2008-12-19
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week I was led to write about being teachable in making ordinary judgments. Today, the Holy Spirit leads me to write about some problems when judging. Sometimes the issue is judging by preconceived ideas about personality, rather than behavior. We all have people who are not our favorites, and the reasons for this are as varied as there are different personalities. Because of this, it’s necessary to look at some typical cases without getting into too much detail. Take, for example, the case of Saul. Prior to Saul’s presence on the scene, Israel had been led by human judges, chosen for their maturity in the faith, wisdom, and sometimes their ability to lead in warfare. Some of their stories are found in the book of Judges. We are introduced to Israel’s first human king, Saul, in 1 SAM 9: 1-2. “There was a wealthy and influential man named Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin; he was the son of Abiel and grandson of Zeror, and belonged to the family of Becorath, a part of the clan of Aphiah. He has a son named Saul, a handsome man in the prime of life. Saul was a foot taller than anyone else in Israel and more handsome as well.” Now, look at the traits which led to Saul’s selection-wealthy, influential, handsome, and the in prime of life.
Hindsight is always more accurate than foresight for anyone, except our omniscient God Himself. In His wisdom, God allowed early Israel to make a horrible mistake with this man, Saul, trying to teach her a lesson. The criteria used by the people was faulty at best, and sadly, some people use the same criteria for choosing government officials today. In looking over the Saul era of Israel’s history, all these traits above didn’t cover the fact that Saul’s behavior was typical of a person with bipolar disorder, as this disease is known today. Saul’s behavior was particularly aberrant when he felt threatened, as he did by Israel’s future second kind, David. To David’s face, he would show love and appreciation of David’s music. Behind his back, Saul persecuted David, chasing him all over the landscape and aiming spears at him. Let’s look at some examples of Saul’s behavior. 1 SAM 18: 17, “Then Saul said to David, ‘Here is my older daughter, Merah. I will give her to you as your wife on the condition that you serve me as a brave and loyal soldier, and fight the Lord’s battles’ (Saul was thinking that in this way the Philistines would kill David, and he would not have to do it himself).” 1 SAM 19: 8-10, “One day an evil spirit from the Lord took control of Saul. He was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was there, playing his harp. Saul tried to pin David to the wall with his spear, but David dodged, and the spear struck in the wall. David ran away and escaped.” Hindsight and study of the Scriptures tell us that David had so much respect for the office Saul held that he spared Saul’s life numerous times and never showed his king any disrespect [1 SAM 24: 7, 10, for example].
How many times have we judged someone by his style of dress? Corporate executives look for a certain style, and some companies have strict dress codes, even when such dress isn’t necessary for carrying out the job in question. Where would science be, if the only people funded for their research had perfectly combed and cut hair at all times? Albert Einstein would have never been able to make his contributions. The same could be said of people that were not handsome. That would have prevented Golda Meier from ever being Israel’s prime minister. The same could be said about Abraham Lincoln. My husband tells a story about an executive at a large computer/cash register concern who decided to wear a colored shirt with his pin-stripped suit. His boss kept making comments about his “infraction” of their white-shirt only dress code, until his subordinate made the decision to refrain from wearing his colored shirts for fear of losing his job. None of this had any bearing on the man’s ability to do a good job for his company.
When the time finally came that God could take no more of Saul’s behavior without taking action, Saul was deposed by Him. 1 SAM 16: 7, “But the Lord said to him [Jesse’s son, Eliab], ‘Pay no attention to how tall and handsome he is. I have rejected him [Saul] because I do not judge as man judges. Man looks at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart.’” We can all take a good lesson from this in our own judgments. Remember that Jesus appeared as a very ordinary and unremarkable man, and yet, He was noble enough to give His life on the cross, so that all who listen to the Gospel message and believe in Him, can be saved [JN 3: 16; EPH 2: 8-10]. How can we not ask: How many people with the talent and capacity to do great things have been rejected because of their socio-economic station, their appearance, or other such “on-the-surface” issues? The Jews judged Jesus by their interpretation of the Law. By their behavior in doing this, they actually offended the Law, JAS 4: 11-12, “Do not criticize one another, my brothers. Whoever criticizes a Christian brother or judges him, criticizes the Law and judges it. If you judge the Law, then you are no longer one who obeys the Law, but one who judges it. God is the only Lawgiver and Judge. He alone can save and destroy. Who do you think you are to judge your fellow-man?” Sadly, we will never know how many great at things we need have been judged wanting and never given a chance to display their true talents to benefit mankind.
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before Your throne today to begin by thanking and praising You for the blessings we have. You have created us in Your own image, so there is no reason for hatred of self or others [GN 1: 27]. Because of the fall in the Garden of Eden, we are all born sinners without escape from certain spiritual death, except for the Atonement of Jesus Christ, Your Son and our Savior. Through this faith, faith which You give us [JN 3: 21], we are new creations when in union with Him [2 COR 5 :17]. The blessing of being Your new creations is the shucking off of one’s old, sinful life with its dominance of control in answer to natural desires [GAL 5: 16-17], to reveal a new life, which is a life in Christ [GAL 3: 27]. This is what it means to be born again. There is nothing passive in regard to Your part in this, Dearest Abba. First You gave us Your only begotten Son on the cross and then, You show us, in COL 3: 10, how You remain active in our sanctification [purification and gradual perfection in preparation for glorification-coming home to You for a joyful eternal fellowship that will never be broken]. COL 3: 9b-10, “…For you have put off the old self with its habits and have put on the new self. This is the new being which God, its Creator, is constantly renewing in His own image, in order to bring you to a full knowledge of himself.” Praise be to You for Your perfect love! You call us to pay attention to the lessons of the past, but we often do not. You show us that surface criteria will not lead to accurate judgments we must make in our ordinary lives. Over and over again, we make faulty judgments that lead to disastrous results. We ask You to lead us to right judgments and to have our eyes open to past lessons to help us avoid chaotic and negative results from hasty, foolish, and poorly-conceived judgments, whether in the ballot box or elsewhere. Only with Your help can we succeed in refusing the make the mistakes of the past. You are to be praised and thanked for every blessing we have, every opportunity to make rightful judgments before us. We pray in Christ’s holy name; amen.
Next week, I’m led to write about more problems in making judgments. In the meanwhile, we need to understand that God cares deeply about every detail of our lives. PS 37: 23-24, “The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of our their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” When a judgment needs to be made, it always pays for us to turn to the Lord for His will and His advice FIRST. We need to be teachable, if we are going to pass up making the same old mistakes of the past. PS 86:11, “Teach me, Lord, what you want me to do, and I will obey You faithfully.” We need to submit to God’s direction, praying to Him, “Teach me to serve You with complete devotion.” Our loving God is there to hear our prayers and to answer them [PS 116: 1]. We are never left along to wallow in the profundity of our ignorance. PS 34: 7, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who have reverence for Him, and He delivers them.” Our loving God has left us with the hope of the resurrection. If we endure in our faith, we are the brothers and sisters that follow Christ to eternal life with the Father. Christ is the “first among many brothers” [RO 8: 29]. PS 34: 18, “The Lord is near to those who are discouraged; He saves those who have lost all hope.” PS 33: 22, “Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in Thee.” Our Lord is to be honored, praised, and thanked for all He is and all He does for us. Glory be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn