For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
This proverb is an important warning. Each and everyone of us has a course of action open to us which seems right, but which leads to death. How do we distinguish the path which seems right from the path which is right?
I am not sure I completely know the answer to that question, which frightens me, but the first step is being aware that there is a difference between that which seems right and that which is right.
Every time I read this psalm there are two things which stand out to me. The first is that it we trust in God we will be as secure as a mountain. We may be shaken similar to the way a mountain is shaken by an earthquake, but as long as we trust in God, we will continue to stand.
The second is, more or less, unrelated to the first. If the people of a nation are godly, those who rule over them will not be wicked. So, if you look at those in positions of government authority and they seem to be wicked, look to yourself and those around you. If those in authority are wicked, you cannot fix that by campaigning to change who is in authority, no matter if your campaign is by ballot box or by revolution. If those in authority are wicked, it means that the majority of those they govern over are not godly. The way to fix that problem is to work to convince more of the people to be godly (a large part, but by no means all, of that work is to pray that the Holy Spirit transform them).
There are several lessons to be learned from the story of Ananias and Sapphira. However, I was reminded of something said by a pastor several years back. He said that maybe the reason we do not see more miracles in the Church today is that we are afraid of the downside of that which is what happened to Ananias and Sapphira. Or perhaps it is that God is merciful and knows that too many among us would be subject to the type of judgment which Ananias and Sapphira faced. As I write this, I think he reversed the order on those two.
Related to that was something which struck me. At the end of yesterday’s passage was the account of how all the believers shared everything they had. There are a lot of people who say that we should model our society after that. I want to say that I can support local congregations doing this if they so choose. However, it is clear that this is not the only model, since by the end of Acts most Churches were not structured in this manner. The people who want to follow the economic model from Acts 4 tend to overlook the “enforcement” method for that model given to us in this story. Of course, the reason I put enforcement in quotes is because even here it is made clear that contributing to this system was purely voluntary. Ananias and Sapphira were not struck down for their failure to give all of their proceeds from selling their land. They were struck down for claiming that they had given all of their proceeds. The other problem I have with many who want to emulate this model is that they want to put the government in the place of God as the enforcer of compliance.
The passage transitions to the Apostles being arrested by the Sanhedrin. The high priest confronted them by saying that they had given them strict orders not to teach in Jesus’ name (note that the high priest refused to actually use Jesus’ name in this). Peter’s answer is one which we must each remember every day, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.” When the law demands actions contrary to God’s commands, we must NOT obey the law. The Sanhedrin’s initial response to this insolence was to have the Apostles killed. However, Gamaliel persuaded them otherwise. His argument was that any movement which does not serve God’s purpose will die out in a short time. This is something we should keep in mind today. As Christians, we should not strive to use force to stop those who follow wrong teachings. God will deal with them in His time and His way.
In yesterday’s passage, Solomon allowed his older brother, Adonijah, to live, even though he had mounted a rebellion to seize the throne. However, it was on the condition that Adonijah not make further trouble. Then Adonijah tried to get permission to marry King David’s last concubine. Solomon recognized this as an attempt by Adonijah to increase his claim to the throne. It is interesting that it was only after this that Solomon took action against those who had originally conspired with Adonijah to seize the throne. He ordered Abiathar the priest to retire to his home village. In addition, he only ordered the death of Joab after Joab declared his guilt by fleeing to the Tabernacle and claiming sanctuary at the altar.