3 Old Testament Stories - Biblical real life people/leaders.
Story #1
Solomon - Was an Old Testament leader. He was the King of Israel during a season of great blessing and peace for that nation. Solomon took over the throne from his father David..who had conquered all their enemies and had put the land at rest and at ease by the end of his reign..David also had set up Solomon's reign very well and had placed authority and power in his son's hand - so that the succession in leadership over the nation would go as smoothly as possible..
Now - there were two great tasks that David passed on to Solomon (tasks that David couldn't accomplish because he was always fighting wars and securing the kingdom)..And now that the kingdom was at peace, Solomon's task was to be a builder...to build a home for the royal family - a palace for the leader of the nation and for those who would follow him..And secondly to build a home for God - a great temple for the people to come and worship the Lord..
Now these were not just little buildings - these were not simple little garage packages that went up in a day or two - No. Listen to these verses..1 Kings chapter 6 says this about how Solomon went about the task:
"Then King Solomon enlisted 30,000 laborers from all Israel. He sent them to Lebanon in shifts (to cut cedar trees), 10,000 every month, so that each man would be one month in Lebanon and two months at home.Solomon also enlisted 70,000 common laborers, 80,000 stonecutters in the hill country, and 3,600 foremen to supervise the work. At the king's command, the stonecutters quarried and shaped costly blocks of stone for the foundation of the Temple. Men from the city of Gebal helped Solomon's builders prepare the timber and stone for the Temple." (1 Kings 5:13-18)
It goes on to describe in detail the structure over the next 2 pages. "This inner sanctuary was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. Solomon overlaid its walls and ceiling with pure gold. He also overlaid the altar made of cedar.
Then he overlaid the rest of the Temple's interior with pure gold, and he made gold chains to protect the entrance to the Most Holy Place.
So he finished overlaying the entire Temple with gold, including the altar that belonged to the Most Holy Place. All the walls of the inner sanctuary and the main room were decorated with carvings..The floor in both rooms was overlaid with gold. The entire building was completed in every detail by the eleventh year of his reign. So it took seven years to build the Temple." (1 Kings 6:20-22, 29-30, 38)
Did you catch the magnitude of the project and the opulence?
- 180,000+ laborers
- tons of gold
- immaculate carvings
- 7 years of work
Then Solomon built a palace..again - an unbelievable structure. Took 13 more years to build. Somewhere along the way they had a huge dedication service for the temple. He invited all the leaders of the tribes of Israel - the elders of the land -
hundreds of leaders and in front of all the people..told them a little history of how and why they had labored so hard for a place to worship..He talked with them about the legacy his father David had left and how God had prepared Solomon and this whole nation for the building of the temple. And then a wonderful and mysterious thing happens. The Bible puts it like this: "When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, a cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple. Then Solomon said, 'The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.'" (1 Kings 8:10-13)
God's presence is so evident you can actually see it..and in a great moment of spiritual connection to God and in leadership of the people - out of a heart of thanksgiving Solomon hits his knees in prayer..in front of the altar of the Lord..and leads the people in an incredible prayer of faith and hope and blessing.
It spans 2 pages in the Bible. So here's a man - not just any man, but a powerful leader - (actually, the most powerful man in the world) -
And he is so full of gratitude, so overflowing with thanksgiving to a faithful God who has blessed him and his people so much..God had provided their every need and more. And Solomon's only response is to fall on his knees and raise his hands towards heaven..and publicly humble himself before almighty God..and this is how that story ends..
"When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. He stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice." (1 Kings 8:54-55).
We're starting a new year with communion today...So that got me thinking this week...when I and we come to the altar today..when we kneel to meet with Jesus - maybe we too should pray a prayer of thanksgiving. In fact - why don't you make a list right now in your mind of all that's good in your life - what's going right..
And then name that list back to God when you kneel at the altar today. Because "every good and perfect gift comes from Him."
- Start thinking about your family or your home.
- Start thinking about some friendships or your health.
- Start thinking about an answered prayer or a moment of closeness with God.
- Just start thinking about that list and bring it with you when you meet God today..
Story #2
Joshua - I love talking about Joshua. An incredible leader - man of great faith and wisdom and strength. He is an awesome study of what the power of God can accomplish through one man's life..Joshua was Moses' apprentice - He had spent his life growing up watching Moses' leadership..And then after Moses died was given the task of leading Israel into the new land that God had promised them..Joshua was a military leader and his life was spent in conquest - removing those present inhabitants of Israel..and taking over the land..(Just so you know, the trouble between Israel and her neighbors is not a new one. But I love how the U.S. and U.N. negotiators are portrayed on the news..That maybe with a few days of meetings - peace might come to the region..a region that has been at war for several thousand years.)
Anyway - Joshua leads the army into the land..and his first task is to take Jericho - and he didn't know quite how to go about it. Well fortified..looked like a long term project. Now Joshua was a man of action - a strong leader - a powerful commander of a huge army..I'm sure he was thinking - "Gee, I've got 40,000 armed men - we'll just find a way to beat these guys. And over the next few weeks if we work hard - we'll get in and win the city"..But God had another plan. (Read Joshua 5:13-15)
"Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, 'Are you for us or for our enemies?'
'Neither,' he replied, 'but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.' Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, 'What message does my Lord have for his servant?' The commander of the Lord's army replied, 'Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.' And Joshua did so."
Now, I was reading from a few books this week about who this mysterious commander of the Lord's army was..Some said he was an angel of superior rank. But most agreed it was an appearance of God Himself in human form - remarkable.
Now - here's where I'm going with this. You can read the rest of the story yourself this week and you'll see a remarkable lesson of faith and victory and dependence on God for strength and power and not reliance on human effort. Lots of lessons here..But what I want to focus on is Joshua's physical response when he comes face to face with God. He immediately (without a moment's hesitation) falls down on his knees..in fact, on his face..in reverence and worship..Then God has this great line. "Joshua - take off your shoes for the place you are standing is holy." It's set apart, it deserves reverence. Then, listen to this. "And Joshua did so"..no kidding..If you had God saying take off your shoes - those sandals would be off!
Now - here's what I see. I see the most powerful leader in Israel at the time..He's got 40,000 men behind him - he's primed and ready for battle..and with one glimpse of God - within a millisecond of recognizing the presence of God - he hit his knees in worship and reverence. It was an immediate response. This story got me thinking about my life and about us..and I immediately asked myself - Do I recognize the presence of God in my life..real quick? Or does it take me a while?..And when I meet with God face to face - how do I approach Him? Am I proud? Kinda cocky? Or am I non-chalant - kind of irreverent? Do I have a "whatever" attitude..about meeting with God? I gotta be honest - sometimes I don't recognize God in my life as quick as I should..and sometimes my reaction to being in His presence would fall in the "non-chalant" category.
But folks, hear this..When we truly see God - when we catch even a glimpse of who He is..when we get a true picture of His awesome power and holiness and majesty..When that happens, there is only one response - and that's to hit our knees in worship..because we immediately get a picture of our smallness - our frailty - our humanness - our weakness. When we come face to face with almighty God..we must fall down and worship Him in reverence for who He is and what He has done..
Folks, somehow in our lives we've got to have a healthy fear of God - a reverence when we meet Him - simply because He is other - He is God and we are not..And sometimes as I lay awake in my bed thinking about Lakeview Church - I wonder if we see God clearly..
I mean in His power and majesty. Or if we are overconfident in our own abilities and strength, and do we think maybe that we don't really need God that much - We can pretty much get along without Him most of the time...and therefore we miss out on the real power of God..because we rely so heavily on our own strength.
(Not a prophecy - just some thoughts I have in the middle of the night.) I'm not sure of a lot of things, but this I'm sure of..We have a long way to go in our knowledge of God - and a long way to go in understanding worship. But today (as we enter a new year), we have an opportunity to kneel - as we meet face to face with Jesus - to worship Him - in reverence and holy fear. "Come let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care." (Psalm 95:6-7) Don't miss an opportunity to see God. Take advantage of it - today - at the altar.
Story #3
Daniel - is my new favorite Bible leader. I hadn't read about Daniel for a while. This week read about him lots..How cool was this guy? Daniel lived in an era when Israel had been taken into captivity - the Babylonians had come in and taken over - they had enslaved the Israelites and scattered them throughout the lands..But Daniel rose in power and authority even as a non-Babylonian (as a slave) - Daniel had strong leadership abilities and a flawless and integrity-filled character - and so he rose in authority and position..All the while he remained very devout in his faith and true to God in his actions..which was not simple..because he lived in a heathen land that had detestable religious practices of idol worship to multiple gods. But Daniel was faithful to God..and rose to the position of governor and administrator over the largest province in Babylon..
"King Darius decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a prince to rule over each province. The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the princes and to watch out for the king's interests. Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and princes. Because of his great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. (Daniel 6:1-3)
But then comes the rest of the story.
"Then the other administrators and princes began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling his affairs, but they couldn't find anything to criticize. He was faithful and honest and always responsible. So they concluded, 'Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the requirements of his religion.' So the administrators and princes went to the king and said, 'Long live King Darius! We administrators, princes, advisers, and other officials have unanimously agreed that Your Majesty should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to anyone, divine or human - except to Your Majesty - will be thrown to the lions. And let Your Majesty issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, a law which cannot be revoked.' So King Darius signed the law. But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem.
He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God." (Daniel 6:4-10)
Now - you can read the rest of the story yourself to catch the amazing journey of faith Daniel lived and the incredible step by step faithfulness of God..But again, watch Daniel's response - during a time of crisis - during a life and death situation - His response was to hit his knees and pray, and trust God for an answer, when he was in great need. Catch the story - the king's word was law - and Daniel knew that because of his faith, his life would be in jeopardy..But he didn't waiver..He would be faithful to the God who had been so faithful to him his entire life (at this point Daniel had been in Babylon for 60 years and was in his 80's).
Well, this got me thinking about some of the needs I have personally in my life, and that we have as a church, that are pressing. Got me thinking about how many of you have pressing needs..financial, relational, physical, emotional, spiritual..What are you and we doing with those needs? Trying hard to fix them, I suppose..
- Some of you need strength to endure.
- Some of you need wisdom.
- Some of you need forgiveness.
- Some of you need healing.
- Some of you need a miracle.
Today (as you enter a new year), when you come to the altar and kneel before the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing God of love and compassion, muster your faith and pray to God and ask for what you need..And if it's a miracle, ask. Listen to some of God's promises:
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Jeremiah 29:11)
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4a)
"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or image, according to His power that is at work within us." (Ephesians 3:17-20)
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
Folks - come and kneel and pray and believe as you meet with Jesus today.
So here we are at the start of a new year..Now, I'm the kind of guy who loves these restart times of the year - A chance to look back and look ahead and set goals and objectives and dream a bit going into the new year - To set up the next 6 or 8 months to move ahead in life by faith and by focused efforts..We all do some of that in January - gym or money or career - or family..reshuffle priorities..
Now - this North American society world we live in - this very money-based, career-based, power and status-based culture we live in - says that if you want to get ahead - if you want to be successful - and if you want to make something of yourself - then just put your head down and dig deep inside and be an achiever - just do it. Rely on yourself and your own strength. Because everybody else will let you down..and you can find any answer you need for life on your own.
Well today I'm telling you that God's way is completely other than our society's direction. Jesus calls us to a completely counter-cultural lifestyle..
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves..Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:3&5)
"All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:5-7)
"Submit yourselves, then, to God.Come near to God and he will come near to you. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up." (James 4:7, 8, 10)
"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." (Proverbs 11:2)
"Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor." (Proverbs 18:12)
This new year, be counter-cultural..Enter into it - being reliant on God with 100% of your life. Realize that we depend on Him for every breath - for our very existence - Let the first goal you set be to hit your knees everyday of 2003, and may it start today as you come to this altar to meet with Christ. Folks, I can't think of a better way to start a new year - a new season - but on our knees. Calling on God to bless us with His presence and light in our lives for the year ahead.
Come and kneel in worship - like Joshua - with a picture of the greatness of God and an even clearer picture of your need for His love and forgiveness.
Come and kneel in thanksgiving - like Solomon - with a list of all that God is doing and every blessing He is pouring into your life.
Come and kneel with your requests - like Daniel - with expectant faith - believing God for a miracle.
Hear this: "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8) |
