In Part 1 of the introduction we focused on the religious background and cultural context relevant for the study of Elijah. In this second part of the introduction, we’re going to focus more on the relevant political history of Israel.
Towards the end of Part 1, we looked at one of Moses’ final instructions, regarding the future kings of Israel:
“When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me,’ You may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.” (Deut 17:14-17)
Keep the statement, “I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me” in your short-term memory, as that will come up again shortly. The Hebrews were not to select a foreign ruler to be king over them. The king was to be an Israelite. However, recall that the Lord frequently brought in foreign rulers to punish wayward Israel, only to raise up a leader from within Israel once they returned to Him.
Specific to the Israelite kings, they were given three explicit prohibitions:
1. Do not acquire many horses, and do not return to Egypt to acquire many horses.
2. Do not acquire many wives.
3. Do not acquire excessive silver and gold.
What is the meaning behind these three “do not acquire” prohibitions? Horses meant two things to the early nations: 1) military strength and 2) the best horses were from Egypt. A nation with a significant number of horses and chariots would be considerably stronger than an army largely dependent upon infantry. However, the Lord had already clearly demonstrated His power to destroy a superior chariot army, from Egypt no less (Ex 14-15). The Israelites and their kings were to rely upon Yahweh, the God of Israel to be their strength and shield, not in horses and chariots:
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (Psa 20:7)
Furthermore, if horses were what their kings wanted, then an alliance with Egypt would be necessary. The domestication of horses, particularly with chariots, proliferated in the time of the Hyksos influence (1730–1580 B.C.), with Egypt considered to be the masters of horsemanship and charioteers. Such an alliance was strictly to be avoided, whether in terms of horses or in wives.
Early monarchs frequently had multiple wives, with many of these marriages being expedient for political alliances and peace treaties. However if the Israelites followed the Lord their God, they would have no need for treaties to keep them secure. Their protector was not to be another nation, but the sovereign Creator of the universe.
The prohibition against having many wives was also to avoid the idolatrous influences of the nations around the Israelites. Foreign wives meant foreign religions, which, by extension for the Israelites, translated into idolatry. Wives from these pagan nations would only lead Israel to idolatry.
Finally, history has repeatedly shown what can happen when vast sums of wealth are accumulated. The kings of Israel were not to fall victim to a false sense of security in gold and silver, nor were they to develop a lust for material wealth. Again, they were to have their security in the Lord, with the passion to follow Him, not mammon. So in essence, all three of these “do not acquire” prohibitions were intended to keep the future kings of Israel reliant upon the Lord, not on the conventional, worldly pillars of support and security.
Add to the Mosaic instructions the following admonition from Samuel, when he attempted to talk the elders of the Israelites out of wanting a king to reign over them, “that we also may be like all the nations.” (1 Sam 8:20), just as Moses had indicated they would. [Recall we discussed in Part 1, all the cultures and nations were steeped in idolatry. Literally, “everybody else was doing it.” Ironically, we expect that type of excuse from children. Here, it was the elders saying, “everyone else is doing it.”]
“So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. He said, ‘These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” (1 Sam 8:10-18)
Had the elders fully thought out their request to have a king over them? This was far more than simply having one person from their nation promoted to the top position in the land. Having a king would usher in a whole new way of government, the establishment of multiple layers of administration, paving the way for a bureaucratic institution consisting of thousands or tens of thousands of self-aggrandizing bureaucrats, and utterly eliminating any checks and balances to the power and authority of one person, regardless whether he was good or evil. This new way of rule would not be without enormous costs, as the burden of such an entrenched and entitled government would fall on the people.
Did the people truly want to voluntarily give up vast quantities of their personal resources, wealth, land, and freedom, just to be like the other nations and have a king? Samuel paints an accurate and bleak picture for them, pointing out to them such a heavy burden would have an effect such that “you shall be his slaves.” They would be giving up far more than possessions, as the king would require many of them to serve in the military, work as laborers, and be servants to the entire ranks of the pampered royalty and officials, most of whom would likely be family and close friends of the king. Samuel’s words of wisdom fell on the deaf and the blind.
Keeping in mind the words spoken by Moses and Samuel, let’s take a look at what transpired during the reign of Israel’s third king:
“Now Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; and he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem …Also Solomon's import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king's merchants procured them from Kue for a price. A chariot was imported from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver, and a horse for 150; and by the same means they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of the Arameans. (1 Kings 10:26,28-29)
In accumulating “many horses” and going back to Egypt to do so, Solomon clearly went counter to the first prohibition for kings. Let’s continue:
“Then Solomon formed a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her to the city of David.” (1 Kings 3:1)
Solomon's principal wife at the start of his reign appears to have been the daughter of Pharaoh, as it was for her that he had a palace built (3:1; 7:8; 9:16, 24). According to Jewish tradition, she adopted the Jewish faith. However, this apparently was not his first wife, as his firstborn son and successor to the throne, Rehoboam, had an Ammonite mother by the name of Naamah. Solomon must have married her before ascending to the throne of Israel, as he reigned for forty years, and Rehoboam was 41 when he succeeded Solomon as king (11:42-43; 14:21).
In addition to these two wives, Solomon also established marriage relations with the neighboring peoples: “Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women.” According to the Arabian story Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba who visited Solomon (10:1ff), was also married to him. According to legend, she returned to Sheba impregnated by him, and bore a son, starting a royal Jewish line in the Africas. For all the wives he had, there is no mention of his ever marrying an Israelite woman.
What was the result of having all of these wives, a violation of the second prohibition, and especially from nations into which the Israelites had been strictly forbidden by the Lord to marry?
“Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, ‘You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.’ Solomon held fast to these in love. He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not follow the LORD fully, as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.” (11:1-8)
How incredibly sad and sickening is the above-italicized sentence: “his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.”
Let’s keep going:
“Now the weight of gold which came in to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, besides that from the traders and the wares of the merchants and all the kings of the Arabs and the governors of the country. King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, using 600 shekels of gold on each large shield. He made 300 shields of beaten gold, using three minas of gold on each shield, and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with refined gold. There were six steps to the throne and a round top to the throne at its rear, and arms on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms. Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom. All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None was of silver; it was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon [“The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem.” (vs. 27)]. For the king had at sea the ships of Tarshish with the ships of Hiram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks. So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. All the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. They brought every man his gift, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.” (10:14-25)
One talent of gold is equal to approximately 140 pounds troy (the gold standard). There are 14 ounces in one pound troy, therefore 140 x 14 = 1,960 ounces of gold per talent. In terms of equivalency, with the price of gold mid-November at $741 per ounce, one talent equates to roughly $1.5 million. So multiply that by the 666 talents per year that Solomon received, he collected nearly $1 billion a year ($967 million) just from tributes and levies, not counting the vast wealth of gold, precious stones, spices and other valuables that he gained in terms of trade and innumerable gifts from foreign rulers and royal visitors. An example of the royal gifts is given by the Queen of Sheba:
“She gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold [$174 million], and a very great amount of spices and precious stones. Never again did such abundance of spices come in as that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon. Also the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir [the finest gold], brought in from Ophir a very great number of almug trees and precious stones.” (10:10-12)
Consider an almost “aside comment” regarding Solomon’s trade ships:
“They went to Ophir and took four hundred and twenty talents of gold [$610 million] from there, and brought it to King Solomon.” (9:28)
In addition to this vast wealth that was accumulated, violating the third prohibition, consider the following in light of Samuel’s warnings:
“Solomon's provision for one day was thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal, ten fat oxen, and twenty pasture-fed cattle, a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl.” (4:22-23)
One cors approximates six bushels, with a total of 90 cors translating to roughly 28,000 pounds of bread baked each day. There was also 21,000 pounds of meat each day, in addition to the wild game of “deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl.” This was the daily food allotment required to maintain Solomon’s harem and administration.
“King Solomon drafted forced labor out of all Israel, and the draft numbered 30,000 men. And he sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in shifts. They would be a month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the draft. Solomon also had 70,000 burden-bearers and 80,000 stonecutters in the hill country, besides Solomon's 3,300 chief officers who were over the work, who had charge of the people who carried on the work.” (5:13-16)
This was Solomon’s army of corvée laborers and slaves from conquered nations. Corvée is unpaid labor that persons in power compel their subjects to perform.
Solomon proves Samuel to be in the right in how heavy-handed kings would be to their subjects. While he reigned over the golden era of the Hebrew nation, his policies and administration clearly took a heavy toll on his subjects. What was the result of his heart being turned away and this enormous burden placed upon his people?
“Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD had commanded. So the LORD said to Solomon, ‘Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.” (11:9-13)
Solomon failed to abide by all three of the prohibitions given by Moses, as well as the repeated warnings from the Lord regarding idolatry and foreign marriages, resulting in the tearing apart of the nation of Israel. That all of this came to pass does not indicate Moses was uttering a prophecy or that his instructions were written post-facto. Rather, this is evidence of the Lord’s profound insight into the human condition, fully knowing the pride and actions of those who would rule in ignorance, arrogance or defiance of His instructions and commandments.
The words of the Lord, with a particular focus on the heart of Solomon, are reminiscent of a similar conversation that Samuel had with Saul:
“But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” (1 Sam 13:14)
David was given a kingdom because his heart was right with God. This same kingdom was now to be irreparably torn in two, the first tragic step on the long and torturous road to exile and foreign occupation, because the heart of his son did not stay true to the Lord.
The golden era of Israel, which had seen heights beyond all expectations, was on the brink of crashing to the ground, the lies and sins of idolatry the cancer that would ultimately destroy and claim yet one more nation. Solomon’s idolatry led his heart away from the Lord, cracking open the doors for idolatry to lead the people blindly and willfully down the path to exile, while the idolatry of future kings would blast the doors off the hinges. Again, had the elders fully considered what they were wishing for when they insisted to Samuel for a king? They got what they wished for, but was this really what they wanted?
Unfortunately, the story doesn’t get any easier to read:
“Now the man Jeroboam was a valiant warrior, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, he appointed him over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph. It came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field. Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces. He said to Jeroboam, ‘Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes’…Solomon sought therefore to put Jeroboam to death; but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to Shishak king of Egypt, and he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.” (11:28-31,40)
When was the last time the sitting king of Israel sought to kill the new appointed king, causing that individual to flee for their lives to another country?
Shishak’s protection of Jeroboam is obviously a function of a change on Egypt’s throne. This was not the same Pharaoh who was Solomon’s father-in-law, Siamon, the last of the 21st dynasty of Egypt. Shishak, or Sheshonk I, founder of the Libyan Dynasty (22nd), was a warlike Pharaoh with empire-building aspirations. This protection of Jeroboam spells out great trouble for the Davidic line, as clearly Solomon wasn’t able to pursue Jeroboam into Egypt, and it was this same Shishak that would overrun and plunder Jerusalem in the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign (14:25-26), Solomon’s son and Jeroboam’s enemy, with an overwhelming army that not so coincidentally included 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen.
Touching on Rehoboam:
“Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put His name there. And his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess.” (14:21)
“Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. Now when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, he was living in Egypt (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon). Then they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke hard; now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.’ Then he said to them, ‘Depart for three days, then return to me.’ So the people departed.” (12:1-5)
“King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, ‘How do you counsel me to answer this people?’ Then they spoke to him, saying, ‘If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.’ But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who grew up with him and served him. So he said to them, ‘What counsel do you give that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?’ The young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!' But you shall speak to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins! 'Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions’.” (12:6-11)
This is the tale of two counsels for two new kings, both resulting in dire consequences for the Hebrew nation. Here Rehoboam takes heed to bad counsel, and thus the door is flung wide open for the prophesy from the Lord regarding the nation of Israel being split to come to fruition:
“When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, ‘What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; to your tents, O Israel! Now look after your own house, David!’ So Israel departed to their tents…So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. It came about when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. None but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.” (12:16,19-20)
So ends the golden era of the nation of Israel, and sadly, Israel has never seen peace since then. What extreme devastation and tragedy was wrought by idolatry! Recall that in Part 1 we discussed that there was one key, consistent theme behind all of the 11 points of instruction. What was this one critical point? The Lord is God, and there cannot be anything: idols, pleasures, relationships, possessions, wealth – nothing that could lead the people away from the Lord, their one and only true God. Consider how this tragic break-up of an entire nation was brought about by idols, pleasures, relationships, possessions, and wealth. The exact same temptations that turn into idolatry for us today. Our idols today may not be figurines or statues to which we bow down, but do we struggle any less with ensuring that nothing gets in the way of our relationship with the Lord?
The Jewish nation was now been rent in two. Ten of the twelve tribes of Israel seceded from Rehoboam’s rule and formed a new nation which was called Israel (also “Ephraim” after one of its tribes and the initial location of the capital, and then “Samaria” after the future capital city was built). Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin stayed loyal to Rehoboam, and they formed the southern kingdom called Judah. Our focus will remain on the northern kingdom of Israel throughout the entire series on Elijah. So at this point we will bid a very sad and reluctant adieu to the southern kingdom of Judah.
The northern kingdom of Israel had a total of 19 rulers during its split from the southern tribes, and tragically, all 19 of them were evil men. Nineteen monarchs in-a-row, covering a period of over 200 years, with each king’s only claim to fame being they were more wicked and evil than their predecessors. This continuous downward spiral prevailed in Israel until the Assyrians invaded in 722 B.C.
It didn’t have to be that way. Look again to the call of Jeroboam, and consider the promise that the Lord had held out for him:
“I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever you desire, and you shall be king over Israel. Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. Thus I will afflict the descendants of David for this, but not always.” (11:37-39)
Can we even begin to fathom the steadfast, loyal love the Lord has for us? How many times has He reach out to mankind, even after one miserable failure after another, continually offering His mercy, grace and promises, if we would only follow Him? How many times has He reached out in just this same way to you and to me?
Once established as the new king of Israel, Jeroboam quickly brushed aside the word of the Lord that Ahijah the prophet had delivered to him, and considered what he needed to do in terms of political expediency. This reliance on strengthening his position and interests politically, rather than trusting in the promises of Yahweh (who had elevated him from being a servant of a king, to being the king himself), resulted in his leading the people spiritually down a path from which they would never return:
“Jeroboam said in his heart, ‘Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah’.” (12:26-27)
The Lord had specifically said, “I will give Israel to you” and “build you an enduring house” in the earlier message through Ahijah. We can see those promises were disregarded once he had the throne. Rather than relying on the Lord, Jeroboam, like Rehoboam, made the grave mistake of following bad counsel:
“So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt’.” (12:28)
Consider how many of the key 11 points of instruction Jeroboam violated in just that one verse. Not content with this, he went on to institute his own brand of religion, as the king and self-appointed priest anointer:
“He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. Jeroboam instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in Judah, and he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense.” (12:29-33)
While Solomon set up idolatry for his wives and followed them in their idol worship, Jeroboam here officially sanctions idolatry as the institutional religion of the land. Though Jeroboam was specifically told by the prophet Ahijah that he was to be given 10 nations of Israel to rule, as a divine judgment for the idolatrous sins of Solomon, here we see that Jeroboam purposefully and knowingly went far beyond the sins of the very king he replaced. For 22 years he reigned as king over Israel, defiantly biting the very hand that had given him his throne, and ignoring the warnings of another prophet sent from the Lord (13:1-10):
“Even after this event Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but made priests for the high places again from among all the people; any who wanted to be priests he consecrated for the high places. This matter became sin to the house of Jeroboam, so as to cut it off and to destroy it from the face of the earth.” (13:33-34)
Note the prophetic end that would come to Jeroboam’s line. Shortly before he died, Ahijah, the same prophet who first told him of the Lord’s plan to make him king, gave him this future obituary:
“You also have done more evil than all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back…[the Lord] will give up Israel on account of the sins of Jeroboam, which he committed and with which he made Israel to sin.” (14:9,16)
Look at his epitaph: “Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.” No less than 25 times the condemnatory phrase, “made Israel to sin,” is said of him in the Bible. Moreover, he would be the yardstick against which future kings would be measured:
“For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sins which he made Israel sin, provoking the LORD God of Israel with their idols.” (16:26)
Upon his death, Jeroboam’s son Nadab assumed the throne. How was his reign characterized?
“[Nadab] walked in the way of his father and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.” (15:26).
Nadab ruled for only two years, and “while Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon” (a Philistine town), he was assassinated by Baasha, who promptly seized the throne (15:27-28). What was Baasha’s first act as king?
“It came about as soon as he was king, he struck down all the household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam any persons alive, until he had destroyed them, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, because of his provocation with which he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger.” 15:29-30
Baasha ruled for 24 years and his obituary:
“He did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel sin.” (15:34)
Baasha was succeeded by his son, Elah. Two years into his reign, Elah sent the Israelite army to besiege Gibbethon. He didn’t accompany the army himself to Gibbethon. Perhaps he remembered what happened to the last king that went to besiege that city? Instead, he sent the army off and retained some of his chariot force to remain with him. One night while his army was away, he went to a dinner party and commenced “drinking himself drunk.” While in his drunken stupor, one of his chariot officers, Zimri, assassinated him and seized the throne (16:9-10). What was Zimri’s first official act?
“It came about when he became king, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave a single male, neither of his relatives nor of his friends.” (16:11)
While Baasha had killed all of Jeroboam’s family, here Zimri wipes out both Baasha’s family and friends.
When word reached the Israelite army, which was busy besieging Gibbethon, that Zimri had assassinated Elah and declared himself to be king, the Israelite army promptly appointed their commander, Omri, as the new king. Omri immediately went after Zimri, laying siege to the capital city of Tirzah, whereupon Zimri barricaded himself in the palace, and burned it down over his head, killing himself after just seven days on the throne. Upon Zimri’s suicide, Omri named himself king, and while for a period of four years part of Israel followed a rival to the throne by the name of Tibni, Omri eventually won out to be the sole ruler of Israel (16:21-22).
Idolatry, assassinations, mass murders, suicide – just in the first five kings! It couldn’t possibly get any worse, could it?
“Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, and acted more wickedly than all who were before him. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sins which he made Israel sin, provoking the LORD God of Israel with their idols.” 16:25-26
The Bible doesn’t give a whole lot of specifics as to why he was the most wicked king thus far, but evidently he kept Israel on the path of idolatry that Jeroboam instituted as the national religion. During his 12-year reign, he was able to stabilize the turbulent political climate of the northern kingdom, such that he was able to establish a dynasty that lasted 45 years until 842 B.C. A capable military leader, he was able to hold his borders securely; made foreign alliances through marriage; stopped the inter-Jewish wars with Judah, such that his granddaughter would eventually marry Jethoram, king of Judah; and likely his most impressive achievement – he built the new capital city of Samaria.
A strategic and centrally-located hill overlooking key commercial trade routes, Samaria was a strongly fortified city that was easy to defend and accessible to the merchants and traders crossing the plains below it. Samaria was the new capital city for the northern kingdom, a strong rival to Jerusalem until 722 B.C., when it was finally plundered by the Assyrians.
Samaria became a key battleground for hundreds of years, being rebuilt and refortified a number of times, most notably by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. and Herod the Great, who renamed it Sebaste, in honor of his patron, the emperor Caesar Augustus (whose name is Sebaste in Greek). This name lives on in the modern name of Sebastiyeh, and archeologists have recently uncovered the foundations of Omri’s palace, in addition to the great architectural buildings of Herod.
Six hundred columns lined a half-mile street of Herodian Sebaste. Herod also built a large stadium on the northern slope of the city. The Roman forum was a large open area where people assembled for commerce and governmental activity. On the edge of the forum, archaeologists excavated a Roman basilica. On the acropolis of Samaria, and on top of the location of earlier administrative buildings of the Israelites, Herod the Great constructed a monumental temple dedicated to Sebaste. In the process, he destroyed much of the earlier remains from the Israelite period.
Consider the tale of the two capital cities: Jerusalem and Samaria, and the very long history between them. David fortified the hilltop city of Jerusalem and named it his capital, and soon to be the location of the temple to Yahweh, the God of Israel. David’s son would rule his entire kingdom from this location, during the golden era of Hebrew history.
Omri fortified the hilltop city of Samaria and named it his capital, the center of “the land of Omri.” His son would rule his entire kingdom from this location, during the golden era of Israel’s history. However, this would be forever a rival city to Jerusalem in terms of spiritual heritage, as this was to be the seat of idolatry, the false gods of Israel.
This conflict between Jerusalem and Samaria reached its peak during the period of the Maccabees, but settled down to a simmer during the Roman occupation and in the time of Christ. After the witness of Philip in this region (Acts 8), Christianity spread throughout the area, and the city of Samaria became the seat of a bishopric and was represented in the councils of Nicea, Constantinople and Chalcedon. Today, the Church of John, a Crusading structure beside the modern village, is now a Moslem mosque. It is the traditional burying-place of John the Baptist's body.
By secular standards Omri was an accomplished ruler and garnered considerable respect from the surrounding nations. Moabite and Assyrian inscriptions and cuneiform acknowledged his prominence, referring to Israel as “the land of Omri” (Adadnirari IV and Tiglath-pileser III) as late as 732 B.C. – 141 years after his death.
His civil code was in force long after his 45-year dynasty was wiped out, and it was adopted in the southern kingdom of Judah, though this resulted in the Lord’s judgment, giving further evidence to the wicked reign of Omri:
“The statutes of Omri and all the works of the house of Ahab are observed; and in their devices you walk. Therefore I will give you up for destruction and your inhabitants for derision, and you will bear the reproach of My people.” (Micah 6:16)
Thus concludes the historical and political background and context as an introduction to the study of Elijah. The next lesson will focus on the entrance of the main characters onto the center stage: Ahab, Jezebel, Baal, and finally, Elijah.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Introduction to Elijah: Part 1
Without question, Elijah is one of the most distinctive individuals in the Bible. The solitary prophet from Gilead burst upon the scene like a thunderbolt, making a dramatic, unannounced entrance on the stage of public action during one of the darkest hours in Israel's history. A hitherto unknown entity from a district that scholars still cannot locate with any certainty, his striking witness for the living God was a searing light in the midst of the spiritual darkness and degradation that permeated the land of Israel.
One commentator wrote, “The most illustrious Prophet Elijah was raised up in the reign of the most wicked of the kings of Israel.” That is a terse but accurate summary of the situation in Israel at that time. Seemingly every light of truth had been extinguished, nearly every voice of testimony for the God of Israel had been ruthlessly silenced, spiritual death and decay had taken over the land, and it appeared certain that the stranglehold of idolatry had sealed the eternal fate of Israel.
What had happened to the nation of Israel? How was it that God’s chosen people had a national religion that rejected God, and whose rulers who were hunting down those who dared to be His followers? In order to gain the best understanding and perspective of the catastrophic disaster that Israel had become, as well as to fully comprehend the sheer magnitude of Elijah’s ministry, a historical review must first be conducted to provide the appropriate context for this remarkable prophet’s dramatic appearance.
Let’s go back nearly 600 years from the time of Elijah’s initial appearance on the public stage to the call of Moses:
Ex 3:13 “Then Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?’”
Moses’ question here is a valid one, not to be taken as a protest or attempt to avoid his calling, when considered within the context of the culture in which he and his fellow Israelites lived. At this point in history, all known people groups and nations lived in a polytheistic, pantheistic, and syncretistic world. These peoples held the belief that there were many gods, that all nature partook to some degree of divinity, and that all religions had at least some validity no matter how many or what sort of gods or goddesses those religions worshiped.
Lost in our modern English translations and understanding, as we denote a significant difference in “God” and “gods,” these words are the same Hebrew term elōhîm. The plurality of this word connotes both multiples of gods, but also vast majesty and power. The ancient peoples used elōhîm for any being who exhibited supernatural abilities, including angels and demons, as well as the mythological gods. Therefore, elōhîm was the generic term for all supernatural beings, not the proper name or identification of any particular god. In our modern English we capitalize “God” to refer to the one true God, similarly in the Spanish El Señor vs. Señor, but the term itself – god – is still generic.
Seen in this context, we would still acknowledge today there are many “gods” (nonhuman, supernatural beings) in the same sense that Psalms 82 does (and Jesus does in quoting this Psalms passage in John 10:34-36):
“God [elōhîm] has taken His place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods [elōhîm] He holds judgment…You are gods [elōhîm], sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.” (Psa 82:1,7)
In essence then, Moses’ question is “Which god are you? Which god is speaking to me?” Having lived within the midst of the pagan influences of the polytheistic Egyptian culture all of their lives, with likely exposure to the cultures surrounding them, the expression, “the God of your fathers” may well have held different meanings for the Israelites.
Ex 3:14-15 “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel,’ ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ God also said to Moses, ‘Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.”
In response to Moses’ query, God reveals His proper name and identity to Moses, giving both the first-person and the third-person forms of His divine name: “I AM” and “Lord,” the elōhîm of Seth, Enoch (Gen 4:26), Abraham (Gen 12:8), Isaac (Gen 26:25) and Jacob (Gen 28:16). This mention of the patriarchs emphasizes that the God who made the covenant was the God who kept the covenant.
In this re-revelation of His identity, “I AM” is the Hebrew hāyâ, meaning “to be,” and “Lord” is the mysterious Tetragrammaton YHWH (Yahweh), meaning “self-existent or eternal.” The name should be understood as referring to Yahweh as the creator and sustainer of all that exists and thus the Lord of both creation and history, including the host of heaven – the supernatural realm. Based on this reasoning, some hold this verse could reasonably be translated, “I cause to be because I cause to be.” This is an emphatic declaration of divine control of all things – natural and supernatural.
In mythologies and pagan beliefs, everything had a beginning. Even the gods were born or created. By revealing His name as “I cause to be because I cause to be,” Yahweh is declaring that He alone is self-existent. Not only was He not born or created, He is the Creator of everything – even the supernatural beings. There may be other gods, as defined by the ancients, but only He is divine and only He is Lord.
As an interesting side note: while YHWH is generally written without its Hebrew vowels, the original pronunciation of YaHWeH has considerable support. Yahweh (“LORD”), the personal name of God and His most frequent designation in Scripture, occurs 5,321 times. Also, etymologically, the term, Yehovah or Jehovah, comes from the reverence for the ineffable (“unutterable or taboo”) name “Yahweh.” This reverence caused it to be replaced in synagogue reading, though not in writing, with ’ădōnāy, meaning “my master” or “Lord.” When medieval Jewish scholars began to insert vowels to accompany the consonantal Old Testament text, they added into the YHWH the Masoetic vowel points for ’ădōnāy. Thus the actual writing became YăHōWāH, which in some of the earlier translations we see rendered as “Jehovah” (KJV, ASV, Darby, YLT, etc.) Most modern translations use the proper Yahweh or Lord.
For example, one of the names for God, Jehovah-jireh, comes from: “And Abraham called the name of that place ‘Jehovahjireh’: as it is said to this day, ‘In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen’.” Gen 22:14 (KJV)
A more literal rendering would be: yahweh rā’āh “Yahweh see” (as in, “Yahweh will see to it”) or yahweh yir’eh, “Yahweh will provide”.
Continuing on with our historical review, we come to Mount Sinai, at the scene of the first giving of the 10 commandments:
Ex 20:1-5 “And elōhîm spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am YHWH your elōhîm, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall not have other elōhîm besides Me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them …’” (NAB)
There are five key elements here that we need to note and keep in mind for future context:
1. The Lord (again, the proper name) is Israel’s God.
2. The Lord brought them out of Egypt.
3. The Israelites were not to have any other gods besides Him.
4. They were not to make any type of idol.
5. They were not to bow down to or worship any idol.
The Lord very clearly spells out for Moses what he is to instruct and remind the Israelites. They are not to forget who it was that brought them out of their slavery in Egypt. Not just any god, but their God, and more importantly, Yahweh – the eternal and only divine Lord.
What was so significant about this emphasis on the Lord having brought them out of Egypt? In pagan cultures, each nation had their own national, patron god. When one nation therefore went to war against another nation, there were two wars taking place, theoretically. One in the physical realm, and the second in the spiritual realm, as the two gods helped out their respective nations. Therefore, it was believed that the conquering nation’s god was superior or stronger than the defeated nation’s god. Accordingly, as a nation went about conquering other lands, their god was, in essence, exported to those other nations, as clearly it had been evidenced whose god was superior. Conversely, note how the Israelites adopted the gods of the lands their God conquered for them.
At the time of the Hebrews' exodus, Egypt was the most powerful nation in the world. By extension then, their gods were the most powerful gods. For the nation of Israel to be able to have the yoke of Egyptian slavery thrown off of their necks, followed by the complete destruction of the mighty Egyptian army, clearly the God of Israel must be a supreme God and more powerful than the Egyptian gods! The Lord wanted no confusion – it was He and He alone who brought the Israelites out of the bondage in Israel. His glory was not to be shared or allocated to some make-believe god represented by an idol!
The first commandment is a terse declaration that covers a broad array of anything that could potentially compete for the worship due solely to the Lord. Unfortunately, most of our translations read something to the effect, “You shall not have any other gods before Me.” This would seem to allow for a polytheistic meaning, that the Lord should be the preferred God, the first one in line. While that would have made sense to the Hebrews, steeped as they were in generations of polytheistic cultures, the real meaning would have rocked their religious mindset.
The literal translation, “not be for you other god before face me,” takes a far stronger meaning, not simply “before Him” but “before His face.” Such a rendering means He doesn’t even want to see any other gods, none in His presence, none within His all-seeing line of vision. A better translation, more in keeping with the original meaning would be, “You must have no other gods in distinction to Me,” with a simpler, more modern rendering, “I am the only God. Period. End of story.”
Comprehend what is being said here. The Israelites had been living in bondage in Egypt for 400 years, saturated by the polytheistic and idolatrous religions of that land, and surrounded by cultures with similar belief systems (albeit different gods and goddesses). When all of a sudden, Moses has this conversation with a burning bush, and now he’s taking note that not only is Yahweh the God of Israel, He’s the supreme Creator, and there’s no other gods? The first two statements could be accepted in the Hebrew way of thinking. He’s their God, therefore He’s supreme to them, and every other god falls in line behind Yahweh. That makes sense and seems reasonable. They would have no issues with believing in God. Even here in America “everyone” believes in God, right? But no other gods? This was not a time and culture that had even considered the possibility of monotheism. Talk about a mind warp!
The second commandment is also very explicit – it prohibits any and all forms of idolatry. No person, place or thing is ever to receive the honor and worship that is due solely to Yahweh. The very nature of the wording of this prohibition is purposely repetitive and all-encompassing, to ensure that it is abundantly clear that there can be no exception of any kind to the ban on idolatry. So now Yahweh is reinforcing that not only are the Israelites to intellectually and spiritually grasp there are no other gods, they are to live that way too! A complete change in the way of thinking, and a complete change in the way of living out their faith.
In case these commandments hadn’t sunk in sufficiently, the Lord reiterates: “You shall not make gods of silver to be with Me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.” Ex 20:23
In looking ahead to the Promise Land, the Lord takes the instructions a bit further:
Ex 23:23-25 “For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them. You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their sacred pillars in pieces. But you shall serve the LORD your God.”
Ex 23:32-33 “You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
In Egypt the Israelites had been surrounded by idols and sorcerers, but leaving that land did not mean they would be free from pagan religious influences. The land of Canaan was just as infested with idol worship. God knew His people needed extra precaution and reinforcement, so He continually emphasized guarding against the influence of pagan religions. Not only were they to avoid worshipping idols, they were to proactively destroy any vestige of idol worship left behind by the pagan nations of Canaan.
Furthermore, they were also to abstain from any covenants or relationships with the people and their gods. In pagan cultures, it was very common to make a pact or covenant with a god or goddess. An individual would promise a particularly notable sacrifice if the god or goddess would grant them a particularly extraordinary request. The Hebrews were to strictly avoid being party to such pacts.
So what did the Israelites do while Moses was up on Mount Sinai receiving the Lord’s instructions?
Ex 32:1-6 “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, ‘Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ Aaron said to them, ‘Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.’ Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.’ Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.’ So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.”
Compare the earlier list of five key points with what transpired in Moses’ absence:
1. The Lord is Israel’s God: “This is your god, O Israel”
2. The Lord brought them out of Egypt: “who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
3. The Israelites were not to have any other gods besides Him: “This is your god, O Israel”
4. They were not to make any type of idol: They made a golden calf.
5. They were not to bow down to or worship any idol: “They rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings.”
So in this one scenario, they systematically dismantled everything that the Lord had established. Note, however, Aaron’s statement, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.” So they didn’t completely ignore Yahweh. They just rendered Him to god status within the broader pantheon of gods, just as they had always viewed religion. See how quickly and easily they slipped back into the ways they had been living for generations.
After this matter had been dealt with, Moses once again returned to Mount Sinai to received from the Lord for the second time the 10 commandments (Ex 34:1-2). From this encounter we see an expansion of the previous instructions, providing a broader picture of the commandments:
Ex 34:12-17 “Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim – for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God – otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice, and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods. You shall make for yourself no molten gods.”
For the Israelites, there was only one covenant – the one between them and the Lord. Accordingly, they needed no other covenants. Not with other nations, and not with any other gods. Not only were they not to make idols or worship them, they were to utterly destroy all traces of idolatry, and they were also to avoid having any relationships with the pagan Canaanites. The reason behind this prohibition is that such relationships would lead the Israelites into idolatry. If they played with fire, they would be burned.
Notice how frequently the Israelites are being reminded, and reminded, and reminded. Why? Again, consider how significant of a change in religious mindset this was to them. These constant reinforcements were needed to slowly wash away generations of polytheistic thinking and living. Furthermore, note how seemingly with each reminder, the Lord breaks down His instructions to more and more basic levels. He continually expands and further spells out how to live out a life consistent with following Him. We could say He’s taking pains to make His instructions easier to apply and simpler to digest.
As the time of the Exodus was coming to the end, Moses took the Israelites to the edge of the Promised Land, once again, and gave them his final instructions – which included a lengthy recitation of the Lord’s instructions (yet another reminder):
Deut 5:1-9 “And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. The Lord spoke with you face-to-face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, while I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain. He said: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them…’”
Deut 12:2-3 “You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place.”
Deut 16:21-22 “You shall not plant any tree as an Asherah beside the altar of the Lord your God that you shall make. And you shall not set up a pillar, which the Lord your God hates.”
Deut 17:2-5 “If there is found among you, within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, in transgressing His covenant, and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have forbidden, and it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel, then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you shall stone that man or woman to death with stones.”
Deut 7:3-5 “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following Me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and He would destroy you quickly. But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire.”
After Moses died, Joshua led the nation of Israel, following the commandments of the Lord. When he was about to die, he likewise gave a recap of Israel’s history, concluding with:
Josh 23:11-13 “So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the LORD your God. For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, know with certainty that the LORD your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the LORD your God has given you.”
So what were the key points that the Israelites had drilled into them, time and time again?
1. The Lord is Israel’s God.
2. The Lord brought them out of Egypt.
3. They were not to make any idols or any other idol paraphernalia.
4. They were not to worship any idols.
5. They were to utterly destroy any idols and everything related to idolatry.
6. They were not to make any covenants or to have relationships with idolaters.
7. They were to stone anyone who practiced idolatry.
In addition to this list of seven critical instructions, and extremely relevant for the study of the life of Elijah, is a little-known passage in Deuteronomy, also from Moses’ farewell discourse:
Deut 17:15-17 “You may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.”
So based upon these verses, we can add to the list of seven:
8. No foreigner is to be ruler over Israel.
9. Israel’s kings must not acquire many horses.
10. Israel’s kings must not have many wives.
11. Israel’s kings must not acquire excessive silver and gold.
What’s the key, consistent theme behind all of these 11 points of instruction? While there may seem to be an increasing list of commandments and instructions, there is one crucial, underlying point in all of this, with the seemingly additional instructions being nothing more than further breaking down of the one point into more concrete and applicable instructions. What was this one critical point?
The Lord is God, and there cannot be anything: idols, pleasures, relationships, possessions, wealth – nothing that could lead the people away from the Lord, their one and only true God. Look at that again: pleasures, relationships, possessions, wealth – don’t we yet today struggle with making one or more of those our idols? Our idols today may not be figurines or statues to which we bow down, but do we struggle any less with ensuring that nothing gets in the way of our relationship with the Lord?
Now what would possess a man or woman back then to make an idol out of rock, wood or metals and turn around and start worshipping it? Surely you and I would not do something so ridiculous. How could any rational, intelligent individual worship a hunk of rock or carved wood? The nature of idolatry in these early cultures is generally lost on us today. We may view idolatry today as nothing more than rituals of worshipping some statue or other icon, whether praying to them, lighting candles, burning incense, or making some form of food or other offering.
However, the idolatry we’re discussing here in the Old Testament was of a completely different nature. Rather, this form of idolatry was an extremely elaborate and intricate system of religion and lifestyle – something that influenced all aspects of one’s life. The attractions and pleasures of idolatry would have exerted an enormous lure for the people of Israel, only compounded by the legalistic austerity of many elements within Israel.
Consider the glamour and attraction of New York City and Las Vegas for someone growing up within a Puritan environment. Big city, bright lights, much fanfare and excitement, many attractions, pleasures abounding for every senses – could that lure someone, particularly someone who has been living in the desert? This isn’t a value judgment on any of those elements, rather, an analogy to drive home the point of lure and temptation.
We may not see idolatry today with the same trappings that pulled away the Israelites, but haven’t we simply replaced idols and idol worship with our own, modern forms of idols? Idolatry then, just as it is today, was something that led the people of God away from their true God.
Having said that, let’s take a deeper look into what idolatry meant for the Hebrews:
1. Gateway. These early pagans were led to believe that the visible presence of an idol ensured the invisible presence of their god or goddess. When an idol was carved or formed, and the appropriate rituals and incantations were performed, it was believed that the respective god or goddess infused the idol with their essence. Accordingly, the idol therefore was a virtual gateway to the very presence and essence of the god or goddess, ensuring that anything said or done in front of or for the idol, was truly being said, done or for the god or goddess.
A good analogy given by Stuart in his commentary of Exodus: “In the same way that a modern person might speak to and look into a sound-equipped television camera knowing that their words and actions were being transmitted accurately to other locations, ancient people believed that the offerings they brought before an idol of a god and the prayers they said in the idol's presence were fully and unfailingly perceived by the god whom that idol represented.”
2. Quid-pro-quo. Idolatry was pure and simple a guaranteed quid-pro-quo arrangement. Built upon a foundation of basic appetites and desires, idolatry was entirely a system of feeding the appetites and giving into the desires of the gods and goddesses, in turn obligating them to fulfill the worshippers’ appetites and desires. For example, given an idol is immobile (but otherwise powerful), clearly it could not feed itself or it’s respective god. Therefore, if a worshipper “fed” their god, the god would return the favor and fulfill the whims of the worshipper. So if you wanted anything from your god, do something for your god. Given him a bowl of grain or wine, and you would have your desires met.
3. Ritualistic. Perform the appropriate ritual, and then go on living your life as you please, knowing that you’ve done your part and you’re guaranteed the god has to do its part. No guilt, no commandments to follow, no particular lifestyle to be mindful of – live your life however you wish. Punch-in, punch-out.
4. Effortless. The Israelites needed to go to the tabernacle, temple or specific location. Idols? On every corner. That is, on every high place and under every spreading tree. Forget the long and expensive pilgrimage, just go to the nearest drive-through idol. No wasted time, effort or cost with idolatry.
5. Passé. The Israelites with their “rules” and “laws” and “commandments” were strict, rigid and out of the norm. Idolatry was what everybody else was doing – literally. Every other known culture during that time in history was saturated in idolatry. The Israelites, with their monotheistic beliefs, were the clear exception to the idolatrous lifestyles of the nations all around them. Given both Judaism and idolatry at that time in history both entailed a way of life, more than simply a matter of religion, the Israelites were clearly the odd-man-out. Talk about sticking out like a sore thumb!
6. Categorical. Idolatry was a potpourri – polytheistic, syncretistic and pantheistic. There were many gods and goddess, one for every situation and scenario. Everyone had their own personal god, a family god, a national god, farming god, crop god, rain god, fertility god, war god, sun god, etc. The Israelites with their one-god-fits-all-and-is-all God were, again, the square peg in a round hole. If you needed something, you went to the appropriate god or goddess. If you weren’t sure, you covered your bases and offered a sacrifice to several gods. Furthermore, not only were there many gods, there was also a hierarchy to the gods. So one would clearly not disturb an important god with a minor request, which could be handled by a lesser god. Obviously the more important gods had more important things to tend to. This one jack-of-all-trades God was completely a divergent way of thinking for the early cultures.
7. Sensual. Whether kissing the idol or partaking in heterosexual or homosexual acts, or taking part in other forms of sensual rites, idolatry was very pleasing to the senses. It was passionate, creative, artistic, feel-good worship; sometimes alone, in pairs or in groups. Temple prostitution was rampant with all forms of idolatry, driven by the belief that all aspects of the universe was subject to procreation, vs. creation or evolution. Again, even the gods had been birthed. As a result, ritual sex was seen as a way of stimulating the gods and goddesses to do their thing, resulting in the earth bearing fruit, livestock bearing young, and every other aspect of fertility. That is why every god had his consort, and every goddess had her mate. Therefore, at the temple of Baal, prostitutes were available to play the role of Asherah for the males, or even play Baal for the Asherahs, which led to the accommodation of both heterosexuals and homosexuals. Amos 2:7-8 even speaks of fathers and sons going together to have sex with the same temple prostitute.
8. Gluttonous. In addition to sexual acts, feeding and drinking were also common practices of idolatry. Pagan cultures typically only ate meat that was sacrificed to idols, so such a practice was a logical way of killing two cows with one stone. A meal sacrifice gained one the favor and gratitude of a god or goddess, but given the idols clearly couldn’t eat the meat, the worshipper thus gained the double benefit of having their desires met, and getting a full meal. The more one wined and dined the gods and goddesses, the more generous the gods and goddesses would be, the more their desires were met, and therefore the fatter the worshippers became. Accordingly, gluttony was complicit with idolatry. Heavy drinking and indulgence led to further debaucheries, more perverted rites and acts, further searing the conscience and further escalating the downward spiral. In other words, the ultimate end of idolatry was the complete degradation and perversion of what was God’s crowning creation – mankind – made in His own image and likeness.
Can there be any question as to why the Lord detested idolatry so much? Vile, debaucherous, and degrading. Satan can’t spit in God’s face, but he sure has proven adept at dragging in the mud those who bear the Lord’s likeness and image.
One commentator wrote, “The most illustrious Prophet Elijah was raised up in the reign of the most wicked of the kings of Israel.” That is a terse but accurate summary of the situation in Israel at that time. Seemingly every light of truth had been extinguished, nearly every voice of testimony for the God of Israel had been ruthlessly silenced, spiritual death and decay had taken over the land, and it appeared certain that the stranglehold of idolatry had sealed the eternal fate of Israel.
What had happened to the nation of Israel? How was it that God’s chosen people had a national religion that rejected God, and whose rulers who were hunting down those who dared to be His followers? In order to gain the best understanding and perspective of the catastrophic disaster that Israel had become, as well as to fully comprehend the sheer magnitude of Elijah’s ministry, a historical review must first be conducted to provide the appropriate context for this remarkable prophet’s dramatic appearance.
Let’s go back nearly 600 years from the time of Elijah’s initial appearance on the public stage to the call of Moses:
Ex 3:13 “Then Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?’”
Moses’ question here is a valid one, not to be taken as a protest or attempt to avoid his calling, when considered within the context of the culture in which he and his fellow Israelites lived. At this point in history, all known people groups and nations lived in a polytheistic, pantheistic, and syncretistic world. These peoples held the belief that there were many gods, that all nature partook to some degree of divinity, and that all religions had at least some validity no matter how many or what sort of gods or goddesses those religions worshiped.
Lost in our modern English translations and understanding, as we denote a significant difference in “God” and “gods,” these words are the same Hebrew term elōhîm. The plurality of this word connotes both multiples of gods, but also vast majesty and power. The ancient peoples used elōhîm for any being who exhibited supernatural abilities, including angels and demons, as well as the mythological gods. Therefore, elōhîm was the generic term for all supernatural beings, not the proper name or identification of any particular god. In our modern English we capitalize “God” to refer to the one true God, similarly in the Spanish El Señor vs. Señor, but the term itself – god – is still generic.
Seen in this context, we would still acknowledge today there are many “gods” (nonhuman, supernatural beings) in the same sense that Psalms 82 does (and Jesus does in quoting this Psalms passage in John 10:34-36):
“God [elōhîm] has taken His place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods [elōhîm] He holds judgment…You are gods [elōhîm], sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.” (Psa 82:1,7)
In essence then, Moses’ question is “Which god are you? Which god is speaking to me?” Having lived within the midst of the pagan influences of the polytheistic Egyptian culture all of their lives, with likely exposure to the cultures surrounding them, the expression, “the God of your fathers” may well have held different meanings for the Israelites.
Ex 3:14-15 “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel,’ ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ God also said to Moses, ‘Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.”
In response to Moses’ query, God reveals His proper name and identity to Moses, giving both the first-person and the third-person forms of His divine name: “I AM” and “Lord,” the elōhîm of Seth, Enoch (Gen 4:26), Abraham (Gen 12:8), Isaac (Gen 26:25) and Jacob (Gen 28:16). This mention of the patriarchs emphasizes that the God who made the covenant was the God who kept the covenant.
In this re-revelation of His identity, “I AM” is the Hebrew hāyâ, meaning “to be,” and “Lord” is the mysterious Tetragrammaton YHWH (Yahweh), meaning “self-existent or eternal.” The name should be understood as referring to Yahweh as the creator and sustainer of all that exists and thus the Lord of both creation and history, including the host of heaven – the supernatural realm. Based on this reasoning, some hold this verse could reasonably be translated, “I cause to be because I cause to be.” This is an emphatic declaration of divine control of all things – natural and supernatural.
In mythologies and pagan beliefs, everything had a beginning. Even the gods were born or created. By revealing His name as “I cause to be because I cause to be,” Yahweh is declaring that He alone is self-existent. Not only was He not born or created, He is the Creator of everything – even the supernatural beings. There may be other gods, as defined by the ancients, but only He is divine and only He is Lord.
As an interesting side note: while YHWH is generally written without its Hebrew vowels, the original pronunciation of YaHWeH has considerable support. Yahweh (“LORD”), the personal name of God and His most frequent designation in Scripture, occurs 5,321 times. Also, etymologically, the term, Yehovah or Jehovah, comes from the reverence for the ineffable (“unutterable or taboo”) name “Yahweh.” This reverence caused it to be replaced in synagogue reading, though not in writing, with ’ădōnāy, meaning “my master” or “Lord.” When medieval Jewish scholars began to insert vowels to accompany the consonantal Old Testament text, they added into the YHWH the Masoetic vowel points for ’ădōnāy. Thus the actual writing became YăHōWāH, which in some of the earlier translations we see rendered as “Jehovah” (KJV, ASV, Darby, YLT, etc.) Most modern translations use the proper Yahweh or Lord.
For example, one of the names for God, Jehovah-jireh, comes from: “And Abraham called the name of that place ‘Jehovahjireh’: as it is said to this day, ‘In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen’.” Gen 22:14 (KJV)
A more literal rendering would be: yahweh rā’āh “Yahweh see” (as in, “Yahweh will see to it”) or yahweh yir’eh, “Yahweh will provide”.
Continuing on with our historical review, we come to Mount Sinai, at the scene of the first giving of the 10 commandments:
Ex 20:1-5 “And elōhîm spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am YHWH your elōhîm, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall not have other elōhîm besides Me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them …’” (NAB)
There are five key elements here that we need to note and keep in mind for future context:
1. The Lord (again, the proper name) is Israel’s God.
2. The Lord brought them out of Egypt.
3. The Israelites were not to have any other gods besides Him.
4. They were not to make any type of idol.
5. They were not to bow down to or worship any idol.
The Lord very clearly spells out for Moses what he is to instruct and remind the Israelites. They are not to forget who it was that brought them out of their slavery in Egypt. Not just any god, but their God, and more importantly, Yahweh – the eternal and only divine Lord.
What was so significant about this emphasis on the Lord having brought them out of Egypt? In pagan cultures, each nation had their own national, patron god. When one nation therefore went to war against another nation, there were two wars taking place, theoretically. One in the physical realm, and the second in the spiritual realm, as the two gods helped out their respective nations. Therefore, it was believed that the conquering nation’s god was superior or stronger than the defeated nation’s god. Accordingly, as a nation went about conquering other lands, their god was, in essence, exported to those other nations, as clearly it had been evidenced whose god was superior. Conversely, note how the Israelites adopted the gods of the lands their God conquered for them.
At the time of the Hebrews' exodus, Egypt was the most powerful nation in the world. By extension then, their gods were the most powerful gods. For the nation of Israel to be able to have the yoke of Egyptian slavery thrown off of their necks, followed by the complete destruction of the mighty Egyptian army, clearly the God of Israel must be a supreme God and more powerful than the Egyptian gods! The Lord wanted no confusion – it was He and He alone who brought the Israelites out of the bondage in Israel. His glory was not to be shared or allocated to some make-believe god represented by an idol!
The first commandment is a terse declaration that covers a broad array of anything that could potentially compete for the worship due solely to the Lord. Unfortunately, most of our translations read something to the effect, “You shall not have any other gods before Me.” This would seem to allow for a polytheistic meaning, that the Lord should be the preferred God, the first one in line. While that would have made sense to the Hebrews, steeped as they were in generations of polytheistic cultures, the real meaning would have rocked their religious mindset.
The literal translation, “not be for you other god before face me,” takes a far stronger meaning, not simply “before Him” but “before His face.” Such a rendering means He doesn’t even want to see any other gods, none in His presence, none within His all-seeing line of vision. A better translation, more in keeping with the original meaning would be, “You must have no other gods in distinction to Me,” with a simpler, more modern rendering, “I am the only God. Period. End of story.”
Comprehend what is being said here. The Israelites had been living in bondage in Egypt for 400 years, saturated by the polytheistic and idolatrous religions of that land, and surrounded by cultures with similar belief systems (albeit different gods and goddesses). When all of a sudden, Moses has this conversation with a burning bush, and now he’s taking note that not only is Yahweh the God of Israel, He’s the supreme Creator, and there’s no other gods? The first two statements could be accepted in the Hebrew way of thinking. He’s their God, therefore He’s supreme to them, and every other god falls in line behind Yahweh. That makes sense and seems reasonable. They would have no issues with believing in God. Even here in America “everyone” believes in God, right? But no other gods? This was not a time and culture that had even considered the possibility of monotheism. Talk about a mind warp!
The second commandment is also very explicit – it prohibits any and all forms of idolatry. No person, place or thing is ever to receive the honor and worship that is due solely to Yahweh. The very nature of the wording of this prohibition is purposely repetitive and all-encompassing, to ensure that it is abundantly clear that there can be no exception of any kind to the ban on idolatry. So now Yahweh is reinforcing that not only are the Israelites to intellectually and spiritually grasp there are no other gods, they are to live that way too! A complete change in the way of thinking, and a complete change in the way of living out their faith.
In case these commandments hadn’t sunk in sufficiently, the Lord reiterates: “You shall not make gods of silver to be with Me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.” Ex 20:23
In looking ahead to the Promise Land, the Lord takes the instructions a bit further:
Ex 23:23-25 “For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them. You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their sacred pillars in pieces. But you shall serve the LORD your God.”
Ex 23:32-33 “You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
In Egypt the Israelites had been surrounded by idols and sorcerers, but leaving that land did not mean they would be free from pagan religious influences. The land of Canaan was just as infested with idol worship. God knew His people needed extra precaution and reinforcement, so He continually emphasized guarding against the influence of pagan religions. Not only were they to avoid worshipping idols, they were to proactively destroy any vestige of idol worship left behind by the pagan nations of Canaan.
Furthermore, they were also to abstain from any covenants or relationships with the people and their gods. In pagan cultures, it was very common to make a pact or covenant with a god or goddess. An individual would promise a particularly notable sacrifice if the god or goddess would grant them a particularly extraordinary request. The Hebrews were to strictly avoid being party to such pacts.
So what did the Israelites do while Moses was up on Mount Sinai receiving the Lord’s instructions?
Ex 32:1-6 “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, ‘Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ Aaron said to them, ‘Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.’ Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.’ Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.’ So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.”
Compare the earlier list of five key points with what transpired in Moses’ absence:
1. The Lord is Israel’s God: “This is your god, O Israel”
2. The Lord brought them out of Egypt: “who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
3. The Israelites were not to have any other gods besides Him: “This is your god, O Israel”
4. They were not to make any type of idol: They made a golden calf.
5. They were not to bow down to or worship any idol: “They rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings.”
So in this one scenario, they systematically dismantled everything that the Lord had established. Note, however, Aaron’s statement, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.” So they didn’t completely ignore Yahweh. They just rendered Him to god status within the broader pantheon of gods, just as they had always viewed religion. See how quickly and easily they slipped back into the ways they had been living for generations.
After this matter had been dealt with, Moses once again returned to Mount Sinai to received from the Lord for the second time the 10 commandments (Ex 34:1-2). From this encounter we see an expansion of the previous instructions, providing a broader picture of the commandments:
Ex 34:12-17 “Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim – for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God – otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice, and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods. You shall make for yourself no molten gods.”
For the Israelites, there was only one covenant – the one between them and the Lord. Accordingly, they needed no other covenants. Not with other nations, and not with any other gods. Not only were they not to make idols or worship them, they were to utterly destroy all traces of idolatry, and they were also to avoid having any relationships with the pagan Canaanites. The reason behind this prohibition is that such relationships would lead the Israelites into idolatry. If they played with fire, they would be burned.
Notice how frequently the Israelites are being reminded, and reminded, and reminded. Why? Again, consider how significant of a change in religious mindset this was to them. These constant reinforcements were needed to slowly wash away generations of polytheistic thinking and living. Furthermore, note how seemingly with each reminder, the Lord breaks down His instructions to more and more basic levels. He continually expands and further spells out how to live out a life consistent with following Him. We could say He’s taking pains to make His instructions easier to apply and simpler to digest.
As the time of the Exodus was coming to the end, Moses took the Israelites to the edge of the Promised Land, once again, and gave them his final instructions – which included a lengthy recitation of the Lord’s instructions (yet another reminder):
Deut 5:1-9 “And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. The Lord spoke with you face-to-face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, while I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain. He said: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them…’”
Deut 12:2-3 “You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place.”
Deut 16:21-22 “You shall not plant any tree as an Asherah beside the altar of the Lord your God that you shall make. And you shall not set up a pillar, which the Lord your God hates.”
Deut 17:2-5 “If there is found among you, within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, in transgressing His covenant, and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have forbidden, and it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel, then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you shall stone that man or woman to death with stones.”
Deut 7:3-5 “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following Me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and He would destroy you quickly. But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire.”
After Moses died, Joshua led the nation of Israel, following the commandments of the Lord. When he was about to die, he likewise gave a recap of Israel’s history, concluding with:
Josh 23:11-13 “So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the LORD your God. For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, know with certainty that the LORD your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the LORD your God has given you.”
So what were the key points that the Israelites had drilled into them, time and time again?
1. The Lord is Israel’s God.
2. The Lord brought them out of Egypt.
3. They were not to make any idols or any other idol paraphernalia.
4. They were not to worship any idols.
5. They were to utterly destroy any idols and everything related to idolatry.
6. They were not to make any covenants or to have relationships with idolaters.
7. They were to stone anyone who practiced idolatry.
In addition to this list of seven critical instructions, and extremely relevant for the study of the life of Elijah, is a little-known passage in Deuteronomy, also from Moses’ farewell discourse:
Deut 17:15-17 “You may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.”
So based upon these verses, we can add to the list of seven:
8. No foreigner is to be ruler over Israel.
9. Israel’s kings must not acquire many horses.
10. Israel’s kings must not have many wives.
11. Israel’s kings must not acquire excessive silver and gold.
What’s the key, consistent theme behind all of these 11 points of instruction? While there may seem to be an increasing list of commandments and instructions, there is one crucial, underlying point in all of this, with the seemingly additional instructions being nothing more than further breaking down of the one point into more concrete and applicable instructions. What was this one critical point?
The Lord is God, and there cannot be anything: idols, pleasures, relationships, possessions, wealth – nothing that could lead the people away from the Lord, their one and only true God. Look at that again: pleasures, relationships, possessions, wealth – don’t we yet today struggle with making one or more of those our idols? Our idols today may not be figurines or statues to which we bow down, but do we struggle any less with ensuring that nothing gets in the way of our relationship with the Lord?
Now what would possess a man or woman back then to make an idol out of rock, wood or metals and turn around and start worshipping it? Surely you and I would not do something so ridiculous. How could any rational, intelligent individual worship a hunk of rock or carved wood? The nature of idolatry in these early cultures is generally lost on us today. We may view idolatry today as nothing more than rituals of worshipping some statue or other icon, whether praying to them, lighting candles, burning incense, or making some form of food or other offering.
However, the idolatry we’re discussing here in the Old Testament was of a completely different nature. Rather, this form of idolatry was an extremely elaborate and intricate system of religion and lifestyle – something that influenced all aspects of one’s life. The attractions and pleasures of idolatry would have exerted an enormous lure for the people of Israel, only compounded by the legalistic austerity of many elements within Israel.
Consider the glamour and attraction of New York City and Las Vegas for someone growing up within a Puritan environment. Big city, bright lights, much fanfare and excitement, many attractions, pleasures abounding for every senses – could that lure someone, particularly someone who has been living in the desert? This isn’t a value judgment on any of those elements, rather, an analogy to drive home the point of lure and temptation.
We may not see idolatry today with the same trappings that pulled away the Israelites, but haven’t we simply replaced idols and idol worship with our own, modern forms of idols? Idolatry then, just as it is today, was something that led the people of God away from their true God.
Having said that, let’s take a deeper look into what idolatry meant for the Hebrews:
1. Gateway. These early pagans were led to believe that the visible presence of an idol ensured the invisible presence of their god or goddess. When an idol was carved or formed, and the appropriate rituals and incantations were performed, it was believed that the respective god or goddess infused the idol with their essence. Accordingly, the idol therefore was a virtual gateway to the very presence and essence of the god or goddess, ensuring that anything said or done in front of or for the idol, was truly being said, done or for the god or goddess.
A good analogy given by Stuart in his commentary of Exodus: “In the same way that a modern person might speak to and look into a sound-equipped television camera knowing that their words and actions were being transmitted accurately to other locations, ancient people believed that the offerings they brought before an idol of a god and the prayers they said in the idol's presence were fully and unfailingly perceived by the god whom that idol represented.”
2. Quid-pro-quo. Idolatry was pure and simple a guaranteed quid-pro-quo arrangement. Built upon a foundation of basic appetites and desires, idolatry was entirely a system of feeding the appetites and giving into the desires of the gods and goddesses, in turn obligating them to fulfill the worshippers’ appetites and desires. For example, given an idol is immobile (but otherwise powerful), clearly it could not feed itself or it’s respective god. Therefore, if a worshipper “fed” their god, the god would return the favor and fulfill the whims of the worshipper. So if you wanted anything from your god, do something for your god. Given him a bowl of grain or wine, and you would have your desires met.
3. Ritualistic. Perform the appropriate ritual, and then go on living your life as you please, knowing that you’ve done your part and you’re guaranteed the god has to do its part. No guilt, no commandments to follow, no particular lifestyle to be mindful of – live your life however you wish. Punch-in, punch-out.
4. Effortless. The Israelites needed to go to the tabernacle, temple or specific location. Idols? On every corner. That is, on every high place and under every spreading tree. Forget the long and expensive pilgrimage, just go to the nearest drive-through idol. No wasted time, effort or cost with idolatry.
5. Passé. The Israelites with their “rules” and “laws” and “commandments” were strict, rigid and out of the norm. Idolatry was what everybody else was doing – literally. Every other known culture during that time in history was saturated in idolatry. The Israelites, with their monotheistic beliefs, were the clear exception to the idolatrous lifestyles of the nations all around them. Given both Judaism and idolatry at that time in history both entailed a way of life, more than simply a matter of religion, the Israelites were clearly the odd-man-out. Talk about sticking out like a sore thumb!
6. Categorical. Idolatry was a potpourri – polytheistic, syncretistic and pantheistic. There were many gods and goddess, one for every situation and scenario. Everyone had their own personal god, a family god, a national god, farming god, crop god, rain god, fertility god, war god, sun god, etc. The Israelites with their one-god-fits-all-and-is-all God were, again, the square peg in a round hole. If you needed something, you went to the appropriate god or goddess. If you weren’t sure, you covered your bases and offered a sacrifice to several gods. Furthermore, not only were there many gods, there was also a hierarchy to the gods. So one would clearly not disturb an important god with a minor request, which could be handled by a lesser god. Obviously the more important gods had more important things to tend to. This one jack-of-all-trades God was completely a divergent way of thinking for the early cultures.
7. Sensual. Whether kissing the idol or partaking in heterosexual or homosexual acts, or taking part in other forms of sensual rites, idolatry was very pleasing to the senses. It was passionate, creative, artistic, feel-good worship; sometimes alone, in pairs or in groups. Temple prostitution was rampant with all forms of idolatry, driven by the belief that all aspects of the universe was subject to procreation, vs. creation or evolution. Again, even the gods had been birthed. As a result, ritual sex was seen as a way of stimulating the gods and goddesses to do their thing, resulting in the earth bearing fruit, livestock bearing young, and every other aspect of fertility. That is why every god had his consort, and every goddess had her mate. Therefore, at the temple of Baal, prostitutes were available to play the role of Asherah for the males, or even play Baal for the Asherahs, which led to the accommodation of both heterosexuals and homosexuals. Amos 2:7-8 even speaks of fathers and sons going together to have sex with the same temple prostitute.
8. Gluttonous. In addition to sexual acts, feeding and drinking were also common practices of idolatry. Pagan cultures typically only ate meat that was sacrificed to idols, so such a practice was a logical way of killing two cows with one stone. A meal sacrifice gained one the favor and gratitude of a god or goddess, but given the idols clearly couldn’t eat the meat, the worshipper thus gained the double benefit of having their desires met, and getting a full meal. The more one wined and dined the gods and goddesses, the more generous the gods and goddesses would be, the more their desires were met, and therefore the fatter the worshippers became. Accordingly, gluttony was complicit with idolatry. Heavy drinking and indulgence led to further debaucheries, more perverted rites and acts, further searing the conscience and further escalating the downward spiral. In other words, the ultimate end of idolatry was the complete degradation and perversion of what was God’s crowning creation – mankind – made in His own image and likeness.
Can there be any question as to why the Lord detested idolatry so much? Vile, debaucherous, and degrading. Satan can’t spit in God’s face, but he sure has proven adept at dragging in the mud those who bear the Lord’s likeness and image.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
John 15:8 - when all is said and done: abide
In concluding this series with John 15:8, we’re finishing with perhaps what has been the most awkward and challenging verse in the gospel of John to interpret. There are quite a number of variations in the treatment of this verse, with the many versions offering seemingly divergent translations. The following examples will help to illustrate the proliferation of variant renderings.
A number of translations see the bearing of much fruit bringing glory to God and thus proving one is a disciple:
“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples.” (ESV)
“This is to My Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples.” (NIV)
Other translations would seem to indicate one is a disciple only after bearing much fruit, leaving some question as to when the Father receives glory:
“When you produce much fruit, you are My true disciples. This brings great glory to My Father.” (NLT)
“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” (NKJV)
Some translations appear to indicate that the Father’s glorification will come about from two separate, albeit related, future results:
“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become My disciples.” (NRSV)
“In this is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, and ye shall become disciples of Mine.” (Darby)
Some translations appear to render a meaning unique to them:
“You give glory to My Father when you produce a lot of fruit and therefore show that you are My disciples.” (GW) [while the latter half seems similar to the NIV and ESV school, the variant here is “You give glory”]
“This is how My Father shows who He is - when you produce grapes, when you mature as My disciples.” (MSG) [the “grapes” is understandably in keeping with the vineyard imagery, but the opening phrase indicates a revealing of the Father, not the glorification of the Father, as standard with the other translations]
“Here is My Father's glory, in that you give much fruit and so are My true disciples.” (BBE) [“give” is unique to this translation, questionable in light of the fact that the Greek term pherō is found 64 times in the NT, with the usage typically consistent with the definition of “bear, bring forth, bring, etc.”]
“My Father has been glorified in this: in your bearing much fruit and becoming My disciples.” (AB) [the glorification of the Father is past tense, fitting with the apparent acknowledgement of having already borne much fruit and already attained discipleship]
Why so many variations and interpretations? Let’s take a look at a more literal rendering of the Greek text, as that will help to shed some light on why this verse has seen such diverse translations:
“By this was glorified the Father of Me, that fruit much you bear and you be to Me disciples.” (Interlinear)
“In this was My Father glorified, that ye may bear much fruit, and ye shall become My disciples.” (YLT)
The awkwardness of the sentence structure is seen in the glorification of the Father written in the aorist tense, indicating completion, while both the bearing of much fruit and becoming disciples is very much a forward looking, continuing process. This would beg the question, then, how has the Father already received His glory, when the results are yet in the future? Compounding the confusion, were not the 11 men Jesus was speaking to at this time already His disciples?
Granted this verse may seem very confusing, it’s difficult to render smoothly into our grammatical structure, and it’s noteworthy the considerable amount of effort taken by translators to render a reading that is easily understood and that flows reasonably well in our modern English. However, perhaps too much focus has been on making the mechanics of the translation fit properly, rather than accepting the awkwardness and focusing instead on the meaning. Seen this way, the awkwardness actually works, particularly when considered in the light of the previous verses.
There is a strong sense of completion and matter-of-factness in this seemingly complex verse. The aorist tense indicates a certainty or customariness of an action, glorification being the focus here. While the bearing of fruit and becoming disciples of Jesus is clearly future looking, the glorification of the Father is written in the aorist tense, indicating completion, providing a concluding sense of fulfillment. In other words, “It is finished.” How is that the case?
It is a foregone conclusion: the Father will be glorified. It is so certain and established that it can be written as having already been completed:
John 12:28 “Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven: ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again’.” (ESV)
God was glorified in the work of His Son:
John 17:4 “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.” (ESV)
Furthermore, God is and will continue to be glorified in the lives of disciples who abide in His Son:
John 17:10 “All I have is yours and all you have is mine, and in them [the disciples] I am glorified.” (NJB)
The Father’s glory cannot be diminished nor can it be increased – He is eternal (both in terms of eternal past and eternal future) and unchangeable. He is not confined to our laws of time and space, the past and the future being products of our finite nature. He exists. He is. He is God. He is glorified.
Psa 90:2,4 “Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God…For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes by.” (NASB)
Not only did He exist before the world began, He established us for His purpose and His glory, far before we ever existed:
Isa 43:7 “Everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made.” (ESV)
Jer 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you.” (NASB)
Eph 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (ESV)
It is long-established fact that God has been glorified, and the work that He as the Vinedresser is doing in our lives, has already been determined and is so certain in outcome, that He has already been glorified and will continue to be glorified.
Those of us who are true believers should take comfort and confidence in that. For if it truly is so established that He will be glorified in our lives, then clearly we can see why Paul stated:
Phil1:6 “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (ESV)
Just as true with the disciples then, we as Christians today have the opportunity to partake in the glorification of the Father. Yet how is it that we as humans can bring glory to God? Clearly we can not add to His glory, as He is perfect and matchless glory. There is no lack of glory in Him, nor is there any new glory that we can somehow ascribe to Him, as He is infinite glory.
The glorification of the Father is assured through our continual and steadfast abiding in Jesus, coupled with the abiding of His presence and His words in us. The Father was glorified in the redemptive work of the Son; and now that the Son has accomplished the mission set forth for Him by the Father, the Father will continue to be glorified in the furthering of the mission through us, His Son’s disciples.
In John’s gospel, “to glorify” is the term doxazō (the root for "doxology"), and is usually in the context of either the time of Jesus’ glorification (His death and resurrection), or the Father’s glorification in the Son. Here in verse 8, the Father is glorified by our derivative relationship through His Son. We bring glory to the Son by abiding in Him and thereby bearing much fruit. He brings glory to the Father through His accomplishing of the Father’s mission, the redemption of His creation. The bearing of much fruit, then, is evidence that we as His follower are indeed true disciples, resulting in God being glorified – as it’s His work all along. It’s not our work. We don’t bring glory to God directly as a result of our own actions. It’s a function of our abiding in Jesus, the Vine.
“Bear much fruit” and “become My disciples” should not be understood to be two separate actions or outcomes. We don’t become disciples through bearing much fruit; nor do we bear much fruit after becoming disciples. We bear much fruit as we become disciples, and as we become disciples, we should be bearing much fruit. They are interrelated, two indicative results of the interabiding relationship we are to have with Jesus. The bearing of much fruit is the external manifestation and evidence of one who is becoming a disciple.
The word disciple comes from the Greek mathētēs, meaning “pupil or learner,” derived from manthanō, which means “to learn.”
The Father is glorified both in our bearing much fruit and in our continuing to be disciples. The change in mood/tense indicates discipleship is not static, but a growing and developing way of life. This side of heaven there is no “attainment level” whereby we have become disciples. It is a never-ending process of becoming until He returns or takes us home. A true disciple is one who is continually becoming more fully a true disciple. Consider the statement of Ignatius of Antioch (circa 110) when on the road to martyrdom, “Now I am beginning to be a disciple.”
As we abide in Jesus and begin to bear fruit as evidence of our discipleship, we quickly realize how much our growth is a direct result of His work in us. In a vineyard or a vine that bears much fruit, the owner is glorified, as it tells of his skill and care. In the disciple who bears much fruit, the Father is glorified. That is only right and good. After all, it is His work in us that accomplishes His will.
What is the nature of this fruit that we will bear? Much debate has been engendered over this “much fruit.” Some have held strongly that this fruit can only refer to the souls of those converted by our witness and testimony, pointing to:
Rom 1:13 “I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.” (NASB)
Paul's purpose in going to Rome was that he might “have a harvest” among the people there. Since he went on to say that this harvest would be a continuation of the harvest he had had among other Gentiles, some conclude that he was referring to an evangelistic outreach that would bring people to faith in Christ. While that may be a valid understanding, it should be noted that John 15:8 refers to the disciple bearing much fruit, while this Romans passage relate to obtain fruit in terms of harvest of others.
Some have held that the fruit is a life of obedience to His instructions, a conclusive likeness to Jesus being manifested in our lives. As we grow in holiness and obedience, we are bearing fruit:
Rom 6:22 “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” (ESV)
Some simply see the answered prayers of verse 7 as the fruit, while some have zeroed in on love, the greatest commandment (Matt 22:38), as the verses immediately following this mashal discuss abiding in His love.
Some claim Jesus was alluding to the fruit of the Spirit during the course of His Farewell teachings, as He spoke of love (15: 9-10,12,17), joy (vs. 11) and peace (14:27), the first triad of the fruit of the Spirit:
Gal 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
Some have pointed out that Paul considered Christian giving to be fruit from a dedicated life:
Rom 15:28 “Therefore, when I have finished this, and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way of you to Spain.” (NASB)
Paul was on his way back to Jerusalem (Acts 19:21), where he would deliver the financial gift that the Gentile churches in Macedonia and Achaia had gathered for the needy Jewish believers.
It’s doubtful that any of these above ideas are completely wrong, yet all of them are likely far too narrow in scope, taken by themselves. While “yes” to all of the above, in reality, this “much fruit” encompasses any deeds, attitudes, words, prayers, etc. that bring glory and praise to God, whether from us or through us:
Matt 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (NIV)
Col 1:10 “And so be able to lead a life worthy of the Lord, a life acceptable to Him in all its aspects, bearing fruit in every kind of good work and growing in knowledge of God.” (NJB)
Heb 13:15 “Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.” (ESV)
In closing, while the Father receives the glory brought about from the bearing of much fruit, we cannot ignore the impact to others. We must bear in mind that the branches do not eat the fruit: others do. We are not producing fruit to please ourselves but to serve others. Consider if others are fed and served by the fruit you bear:
Pro 10:21 “The lips of the righteous feed many…” [consider the "fruit of lips" from the above verse in Hebrews]
So what kind of fruit are we bearing?
Luke 6:43-44 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.”
We don’t bear fruit for our benefit or to serve ourselves, just as we haven’t been given spiritual gifts for our own good, but for the good of the body of believers in Christ (1 Cor 12:7; Eph 4:12). Are we offering good, sweet, strengthening fruit, or are we offering bitter and stunted fruit that lacks nourishment?
Matt 7:16 “You will know them by their fruits.”
May we bear much good fruit, and so prove we are becoming His disciples, as we steadfastly abide in Him, the True Vine.
A number of translations see the bearing of much fruit bringing glory to God and thus proving one is a disciple:
“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples.” (ESV)
“This is to My Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples.” (NIV)
Other translations would seem to indicate one is a disciple only after bearing much fruit, leaving some question as to when the Father receives glory:
“When you produce much fruit, you are My true disciples. This brings great glory to My Father.” (NLT)
“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” (NKJV)
Some translations appear to indicate that the Father’s glorification will come about from two separate, albeit related, future results:
“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become My disciples.” (NRSV)
“In this is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, and ye shall become disciples of Mine.” (Darby)
Some translations appear to render a meaning unique to them:
“You give glory to My Father when you produce a lot of fruit and therefore show that you are My disciples.” (GW) [while the latter half seems similar to the NIV and ESV school, the variant here is “You give glory”]
“This is how My Father shows who He is - when you produce grapes, when you mature as My disciples.” (MSG) [the “grapes” is understandably in keeping with the vineyard imagery, but the opening phrase indicates a revealing of the Father, not the glorification of the Father, as standard with the other translations]
“Here is My Father's glory, in that you give much fruit and so are My true disciples.” (BBE) [“give” is unique to this translation, questionable in light of the fact that the Greek term pherō is found 64 times in the NT, with the usage typically consistent with the definition of “bear, bring forth, bring, etc.”]
“My Father has been glorified in this: in your bearing much fruit and becoming My disciples.” (AB) [the glorification of the Father is past tense, fitting with the apparent acknowledgement of having already borne much fruit and already attained discipleship]
Why so many variations and interpretations? Let’s take a look at a more literal rendering of the Greek text, as that will help to shed some light on why this verse has seen such diverse translations:
“By this was glorified the Father of Me, that fruit much you bear and you be to Me disciples.” (Interlinear)
“In this was My Father glorified, that ye may bear much fruit, and ye shall become My disciples.” (YLT)
The awkwardness of the sentence structure is seen in the glorification of the Father written in the aorist tense, indicating completion, while both the bearing of much fruit and becoming disciples is very much a forward looking, continuing process. This would beg the question, then, how has the Father already received His glory, when the results are yet in the future? Compounding the confusion, were not the 11 men Jesus was speaking to at this time already His disciples?
Granted this verse may seem very confusing, it’s difficult to render smoothly into our grammatical structure, and it’s noteworthy the considerable amount of effort taken by translators to render a reading that is easily understood and that flows reasonably well in our modern English. However, perhaps too much focus has been on making the mechanics of the translation fit properly, rather than accepting the awkwardness and focusing instead on the meaning. Seen this way, the awkwardness actually works, particularly when considered in the light of the previous verses.
There is a strong sense of completion and matter-of-factness in this seemingly complex verse. The aorist tense indicates a certainty or customariness of an action, glorification being the focus here. While the bearing of fruit and becoming disciples of Jesus is clearly future looking, the glorification of the Father is written in the aorist tense, indicating completion, providing a concluding sense of fulfillment. In other words, “It is finished.” How is that the case?
It is a foregone conclusion: the Father will be glorified. It is so certain and established that it can be written as having already been completed:
John 12:28 “Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven: ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again’.” (ESV)
God was glorified in the work of His Son:
John 17:4 “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.” (ESV)
Furthermore, God is and will continue to be glorified in the lives of disciples who abide in His Son:
John 17:10 “All I have is yours and all you have is mine, and in them [the disciples] I am glorified.” (NJB)
The Father’s glory cannot be diminished nor can it be increased – He is eternal (both in terms of eternal past and eternal future) and unchangeable. He is not confined to our laws of time and space, the past and the future being products of our finite nature. He exists. He is. He is God. He is glorified.
Psa 90:2,4 “Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God…For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes by.” (NASB)
Not only did He exist before the world began, He established us for His purpose and His glory, far before we ever existed:
Isa 43:7 “Everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made.” (ESV)
Jer 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you.” (NASB)
Eph 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (ESV)
It is long-established fact that God has been glorified, and the work that He as the Vinedresser is doing in our lives, has already been determined and is so certain in outcome, that He has already been glorified and will continue to be glorified.
Those of us who are true believers should take comfort and confidence in that. For if it truly is so established that He will be glorified in our lives, then clearly we can see why Paul stated:
Phil1:6 “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (ESV)
Just as true with the disciples then, we as Christians today have the opportunity to partake in the glorification of the Father. Yet how is it that we as humans can bring glory to God? Clearly we can not add to His glory, as He is perfect and matchless glory. There is no lack of glory in Him, nor is there any new glory that we can somehow ascribe to Him, as He is infinite glory.
The glorification of the Father is assured through our continual and steadfast abiding in Jesus, coupled with the abiding of His presence and His words in us. The Father was glorified in the redemptive work of the Son; and now that the Son has accomplished the mission set forth for Him by the Father, the Father will continue to be glorified in the furthering of the mission through us, His Son’s disciples.
In John’s gospel, “to glorify” is the term doxazō (the root for "doxology"), and is usually in the context of either the time of Jesus’ glorification (His death and resurrection), or the Father’s glorification in the Son. Here in verse 8, the Father is glorified by our derivative relationship through His Son. We bring glory to the Son by abiding in Him and thereby bearing much fruit. He brings glory to the Father through His accomplishing of the Father’s mission, the redemption of His creation. The bearing of much fruit, then, is evidence that we as His follower are indeed true disciples, resulting in God being glorified – as it’s His work all along. It’s not our work. We don’t bring glory to God directly as a result of our own actions. It’s a function of our abiding in Jesus, the Vine.
“Bear much fruit” and “become My disciples” should not be understood to be two separate actions or outcomes. We don’t become disciples through bearing much fruit; nor do we bear much fruit after becoming disciples. We bear much fruit as we become disciples, and as we become disciples, we should be bearing much fruit. They are interrelated, two indicative results of the interabiding relationship we are to have with Jesus. The bearing of much fruit is the external manifestation and evidence of one who is becoming a disciple.
The word disciple comes from the Greek mathētēs, meaning “pupil or learner,” derived from manthanō, which means “to learn.”
The Father is glorified both in our bearing much fruit and in our continuing to be disciples. The change in mood/tense indicates discipleship is not static, but a growing and developing way of life. This side of heaven there is no “attainment level” whereby we have become disciples. It is a never-ending process of becoming until He returns or takes us home. A true disciple is one who is continually becoming more fully a true disciple. Consider the statement of Ignatius of Antioch (circa 110) when on the road to martyrdom, “Now I am beginning to be a disciple.”
As we abide in Jesus and begin to bear fruit as evidence of our discipleship, we quickly realize how much our growth is a direct result of His work in us. In a vineyard or a vine that bears much fruit, the owner is glorified, as it tells of his skill and care. In the disciple who bears much fruit, the Father is glorified. That is only right and good. After all, it is His work in us that accomplishes His will.
What is the nature of this fruit that we will bear? Much debate has been engendered over this “much fruit.” Some have held strongly that this fruit can only refer to the souls of those converted by our witness and testimony, pointing to:
Rom 1:13 “I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.” (NASB)
Paul's purpose in going to Rome was that he might “have a harvest” among the people there. Since he went on to say that this harvest would be a continuation of the harvest he had had among other Gentiles, some conclude that he was referring to an evangelistic outreach that would bring people to faith in Christ. While that may be a valid understanding, it should be noted that John 15:8 refers to the disciple bearing much fruit, while this Romans passage relate to obtain fruit in terms of harvest of others.
Some have held that the fruit is a life of obedience to His instructions, a conclusive likeness to Jesus being manifested in our lives. As we grow in holiness and obedience, we are bearing fruit:
Rom 6:22 “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” (ESV)
Some simply see the answered prayers of verse 7 as the fruit, while some have zeroed in on love, the greatest commandment (Matt 22:38), as the verses immediately following this mashal discuss abiding in His love.
Some claim Jesus was alluding to the fruit of the Spirit during the course of His Farewell teachings, as He spoke of love (15: 9-10,12,17), joy (vs. 11) and peace (14:27), the first triad of the fruit of the Spirit:
Gal 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
Some have pointed out that Paul considered Christian giving to be fruit from a dedicated life:
Rom 15:28 “Therefore, when I have finished this, and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way of you to Spain.” (NASB)
Paul was on his way back to Jerusalem (Acts 19:21), where he would deliver the financial gift that the Gentile churches in Macedonia and Achaia had gathered for the needy Jewish believers.
It’s doubtful that any of these above ideas are completely wrong, yet all of them are likely far too narrow in scope, taken by themselves. While “yes” to all of the above, in reality, this “much fruit” encompasses any deeds, attitudes, words, prayers, etc. that bring glory and praise to God, whether from us or through us:
Matt 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (NIV)
Col 1:10 “And so be able to lead a life worthy of the Lord, a life acceptable to Him in all its aspects, bearing fruit in every kind of good work and growing in knowledge of God.” (NJB)
Heb 13:15 “Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.” (ESV)
In closing, while the Father receives the glory brought about from the bearing of much fruit, we cannot ignore the impact to others. We must bear in mind that the branches do not eat the fruit: others do. We are not producing fruit to please ourselves but to serve others. Consider if others are fed and served by the fruit you bear:
Pro 10:21 “The lips of the righteous feed many…” [consider the "fruit of lips" from the above verse in Hebrews]
So what kind of fruit are we bearing?
Luke 6:43-44 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.”
We don’t bear fruit for our benefit or to serve ourselves, just as we haven’t been given spiritual gifts for our own good, but for the good of the body of believers in Christ (1 Cor 12:7; Eph 4:12). Are we offering good, sweet, strengthening fruit, or are we offering bitter and stunted fruit that lacks nourishment?
Matt 7:16 “You will know them by their fruits.”
May we bear much good fruit, and so prove we are becoming His disciples, as we steadfastly abide in Him, the True Vine.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
John 15:7 - compound abiding
John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (ESV)
Many commentators see the vine imagery ending in verse 6, with the deeper explanation of what He said beginning in verse 7. With the emphasis on “you,” it may seem Jesus is drilling down deeper into the meat of His teaching, focused on those He knew would remain in Him. No more is there any further mention of those who do not abide. However, given the continued emphasis on abiding and fruit bearing culminates in bringing glory to God in verse 8, "the chief end of man" (Westminster Catechism), we will continue this series through verse 8.
From here on through the end of chapter 17, the conclusion of the Farwell Discourse, Jesus elaborates on the nature of the abiding relationship He desires with His followers. He also makes it clear that such a relationship will not be without its costs while we are still residents of this world (15:18-25; 17:14-16). He finishes with a stirring intercessory prayer for both the disciples present with Him at that time but also for those disciples, like us, who were yet to come (17:20-21).
Once again we see in verse 6 the key word “abide,” the word that John uses a total of 67 times in his writings. To gain a broader picture of the meaning of this key term, look at how these opening words have been rendered in other translations:
“Stay joined to Me and let My teachings become part of you…” (CEV)
“But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you…” (MSG)
“If you continue in Me and My sayings continue in you…” (WEY)
We’ve already spent much time on the first part of the phrase, “If you abide in Me,” so let’s take a closer look at the second part: “and My words abide in you.” This two-way interabiding, “abide in Me…abide in you,” represents two parts of the same whole. The one cannot exist without the other. Also, note that there is no distinction being made here between His words abiding in us and His presence abiding in us (vs. 4 & 5). There should be no practical difference in our daily lives between Jesus’ personal indwelling in us and His words remaining in us. After all, He Himself is the embodiment of all His teachings, and He is the incarnate, revealed logos of God (John 1:1).
His teachings must become such a permanent fixture inside of His disciples, that His very words are making their home in them. The true disciple is one who abides in Him and in whose heart His teachings have a permanent residence. As a result, in their mind and in their heart, conformity to Christ and His teachings becomes the most natural, supernatural thing in the world.
The term “words” here is rhēmata, which relates to all that Jesus spoke and taught; His individual sayings and pronouncements. His “words” (rhēmata), here in verse 7, which are to abide in us, are related to “the word” (logos) in verse 3, which He has spoken to us and which prunes us. The logos comprises the sum total of all His teachings in its entirety. The rhēmata represents the individual truths and lessons that are comprised within the logos. Note the significance placed here on the teaching of Jesus, not lightly to be passed over in the interests of promoting religious feelings or feel-good Christianity.
We must become so immersed in His words and teachings that His words make their home in us, as intrinsic and vital to our existence and well-being as the blood that courses through our veins. This mutual indwelling involves a gradual and growing absorption and adoption of Jesus’ teaching in one’s daily life, such that the true disciple will ultimately live each day in full obedience and conformity to His teachings and who He is.
Obviously this is not the same as simply having a Bible lying around the house, somewhere. We could have a dozen Bibles in our homes, but if we don’t open up the Bible and open ourselves up to the abiding of His words in us, those Bibles are simply wasting shelf space.
It is estimated that around the world over 100 million Bibles are sold or given away each year. Gideon’s International alone gives away a Bible every second. According to recent statistics, the Bible is available all or in part in 2,426 languages, covering 95% of the world’s population. Bringing it closer to home, it is estimated that Americans buy more than twenty million new Bibles every year. That’s in addition to the four that the average American already has at home.
Yet despite this proliferation of Bibles within our homes and the vast number of churches throughout America, the extent of biblical knowledge in America is abysmal. According to a Gallup survey: one out of every four Americans is ignorant of what is celebrated at Easter, less than half of Americans can name the first book of the Bible, nearly two out of three cannot name even half of the 10 commandments, only one out of three can correctly identify who delivered the Sermon on the Mount (with “Billy Graham” as a popular answer), and 12% of Americans think Noah was married to Joan of Arc. In the words of George Gallup, America is “a nation of biblical illiterates.”
Standing in sharp contrast to our biblically illiterate society:
Job 23:12 “I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.” (NIV)
Psalm 119:15-16 “I will meditate on Your precepts and fix my eyes on Your ways. I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.” (ESV)
In the New Testament, notice how the writings and teachings of the disciples so frequently are a restatement of the very words Jesus taught them. Through their abiding in Him, the pruning logos, and allowing His rhēmata to abide in them, their vocabulary and form of speech were changed such that the very words they used were a reflection of Him. In other words, His rhēmata became their rhēmata:
Jesus said: “Love your enemies; do good to them that hate you; pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44; Luke 6:27)
Paul said: “Bless those who persecute you; if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, given him drink; overcome evil with good.” (Rom 12:14,21)
Jesus said: “For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:5)
Peter said: “And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit’.” (Acts 11:16)
Jesus’ dying words: “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:44)
Stephen’s dying words: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” (Acts 7:60)
When you look at Stephen’s final words, consider what had been Jesus’ final words before He went up into heaven:
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” (NASB)
What does it mean to be a witness? In the Greek, this term is martys, the root from which we derive martyr. Stephen was the first martyr, truly a witness or martys for Jesus in Jerusalem and beyond; his final words and actions both a vivid reflection of His true abiding in Christ.
For those who choose to live an interabiding life: abiding in Him and He in them, and His teachings in them; with His word pruning and cleansing them, we know they will bear fruit, more fruit and much fruit. This fruit is the first product of the interabiding relationship. In the latter half of vs. 7 we see the second product – the power of answered prayer: “ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
The fertile environment of abiding not only bears fruit, but it is also the perfect condition for effectual prayer. The contrast between the interabiding disciples and our biblically illiterate society is well summed-up by the following story of St. Thomas Aquinas:
Legend has it that St. Thomas Aquinas, a philosopher and theologian of the Catholic Church and the patron saint of Catholic universities, colleges and schools (1225-1274), met with Pope Innocent IV, who had a very large sum of money on the table in front of him. The Pope exclaimed, “You see, Thomas, that the Church cannot now say as the primitive Church, ‘Silver and gold have I none’.” “True, Holy Father,” was the reply, “but neither can she say as did Peter to the crippled man, ‘Rise up and walk’.”
God hasn’t changed, nor has His power: “Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or His ear dull, that it cannot hear.” (Isa 59:1, ESV)
So why we don’t see miracles in our churches and in our lives today like in the Acts church and in the lives of the early believers? The miracles in the Gospels and Acts weren’t small, little miracles done in a back corner where no one saw them. These were “signs and wonders” miracles that broke out like a sonic boom, shaking everything and everyone around (Acts 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:6, 13; 14:3; 15:12):
“And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.” Acts 2:43 (ESV)
The term “signs” is sēmeion, carrying the meaning of an “attesting sign or miracle,” conveying a sense of the confirmation of divine authority.
Did miracles die off with the apostles? Was that simply an apostolic gift? Only a quack today would talk about making a lame man walk or giving sight to the blind, right? Jesus had a different thought: “O ye of little faith.” You see, the vast majority of us who are Christians today – we’re the ones crippled and blind, spiritually speaking.
The power revealed in this verse is so monumental the devil works overtime to keep Christians from reaching out and taking a firm hold of this promise. He can’t tolerate even thinking about the modern church wielding the power of the Church in Acts. If he can keep us so busy that we don’t abide, if he can keep us distracted long enough to take us away from reading the Bibles that sit in our homes, or at least limiting our reading such that it could hardly be said His words are abiding in us, he knows we’ll never comprehend or wield the awesome power of the promise contained in this verse.
How much does the devil fear Christians who have Christ’s words abiding in them? C.S. Lewis captures this fear well in his book, The Screwtape Letters. Consider just two lines taken from an exchange between junior demon, Wormwood, and his mentor demon/uncle, Screwtape:
Wormwood: “Believers have so many weapons at their disposal. It is difficult to neutralize them. It takes a huge effort just to slow the work of a single Christian.”
Screwtape: “Make sure your targets read as little of the Book as possible. Don’t get too worried if they stick to their favorite twenty cliché verses. But make sure they remain ignorant of most of the Word.”
Consider the compounding impact between Jesus abiding in us (v. 4) and His words abiding in us. The concept of compound interest in today’s banking world is in essence, interest upon interest. It’s been widely attributed to Albert Einstein, though completely unsubstantiated, that he claimed compound interest to be the greatest invention of man, the greatest mathematical concept or mathematical discovery, the most powerful force of the universe, and the eighth wonder of the world.
Here we see compound abiding: abiding upon abiding. Jesus abiding in us and His words abiding in us has a compounding impact upon our lives. Such an impact cannot but bring about conformity and obedience to His teachings and His way of life. As a result – much fruit compounded with prevailing prayer:
Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”
John 14:12-14 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” (ESV)
1 John 5:14-15 “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”
This does not mean that He promises to gratify every chance whim or selfish desire, that’s the promise of the charlatans. The promise of answered prayer, is hinged upon our ability to pray in His name. The condition of prevailing prayer is abiding in Christ. In an interabiding life, praying ceases to be selfish asking and becomes aligned with the will and purposes of God in Christ. There is a direct correlation between how one prays and the primary commitments of one's life. As the life of Jesus and His words begin to permeate into our core being, praying ceases to be general, topical and selfish, and becomes specific, pointed and most importantly, consistent with the will and work of the Father.
Prayers of abiding Christians are therefore prayers we make as agents of His, just as if Jesus Himself had spoken the words. Christ’s presence in our lives and His words conditioning and directing our desires and thoughts result in prayers and actions that conform to the Father’s will. The Father’s will cannot be contained, nor can it be thwarted. So with prayers that conform to His will. Such prayers yield a power that must be fulfilled.
“Petitions of the true disciples are echoes (so to speak) of the words of Jesus because His teaching is transformed into a supplication, and so it will be necessarily heard” – Westcott.
Not only does Jesus make available to us His power for “greater works” through answered prayer, He commands us to ask such prayers:
John 16:23-24 “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.” (NASB)
Can you imagine such a life of prayer and power? Can you imagine the impact upon the Church if your life was so infused with the power and works of prevailing prayer, of compound abiding? Can you imagine the impact upon the Church if all of us as Christians were so infused with the power and works of prevailing prayer, of compound abiding? No wonder then that the devil works overtime to blind, distract or neutralize Christians. He doesn’t want to imagine what this world would look like if there was an army of abiding Christians.
We as Christians must stop living the Christian life on our own power and initiative. We have to comprehend that our attempts at good deeds and devout living, all wrapped up in our good intentions and religiosity, are not noble, effective or lasting; but in reality, are feeble, misguided, futile and self-centered.
We simply think too small and our faith is too small, looking at things from our own, temporal perspective. What could we possibly imagine or ask that would be beyond God’s infinite and eternal power? This is the God who simply spoke into existence the vast expanse of the universe, which is far beyond our abilities to truly comprehend or explain, even with all of our “scientific advances” and “sophisticated technologies.” Let’s not limit His power within us because we’re focused only on our abilities and our diminutive corner of the universe. Rather, let us be “transformed by the renewing of our mind” (Rom 12:2) as we abide in Him and have His words abide in us.
Many commentators see the vine imagery ending in verse 6, with the deeper explanation of what He said beginning in verse 7. With the emphasis on “you,” it may seem Jesus is drilling down deeper into the meat of His teaching, focused on those He knew would remain in Him. No more is there any further mention of those who do not abide. However, given the continued emphasis on abiding and fruit bearing culminates in bringing glory to God in verse 8, "the chief end of man" (Westminster Catechism), we will continue this series through verse 8.
From here on through the end of chapter 17, the conclusion of the Farwell Discourse, Jesus elaborates on the nature of the abiding relationship He desires with His followers. He also makes it clear that such a relationship will not be without its costs while we are still residents of this world (15:18-25; 17:14-16). He finishes with a stirring intercessory prayer for both the disciples present with Him at that time but also for those disciples, like us, who were yet to come (17:20-21).
Once again we see in verse 6 the key word “abide,” the word that John uses a total of 67 times in his writings. To gain a broader picture of the meaning of this key term, look at how these opening words have been rendered in other translations:
“Stay joined to Me and let My teachings become part of you…” (CEV)
“But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you…” (MSG)
“If you continue in Me and My sayings continue in you…” (WEY)
We’ve already spent much time on the first part of the phrase, “If you abide in Me,” so let’s take a closer look at the second part: “and My words abide in you.” This two-way interabiding, “abide in Me…abide in you,” represents two parts of the same whole. The one cannot exist without the other. Also, note that there is no distinction being made here between His words abiding in us and His presence abiding in us (vs. 4 & 5). There should be no practical difference in our daily lives between Jesus’ personal indwelling in us and His words remaining in us. After all, He Himself is the embodiment of all His teachings, and He is the incarnate, revealed logos of God (John 1:1).
His teachings must become such a permanent fixture inside of His disciples, that His very words are making their home in them. The true disciple is one who abides in Him and in whose heart His teachings have a permanent residence. As a result, in their mind and in their heart, conformity to Christ and His teachings becomes the most natural, supernatural thing in the world.
The term “words” here is rhēmata, which relates to all that Jesus spoke and taught; His individual sayings and pronouncements. His “words” (rhēmata), here in verse 7, which are to abide in us, are related to “the word” (logos) in verse 3, which He has spoken to us and which prunes us. The logos comprises the sum total of all His teachings in its entirety. The rhēmata represents the individual truths and lessons that are comprised within the logos. Note the significance placed here on the teaching of Jesus, not lightly to be passed over in the interests of promoting religious feelings or feel-good Christianity.
We must become so immersed in His words and teachings that His words make their home in us, as intrinsic and vital to our existence and well-being as the blood that courses through our veins. This mutual indwelling involves a gradual and growing absorption and adoption of Jesus’ teaching in one’s daily life, such that the true disciple will ultimately live each day in full obedience and conformity to His teachings and who He is.
Obviously this is not the same as simply having a Bible lying around the house, somewhere. We could have a dozen Bibles in our homes, but if we don’t open up the Bible and open ourselves up to the abiding of His words in us, those Bibles are simply wasting shelf space.
It is estimated that around the world over 100 million Bibles are sold or given away each year. Gideon’s International alone gives away a Bible every second. According to recent statistics, the Bible is available all or in part in 2,426 languages, covering 95% of the world’s population. Bringing it closer to home, it is estimated that Americans buy more than twenty million new Bibles every year. That’s in addition to the four that the average American already has at home.
Yet despite this proliferation of Bibles within our homes and the vast number of churches throughout America, the extent of biblical knowledge in America is abysmal. According to a Gallup survey: one out of every four Americans is ignorant of what is celebrated at Easter, less than half of Americans can name the first book of the Bible, nearly two out of three cannot name even half of the 10 commandments, only one out of three can correctly identify who delivered the Sermon on the Mount (with “Billy Graham” as a popular answer), and 12% of Americans think Noah was married to Joan of Arc. In the words of George Gallup, America is “a nation of biblical illiterates.”
Standing in sharp contrast to our biblically illiterate society:
Job 23:12 “I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.” (NIV)
Psalm 119:15-16 “I will meditate on Your precepts and fix my eyes on Your ways. I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.” (ESV)
In the New Testament, notice how the writings and teachings of the disciples so frequently are a restatement of the very words Jesus taught them. Through their abiding in Him, the pruning logos, and allowing His rhēmata to abide in them, their vocabulary and form of speech were changed such that the very words they used were a reflection of Him. In other words, His rhēmata became their rhēmata:
Jesus said: “Love your enemies; do good to them that hate you; pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44; Luke 6:27)
Paul said: “Bless those who persecute you; if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, given him drink; overcome evil with good.” (Rom 12:14,21)
Jesus said: “For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:5)
Peter said: “And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit’.” (Acts 11:16)
Jesus’ dying words: “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:44)
Stephen’s dying words: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” (Acts 7:60)
When you look at Stephen’s final words, consider what had been Jesus’ final words before He went up into heaven:
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” (NASB)
What does it mean to be a witness? In the Greek, this term is martys, the root from which we derive martyr. Stephen was the first martyr, truly a witness or martys for Jesus in Jerusalem and beyond; his final words and actions both a vivid reflection of His true abiding in Christ.
For those who choose to live an interabiding life: abiding in Him and He in them, and His teachings in them; with His word pruning and cleansing them, we know they will bear fruit, more fruit and much fruit. This fruit is the first product of the interabiding relationship. In the latter half of vs. 7 we see the second product – the power of answered prayer: “ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
The fertile environment of abiding not only bears fruit, but it is also the perfect condition for effectual prayer. The contrast between the interabiding disciples and our biblically illiterate society is well summed-up by the following story of St. Thomas Aquinas:
Legend has it that St. Thomas Aquinas, a philosopher and theologian of the Catholic Church and the patron saint of Catholic universities, colleges and schools (1225-1274), met with Pope Innocent IV, who had a very large sum of money on the table in front of him. The Pope exclaimed, “You see, Thomas, that the Church cannot now say as the primitive Church, ‘Silver and gold have I none’.” “True, Holy Father,” was the reply, “but neither can she say as did Peter to the crippled man, ‘Rise up and walk’.”
God hasn’t changed, nor has His power: “Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or His ear dull, that it cannot hear.” (Isa 59:1, ESV)
So why we don’t see miracles in our churches and in our lives today like in the Acts church and in the lives of the early believers? The miracles in the Gospels and Acts weren’t small, little miracles done in a back corner where no one saw them. These were “signs and wonders” miracles that broke out like a sonic boom, shaking everything and everyone around (Acts 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:6, 13; 14:3; 15:12):
“And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.” Acts 2:43 (ESV)
The term “signs” is sēmeion, carrying the meaning of an “attesting sign or miracle,” conveying a sense of the confirmation of divine authority.
Did miracles die off with the apostles? Was that simply an apostolic gift? Only a quack today would talk about making a lame man walk or giving sight to the blind, right? Jesus had a different thought: “O ye of little faith.” You see, the vast majority of us who are Christians today – we’re the ones crippled and blind, spiritually speaking.
The power revealed in this verse is so monumental the devil works overtime to keep Christians from reaching out and taking a firm hold of this promise. He can’t tolerate even thinking about the modern church wielding the power of the Church in Acts. If he can keep us so busy that we don’t abide, if he can keep us distracted long enough to take us away from reading the Bibles that sit in our homes, or at least limiting our reading such that it could hardly be said His words are abiding in us, he knows we’ll never comprehend or wield the awesome power of the promise contained in this verse.
How much does the devil fear Christians who have Christ’s words abiding in them? C.S. Lewis captures this fear well in his book, The Screwtape Letters. Consider just two lines taken from an exchange between junior demon, Wormwood, and his mentor demon/uncle, Screwtape:
Wormwood: “Believers have so many weapons at their disposal. It is difficult to neutralize them. It takes a huge effort just to slow the work of a single Christian.”
Screwtape: “Make sure your targets read as little of the Book as possible. Don’t get too worried if they stick to their favorite twenty cliché verses. But make sure they remain ignorant of most of the Word.”
Consider the compounding impact between Jesus abiding in us (v. 4) and His words abiding in us. The concept of compound interest in today’s banking world is in essence, interest upon interest. It’s been widely attributed to Albert Einstein, though completely unsubstantiated, that he claimed compound interest to be the greatest invention of man, the greatest mathematical concept or mathematical discovery, the most powerful force of the universe, and the eighth wonder of the world.
Here we see compound abiding: abiding upon abiding. Jesus abiding in us and His words abiding in us has a compounding impact upon our lives. Such an impact cannot but bring about conformity and obedience to His teachings and His way of life. As a result – much fruit compounded with prevailing prayer:
Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”
John 14:12-14 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” (ESV)
1 John 5:14-15 “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”
This does not mean that He promises to gratify every chance whim or selfish desire, that’s the promise of the charlatans. The promise of answered prayer, is hinged upon our ability to pray in His name. The condition of prevailing prayer is abiding in Christ. In an interabiding life, praying ceases to be selfish asking and becomes aligned with the will and purposes of God in Christ. There is a direct correlation between how one prays and the primary commitments of one's life. As the life of Jesus and His words begin to permeate into our core being, praying ceases to be general, topical and selfish, and becomes specific, pointed and most importantly, consistent with the will and work of the Father.
Prayers of abiding Christians are therefore prayers we make as agents of His, just as if Jesus Himself had spoken the words. Christ’s presence in our lives and His words conditioning and directing our desires and thoughts result in prayers and actions that conform to the Father’s will. The Father’s will cannot be contained, nor can it be thwarted. So with prayers that conform to His will. Such prayers yield a power that must be fulfilled.
“Petitions of the true disciples are echoes (so to speak) of the words of Jesus because His teaching is transformed into a supplication, and so it will be necessarily heard” – Westcott.
Not only does Jesus make available to us His power for “greater works” through answered prayer, He commands us to ask such prayers:
John 16:23-24 “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.” (NASB)
Can you imagine such a life of prayer and power? Can you imagine the impact upon the Church if your life was so infused with the power and works of prevailing prayer, of compound abiding? Can you imagine the impact upon the Church if all of us as Christians were so infused with the power and works of prevailing prayer, of compound abiding? No wonder then that the devil works overtime to blind, distract or neutralize Christians. He doesn’t want to imagine what this world would look like if there was an army of abiding Christians.
We as Christians must stop living the Christian life on our own power and initiative. We have to comprehend that our attempts at good deeds and devout living, all wrapped up in our good intentions and religiosity, are not noble, effective or lasting; but in reality, are feeble, misguided, futile and self-centered.
We simply think too small and our faith is too small, looking at things from our own, temporal perspective. What could we possibly imagine or ask that would be beyond God’s infinite and eternal power? This is the God who simply spoke into existence the vast expanse of the universe, which is far beyond our abilities to truly comprehend or explain, even with all of our “scientific advances” and “sophisticated technologies.” Let’s not limit His power within us because we’re focused only on our abilities and our diminutive corner of the universe. Rather, let us be “transformed by the renewing of our mind” (Rom 12:2) as we abide in Him and have His words abide in us.
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