Scripture for the day: 2 Samuel 3:32-33 They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king and all the people wept at his graveside. Then the king sang this funeral song for Abner: “Should Abner have died as fools die? Your hands were not bound; your feet were not chained. No, you were murdered – the victim of a wicked plot.”
Thought for the day: The story of Abner in the Old Testament is one that contains a number of valuable lessons for each of us. I’m not going to take time to recount the entire tale; you can look it up beginning in 2 Samuel Chapter two. What I want us to look at, and learn from, is the death of this mighty warrior in Israel. Let me put it in a nutshell and then we can move on from there. Abner lived the life of a hero and died the death of a fool.
First, Abner died the death of a fool because he listened to a false messenger. Joab, who was the brother of a man Abner had killed in battle, sent a message to Abner asking him to return to the city and speak with King David. The message sounded official and made sense, but it was false and cost him his life because he listened.
There are a lot of false messengers out there today. Let’s look at just a few. There is the messenger that tells us “Life is an end in itself, and pleasure is preferable to pain.”* This messenger expressed itself in the Bible with the idea, eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow you die, and in the world as – if it feels good, do it. And what has this messenger brought us? Sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, broken families, fatherless children, and drug addictions just to name a few. Perhaps Janis Joplin summed up the results of listening to this false messenger in the words of a song: “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.”
Legalism is another false messenger in our time. Some have bought into the idea that, if they just adhere to a strict code of conduct they will somehow impress God enough that they will earn their salvation. Often this idea is characterized by the “don’t-do’s.” That is; we don’t go to that sort of place, do those sorts of things, hang around with those sorts of people, and we don’t ever lose our temper, speak out of turn, or show an overdue amount of emotion. Legalism is characterized by the notion that, having a good time and Christian piety are somehow mutually exclusive. Heaven help us! If that’s true, I’m doomed.
Religious selfishness is another false messenger. This messenger tells us that the best we can do is, through the church of course, seek our own self-fulfillment and achieve our own self-actualization. One noted leader (who shall remain nameless) even wrote a book that promoted self-esteem as being the new “Reformation.” Now don’t misunderstand; there’s nothing inherently wrong with feeling good about yourself. We get in trouble when we make that the end goal of life rather than accepting the example of the Jesus we claim to follow. Read what he said in confronting the disciples concerning their role in the Kingdom. Ponder Paul’s description of Jesus’ attitude in Philippians Chapter 2 and then compare those descriptions to some of the messages we hear from the pulpits of America today.
The theology of prosperity is another false messenger. We’ve all heard this one, haven’t we? “If you plant this seed of faith by sending us $1,000, the Lord is obligated – obligated I say – to repay you ten, thirty or one hundred fold; says so in the Book.” And they go on to provide you with proof-text after proof-text to show how right they are. Then the camera pans over to the rows of volunteers eagerly chatting on the phones with those who have been sucked into the whole scheme. Have you ever noticed that not one of these folks have ever encouraged you to give to a local church, a local charity, or even to an individual you know who may need the help? Isn’t it interesting that the only address they provide is theirs? If their message is true – “It’s God’s will for you to be rich” – then how do we explain the vast numbers of devout Christians who have died in abject poverty over the years?
Finally, worldliness is a false messenger. We define worldliness as making anything other than God your ultimate good. It’s putting “God value” on anything other than God himself. Power, money, success, school, church, even one’s own family; these can all become gods to us if we don’t guard our hearts against them. And how do we do that? We must ask ourselves: what is the one thing I cannot live without? What gets me up in the morning? What gives me the motivation to get dressed and move out into the day? That is my god. And anything less than God himself is worldliness by definition.
Abner died the death of a fool because he listened to a false messenger. We live in constant danger of doing the same. So how do we avoid it? The only way I know to be sure is to compare the messages I’m getting with the one I know to be true; the Biblical one. John said, “Do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.” (1 John 4:1) This message I’m getting; does it line up with what you know to be the truth of God’s Word? If not, run, do not walk, to the nearest exit. More on dying the death of a fool tomorrow.
Now go take on your world. - Bill