Surrounded by Fools

April 18, 2025 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David.

¹The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
there is none who does good.

²God looks down from heaven
on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.

³They have all fallen away;
together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.

⁴Have those who work evil no knowledge,
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and do not call upon God?

⁵There they are, in great terror,
where there is no terror!
For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;
you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.

⁶Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad. – Psalm 53:1-6 ESV

This psalm is a slight variation on Psalm 14, with David using the title ĕlōhîm when referring to God, instead of Yahweh or Jehovah.

God [ĕlōhîm] looks down from heaven
on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God. – Psalm 53:2 ESV

The LORD [Yᵊhōvâ] looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God. – Psalm 14:2 ESV

This amended version of his original psalm was placed between Psalms 52 and 54 to help make a point about David’s interactions with Doeg the Edomite and the Ziphites. In the case of Doeg, this godless man murdered innocent priests and their families to advance his own career. He exhibited no fear of God and no regret for his actions. His dastardly deed is recorded in 1 Samuel 22.

In the very next chapter, David is hiding in Horesh in the land of Ziph. The inhabitants of Ziph learn of his presence among them and send news to King Saul.

Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon? Now come down, O king, according to all your heart’s desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king’s hand.” – 1 Samuel 23:19-20 ESV

To escape Saul’s wrath, David is forced to flee yet again, this time to the strongholds of Engedi.

In both cases, David had to deal with those whom he determined to be fools. His criterion for qualifying for this less-than-flattering designation was simple: they acted as if God were non-existent.

Only fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;
not one of them does good! – Psalm 53:1 NLT

Notice that David accuses them of denying God’s existence in their hearts. This was not a verbal declaration but a silent conclusion that led to their godless actions. The Hebrew word David used for “fool” is nāḇāl, which is significant when one considers the story recorded in 1 Samuel 25. Not long after being sold out by the Ziphites, David and his men sought food from a wealthy landowner named Nabal. The text describes him as “crude and mean in all his dealings” (1 Samuel 25:3 NLT). For some unknown reason, his parents had named him nāḇāl, a Hebrew word that means “wicked, impious, or foolish.” The Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon describes this kind of individual as “the man who has no perception of ethical and religious claims, and with collateral idea of ignoble, disgraceful.”

David sends his men to seek provisions from Nabal in return for having protected his shepherds and sheep. But this “fool” of a man lived up to his name and sent the following message to David:

“Who is this fellow David?” Nabal sneered to the young men. “Who does this son of Jesse think he is? There are lots of servants these days who run away from their masters. Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I’ve slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws who come from who knows where?” – 1 Samuel 25:10-11 NLT

Enraged by Nabal’s disrespectful and ungrateful words, David was ready to end his life. But when Nabal’s wife Abigail learned of the situation, she intervened.

“I accept all blame in this matter, my lord. Please listen to what I have to say. I know Nabal is a wicked and ill-tempered man; please don’t pay any attention to him. He is a fool, just as his name suggests. But I never even saw the young men you sent.” – 1 Samuel 25:24-25 NLT

Her actions prevented David from doing something even more foolish than Nabal. He relented from his plan to wipe out Nabal’s entire clan and spared the fool’s life.

David was surrounded by fools. It seemed that everywhere he turned, there were people who acted in foolish ways, treating him with contempt, hostility, and disrespect. They never seemed to consider whether their actions were in line with God’s will. So, in that respect, they acted as if God did not exist. And by this time in his life, David’s assessment of mankind had become fairly jaded.

God looks down from heaven
    on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
    if anyone seeks God.
But no, all have turned away;
    all have become corrupt.
No one does good,
    not a single one! – Psalm 53:2-3 NLT

Everyone was corrupt and godless, from the king all the way down to Doeg, the herdsmen, the traitorous Ziphites, and Nabal the fool. David felt all alone and under constant attack from all sides. He had difficulty understanding how these people could behave in such a way. Did they really think they would get away with their actions? David was blown away by their arrogance and seeming disinterest in God’s judgment.

Will those who do evil never learn?
They eat up my people like bread
and wouldn’t think of praying to God. – Psalm 53:4 NLT

Everyone David took issue with was a card-carrying Hebrew who claimed to have a relationship with Yahweh. They were supposed to be God-fearing Jews who shared his belief in Yahweh’s sovereignty. But they acted as if God were nowhere to be found.

Even those who claim to know Him act as if He either doesn’t care about what they do or is too powerless to do anything about it. Some just refuse to believe in Him altogether. These people “are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!” (Psalm 53:1 NLT). This is not a very promising assessment on the character or condition of mankind. It leaves little doubt, at least from God’s perspective, that man is inherently wicked and in open rebellion against Him. Yet God is still reaching out to man, offering mercy and forgiveness. He will ultimately be forced to punish all those who refuse to accept His offer of new life through His Son, but until then, He keeps providing opportunities for them to repent and return to Him.

And while the world is a less-than-ideal place, full of people obsessed with their own agendas, consumed by their own importance, and controlled by their own sin natures, David gives us a glimpse of God’s goodness as he reminds us that God is always there for us even in the midst of all the evil that surrounds us. “But God is my helper. The Lord keeps me alive!” (Psalm 54:4 NLT).

David appeals to God’s power and places himself at God’s mercy to rescue him from his enemies.

Terror will grip them,
terror like they have never known before.
God will scatter the bones of your enemies.
You will put them to shame, for God has rejected them. – Psalm 53:5 NLT

Those who care nothing for God were making David’s life miserable. But David knew he could call out to God, and not only be heard but answered.

Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?
When God restores his people,
Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice. – Psalm 53:6 NLT

David had seen the goodness of God time and time again in his life, delivering him from troubles and trials, rescuing him from every conceivable kind of predicament. And while he firmly believed that “no one does good, not a single one,” David knew that God can and does do good for those who love Him. His response was to offer God praise and gratitude. While no one else steps in and rescues God’s people, Yahweh can be counted on to be there when needed. That is why David says, “Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.”

All that God does is good, even when He has to deal with those who are bad. God is righteous and always does what is right. He never does wrong. He is just in all His actions towards men and never punishes unjustly or unfairly. He is good, and it doesn’t matter whether men reject Him, ignore Him, or attempt to deny He even exists. God remains good even when things appear bad.

Father, we live in a world that is sick and dying. It is filled with people who refuse to love and serve You. Many refuse to even believe in You. And yet, You remain good. You continue to make the sun shine on all men, showering them with Your common grace. You make the crops grow, the rain to fall, and the air breathable. You constantly offer the free gift of grace available through Your Son. And You care for Your own, providing them with a listening ear and a powerful hand to rescue and restore them. You are indeed a good God. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Folly of Foolishness

May 19, 2024 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

⁹When David’s young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited. ¹⁰And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. ¹¹Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?” ¹²So David’s young men turned away and came back and told him all this. ¹³And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.

¹⁴But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them. ¹⁵Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them. ¹⁶They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. ¹⁷Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.” – 1 Samuel 25:9-17 ESV

We discover in these verses that Nabal was a man who lived up to his unfortunate name: “Fool.” In fact, he demonstrates all the classic characteristics of a biblical fool.

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens to advice. – Proverbs 12:15 ESV

The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge,
but fools broadcast their foolishness. – Proverbs 12:23 NLT

Short-tempered people do foolish things… – Proverbs 14:17 NLT

Nabal was arrogant, full of himself, quick-tempered, resistant to counsel, and ignorant of the consequences of his behavior. He treated a mighty warrior like David as if he were a nobody, showing him no honor or respect. He looked down his nose at him, foolishly saying, “Who does this son of Jesse think he is? There are lots of servants these days who run away from their masters. Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I’ve slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws who come from who knows where?” (1 Samuel 25:10-11 NLT).

Nabal knew exactly who David was. Even the Philistines had heard about David’s reputation as a mighty warrior. But knowing that David was a man on the run, Nabal made the very foolish decision to treat David with disrespect and disdain. This arrogant and self-obsessed man had no fear of David the giant killer.

One of Nabal’s shepherds who had witnessed what his foolish master had done, ran and told Abigail, Nabal’s wife. Even his words reveal the depth of Nabal’s problem: “he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him” (1 Samuel 25:17 ESV). Nabal’s foolishness ran so deep that he was unable to recognize the folly and danger of his own actions. He even resisted the wise counsel of those around him. Had he listened, he might have saved himself a multitude of grief.

What would have possessed Nabal to act so foolishly and risk the wrath of someone as powerful as David? We have to remember that, according to the Bible, foolishness is not a mental or psychological problem, it is a spiritual one. At the heart of Nabal’s folly was a lack of respect for and fear of God. He had placed himself at the center of his own universe, making himself his own god and the arbiter of his own fate. Ultimately, foolishness is the lack of wisdom. Psalm 111 states, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding” (Psalm 111:19 ESV).

Scripture repeatedly warns that a person who denies, ignores, or neglects God lacks wisdom and inevitably displays the characteristics of a fool.

He acts thoughtlessly: He gives little or no thought to God; refusing to consider the truth about God. His treatment of others is simply a byproduct of his lack of thought regarding God’s holiness and judgment.
He becomes dull-minded: When a man fails to consider God, his mind becomes dulled by the things of this world. He begins to lose the ability to see clearly, having his spiritual vision clouded by materialism, success, comfort, and pleasure. not being sharp in his thoughts about God. His mind becomes intoxicated with the things of this world and sluggish toward God.
He becomes senseless: A man who neglects God finds himself lacking in wisdom and acting contrary to good common sense. Because he is deficient in his thoughts about God, his ability to think clearly and sensibly is greatly diminished. He may be smart and highly successful, but he will be plagued by senseless decision-making and the harmful outcomes it brings.
He will be without understanding: Because he fails to grasp or comprehend God; he will end up drawing wrong conclusions or making poor decisions. He will wrongly question God’s existence or assume that God is disinterested in his actions. He will make godless decisions because he is essentially living a Godless life – a life in which God is absent and apathetic.
He will exhibit an ignorance of God: He won’t truly know God. Because he has left God out of his thought processes, he will display behavior that reveals his faulty understanding of God. He won’t fear God’s holiness or won’t worry about God’s judgment. He won’t seek God’s wisdom or see a need for God’s forgiveness.
He will be unwise: Without God in his life, he will lack wisdom. In fact, regardless of what he tries to do, he will act contrary to wisdom. His behavior will make sense to him, but it will actually result in dangerous and foolish outcomes.

These characteristics, while true of all unbelievers, can also be present and even prevalent in the life of a Christ-follower. Any Christian is capable of exhibiting these same qualities at any time. Doubt of His presence, failure to fear Him, or refusal to treat Him with the honor, respect, and worship He is due are all characteristics of foolish behavior. To leave God out of one’s life is to open the door to foolishness. Foolishness is nothing more than a lack of wisdom and, as the psalmist said, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Nabal was a fool because Nabal was ungodly. If he refused to fear God, why in the world would he fear David? If he was willing to treat God with disrespect, what would prevent him from treating David the same way?

It’s interesting to note that, in the Proverbs, there are five different types of fools mentioned. They seem to run on a continuum, moving from bad to worse. There is the simple fool, the silly fool, the sensual fool, the scornful fool, and the stubborn fool. Each is characterized by a different Hebrew word. The last one, the stubborn fool, is the word, “nâbâl”, which just happens to be the name of the character in this story.

According to the Proverbs, this is the most dangerous type of fool. A stubborn fool (nâbâl) rejects God and His ways. He is self-confident and close-minded. He is his own god, freely gratifying his own sinful nature. His goal in life is to entice others to follow his foolish ways. His actions tend to negatively influence all those around him because a fool doesn’t operate in a vacuum. Foolish behavior can take a toll on a marriage, family, and relationships. It can damage a career or a reputation, destroy a home, end a friendship, and even shorten a life.

By dismissing and disrespecting David, Nabal was making a foolish decision that could have deadly consequences. In fact, David will respond to Nabal’s slight with anger and a determination to seek revenge.

“A lot of good it did to help this fellow. We protected his flocks in the wilderness, and nothing he owned was lost or stolen. But he has repaid me evil for good. May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!” – 1 Samuel 25:21-22 NLT

Only the wise words of Abigail will prevent David from making his own foolish mistake. She will intervene and forestall any attempt on David’s part to do something he would later regret. Abigail would give David the same advice that Solomon later recorded in the Proverbs.

Answer not a fool according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself. – Proverbs 26:4 ESV

The Proverbs make it clear that only God can reprove a stubborn fool. Yet, in this story, while David was a man after God’s own heart, he ran the risk of acting foolishly by taking matters into his own hands. He would be tempted to let the foolish actions of Nabal cause him to respond in a godless, foolish way. But wiser heads would prevail, and David would learn a profound and life-altering lesson from this encounter with Nabal; something he would later record in one of his psalms.

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

    They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;

    there is none who does good.
God looks down from heaven

    on the children of man

to see if there are any who understand,

    who seek after God.
They have all fallen away;

    together they have become corrupt;

there is none who does good,

    not even one.
Have those who work evil no knowledge,

    who eat up my people as they eat bread,

    and do not call upon God?
There they are, in great terror,

    where there is no terror!

For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;

    you put them to shame, for God has rejected them. – Psalm 53:1-5 ESV

Nabal and Saul had a lot in common, and David had the unfortunate pleasure of having to deal with both of them. But fools would always be a part of David’s life; it comes with the territory. As the future king of Israel, David would experience the unpleasant and unavoidable reality of having to deal with fools and their folly. He would even father his fair share of fools. But for now, David would benefit from the wise counsel of a godly woman whose forethought and quick action averted a disaster and protected the Lord’s anointed.

The Unfathomable Ways of God

May 13, 2024 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹⁴Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and captain over your bodyguard, and honored in your house? ¹⁵Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.” ¹⁶And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.” ¹⁷And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. ¹⁸Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. ¹⁹And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.

²⁰But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. ²¹And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. ²²And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house. ²³Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.” – 1 Samuel 22:14-23 ESV

The moral, spiritual, and mental state of King Saul was on a steep and rapid decline. His animosity toward David was insatiable and he would not let anyone or anything stand in the way of his quest to eliminate David once and for all. So, while his treatment of Ahimelech and the priests of Nob may shock us, it should not surprise us. Even the priests of God were fair game and subject to Saul’s wrath. But while Saul seemed to have lost all fear of and respect for God, his troops had not. He was unable to recruit any of them to carry out his vindictive order to kill the priests. But there was one man who was more than willing, most likely driven by a desire to see himself rewarded with a promotion for his efforts.

Doeg the Edomite, the man who had been at Nob when David showed up, had made a beeline to King Saul with the news. This Edomite, a foreigner, was more than willing to carry out Saul’s death sentence on the defenseless priests of Nob. Doeg was “the chief of Saul’s herdsmen” (1 Samuel 21:7 ESV), and, like any other ambitious individual, was probably seeking a way to get out of the pasture and climb the palace social ladder. By carrying out Saul’s command when no one else would, he knew he would ingratiate himself to the king and secure his favor. So Doeg slaughtered 85 priests of God that day, along with every living inhabitant of Nob. It was a bloodbath – a senseless, sinful, and Satan-inspired act that would turn the priesthood from Saul to David.

A solitary priest, Abiathar, miraculously escaped the carnage that day and made his way to David with the news of what had happened. David was wracked with horror and guilt. He felt responsible for the deaths of Ahimelech and his fellow priests; it was his deception that had led to their destruction. He had lied to Ahimelech that day by telling him he was on a secret mission for Saul. His rash decision to seek refuge from the priests and then lie to secure their help had put them at great risk. Saul, in his ever-present paranoid state, saw them as traitors and had them summarily executed.

David most likely assumed that Saul, as the king and a servant of Yahweh, would show the priests the respect they were due. He never imagined that Saul would dare to lift his hand against the priests of God. But David was proven wrong and the aftermath of Saul’s senseless slaughter at Nob left him furious. His respect for Saul all but disappeared that day. David’s mental state at the time is revealed in a psalm he wrote to commemorate the event. In it, he reveals his feelings about Saul.

Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior?
    Don’t you realize God’s justice continues forever?
All day long you plot destruction.
    Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor;
    you’re an expert at telling lies.
You love evil more than good
    and lies more than truth. – Psalm 52:1-3 NLT

As a warrior, David was no stranger to violence and death, but what Saul had done to the priests of Nob was the act of a madman, not a man of war. David was appalled and couldn’t believe that someone he once admired and idolized could commit such an egregious crime. But he knew that God would not let Saul’s actions go unpunished.

You love to destroy others with your words,
    you liar!
But God will strike you down once and for all.
    He will pull you from your home
    and uproot you from the land of the living. – Psalm 52:4-6 NLT

David was confident that God would bring justice and retribution against Saul. He would not allow this immoral act to go unpunished. While David was in no position to do anything about it, he knew that God would.

The righteous will see it and be amazed.
    They will laugh and say,
“Look what happens to mighty warriors
    who do not trust in God.
They trust their wealth instead
    and grow more and more bold in their wickedness.” – Psalm 52:6-7 NLT

Through the misguided and unrighteous actions of Saul, David learned some valuable lessons regarding those who fail to place their trust in God. He saw in King Saul a stark portrayal of the godly man who abandons his faith in God for reliance upon his own strength and resources. Saul’s blatant betrayal of God was difficult for David to understand but it drove him in his commitment to place his trust in and maintain his reliance upon God, whatever happened.

But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God.
    I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.
I will praise you forever, O God,
    for what you have done.
I will trust in your good name
    in the presence of your faithful people. – Psalm 52:8-9 NLT

Abiathar, the sole remaining priest, sought refuge with David. The future king of Israel and the future high priest of Israel were suddenly united by one man’s hatred and God’s divine plan for them. Yet neither David nor Abiathar knew what God had in store for them. David had no idea what the next few years of his life would hold. Abiathar only knew that he was alone and no longer able to exercise his priestly duties. Both men were unaware of all that God was doing behind the scenes. There was no silver lining to the dark cloud that hung over them. There was no light at the end of the foreboding tunnel in which they found themselves. But they would learn to trust in God by having to place all their hope in God.

As David hid within the confines of the cave near Adullam, he was forced to call upon God to protect and preserve him. He had his merry band of misfits but little else to comfort him in his time of distress. This period of intense isolation and loneliness forced David to take his cares and concerns directly to the Lord. Psalm 57 reflects David’s heart as he sought refuge from the relentless efforts of Saul.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!
    I look to you for protection.
I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings
    until the danger passes by.
I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.
He will send help from heaven to rescue me,
    disgracing those who hound me. – Psalm 57:1-3 NLT

And God heard and answered David’s prayer, sending him Abiathar the priest as a spiritual companion and confidant. This young man, who miraculously escaped the slaughter at Nob, would serve as David’s personal priest throughout his years as a fugitive and during his lengthy reign as king. Abiathar’s escape from the sword of Doeg was not a case of good luck, karma, or fate. It is evidence of the sovereign hand of God working behind the scenes and orchestrating the affairs of men to accomplish His divine will.

It’s difficult to discern the reasoning behind Saul’s order of the deaths of all the priests of Nob. Certainly, vengeance played a key role in his decision to annihilate these men of God. But his over-the-top reaction seems counterproductive and self-defeating. For a man who had been abandoned by God, the elimination of all the priests of God would only intensify his sense of isolation. But Saul wasn’t playing with a full deck.

Under the influence of an evil spirit, Saul was making unwise and illogical decisions that would only make matters worse for himself. His slaughter of the priests of Nob would not ingratiate himself with the people of Israel. With their deaths, the sacrificial system was all but shut down and any hope of forgiveness for sin was made impossible. Saul’s obsessive-compulsive desire to preserve his reign at all costs was backfiring in his face. He had declared a personal vendetta against the man whom God had anointed as the next king of Israel. He had ordered the deaths of hundreds of innocent people, including 85 priests of God. In essence, Saul had declared war on God Himself, a decision he would come to regret and a battle he would surely lose.

The God-Less Life

May 12, 2024 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

⁶Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. ⁷And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, ⁸that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day.” ⁹Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, ¹⁰and he inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

¹¹Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king. ¹²And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” ¹³And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?” – 1 Samuel 22:6-13 ESV

These verses provide a stark contrast between Saul and David. While David was in a cave surrounded by misfits and malcontents, Saul was sitting under the shade of a tree surrounded by his servants and soldiers. The contrast doesn’t stop there. David provided protection for his family by sending them to the king of Moab for refuge. Yet Saul was busy accusing his own son of treason and of conspiring with David to kill him. David was surrounded by men who were willing to die for him. Saul was surrounded by men who feared him and some had even abandoned him to follow after David. But the greatest contrast between these two men was their relationships with God.

David received a prophetic word from God that told him to leave the Cave of Adullam and return to Judah. But Saul had received no word from God. In fact, he had no relationship with God at all. God had removed His Spirit from him, leaving Saul completely on his own and by all accounts, God-less. The result was a growing paranoia. He truly believed everyone was against him. He thought his own children had betrayed him. He viewed his servants suspiciously and feared their disloyalty. No one could be trusted, and his paranoia led to a heavy dose of self-pity. He felt all alone and accused his servants of being compassionless traitors.

“Has that son of Jesse promised every one of you fields and vineyards? Has he promised to make you all generals and captains in his army? Is that why you have conspired against me?” – 1 Samuel 22:7-8 NLT

“You’re not even sorry for me.” – 1 Samuel 22:8 NLT

Saul even accused Ahimelech the priest of treason, seeing his actions to help David as a personal attack against him.

“Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me?” – 1 Samuel 22:13 NLT

Without God in his life, Saul was susceptible to all kinds of irrational and unrighteous thinking. His capacity to mentally process the circumstances of his life was greatly hindered by his lack of God’s presence. He had become a fool, lacking reason and the capacity for rational thought. He wasn’t even able to process the fact that all of this was the outcome of the prophet’s warning that God was removing His hand from Saul’s life and giving his kingdom to another. Saul was in a state of denial and suffering from delusion, believing that he could somehow prevent the inevitable and stay the sovereign hand of God. But his unwillingness to accept the will of God would simply cause him to sin against God, committing greater and greater transgressions, all in a hopeless attempt at self-preservation.

Standing among Saul’s servants that day was Doeg the Edomite. This keeper of the flocks of Saul had hurried back from Nob eager to share his incriminating news about David. In an attempt to win favor with his employer, Doeg disclosed all that he had witnessed. When Saul heard this report, he immediately sent for Ahimelech, his family, and all the priests who served alongside him at Nob. If Ahimelech had been scared when David showed up in Nob (1 Samuel 21:1), he must have been petrified at the news of a summons from the king, and any fears he had would have been justified.

Saul was a man possessed, both figuratively and literally. He was constantly beset by a “harmful spirit,” the result of God’s removal of the Holy Spirit from his life. Without the influence of God’s Spirit, Saul’s reasoning was impaired. He became self-absorbed and suspicious of everyone and everything. Over time, he would become man-obsessed, unable to think of anything other than the destruction of David. Essentially, he would no longer perform his role as the king of Israel; his entire life would be focused on David’s death. His kingship, the very thing he was trying to protect, would get lost in his obsessive-compulsive quest to kill off the competition. Sadly, Saul would be unable to enjoy the benefits of being king because he lived in constant fear of being replaced as king.

One of the sad realities of godlessness is that it always results in joylessness, discontentment, fear, jealousy, and anger. The apostle Paul outlines the characteristics or “deeds” of a godless or flesh-based life in his letter to the Galatians.

…sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. – Galatians 5:20-21 NLT

Saul was miserable, not because he was losing his kingdom, but because he had lost his relationship with God. His unhappiness, paranoia, self-pity, and misguided attempts at self-preservation were driven by his lack of a relationship with God. His decision-making was totally flesh-based, driven by his own sinful nature and devoid of any divine wisdom. He had lost his capacity to see things from God’s perspective; everything had become all about him. He was no longer concerned about the good of Israel or the honor of God’s name. His only thoughts were for himself.

The life of the godless is not a pretty picture. The truly sad thing is that even those who have a relationship with Christ can end up living godless lives, refusing to seek His will, listen to His Word, or heed His direction. Rather than living God-centered, God-directed lives, they become self-absorbed and susceptible to the flawed input of their own sinful natures and the lies of the Enemy. While the Spirit of God never leaves them, they quench and grieve the Spirit through disobedience and willful, unrepentant sin. Rather than enjoying the fruit of the Spirit and the joys of sanctification, they become obsessed with self-preservation and paranoid about protecting their own earthly “kingdom.”

Jesus gave an insightful contrast between Satan’s objective and His own.

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” – John 10:10 NLT

Satan had deceived Saul, convincing him that joy could be found in pursuing and eliminating David. Saul had grown used to being king and enjoyed all the trappings of power, possessions, and prominence that came with the position. He viewed David as a threat to his preferred lifestyle and was willing to do anything to kill the Lord’s anointed. Yet, he was nothing more than a hapless pawn in the hand of Satan. There would be no joy in his future. He would never experience a rich and satisfying life. The Enemy had convinced Saul that standing against the will of God was not only possible but preferable. Despite the words of God’s prophet, Saul believed he could retain his crown and continue his control over the nation of Israel. But even with Satan’s assistance, Saul would find his will was no match for that of God.

The lesson from Saul’s life is timeless and provides a powerful reminder of how easy it is to fall prey to the Enemy’s tactics. He is still out to steal, kill, and destroy, and the primary focus of his efforts is the people of God. Just hours before His death, Jesus warned Peter, “Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail” (Luke 22:31-32 NLT).

Peter provided a stern warning about the destructive nature of Satan’s actions.

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. – 1 Peter 5:8 NLT

Paul also warned against the Enemy’s relentless assault on God’s children.

Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. – Ephesians 6:11-12 NLT

Satan is constantly attempting to deceive the children of God, tempting them to believe that their way is preferable to God’s way. But our way is the way of the flesh, and it eventually robs us of joy, kills our capacity to love, and destroys any hope of having a rich and satisfying life. Satan offers what he cannot give. Jesus promises what He died to make possible. The Godless life is a paranoid, self-pitying, joyless life. But the godly life brings joy amid sorrow, peace in the middle of the storm, hope when all looks hopeless, contentment in the face of loss, and strength despite our own weakness.

Saul would never experience a rich and satisfying life by listening to the lies of the Enemy. His relentless pursuit of David would rob him of peace, joy, contentment, satisfaction, and any hope of ever experiencing the favor of God again. His life would be filled with misery and sorrow but so would David’s. Yet, because of his relationship with God, David would be able to say, “He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me” (Psalm 23:3-4 NLT).

From Dust to Glory

June 15, 2023 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. ²And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. ³Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” And Aaron held his peace.

⁴And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near; carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary and out of the camp.” ⁵So they came near and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said. ⁶And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, “Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning that the Lord has kindled. ⁷And do not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses. – Leviticus 10:1-7 ESV

Chapter 9 ended with the statement: “And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces” (Leviticus 9:24 ESV). In this fiery display of divine power, God demonstrated His acceptance of all that had taken place during the last eight days. The ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests had been carried off without a hitch and God gave His approval by consuming the various sacrifices they offered in dramatic fashion. The Tabernacle, the priests, and the people of Israel were purified, consecrated, atoned for, and properly prepared for God to grace them with His glorious presence.

This was a moment of unparalleled joy and reverent worship. Through their careful and faithful obedience to all of God’s instructions, the people of Israel had accomplished His will and been rewarded with a glimpse of His glory. They had not earned the right to witness His glory. Their efforts had not obligated God to show up and grace them with His presence. But everyone involved, including Moses, Bezalel, and Oholiab, as well as Aaron and his sons, had demonstrated their willingness to trust God and carry out His will based on the promise He had made.

“Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you.” – Exodus 25:8-9 NLT

God had commanded the people to contribute all the materials needed to build the Tabernacle and the list included “gold, silver, and bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet thread; fine linen and goat hair for cloth; tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather; acacia wood; olive oil for the lamps; spices for the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; onyx stones, and other gemstones to be set in the ephod and the priest’s chestpiece” (Exodus 25:3-7 NLT). And Moses records that the people gave willingly and abundantly.

All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the LORD. They brought all the materials needed for the Tabernacle, for the performance of its rituals, and for the sacred garments.

So the people of Israel—every man and woman who was eager to help in the work the LORD had given them through Moses—brought their gifts and gave them freely to the LORD. – Exodus 35:21, 29 NLT

In fact, the people gave so freely that Moses was eventually forced to end the fund-raising campaign for the Tabernacle.

“Men and women, don’t prepare any more gifts for the sanctuary. We have enough!” So the people stopped bringing their sacred offerings. Their contributions were more than enough to complete the whole project. – Exodus 36:6-7 NLT

Again, their sacrificial giving didn’t earn them the right to see God’s glory. But their obedience made possible the construction of the place where His glory would eventually dwell. Their willingness to do what God had commanded allowed God’s plan to come to fruition. The Tabernacle, the priests’ garments, the bronze altar, the altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant with the mercy seat where God’s presence would dwell, would not have existed if the people had not obeyed. And those various elements had made their atonement possible and God’s holy presence among them probable.

Moses followed every one of God’s commands. Bezalel and Oholiab didn’t miss a detail of God’s design instructions for the Tabernacle and its furniture. They built everything according to God’s will and with an unwavering commitment to excellence that reflected their concern for His glory. Even Aaron and his sons faithfully observed the seven-day ritual of ordination, ensuring that they were properly prepared to serve in their role as priests and mediators on behalf of the people.

But something went drastically wrong. As chapter 10 begins, the Lord’s fire once again shows up, but this time to consume the lives of Aaron’s two sons. These two men, along with their father, had been given the right and responsibility to serve in the house of God. They had been set apart for this special role and given clear instructions as to their responsibilities.

“You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses.” – Leviticus 10:10-11 ESV

Yet, as chapter 10 opens up, Nadab and Abihu are accused of offering “unauthorized fire before the Lord” (Leviticus 10:1 ESV). The New Living Translation provides a bit more clarity as to the nature of their sin.

…they disobeyed the Lord by burning before him the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. – Leviticus 10:1 NLT

Moses provides no timeline for this event. But it would appear that it took place not long after the dedication of the Tabernacle and the ordination of Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu. Once these men had completed the final phase of the eight-day-long ceremony God had prescribed, they went to work serving as intermediaries between the people and God. They would have begun their daily responsibilities in the Tabernacle, which would have included carrying coals from the brazen altar in a hand-held censer in order to burn incense on the altar of incense in the Holy of Holies.

“…he will fill an incense burner with burning coals from the altar that stands before the Lord. Then he will take two handfuls of fragrant powdered incense and will carry the burner and the incense behind the inner curtain. There in the Lord’s presence he will put the incense on the burning coals so that a cloud of incense will rise over the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that rests on the Ark of the Covenant.” – Leviticus 16:12-13 NLT

This role was reserved for the high priest. Perhaps Nadab and Abihu took it upon themselves to enter the Holy of Holies and perform the role that had been strictly reserved for their father. Or it could be that they used coals from somewhere other than the brazen altar. Whatever they did, God deemed their actions as “strange,” using a Hebrew word that means “unauthorized, foreign, or profane.” They failed to follow God’s command.

They probably thought their actions were appropriate and made perfect sense to them. It could be that they chose to cut corners and gather the coals from a more accessible spot. But it could also be that they violated God’s protocol and took on a role that was not rightfully theirs. If they attempted to burn incense in the Holy of Holies, they were overstepping their bounds and attempting to assume their father’s role as high priest.

Whatever they did, it was egregious enough in the eyes of God to call down His divine judgment. It would seem that their offense involved entrance into the Holy of Holies because Moses states that “they died before the Lord” (Leviticus 10:2 ESV). It was only in the Holy of Holies, above the mercy seat, that the presence of God’s glory dwelled. So, this “strange fire” must have been offered in God’s presence, and was done in violation of His clear commands.

These two men decided to play fast and loose with God’s divine dictates and they paid for it with their lives. As His sacred servants, they were expected to pursue holiness at all costs. Their sacred garments, though purified by blood, did not render them holy. They were still required to conduct their lives in accordance with God’s will. Walking around in their “robes of righteousness” did not automatically make their actions righteous. In fact, the prophet Isaiah warns, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment” (Isaiah 64:6 ESV).

Even in their role as priests of God and dressed in the sacred robes designed for them by God, these men managed to live in disobedience to the will of God. And immediately after God struck them down for their judgment-worthy act, Moses reminded their grief-stricken father of the words of God.

“I will display my holiness
through those who come near me.
I will display my glory
before all the people.” – Leviticus 10:3 NLT

As painful as it must have been to watch his sons consumed by the fire of God, Aaron needed to understand that God’s holiness and glory can be displayed through both blessings and curses. Just as the fire had consumed the sacrifices on the altar, it also consumed the lives of these two men, providing vivid evidence of God’s holiness and glory. Nadab and Abihu had been turned to dust by Israel’s glorious and praise-worthy God.

But before the smoke cleared, God ordered that the bodies of the men be removed and demanded that Moses appoint their replacements.

Then Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his other two sons, “Do not dishevel the hair of your heads and do not tear your garments, so that you do not die and so that wrath does not come on the whole congregation. Your brothers, all the house of Israel, are to mourn the burning that the Lord has caused.” – Leviticus 10:6 ESV

Their disobedience and ultimate demise proved to be no problem for God. The show would go on. God’s plan for the people’s atonement would not be derailed by the thoughtless acts of two unrighteous men. And, as difficult as this may sound, God forbade Aaron and his remaining sons from mourning their loss. They were not allowed to display any of the normal signs of grief associated with the death of a loved one. Instead, Eleazar and Ithamar were immediately thrust into the role of replacing their deceased brothers. As the scorched and lifeless bodies of Nadab and Abihu were removed from the Tabernacle and taken to the outskirts of the camp, Eleazar and Ithamar were quickly sworn in as priests. They went through some kind of expedited consecration process in which they were anointed with oil. Then Moses instructed them not to “go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you” (Leviticus 10:7 ESV).

These men had work to do. There was no time for grieving over the loss of their brothers. God would assign that task to the people of Israel. It was up to Eleazar and Ithamar to step into the sandals of their brothers and perform their priestly duties. And the text declares that “they did according to the word of Moses” (Leviticus 10:7 ESV).

God was not going to allow the disobedience of Nadab and. Abihu to stand in His way. His people needed atonement and forgiveness and the priests were indispensable in accomplishing that objective. So, though Nadab and Abihu had disqualified themselves, God raised up replacements. And this entire scene reminds me of a statement made by Jesus. On the occasion of His entrance into the city of Jerusalem, the crowds were cheering, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest” (Luke 19:38 ESV).

But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples” (Luke 19:39 ESV). To which Jesus responded, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19:38-40 ESV). God will be glorified, with or without us. As strange as this may sound, Nadab and Abihu brought glory to God even in their deaths. In striking these two men down, God demonstrated His holiness in no uncertain terms. He was glorified in that His greatness was displayed and His intolerance of sin was clearly manifested. Our holy God doesn’t wink at sin. He doesn’t turn a blind eye to man’s indiscretions, especially among His chosen people. Nadab and Abihu were out of sight, but it would be a long time before the memory of their deaths was out of mind or forgotten. Their once pristinely white garments were now covered in the dust of their own annihilation, rendering all who touched them unclean and in need of purification. But because God acted swiftly and justly, cleansing and atonement were still available to all who needed it. Even the unrighteousness of men can never thwart God’s plan to make His righteousness available to all those who seek it.

As the apostle Paul states about the sacrificial death of Jesus, “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 BSB).

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Disobedience Always Brings Discipline

December 10, 2022July 9, 2024 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹The word of the Lord came to me: ²“Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house. ³As for you, son of man, prepare for yourself an exile’s baggage, and go into exile by day in their sight. You shall go like an exile from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house. ⁴You shall bring out your baggage by day in their sight, as baggage for exile, and you shall go out yourself at evening in their sight, as those do who must go into exile. ⁵In their sight dig through the wall, and bring your baggage out through it. ⁶In their sight you shall lift the baggage upon your shoulder and carry it out at dusk. You shall cover your face that you may not see the land, for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.”

⁷And I did as I was commanded. I brought out my baggage by day, as baggage for exile, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my own hands. I brought out my baggage at dusk, carrying it on my shoulder in their sight.

⁸In the morning the word of the Lord came to me: ⁹“Son of man, has not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, ‘What are you doing?’ ¹⁰Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: This oracle concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are in it.’ ¹¹Say, ‘I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them. They shall go into exile, into captivity.’ ¹²And the prince who is among them shall lift his baggage upon his shoulder at dusk, and shall go out. They shall dig through the wall to bring him out through it. He shall cover his face, that he may not see the land with his eyes. ¹³And I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare. And I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, yet he shall not see it, and he shall die there. ¹⁴And I will scatter toward every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops, and I will unsheathe the sword after them. ¹⁵And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries. ¹⁶But I will let a few of them escape from the sword, from famine and pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they go, and may know that I am the Lord.”

¹⁷And the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁸“Son of man, eat your bread with quaking, and drink water with trembling and with anxiety. ¹⁹And say to the people of the land, Thus says the Lord God concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread with anxiety, and drink water in dismay. In this way her land will be stripped of all it contains, on account of the violence of all those who dwell in it. ²⁰And the inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the land shall become a desolation; and you shall know that I am the Lord.” – Ezekiel 12:1-20 ESV

While God had given Ezekiel assurances that a remnant of the people would one day return to the land of Judah, He was not overly optimistic about the spiritual condition of the prophet’s fellow exiles. The Lord described them as “a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not” (Ezekiel 12:2 ESV). Even though they had experienced God’s judgment and were living as prisoners in the land of Babylon, their less-than-ideal circumstances had failed to cause their repentance. They remained stubbornly committed to their idolatrous ways. And they maintained their misguided belief in Jerusalem’s invincibility because of the presence of the temple. They firmly believed that God would never allow His house to fall into the hands of pagan hordes. Their deportation was a fluke; nothing more than an aberration that would never happen again – or so they thought.

To expose the error behind their thinking, God gave Ezekiel yet another parable-in-a-play to enact. This time he was to dramatize the next siege of Jerusalem and the subsequent events that were to follow. God instructed Ezekiel to hastily pack a bag as if he were attempting to escape for his life. Then he was to dig a hole in the wall of his house or the surrounding garden wall and carry his belongings to the other side. And he was to do all of this in broad daylight, in full view of his fellow exiles.

“Do this right in front of the people so they can see you. For perhaps they will pay attention to this, even though they are such rebels.” – Ezekiel 12:3 NLT

This little demonstration was intended as a wake-up call to the Jews living in Babylon. It was God’s way of informing them about the devastating future in store for their beloved city and its inhabitants. Each day, Ezekiel would stage a small drama intended to dispel any hopes that Jerusalem would be spared. God’s instructions to Ezekiel were quite clear.

“Dig a hole through the wall while they are watching and go out through it. As they watch, lift your pack to your shoulders and walk away into the night. Cover your face so you cannot see the land you are leaving. For I have made you a sign for the people of Israel.” – Ezekiel 12:5-6 NLT

Ezekiel was assigned the role of the rebellious Israelite, suffering within the walls of the besieged city of Jerusalem. His daily dramatic performances were intended to bring to life God’s words of warning. And his actions would have served as a painful reminder to his audience of their own hasty departure from Jerusalem years earlier.

But God’s stage directions to Ezekiel contained important details that probably escaped his stunned onlookers. God’s command for Ezekiel to cover his eyes as he crawled through the hole he dug provided a vital hint concerning the fall of Jerusalem. The author of 2 Kings provides a more detailed description of what actually happened when Nebuchadnezzar’s forces broke through the city’s defenses.

By July 18 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign, the famine in the city had become very severe, and the last of the food was entirely gone. Then a section of the city wall was broken down. Since the city was surrounded by the Babylonians, the soldiers waited for nightfall and escaped through the gate between the two walls behind the king’s garden. Then they headed toward the Jordan Valley.

But the Babylonian troops chased the king and overtook him on the plains of Jericho, for his men had all deserted him and scattered. They captured the king and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment upon Zedekiah. They made Zedekiah watch as they slaughtered his sons. Then they gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon. – 2 Kings 25:3-7 NLT

Ezekiel’s little dramatic presentation was prophetic in nature. He was revealing the fate of Zedekiah, the king of Judah. After 11 years on the throne, this godless king would be forced to attempt a nocturnal escape through a hole in the wall of the city. But he would be captured and forced to watch the execution of his own sons. Then before he was dragged away to Babylon, his eyes would be gouged out. The last thing he would remember seeing was the gruesome deaths of his boys.

God knew that Ezekiel’s actions would raise questions among the exiles. So, He provided His prophet with a scripted response.

“Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: These actions contain a message for King Zedekiah in Jerusalem and for all the people of Israel.’ Explain that your actions are a sign to show what will soon happen to them, for they will be driven into exile as captives.” – Ezekiel 12:10-11 NLT

Without giving all the gruesome details, God predicts Zedekiah’s fateful end.

“Zedekiah will leave Jerusalem at night through a hole in the wall, taking only what he can carry with him. He will cover his face, and his eyes will not see the land he is leaving. Then I will throw my net over him and capture him in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Babylonians, though he will never see it, and he will die there.” – Ezekiel 12:12-13 NLT

Ezekiel was playing the part of the defeated king trying to flee his fallen city. But rather than escape with his life, Zedekiah would be blinded, bound, and carted off as a prisoner to Babylon, where he would join Ezekiel and the rest of the exiles.

And God predicts that some within the walls of Jerusalem will manage to get away, fleeing to other countries in an attempt to preserve their lives. And the author of 2 Kings records the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Then all the people of Judah, from the least to the greatest, as well as the army commanders, fled in panic to Egypt, for they were afraid of what the Babylonians would do to them. – 2 Kings 25:26 NLT

The fall of Jerusalem was inevitable and unavoidable. God would completely destroy the city and its grand temple. Many of its inhabitants would die from disease and starvation during the lengthy siege. Many more would die by the sword when the Babylonians broke through the walls. Some would escape to other countries, while others would become captives in Babylon. And God told Ezekiel that the few who remained alive would be spared for a reason.

“I will spare a few of them from death by war, famine, or disease, so they can confess all their detestable sins to their captors. Then they will know that I am the Lord.” – Ezekiel 12:16 NLT

When the fall of Jerusalem finally happened, there would be no doubt as to its cause. Its demise would be due to the sins of the people. They would pay dearly for their failure to obey God. And all those living as exiles in Babylon would learn the painful lesson that disobedience always brings God’s discipline.

A Lot to Learn

July 16, 2022July 17, 2022 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹⁰Do not slander a servant to his master,
lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.

¹¹There are those who curse their fathers
    and do not bless their mothers.
¹²There are those who are clean in their own eyes
    but are not washed of their filth.
¹³There are those—how lofty are their eyes,
    how high their eyelids lift!
¹⁴There are those whose teeth are swords,
    whose fangs are knives,
to devour the poor from off the earth,
    the needy from among mankind.

¹⁵The leech has two daughters:
    Give and Give.
Three things are never satisfied;
    four never say, “Enough”:
¹⁶Sheol, the barren womb,
    the land never satisfied with water,
    and the fire that never says, “Enough.”

¹⁷The eye that mocks a father
and scorns to obey a mother
will be picked out by the ravens of the valley
and eaten by the vultures.

¹⁸Three things are too wonderful for me;
    four I do not understand:
¹⁹the way of an eagle in the sky,
    the way of a serpent on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
    and the way of a man with a virgin.

²⁰This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I have done no wrong.”

²¹Under three things the earth trembles;
    under four it cannot bear up:
²²a slave when he becomes king,
    and a fool when he is filled with food;
²³an unloved woman when she gets a husband,
    and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.

²⁴Four things on earth are small,
    but they are exceedingly wise:
²⁵the ants are a people not strong,
    yet they provide their food in the summer;
²⁶the rock badgers are a people not mighty,
    yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
²⁷the locusts have no king,
    yet all of them march in rank;
²⁸the lizard you can take in your hands,
    yet it is in kings’ palaces.

²⁹Three things are stately in their tread;
    four are stately in their stride:
³⁰the lion, which is mightiest among beasts
    and does not turn back before any;
³¹the strutting rooster, the he-goat,
    and a king whose army is with him.

³²If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
    or if you have been devising evil,
    put your hand on your mouth.
³³For pressing milk produces curds,
    pressing the nose produces blood,
    and pressing anger produces strife. – Proverbs 30:10-33 ESV

In this next section, Agur shifts the focus of his proverbs from his relationship with God to the need for wisdom when it comes to human interactions. Agur knew that a strong bond with God was essential to having healthy relationships with all those around him. He stresses the need for integrity and honesty. There is no place for slander or false accusations among the godly. Even if someone spread malicious rumors concerning a slave, their lies would only come back and expose them.

And worse yet is the sin of hypocrisy or disingenuous. He gives the example of someone who outwardly curses his father and displays ingratitude toward his mother, all the while considering himself pure in his own eyes. This individual ignores his own inner impurity and, filled with a false sense of pride, looks down on others in disdain. These kinds of people “have teeth like swords and fangs like knives. They devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among humanity” (Proverbs 30:14 NLT). In other words, they have no regard for the less fortunate. Viewing themselves as superior, they see nothing wrong with despising and even taking advantage of the poor and needy. Because they have no understanding of God and His ways, they develop a false view of their own self-importance and treat all others with disdain.

Agur describes their appetite for self-gratification as insatiable, comparing them to a blood-sucking leech.

The leech has two daughters:
Give and Give. – Proverbs 30:15 ESV

The inference behind this verse is that greed is contagious. In a sense, it is hereditary and is passed down from one generation to another. The leech has two daughters who share the same name: Give. Their desire has become their identity. And Agur goes on to describe the sad reality of a life marked by avarice and gluttony. He uses four familiar illustrations to accentuate the futility of a life marked by dissatisfaction and greed.

There are three things that are never satisfied—
    no, four that never say, “Enough!”:
the grave,
    the barren womb,
    the thirsty desert,
    the blazing fire. – Proverbs 30:15-16 NLT

Sheol or the grave is never satisfied. Its gates never close and there is always room for more. A barren womb never experiences the one thing it most desires: A child. So, it remains unfulfilled and dissatisfied with life. A parched and barren desert will never receive enough rain to transform it into a garden. And a blazing fire will continue to consume wood as long as someone feeds its flames.

With these two verses, Agur introduces an interesting literary device. Five different times, he introduces one of his proverbs with some variation of the phrase:, “There are three things . . . even four.” It seems that Agur is stressing that these lists are not to be considered complete or exhaustive. He could add an endless number of entries to each one. It is almost as if he is inviting the reader to come up with their own illustrations so that they might better understand the message he is attempting to convey.

Agur seems to be stressing that there is a created order to God’s world. There is a way in which things can and should work so that we experience peace and not chaos, calm instead of confusion. And when God’s way is either ignored or rejected, the result can be catastrophic and earth-shattering. It may seem simple and innocent enough, but when we fail to do life according to God’s terms, it never turns out well. When we depart from God’s natural order or path of wisdom, it creates a hole in the fabric of the universe.

in this Proverb, Agur uses this series of “three-four” sayings to act as warnings against life lived outside of God’s prescribed plan. At first glance, they appear somewhat humorous, but upon closer examination, it becomes evident that these sayings are intended to be sobering warnings.

In verses 21-23 we find a list of four seemingly innocent and innocuous individuals who find themselves in improved situations.

There are three things that make the earth tremble—
    no, four it cannot endure:
a slave who becomes a king,
    an overbearing fool who prospers,
   a bitter woman who finally gets a husband,
    a servant girl who supplants her mistress. – Proverbs 30:21-23 NLT

You have a slave who winds up a king, a fool who has an endless supply of food, an unloved woman who lands herself a husband, and a servant girl who ends up taking the place of her master’s wife. Each of these individuals experiences an unexpected and elevated change in their social status that is unaccompanied by a change in their character.

Agur seems to intend them to represent events that are not in keeping with God’s natural order of things. A slave is not meant to become king. If he does, he will tend to take advantage of his newfound power and authority and lord it over those under his control. A fool who refuses to work and is inherently lazy, but who finds himself with an endless supply of food, will gorge himself on it and never learn that blessing is the result of diligence. A bitter, unloved, and unhappy woman who suddenly finds herself a husband will not automatically become satisfied and content. She will continue to struggle with the same issues, driving her husband insane and, ultimately, away. A servant girl who becomes the focus of her master’s affections, even taking the place of his wife, will fail to honor the one for whom she works.

Each of these people is pictured as getting what they long for: power, prosperity, affection, and position, yet they remain dissatisfied and discontent. They have attained their new status unfairly or even unnaturally. Their circumstances have changed apart from God’s natural order of things. It is like a poor couple winning the lottery and suddenly finding themselves rich beyond their wildest imaginations. The likelihood of their situation turning out well is less than ideal. It is likely that their newfound wealth will result in unwanted, but NOT unexpected consequences.

It’s interesting that these examples of unhealthy life changes are stuck between Agur’s statements regarding the blood-sucking leech who is never satisfied and a series of four other creatures that reflect diligence, hard work, and a reliance upon God’s creative order for all things. Get-rich-quick-schemes are warned against all throughout the Proverbs. Laziness is villainized. The expectation of reward without work is discouraged. Achieving the apparent blessings of God without living according to the expectations of God can be dangerous and is to be avoided at all costs. We must do things God’s way, with no shortcuts and no compromises. It has to be His way if you want to experience His blessing.

Even a look at nature reveals that God has created an order to His creation. Within the animal kingdom, there is a clear display of the divine mandate for hard work, organization, diligence, and cooperation. The humble and seemingly insignificant ant provides a compelling illustration of how God has blessed the smallest of His creation with life-sustaining attributes.

There is no place for pride and arrogance within the heart of a man. While men and women may represent the apex of God’s creative order, they are still nothing more than the byproduct of God’s grace. He has made them what they are. He has given them life and blessed them with the capacity to know and obey Him. Unlike insects or animals, humanity has been made in the likeness of God. We have been given the right and privilege of knowing Him. We can commune with the Almighty and enjoy the benefits of His fathomless wisdom. Yet, far too often, we view ourselves with an inordinate and unjustified sense of self-worth, failing to recognize that, without God, we are nothing. Apart from Him, our lives lack meaning and a sense of purpose. And without His wisdom, we become no better off than the rest of the animal kingdom.

So, Agur gives us a parting word of advice.

If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil,
cover your mouth in shame. – Proverbs 30:32 NLT

May we listen to the words of Agur and respond like Job with humility and repentance.

“I know that you can do anything,
    and no one can stop you.
You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’
    It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about,
    things far too wonderful for me.
You said, ‘Listen and I will speak!
    I have some questions for you,
    and you must answer them.’
I had only heard about you before,
    but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
I take back everything I said,
    and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.” – Job 42:2-6 NLT

When God Is Not Enough.

August 1, 2017 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

The word of the Lord came to me: “You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place. For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place, and concerning the mothers who bore them and the fathers who fathered them in this land: They shall die of deadly diseases. They shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried. They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground. They shall perish by the sword and by famine, and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth.

“For thus says the Lord: Do not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament or grieve for them, for I have taken away my peace from this people, my steadfast love and mercy, declares the Lord. Both great and small shall die in this land. They shall not be buried, and no one shall lament for them or cut himself or make himself bald for them. No one shall break bread for the mourner, to comfort him for the dead, nor shall anyone give him the cup of consolation to drink for his father or his mother. You shall not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and drink. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will silence in this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.

“And when you tell this people all these words, and they say to you, ‘Why has the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? What is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ then you shall say to them: ‘Because your fathers have forsaken me, declares the Lord, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law, and because you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, every one of you follows his stubborn, evil will, refusing to listen to me. Therefore I will hurl you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’” – Jeremiah 16:1-13 ESV

Perhaps God was only sparing Jeremiah the potential pain of watching his family suffer and die before his eyes. Or it could be that God’s prohibiting of Jeremiah from getting married and having children had a more symbolic meaning behind it. As a bachelor living in Judah, Jeremiah would be an oddity. In that culture it was seen as a shame and a curse to be an able-bodied man of marrying age and still be unattached. Jeremiah would have stood out like a sore thumb and his singleness would have given the people of Judah one more reason to ridicule him. But it could be that God, who was the one who came up with the idea of marriage in the first place, was going to use Jeremiah as a living example of the end of His relationship with Judah. They would be as good as divorced from Yahweh, having to learn to live without Him. And as a single man, Jeremiah would never know the joy of having and raising children – as God would be giving up His own children to devastation and destruction. There is no doubt that marrying and raising a family with the coming invasion by the Babylonians looming over their heads would have been difficult. It was a less-than-ideal environment. And God makes it painfully clear that all those with families would suffer terribly as a result of the nation’s sin.

“They will die from terrible diseases. No one will mourn for them or bury them, and they will lie scattered on the ground like manure. They will die from war and famine, and their bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals.” – Jeremiah 16:4 NLT

So, God was graciously sparing Jeremiah from having to endure the pain and suffering that the rest of the nation would have to experience. But he would have to stand by and watch his fellow Judahites die, and God refused to allow him to attend their funerals or mourn on their behalf. Once again, this would make Jeremiah a pariah among his own people. To refuse to mourn over the death of someone was unacceptable behavior. But as God’s representative and spokesperson, Jeremiah’s actions were to be a reminder to the people of Judah that God was removing His compassion from them.

“I have removed my protection and peace from them. I have taken away my unfailing love and my mercy.” – Jeremiah 16:5 NLT

And in a real way, God was simply giving the people of Judah what they wanted: Distance from Him. Their unfaithfulness to Him illustrated by their pursuit of false gods was evidence of their lack of love for Him. They had put their hope and trust in other gods. Yahweh was not enough for them. So, God was going to let them experience life without Him. He even warns them:

“Therefore I will hurl you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.” – Jeremiah 16:13 NLT

There were going to get their fill of false gods. And they would no longer have Yahweh as a backup. These people who had made a habit of idolatry were going to be immersed in the worship of false gods. It would be all they had turn to. The temple would be gone. Their sacrificial system would be non-existent, leaving them with no means by which to receive atonement for their sins. And they would find themselves enslaved to the very gods they worshiped instead of Yahweh.

And God reveals a significant insight into just how idolatrous the people of Judah had become. When He refuses to allow Jeremiah to mourn on their behalf, He states, “Both the great and the lowly will die in this land. No one will bury them or mourn for them. Their friends will not cut themselves in sorrow or shave their heads in sadness” (Jeremiah 16:6 NLT). That last line is a reference to the pagan practices associated with their false gods. Idolatry had permeated every aspect of their lives, even their mourning over the death of a loved one. God had been pushed to the margins and treated as unnecessary. So, God was going to let them see what life was like without Him altogether.

And God knew the people of Judah well. He was well aware that when they heard what He was going to do to them, they would respond with incredulity and disbelief, asking, “Why has the Lord decreed such terrible things against us? What have we done to deserve such treatment? What is our sin against the Lord our God?” (Jeremiah 16:10 NLT). It is amazing to think that they would be so disconnected from reality that they would not know the cause of their suffering, but sometimes our sin blinds us. When we choose to live in darkness, we lose the ability to see the true nature of our condition. Jesus spoke of this very problem when He said, “God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants” (John 3:19-21 NLT). The people of Judah had become accustomed to the dark and could no longer see that their sins against God were the cause of their punishment by God. But He would make it perfectly clear why they were going to undergo such devastating destruction.

“It is because your ancestors were unfaithful to me. They worshiped other gods and served them. They abandoned me and did not obey my word. And you are even worse than your ancestors! You stubbornly follow your own evil desires and refuse to listen to me.” – Jeremiah 16:11-12 NLT

This was not something new. The sins of Judah went back generations. Since the day God had rescued them from captivity in Egypt, the people of Israel had shown their propensity to worship other gods. In fact, when they were living in Egypt, they had forsaken Yahweh for the gods of Egypt. That is why God spent so much time revealing His power to them. Over and over again in the Exodus story, God told the people of Israel that He was going to rescue them and prove to them that He was their one and only God.

“I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the Lord!” – Exodus 6:6-8 NLT

And while God had proven time and time again, that He was the one true God, the people of Israel had continued to seek after false gods. In spite of His love, mercy, grace, provision and protection, they had made a habit of turning their backs on God. So, now He would turn them over to their own desires. As Paul so aptly describes in his letter to the Romans:

So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! – Romans 1:24-25 NLT

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Dark Days.

January 23, 2017May 13, 2024 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and captain over your bodyguard, and honored in your house? Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.” And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.” And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.

But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house. Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.” – 1 Samuel 22:14-23 ESV

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

God-lessness Leads To Ungodliness.

June 22, 2016 / kdmiller55 / 1 Comment

A merchant, in whose hands are false balances, he loves to oppress. Ephraim has said, “Ah, but I am rich; I have found wealth for myself; in all my labors they cannot find in me iniquity or sin.” I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; I will again make you dwell in tents, as in the days of the appointed feast. I spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied visions, and through the prophets gave parables. If there is iniquity in Gilead, they shall surely come to nothing: in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls; their altars also are like stone heaps on the furrows of the field.– Hosea 12:7-11 ESV

The people of Israel lived a lie. They seriously thought they were able to pull the wool over the eyes of God, that He was somehow ignorant of their sinfulness. They even believed that their many blessings, in the form of wealth, power, abundant crops, and growing families, were a sign of God’s approval of them. Yet, like a dishonest grain merchant who cheats his customers by using rigged scales, the Israelites were guilty of deceit and dishonesty. They simply saw themselves as clever and resourceful, and they believed their success was a sign of God’s approval. They prided themselves on their wealth and arrogantly believed their sins were somehow hidden and undetectable by others.

Like so many Christians today, the Israelites saw their material abundance and wealth as a sign of God’s approval. They believed their affluence could be directly attributed to God and His pleasure with them. But they were in for a rude awakening. God was about to radically re-align their perspective. They were going to go from living lives of abundance and wealth to abject poverty. They would find themselves living in tents just like their ancestors had done while slaves in the land of Egypt. No more plush, comfortable homes. Gone would be the days of sumptuous clothes and delicious meals. Once a year, at the Feast of Booths, the Israelites would build temporary shelters made from branches in order to commemorate the years their ancestors spent wandering in the wilderness. Now they were going to experience what it was like to live in these shanties 365 days out of the year. Their sudden fall from grace would be a rude awakening, shattering their ill-conceived notion that affluence was somehow a sign of God’s approval.

God had sent His prophets, and they had warned the people to repent or face His coming judgment. They had had visions, spoken in parables, and repeatedly pleaded with the people to hear what they were saying and return to the Lord. But the people had rejected their messages and, in some cases, killed the messengers. Even Jesus declared of the city of David, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34 ESV). The people of Israel were unwilling to return to God. They had stubbornly refused His prophets, rejected their message, and remained committed to living life on their own terms. But God warned, “they shall surely come to nothing” (Hosea 12:11 ESV). Their altars to false gods would become like heaps of stones lying at the side of a plowed field. Their entire way of life was going to come to an end. Everything they put their faith and hope in – their wealth, material assets, false gods, fruitful fields, prolific families, and foreign alliances – would prove unreliable and no longer be available.

Ungodliness is essentially God-lessness. It is attempting to live your life with God removed from the center of it. It is the result of refusing to include Him in every area of life, of not giving Him access to and influence over the everyday affairs of life. When we convince ourselves that God doesn’t care about what we watch on TV, what we purchase with our money, how we spend our time, or where we place our hopes, we become ungodly. That doesn’t mean that everything we do is immoral or sinful. It simply means that God becomes less and less an influence over the everyday decisions of life. Our lives become essentially God-less. And it doesn’t take long for a God-less life to manifest itself in godless decisions and ungodly behavior. The Israelites had long ago left God out of the everyday mix of life. He had become an afterthought. He was their god in name only. They gave Him lip-service but not heart-allegiance. They wanted His blessings, but not His influence over their lives. As God declared through the prophet Isaiah:

These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote. – Isaiah 29:13 NLT

God went on to declare:

What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their evil deeds in the dark! “The Lord can’t see us,” they say. “He doesn’t know what’s going on!” How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, “He didn’t make me”? Does a jar ever say, “The potter who made me is stupid”? – Isaiah 29:15-16 NLT

God-lessness can take the form of us deliberately leaving God out of our lives or simply assuming He is oblivious to what is going on. But any thought on our part that God does not care or that we can keep Him in the dark is misguided and, ultimately, dangerous. God wants to be engaged and involved in every area of our lives. But when we deliberately decide to leave Him out, our decision making will become God-less and our lives will gravitate toward ungodliness. And while we may experience what appears to be success and enjoy what feels like happiness, we will soon discover that abundance, without God, is actually poverty. Happiness, apart from God, will only result in misery. The call of Jesus to the church in Laodicea applies to many of us today:

“You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.” – Revelation 3:17-19 NLT

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