A Son Rejects Wisdom
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Why are we so prone to ignore warnings and the possibility of consequences?
The Space Shuttle
Healthy life choices
Cigarette packs - don’t smoke these. They will kill you!
Adam and Eve
Foolish Choices Compromise Devotion to God
Foolish Choices Compromise Devotion to God
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.
Foreign Wives
Foreign Wives
אָהַ֞ב נָשִׁ֧ים נָכְרִיֹּ֛ות רַבֹּ֖ות
The Hebrew word to pay attention to here is FOREIGN or NAV-RY-OTH
The foreigner designated by these terms is usually perceived as dangerous or hostile. The nom. נֵכָר often appears in a construct relationship to indicate that which is morally unacceptable.
What did God say about a King’s behavior?
Deut 17
“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 shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman. “Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.’ “He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself. “Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. “It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.
What is the ONE thing that is supposed to inform the King’s behavior?
The law of God!
How is our love or affection for fellow human beings related to our love for God?
Our affections for fellow humans can displace our affections for God!
Name some ways this can happen
We marry unbelievers.
We compromise the gospel with the misguided notion that we are loving our neighbor.
We do everything we can to take the sting out of sin.
We bring people into the covenant community who really do not know Christ. And we don’t look close enough because it makes us uncomfortable that we might be making others uncomfortable.
NEWSFLASH Christian: inherent in the nature of being a Christian is the unavoidable affect of making God-haters uncomfortable. If you really don’t want to make people uncomfortable, then you should stop being a Christian.
Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ “The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
First Four: no other god, no idols, name of God in vain, Sabbath.
Last six: honor parents, no murder, no adultery, no stealing, no lying, no coveting.
On these hang the entire law and the prophets. Why? They are essence of the revelation of the nature of God to his image bearers.
What wisdom and encouragement would you offer someone whose devotion is being compromised?
It depends. It could be a word of encouragement or it could be a stinging rebuke.
Nathan then said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. ‘I also gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! ‘Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.
2 Sam
But we ignore these warnings somehow convincing ourselves they do not apply to me!
But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
But what about the idea that we shouldn’t name names in public, that it is unloving, mean-spirited, or unkind?
Apparently Paul didn’t embrace modern western political correctness.
What about these gods that Solomon turned to all because of these women?
Molech is the most renown of these gods. Canaanites offered their children in sacrifice to this god.
An unbelieving spouse will do everything they can to get you to embrace pagan philosophies and beliefs.
Homosexuality is a perfect example.
Christians must marry in Christ. And if we are married in Christ, we are bound by Christ to remain in that marriage.
A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband is dead, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.
2 cor
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
“When the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, and when the Lord your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them. “Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. “For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you.
Foolish Choices Come with Consequences
Foolish Choices Come with Consequences
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.”
How do you tend to view the consequences of your sin?
Our biggest problem is that we either don’t think our sin merits consequences or some people think that every bad thing that happens to them means they committed some heinous sin.
Both of these ways of thinking should be avoided.
Sin is us NOT loving God with all your being. Sin is lawlessness.
How did preserving the house of David in spite of Solomon’s sin fulfill God’s purpose?
But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us.
If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame.
Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.
How did preserving the house of David in spite of Solomon’s sin fulfill God’s purpose?
The foreigner designated by these terms is usually perceived as dangerous or hostile. The nom. נֵכָר often appears in a construct relationship to indicate that which is morally unacceptable.
2 sam
“He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ” In accordance with all these words and all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
Foolish Choices Create Problems for Others
Foolish Choices Create Problems for Others
Then Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had directed, saying, “Return to me on the third day.” The king answered the people harshly, for he forsook the advice of the elders which they had given him, and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” So the king did not listen to the people; for it was a turn of events from the Lord, that He might establish His word, which the Lord spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 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. But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
Note v. 15: for it was a turn from the LORD. To what end? That he might establish His word!
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
This is a textbook example of reformed theology’s view that God is absolutely sovereign and human beings always freely act to carry out God’s purpose. God’s purpose cannot be thwarted by this unbiblical concept of a radical autonomous free will that is somehow outside of divine sovereignty.
I am going to cover the last question of the lesson with some personal commentary because it is an attempt on the part of the author to slip in a pernicious cancer that is having far reaching consequences in the churches as it relates to the true gospel and even more devastating consequences in our culture.
Sin’s effects in the world: Sin does not only impact our relationship with God; it is also the root of broken relationships with the people around us. Sin has infected and redirected the social structures of society, leading to injustice and oppression.
It is amazing to me that the wealthiest and most privileged country in the world talks more than anyone else about injustice and oppression.
The church is not called to fight or end oppression in pagan society.
The church is not called to fight or eliminate inequality in pagan society.
The church is not called to eradicate specific sins from pagan society.
Just like Rehoboam listened to the advice of the younger men whispering in his ear with disastrous consequences, many Christian leaders are doing the exact same thing today with the exact same disastrous consequences.
The cure for the woes of society is the same today as it was in the garden, as it was in Noah’s generation, as it was for Israel and as it is for us today: the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only hope. And that gospel is NOT Jesus came to end oppression and hunger and suffering in society and make all men equal with equal pay, equal rights, or even equal opportunities. Jesus Christ came to save sinners.