration” to “the valley of need,” where they meet up with a distraught father of a sick child. There is a lot going on in this situation. The father has appealed to the nine remaining disciples to help heal his son…which they were not able to do. Not helping were opponents, the scribes and Pharisees, who are always looking to try to catch, trap Jesus or the disciples to seek to cause them to stumble. (There are occasionally opponents in life…some good, some bad). The scribes are accusing them…and while the disciples are defending themselves, nothing is going well. The father in the situation sees Jesus and rushes to Him. The Lord’s first response is one of sorrow, as He sees the embarrassed disciples, the arguing Scribes, as well as the needy father and son -- what a circus! Jesus expresses some frustration with their unbelief. He heals the boy and gives him to his father…all while the crowds marvel and give glory to God. Somehow, during the Lord’s absence, the nine disciples had become lazy, selfish, distracted – they lost their focus! Their faith weakened when the crisis came, because they were unprepared. From this experience, we see the importance of staying spiritually faithful and healthy. Jesus concludes the experience by talking with them about “faith the size of a mustard seed,” which suggests not only size (a small seed that can turn into a large plant), but also life and growth (that God will honor even a little faith -- there are great possibilities!) “Faith like a mustard seed” is a “living faith” that is nurtured and caused to grow…and this makes moving mountains possible.

Faithfulness can and will lead to great things! But, it must be cultivated in order to do even greater things for God…and the kingdom of God. It doesn’t take much faith to move mountains…only a mustard seed sized faith. Jesus is calling His disciples, calling us to something far beyond this. The Lord may admonish us, as he did the disciples, if we continue to make the same mistakes and are not striving for genuine spiritual growth. The Lord does expect us to learn, grow and depend upon Him for our spiritual strength and sustenance.

Blessings, Don