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

Men of Vision -- How This Looks at Home

Friends,

A Christian businessman tells this story -- the sun was shining brightly on a cold January day, and I was running late to work.  The only thought I had was – “I’ve got to get to my office as quickly as possible.”  As I approached a red light, I noticed a stalled truck on the right side of the road…and I gave him a passing thought – “poor guy.” But, then my busy mind hurried on to how I was going to handle the problems that I knew this day would throw in my lap. The sound of a knock on my window caused me to jump – it was the driver of the stalled vehicle. “Do you have a moment? My truck won’t start and I just need someone to give me a boost -- I have the booster cables.” I looked at my watch.  As late as it was, I didn’t even have five minutes to spare.  My boss would be frantic…I could even lose my job. My response was a stammered – “I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t today…I am already late for work.”  “I understand,” he said, and then he walked to the car stopped behind me. I told myself that surely one of the next few cars that came by would have time to help this poor guy.  In reality, when the light turned green, I drove away feeling awful! I couldn’t help but think of the story of the Good Samaritan – was I the Priest or the Levite? To ease my conscience, I even mentioned the incident to my boss later that day.  As expected, he commended me for my decision to press on. His confirmation didn’t help ease my guilt…however – how often do I follow my own agenda ahead of the one that my heavenly Father has set out for me? All too often, when I ask God to sit in the driver’s seat of the car of my life, I act like a back seat driver – “Don’t turn right!” “Be careful!”  “Slow down!” Oh, there are also times when I put my back seat driver’s license in my pocket – these are the times when I literally wrench the wheel out of God’s hand on my personal autobahn of life.

Perhaps you can relate to this person in some way…I know that this has been “me” from time to time. Luke shares a story with certain similarities in relationship to two sisters, Mary and Martha…Jesus’ friends…and how they respond to Him. In referencing this particular Bible story, I want to keep in front of us the importance of the ladies in our lives and the influence they have on us…because, if we are married, our greatest responsibility at home is to treat them with love and respect.

In Romans 12:1-2, the apostle Paul helps us to understand that a general definition of worship, latreia, is at the heart of all that we are and all that we do in the Christian life. We are to live lives of service for the Lord as we “work out” our salvation, living as “Good Samaritans”. But, before we can effectively minister in these ways, we need to spend some time with our Master and learn from Him…taking some “time to be holy.” Mary of Bethany…one of several “Marys” in the New Testament…is seen three times in the gospel record, and on each occasion, she is in the same place – at Jesus’ feet!  In John 11:32, it is in relationship to her agonizing over the death of her brother Lazarus, and in 12:3 it is in relationship to her anointing Jesus feet. Mary, and her sister Martha, are often contrasted as though each believer must make a choice -- you can be a worker, like Martha, or a worshiper like Mary (Luke 10:38-42). This does not necessarily make worship and work an “either/or situation,” but it seems evident that, at least in the situation that is presented here, that one takes precedence over the other. Consider…Martha receives Jesus into her home, and then, as it appears, she neglects Him as she prepares an elaborate meal that He does not necessarily need.  There is nothing wrong with her doing this, in and of itself, but the point is – what we do with Jesus is more important than what we do for Jesus.

Mary has likely done her share of work in the kitchen…I am sure a few of you can relate…but she then goes to “feed” on the Lord’s teachings. Soon, Martha feels neglected after Mary leaves the kitchen…and so she begins to complain, suggesting that neither the Lord nor Mary really care!  Martha would have profited from what Jesus shares in John 15:5 that says – “without me, you can do nothing.” We may be on the go, go, go…just like we’re on that autobahn, speeding along…and we wonder why we do not have the spiritual energy or fortitude to deal with all of life’s offerings and struggles(?). Few things are as trying, and perhaps even troubling for the Christian, as trying to work for Christ without taking time to commune with Christ. In this situation, Mary chooses the better part…the part that could not be taken from her.  She knew that she could not live on “bread alone” (Matthew 4:4).

Writer and sociologist, Gordon Govier says, “Time affects us all equally, although there are those who believe that it seems to pick up speed as we get older.  But, most of us agree that we don’t have enough of it.  When Charles Hummel wrote his classic essay, Tyranny of the Urgent, in 1967, he identified the telephone as among the worst offenders against our peace and contemplation.  And that was before we carried it with us everywhere, embellished with e-mail, computers, cameras, downloadable ring tones and music files.  Hummel passed away in 2003, but his concept remains.  The main issue, Hummel states, is not so much a shortage of time, as a problem of priorities…or as a cotton mill manager once told him – “your greatest danger is letting the urgent things crowd out the important.”  The essay points to the gospel accounts of Jesus who never seemed to be in a hurry, even when His friend Lazarus was dying.  Quoting Mark 1:35, Hummel saw the secret of Jesus’ life and work for God in that “He prayerfully waited for His Father’s instructions.”  Govier concludes in a way that is thoughtful and helpful…several years ago, I felt the weight of undone and half-done obligations weighing on me and realized that a big part of the problem was perspective.  Instead of complaining about why I was getting loaded down with so many responsibilities, I concluded that I should thank God that He was allowing me to be involved in many good things that I enjoyed doing and was really interested in.  Sure, I should be smart about not over-committing myself, but I was conscientiously and prayerfully considering my schedule in relationship to what I felt God wanted me to be involved in…then, I felt I could trust Him to make certain the priority things got done.

On our autobahn of life, it is really important to – stop.  We have simply got to take some time to slow down, and even stop, in the midst of our busyness and spend some meaningful time with the Lord, and with our family. We need to make and take time to be the men, husbands, fathers that the Lord would have us to be.  We need to spend some time in prayer every day…by ourselves, but also with our wives, and with our kids.  We need to do the same thing as it relates to reading the Word of God.  We also need to spend some meaningful time with our wives and kids.  If we are going to be “men of vision,” we must close our eyes to the whole world swirling around us on a regular basis and focus on the matters of life that truly matter. And I really can’t tell you how that “looks”…what “your vision” should be, individually or collectively.  But, I do hope to consider an effective vision of what the Lord wants for us. We serve a Master to whom a “day is to a thousand years and a thousand years is to a day.” He knows our busy schedules…he certainly understand us better than we know ourselves.  And as I have been known to say – I am not really going to be any good for the church or anyone else if I am not taking care of my business at home with my wife and family.

In Matthew 14, Mark 6, following the death of His cousin and friend, John the Baptist, Jesus needed to have some time alone with His Father. “Now when Jesus heard of it, He withdrew from there to a lonely place by Himself” (Mt 14:13). Still, people would follow after Him.  But, even later in the chapter (14:23), we see that He would go up to the mountain to pray after sending the multitude away.  Jesus knew how to “Stop” and “Yield.” We live in a culture where it is so easy to be seduced by the secondary, and distracted from what matters by sports, the internet, work, family, etc…all good things. Friends…the embodiment of the ancient faith is all about a personal relationship with Jesus.  We need to follow the example of our Lord and so many other faithful believers who make the time to spend some time, one of one with the Lord.  It is here that we meet our Lord in the most basic of ways through prayer, study, and meditation.  Then, our lives…ministry, work, play…can truly be efficient and effective.

Blessings, Don

Seeing the Unseen

Friends,

In 2 Kings 6:8-23, we come to understand that Elisha, the servant of the Lord, lived within the presence of God. This is the reason why he was able to live the victorious life. Surrounded by the enemy Syrians, it looked as though his fate was sealed, because they had come for him. But there was no terror in Elisha’s face…there was no panic in his heart. With calmness, courage and confidence he replies, "Don’t be afraid," "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them" (vs.16). The Apostle Paul echoed those sentiments when he wrote to the Christians at Rome, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

Elisha’s servant stands as ample proof that even God’s own people do not always practice the presence of God in times of stress. No doubt he believed in God, but when the time came to put his belief to a practical test, he panicked. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" he asked. Have we ever felt like this? Elisha’s servant represents those today who concentrate so much on their difficulties and obstacles that they cannot and do not see the power of God.  Now before we are too harsh on this servant, we need to ask ourselves how we would fare in regard to faith.  Do we see the chariots of fire when we are facing serious surgery?  Do we confidently trust in God when we’ve been slandered unjustly?  When we are down to our last dollar, how do we react? Do we believe that God will somehow provide for us?  As I see it, Elisha’s servant represents a good deal of humanity. He is so overcome by the magnitude of the problem that he failed to recognize three things -- God’s presence, protection and provision.  We believe that we are children of God, and that He takes care of people, yet perhaps there are times when we become anxious about work, health, financial status, etc. and we allow ourselves to be weighed down by causeless fears. We need to learn to realize God’s presence with us and say with the Psalmist, “My times are in Your hand.”

The servant could see and yet he could not see...like someone who has lost his glasses or contacts. What he really needed were some “spiritual spectacles”. He saw the enemy surrounding the city, but not the greater host of God’s angels who protected the man of God.  Elisha’s servant was gazing so intently at the Syrian army that he couldn’t see the chariots of fire!  He could see the danger, but not the deliverance!  When we feel all alone in our struggles, we need to lift up our eyes…the hosts of God are all about us. The same chariots of fire that whisked Elijah away are back to protect us! This isn’t the only place where we see such a message.

When Jesus was asked by His disciples why He taught the crowds in parables, He answered, “This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ’You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving’” (Matthew 13:13-14).  The greatest and wisest men are those who see further and deeper than others. Jesus saw what blind eyes could not see, and He was calm and joyful, even in the presence of agony and death.  The truest vision is the vision of faith. The world says, “Seeing is believing”…whereas, the Gospel says, “Believing is seeing.” There is a great spiritual world that we’ve never seen with our physical eyes. The clearer sight we have of the power of heaven, the less we shall fear the troubles of earth.

Two missionaries in Malaysia walked to a distant village for some money which had been sent to a bank for them. When they were returning to their station, night overtook them. They prayed and committed themselves to God. Then they lay down to sleep on a lonely hillside. Some weeks later a man came to the mission hospital for treatment.  He looked intently at the missionary doctor. “I have seen you before,” he said. “No, I don’t believe we have ever met,” the doctor replied. “But we have met before,” insisted the man. “You were sleeping one night on a hillside. Several of us saw you withdraw some money from the bank. We followed you, intending to rob you when it was dark. But we could not get near you because of all the soldiers that were surrounding you. “Soldiers!” exclaimed the missionary. “There were no soldiers with us!” The bandit said, “But there were soldiers with you. I saw them and so did my companions...16 of them...so we ran away."  Psalm 34:7 says,“The angel of the Lord encamps round about those that fear him, and delivers them”.

 
Jesus has come to correct our spiritual vision! Luke 4:18: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” So the next time your heart is filled with fear, look up and see the chariots of fire!  If you’re afraid of death and judgment, then look to Jesus as Savior. Don’t be blind to His love and power to forgive you.

Blessings, Don