42. STAYING ON THE ROAD OF TRUTH
Hoping to be successful many break God's rules, and in the end wonder why fate has been so cruel to them.
Had they only kept the rules, how might their life been better? |
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Have you ever tried to put something together without following the instructions? Men are notorious for this and we all probably have a story or two. Sometimes we get away with it and everything turns out okay. But usually we end up wasting time and having to start all over, albeit the next time looking at the instructions first.
But life isn’t like a piece of IKEA furniture and we don’t always get second chances. That is why it is important to do things right the first time. Well how can we get things right the first time? You look at the instruction manual and listen to those who know what they are doing! Let’s start with a story and then read from the instruction book of life, the Holy Bible.
As Murat walked on the dusty sidewalk, he thought long and hard about his situation. He hadn’t talked to Begüm in weeks, but he heard from some friends that she was kicked out of her parent’s home.
“Friends! I guess you could call them that.” He mumbled to himself.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know where this had all started. He remembered clearly when he and Begum started hanging out with a different crowd. He remembered the parties and the peer pressure. It was those same “friends” who said that Murat’s problem could be easily resolved. He just needed a little bit of money and a doctor. But Murat knew that wasn’t an option. Besides, how could he go to Begüm and say such a thing? Fathering a child out of wedlock was bad enough. He didn’t want to be a murderer too!
But most of Murat’s real friends, that is the ones he had known since childhood, were of a different opinion and their comments were still ringing in his ears.
“We tried to tell you Murat.”
“You did what? I can’t believe you left her. You call yourself a man? How can you even sleep at night?”
“You don’t want to know what I would do to you if she were my sister!”
At first Murat was shocked at what they said. But the more he thought about it, the more he knew they were right. He passed by the bank, walked into the park, and sat down on a bench. As he stared at the fountain, he started mentally berating himself.
“How could I be so stupid? Why did I give in to the temptation? I told her I loved her and when she needed me the most I left her. I’m a coward and a fake. I should have listened to my real friends. If only I could do it all over again.”
Murat was right; he should have listened to his friends. He should have listened to his father’s advice about waiting. He should have listened to that voice inside his head that said, “don’t do it.”
Murat was certainly not the rst person to ignore advice. We all do it! Unfortunately, sometimes the consequences have a much greater effect than we ever anticipated. In one of the most unlikely places and from one of the most unlikely men, we can learn a major lesson about following instructions and taking advice. At first, you may think it is inconceivable that a man like King Solomon could find himself in a situation similar to Murat’s. After all he was the most famous king of his time. Not because of his wealth, but because he was wise.
Solomon solved disputes and gave advice. He governed his kingdom with justice and set up treaties with other kingdoms. People from other countries, often carrying gifts of cedar, gold, and fine fabrics, even came to ask him questions. But in spite of all this, at the end of his life Solomon was unhappy and cynical. He was a lonely king who had turned his back on God and realized that fame, power, wealth, and pleasure were all vanity. Like Murat, he was wishing he could have done it all over again.
To find out what went wrong, we need to look at God’s original instructions for kings. Let’s start in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 17 verses 14-20:
14 “When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me, 15 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. 16 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. 17 And he shall not acquire many wives for him- self, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself ex- cessive silver and gold. 18 “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.
There are several things in this text that stand out. First, when the Israelites were still wandering in the desert God predicted that they would want a king. He knew in advance that they would want to be like everyone else. Second, God would choose the king. We saw this happen when He chose Saul, David, and then Solomon. Third, God gave specific instructions for the kings to follow and He didn’t want them to be forgetten. So the kings were to write them down, read them, and live by them. God’s commands were like an instruction manual on how to run a kingdom with justice and righteousness.
The kings of Israel were not allowed to acquire horses or send people to get them. They were not allowed to marry foreign wives and they were not to acquire large amounts of silver and gold. Why do you think God made those rules?
First, God didn’t want the Israelites to be involved with or dependent upon Egypt. He would provide everything that they needed. Trade and communication with Egypt might tempt them to return. Second, and also related to God’s ability to provide for all their needs, was the prohibition of acquiring massive amounts of wealth. Wealth tends to drive people away from God and closer to materialism. A materialistic king can’t rule with justice and righteousness because he is always looking to get rich. But why would God place a prohibition on inter-racial marriage? Let’s find out by reading 1 Kings 11 verses 1-8:
1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods. Solomon clung to these in love. 3 He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. 4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. 8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.
Do we need to look any further? God knew the religious beliefs and practices of the Sidonians, Ammonites, Moabites, and Egyptians would destroy the Israelites. He didn’t want them sacrificing their children to Molech or having sex for the fertility goddess Ashtoreth. He called them to be His people and different than those around them. That is why they practiced circumcision, wore different clothes, and avoided certain foods. If the kings, and people, of Israel married foreigners it wouldn’t be long before they started acting like them and believing in their false gods. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened with King Solomon! Not only did he tolerate their religious practices, he joined them and built places of worship. In fact, these places and false religions would continue to create problems for the Israelites for hundreds of years. So what happened? Do you think that God tolerated King Solomon’s disobedience?
Let’s read verses 9-13.
9 And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the LORD commanded. 11 Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.
God was furious. He could have destroyed Solomon right away be- cause he had disobeyed the rules for kings. But in His mercy He al- lowed Solomon to live out his life and gave him a chance to repent. Besides, Solomon was destroying himself. The deeper he fell into idolatry, Solomon became a shell of the man he once was. He no longer depended on God and his spiritual wisdom became the wis- dom of man. If you read Ecclesiastes, which was written by Solomon, you will see that he was a broken man. He lost his path, fell out of God’s favor, and found no joy in life. Before his death, he did eventually acknowledge his sin and ask God for forgiveness. But his sin had affected his family and the people of Israel.
As a nation of unified tribes, Israel only lasted for a time period of three kings. And sadly enough, Solomon started a trend that would continue for three hundred years. The nation would be divided in two, each with their own king. These kings would fight with one another and struggle with the worship of false gods. Let’s continue reading verses 29-33.
29 And at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahi- jah had dressed himself in a new garment, and the two of them were alone in the open country. 30 Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes 32 (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), 33 because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did.
So how important is it to follow instructions? When it comes to following God’s instructions it is very important!
There once was a tailor’s apprentice who was learning how to make clothes. One day the head tailor gave him some cloth and a pattern.
“I want you to study this pattern closely, measure out the cloth, and cut it. Then I want you to sew this coat exactly like the pattern. Be sure to follow the instructions because the cloth is ex- pensive and the customer wants the coat to last a very long time. Do you understand?” he asked.
“Yes, I understand.” The apprentice replied.
So the apprentice got started right away. He looked at the pattern and measured out the cloth. But before he started cutting, he thought that if the sleeves were a little shorter and the back a little longer the coat would look nicer. Besides, that was the current fashion trend. So he made the adjustments and cut the material. While he was sewing the coat he thought to himself,
“This is going to be a nice coat. Everyone will be impressed by my craftsmanship.”
The next day he went to his boss and showed him the coat. The boss looked at the coat and then looked at him.
“I told you to follow the pattern. This isn’t the coat I wanted you to make. The sleeves are too short and the back is too long. What were you thinking?”
But before the apprentice could reply, the head tailor ripped off the sleeves.
“Not only did you fail in this task, you have wasted time and money. Next time you will do what you are told or you will nd another job!”
For as wise as Solomon was, you would think that he could follow some simple instructions. But he didn’t. God had given those rules because he wanted to protect Israel and it’s kings. But in the end, like the tailor who thought he could do better and Murat who wanted pleasure, Solomon was an unhappy, materialistic idolater who wished he could do it all over again. Let's be different. We too have been given commandments and they are found in the best instruction manual ever written. Let's not look back on our lives and wish that we had done something different. Let's listen to King Solomon's advice which he wrote in Ecclesiastes chapter 12 verses 13-14 after he repented:
"13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil."
Let's read the Holy Bible and live the way God has showed us.
Discussion Questions
1. Have you ever tried do something without using instructions?
2. What do you think Murat should do?
3. Why did Solomon not follow God’s instructions?
4. What would a country be like if they didn’t follow their own rules?
5. What would the world be like?
But life isn’t like a piece of IKEA furniture and we don’t always get second chances. That is why it is important to do things right the first time. Well how can we get things right the first time? You look at the instruction manual and listen to those who know what they are doing! Let’s start with a story and then read from the instruction book of life, the Holy Bible.
As Murat walked on the dusty sidewalk, he thought long and hard about his situation. He hadn’t talked to Begüm in weeks, but he heard from some friends that she was kicked out of her parent’s home.
“Friends! I guess you could call them that.” He mumbled to himself.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know where this had all started. He remembered clearly when he and Begum started hanging out with a different crowd. He remembered the parties and the peer pressure. It was those same “friends” who said that Murat’s problem could be easily resolved. He just needed a little bit of money and a doctor. But Murat knew that wasn’t an option. Besides, how could he go to Begüm and say such a thing? Fathering a child out of wedlock was bad enough. He didn’t want to be a murderer too!
But most of Murat’s real friends, that is the ones he had known since childhood, were of a different opinion and their comments were still ringing in his ears.
“We tried to tell you Murat.”
“You did what? I can’t believe you left her. You call yourself a man? How can you even sleep at night?”
“You don’t want to know what I would do to you if she were my sister!”
At first Murat was shocked at what they said. But the more he thought about it, the more he knew they were right. He passed by the bank, walked into the park, and sat down on a bench. As he stared at the fountain, he started mentally berating himself.
“How could I be so stupid? Why did I give in to the temptation? I told her I loved her and when she needed me the most I left her. I’m a coward and a fake. I should have listened to my real friends. If only I could do it all over again.”
Murat was right; he should have listened to his friends. He should have listened to his father’s advice about waiting. He should have listened to that voice inside his head that said, “don’t do it.”
Murat was certainly not the rst person to ignore advice. We all do it! Unfortunately, sometimes the consequences have a much greater effect than we ever anticipated. In one of the most unlikely places and from one of the most unlikely men, we can learn a major lesson about following instructions and taking advice. At first, you may think it is inconceivable that a man like King Solomon could find himself in a situation similar to Murat’s. After all he was the most famous king of his time. Not because of his wealth, but because he was wise.
Solomon solved disputes and gave advice. He governed his kingdom with justice and set up treaties with other kingdoms. People from other countries, often carrying gifts of cedar, gold, and fine fabrics, even came to ask him questions. But in spite of all this, at the end of his life Solomon was unhappy and cynical. He was a lonely king who had turned his back on God and realized that fame, power, wealth, and pleasure were all vanity. Like Murat, he was wishing he could have done it all over again.
To find out what went wrong, we need to look at God’s original instructions for kings. Let’s start in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 17 verses 14-20:
14 “When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me, 15 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. 16 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. 17 And he shall not acquire many wives for him- self, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself ex- cessive silver and gold. 18 “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.
There are several things in this text that stand out. First, when the Israelites were still wandering in the desert God predicted that they would want a king. He knew in advance that they would want to be like everyone else. Second, God would choose the king. We saw this happen when He chose Saul, David, and then Solomon. Third, God gave specific instructions for the kings to follow and He didn’t want them to be forgetten. So the kings were to write them down, read them, and live by them. God’s commands were like an instruction manual on how to run a kingdom with justice and righteousness.
The kings of Israel were not allowed to acquire horses or send people to get them. They were not allowed to marry foreign wives and they were not to acquire large amounts of silver and gold. Why do you think God made those rules?
First, God didn’t want the Israelites to be involved with or dependent upon Egypt. He would provide everything that they needed. Trade and communication with Egypt might tempt them to return. Second, and also related to God’s ability to provide for all their needs, was the prohibition of acquiring massive amounts of wealth. Wealth tends to drive people away from God and closer to materialism. A materialistic king can’t rule with justice and righteousness because he is always looking to get rich. But why would God place a prohibition on inter-racial marriage? Let’s find out by reading 1 Kings 11 verses 1-8:
1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods. Solomon clung to these in love. 3 He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. 4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. 8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.
Do we need to look any further? God knew the religious beliefs and practices of the Sidonians, Ammonites, Moabites, and Egyptians would destroy the Israelites. He didn’t want them sacrificing their children to Molech or having sex for the fertility goddess Ashtoreth. He called them to be His people and different than those around them. That is why they practiced circumcision, wore different clothes, and avoided certain foods. If the kings, and people, of Israel married foreigners it wouldn’t be long before they started acting like them and believing in their false gods. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened with King Solomon! Not only did he tolerate their religious practices, he joined them and built places of worship. In fact, these places and false religions would continue to create problems for the Israelites for hundreds of years. So what happened? Do you think that God tolerated King Solomon’s disobedience?
Let’s read verses 9-13.
9 And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the LORD commanded. 11 Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.
God was furious. He could have destroyed Solomon right away be- cause he had disobeyed the rules for kings. But in His mercy He al- lowed Solomon to live out his life and gave him a chance to repent. Besides, Solomon was destroying himself. The deeper he fell into idolatry, Solomon became a shell of the man he once was. He no longer depended on God and his spiritual wisdom became the wis- dom of man. If you read Ecclesiastes, which was written by Solomon, you will see that he was a broken man. He lost his path, fell out of God’s favor, and found no joy in life. Before his death, he did eventually acknowledge his sin and ask God for forgiveness. But his sin had affected his family and the people of Israel.
As a nation of unified tribes, Israel only lasted for a time period of three kings. And sadly enough, Solomon started a trend that would continue for three hundred years. The nation would be divided in two, each with their own king. These kings would fight with one another and struggle with the worship of false gods. Let’s continue reading verses 29-33.
29 And at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahi- jah had dressed himself in a new garment, and the two of them were alone in the open country. 30 Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes 32 (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), 33 because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did.
So how important is it to follow instructions? When it comes to following God’s instructions it is very important!
There once was a tailor’s apprentice who was learning how to make clothes. One day the head tailor gave him some cloth and a pattern.
“I want you to study this pattern closely, measure out the cloth, and cut it. Then I want you to sew this coat exactly like the pattern. Be sure to follow the instructions because the cloth is ex- pensive and the customer wants the coat to last a very long time. Do you understand?” he asked.
“Yes, I understand.” The apprentice replied.
So the apprentice got started right away. He looked at the pattern and measured out the cloth. But before he started cutting, he thought that if the sleeves were a little shorter and the back a little longer the coat would look nicer. Besides, that was the current fashion trend. So he made the adjustments and cut the material. While he was sewing the coat he thought to himself,
“This is going to be a nice coat. Everyone will be impressed by my craftsmanship.”
The next day he went to his boss and showed him the coat. The boss looked at the coat and then looked at him.
“I told you to follow the pattern. This isn’t the coat I wanted you to make. The sleeves are too short and the back is too long. What were you thinking?”
But before the apprentice could reply, the head tailor ripped off the sleeves.
“Not only did you fail in this task, you have wasted time and money. Next time you will do what you are told or you will nd another job!”
For as wise as Solomon was, you would think that he could follow some simple instructions. But he didn’t. God had given those rules because he wanted to protect Israel and it’s kings. But in the end, like the tailor who thought he could do better and Murat who wanted pleasure, Solomon was an unhappy, materialistic idolater who wished he could do it all over again. Let's be different. We too have been given commandments and they are found in the best instruction manual ever written. Let's not look back on our lives and wish that we had done something different. Let's listen to King Solomon's advice which he wrote in Ecclesiastes chapter 12 verses 13-14 after he repented:
"13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil."
Let's read the Holy Bible and live the way God has showed us.
Discussion Questions
1. Have you ever tried do something without using instructions?
2. What do you think Murat should do?
3. Why did Solomon not follow God’s instructions?
4. What would a country be like if they didn’t follow their own rules?
5. What would the world be like?