SPIRITUAL LETHARGY Can Strike YOU!
The
Old Testament is a chronicle of human failures and successes. The
accounts are in case history form. They point out WHERE and WHY some
failed and how others succeeded. Read this lively and practical article
to learn how to apply this part of God's Word to your life.
God
caused these examples to be cataloged for us. Remember! Jesus Christ
was on the scene when these men lived. He knew why and where they made
mistakes. He recognized their particular human weaknesses which we all
struggle against.
But Christ had something further in mind.
Written for Us
Christ
knew he was going to call out of this world thousands of human beings.
This vanguard of pioneers would have a great purpose: to be trained to
one day assume high positions of authority and responsibility in His
Kingdom.
That's where we come in. Each of us is a part of that advance unit of believers.
But
we also have the same weaknesses as these men in the Old Testament. So
Christ saw to it that these case histories were preserved for us. He
stripped human nature bare—so we could probe its weaknesses and not
fall into its clutches.
We read in I Cor. 10:11-12, "Now in
these events our ancestors stand as examples to us, warning us not to
crave after evil things as they did... Now these things which happened
to our ancestors are illustrations of the way in which God works, and
they were written to be a warning to us who are the heirs of the
ages which have
gone before us. So let the man who feels sure
of his standing today be careful that he DOES NOT FALL
TOMORROW" (Phillips translation).
Six Failures
Let's
take a look at six human kings in the Old Testament and see why they
failed. These kings of Judah had everything going for them. They
launched into their careers with great trust and faith in God.
Each would have been considered a pillar member in God's Church today. All of them certainly had a zealous "first love."
But they found themselves spiritual shipwrecks at the end of their lives.
They became spiritually weak. They began to make mistakes. They threw away their faith. They died in disgrace.
These
examples are important to us! Because large numbers are spiritually
weak in God's Church today. Many are making mistakes and sinning. Some
are on the verge of throwing away their faith. A few may die in
spiritual disgrace.
Docs this apply to you?
As we read
through each king's life —apply the principles to yourself. Ask
yourself, "Am I guilty of this weakness?" Because you can be sure of
this: If you have problems in any of these areas—YOU
are becoming
SPIRITUALLY LETHARGIC !!
I. ASA—The Faithless King
Asa's
life is recorded in II Chronicles, chapters 14-16. Read it in its
entirety (as you should the other kings' lives also).
Asa
began his career with a "bang." He completely came out of the religious
confusion of his time. With great zeal, he destroyed all the worship
places of the pagan gods. Asa rooted immorality out of Judah. The
"queers" and homosexuals were among the first to be punished.
Judah was becoming spiritually clean. Asa was prospering. Greatness was around the corner.
He proved his loyalty to God.
Asa was able to lick his problems.
When
Zerah the Ethiopian rattled his military muscles, Asa stood firm. One
million men in battle gear faced him. Chariots galore kicked up dust.
Zerah was threatening Judah with obliteration.
Problems ?
Yes.
But here was Asa's attitude.
"Asa
cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to
help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O
Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this
multitude" (II Chron. 14:11).
God answered that prayer.
Zerah
was destroyed. So was
his army. So were his armaments.
For thirty-five long years, Asa was faithful.
But then he made a "mistake."
However,
before we see what happened—remember this! Asa's "problem" was building
up for years. It merely manifested itself when a trial came. No doubt,
Asa was steadily losing contact with his Creator over a period of
months and years. He had forgotten God.
When a sudden trial came, he failed.
Asa Fears Physical
Now
came the telltale problem that exposed his Laodicean attitude. "In the
six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came
up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent that he might let none
go out or come in to Asa
king of Judah.
"Then Asa brought out silver and gold
out of the treasures of the house of the Lord and of the king's house,
and sent to Ben-hadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,
There is a league between me and thee ..." (II Chron.
16:1-3).
His weakness exposed its ugly head. Asa was trapped. If
he had only been close to God, he would have known what to do. But Asa
was caught off guard.
He had drifted away!
And not only that, he never found his way back to the right road.
Asa never repented.
He
raged out at the messenger God sent to show him what to do. He even
clapped the seer into prison. Asa was so mad he took it out on the
general populace.
The rocky road to disaster continued.
In the thirty-ninth year of his reign he fell sick. But still—no repentance!
"Asa.
. . was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great:
yet in his disease he sought not to the Eternal, but to the physicians.
And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year
of his reign" (II Chron. 16:12, 13).
Asa had two years to repent and quit trusting in doctors. But he never made it.
Do You Have Asa's Problem?
Asa's
basic problem was a longstanding spiritual laxness. It became evident
when political pressures came. It could be clearly seen when he became
ill.
Asa was not much different than some of God's people.
Imagine yourSELF!
Think back to the time when you first came into God's Church.
You
probably would have given up wife, brother, sister, job—or even your
own life. But now you may no longer have that burning zeal and deep
faith.
And why? For this simple reason.
Prayer
time has gone by the wayside. Bible study has been curtailed. Fasting
has been neglected. Meditation has been forgotten. Contact with God is
threadbare.
Is this you? If so, the slightest problem is going to snap that weak thread of faith. It happened to Asa. It can happen TO YOU!
II. Joash—The Drifter King
Joash
was a "drifter" by nature. He did fine as long as someone was around to
prod him. But out on his own—he drifted into disaster.
Again, note the parallel.
Are
you one who must be constantly prodded by God's ministers, constantly
visited, constantly corrected —and almost cajoled into obeying God?
Joash had this problem. It caused his downfall.
"And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest" (II Chron. 24:2).
But Jehoiada died—and Joash fell.
"Now
after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made
obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. And they left
the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served groves and
idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their
trespass" (II Chron. 24:17-18).
Rather fickle—but very familiar.
Sounds like Satan and his demons trying to put thoughts into our minds. Trying to make us turn away from God. And some listen !
But
again, we have the
familiar problem. Joash did fine at first, but finally failed. He
drifted away from God. Joash murdered Jehoiada's son when he rebuked
him for his mistake. Next, a small band of Syrians conquered Judah.
Then, Joash became diseased. Finally, his own servants murdered him.
Joash died in ignominy.
Is this happening to you? Let this be a warning!
III. AMAZIAH—The Dabbler King
The tragedy of Amaziah is almost a jugular vein comedy.
Amaziah had a peculiar weakness. He, like many people in the world— and in God's Church—was a religious hobbyist.
Here is the story of his weakness.
"Now
it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the
Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set
them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned
incense unto them" (II Chron. 25:14).
This was utter stupidity!
Almost unbelievable. Yet, there it is recorded for us. How could
Amaziah bow down to these pieces of wood and stone? Especially when he
himself had destroyed those who based their empty hopes on these very
inanimate objects. But God had to send a prophet to him. Amaziah was
asked, ". . . Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which
could not deliver their own people out of thine hand?" (II Chron.
25:15).
But it didn't get through to Amaziah.
So Amaziah was a "religious dabbler." How else can you explain his head-scratching actions ?
The sad thing is this. Many in God's Church today have the same, identical problem!
Some
see—as we all should—the vanity of this world's religions. God lays
bare the error-permeated doctrines that exist. He lavishly reveals His
Truth. And yet, some of God's people begin to dabble in this world's
ideas. Some listen to other preachers. A few allow representatives of
other false religions to darken their door. Some read
magazines and articles slanted against this Work—or against God's Truth on race, religion, politics or medicine.
Doubts begin to creep in. Some become skeptical of the way this Work is handled.
Others
begin to idolize physical possessions—after living a lifetime of
experience which proved that these by themselves do not bring
happiness! But they once again "trust" in these things.
These "gods of the
people."
God has set the utter debacle of Amaziah as a witness
against us. It blinks the neon sign, "Human nature tends to worship
vain and false gods."
We can see Amaziah's mistake. Can we take the beam of idolatry out of our own eyes? God help you to see— before it's too late!
IV. UZZIAH—The Presumptuous King
The story of Uzziah is found in II Chronicles 26.
"He
sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the
visions of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to
prosper" (II Chron. 26:5). With God's power, he destroyed the
Philistines, then the Arabians, then the Mehunims. The Ammonites became
subservient to Uzziah. Judah's border stretched to Egypt. The nation
began to abound in
livestock. Agriculture soared. Uzziah was carving out a
tremendous empire! "And his name spread far abroad; for he was
marvellously helped, till he was strong!" (II Chron. 26:15.)
But at the pinnacle of his career— he fell!
But why did he fall?
The answer: "But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction" (II Chron. 26:16).
Uzziah
had been around a long time. Perhaps nearly fifty years. He might have
been called a "pioneer member" in God's Church today. But he drifted
into a proud attitude.
Here was the consequence of losing contact with God.
The
priests withstood Uzziah. They told him: "It appertaineth not unto
thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests the
sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the
sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine
honor from the Lord God.
"Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a
censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the
priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in
the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar" (II Chron. 26:18,
19).
Uzziah's Problem
Uzziah
didn't agree with the way things were done. He probably knew these
priests and their problems. Who were they to tell him what to do!— he
probably thought.
But how did he get that way?
By being spiritually lax. By forgetting God. By losing contact with him.
And
that's what happens to some of God's people today. They don't like the
ministers to tell them what to do. Their old opinions—concerning
child-rearing or church government or some pet
doctrine—creep in.
It doesn't matter what the
manifestation is. The underlying problem is: They don't agree with God.
Why? Because they haven't been "listening" to God "talking" to them
through Bible study. They haven't told God what a rotten mess they are
through prayer.
Is this you?
Have you lost the humbleness
and meekness you had when you were baptized? You knew then (or should
have known) your own INsignificance. Do you feel you "know the
ropes" now?
Better change!
THERE ISN'T MUCH TIME LEFT!!
V. JOSIAH—The Hard-Headed King
Josiah was a bit different. He wasn't exactly rebellious. He just lacked wisdom. But his lack of wisdom caused his death!
His life story is found in II Chronicles, chapters 34, 35.
Josiah
was just a child when he became king. At the tender age of sixteen he
began to seek God. When he was age twenty, he destroyed all the worship
places of the false religions in Judah— personally supervising the
whole operation. At age twenty-six, he began to repair the House of
God. It was then that the book of the law was found. After reading it,
he saw where he needed to change. And he repented, and changed.
Later,
we read this of Josiah: "And the king stood in his place, and made a
covenant before the Eternal, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his
commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his
heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant
which are written in this book" (II Chron. 34:31).
Sound familiar?
It is!
We
promised God the same thing when we were baptized. We gave God, as it
were, "our word"—to obey Him all the way. We said that we wanted to be
taught in every way. To obey everything He said. (Today, God speaks
through the Bible and through His ministry.) We were teachable (and
still should be)—even in "little" things. Like obeying speed laws,
learning to dress properly, learning to deal with other people properly.
Careless Foolishness
But now have we grown "older" in the church? Have we become a little bit careless ?
Josiah
did. And he died because of his childish foolishness. The tragedy of
Josiah's death is that it happened over a matter that didn't concern
him. The tragedy is Josiah didn't have a reprobate attitude—he was just
hard-headed.
This is what occurred.
"After all this, when
Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight
against Charchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. But
he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou
king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house
wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee
from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee
not" (II Chron. 35:20-21).
But Josiah didn't heed. Josiah came down to Megiddo and fought with Necho. He was wounded and later died.
What's the lesson for us?
Josiah
was like the church member who puts his foot in his mouth. He
constantly gets in trouble with neighbors, in-laws, school and medical
authorities. Like some members who try to preach to others—where they
have NO business preaching to them. But they won't "forbear from
meddling,"
Is this you?
When the subject is discussed in
articles and sermons, do you see it applies TO YOU? If not, you're
headed for trouble—like Josiah.
VI. SOLOMON—The Worldly King
Solomon typifies the Christian who has once again become enmeshed in the cares of this world. The person in
God's
Church who finds himself in this Laodicean condition: "And the
deceit-fulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in,
choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful" (Mark 4:19).
But Solomon would also have been a model Christian—one who would be considered as having great zeal in God's Church today.
Notice his godly attitude.
"I
am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And thy
servant is in the midst of thy people whom thou hast chosen, a great
people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
"Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people" (I Kings 3:7-9).
But Solomon grew old and he lost his childlike attitude! (Mark 10:14.)
He
got entangled with what this world offers. Read the book of
Ecclesiastes. It's his own confession. The last thing we read of
Solomon is: "For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives
turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect
with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father" (I Kings
11:4).
Perhaps the tragedy of Solomon was the greatest. He
started so far up the ladder—and tumbled so far down. Everything was in
his favor. But he let it all slip away from him.
How do you measure up?
Are
you letting the things of this world turn you away from God? Are you so
concerned with the physical things around you, that you don't have time
for God ? If you are too busy to study, pray and meditate—you are TOO
busy! Take time out for God first. Then do
everything else.
Is some physical thing getting more attention and interest than God? Better watch out! You're slipping spiritually.
Are
you beginning to lust after things you shouldn't have or even think
about? There's only one problem. You've gone off away from God. He
isn't real to you anymore. You need to get a grip on your mind. Don't
slip. Don't be like Solomon in his old age. Be like Solomon when he
began.
The Chronicle of Tragedy
It
isn't enough just to begin obeying God. He shows throughout his Word
that it is more important how we end our life than how we begin it. We
read in Revelation 2:26: "To him that overcometh and keeps my works
UNTO THE END, to him will I give power over the nations."
We must be diligent to the end of our life.
The
apostle Paul calls the Christian life a race. In a mile race, it isn't
so much the man who zips away from the starting point in a burst of
speed—as it is the man who breaks the tape. To start first is fine. But
to come in first is the deciding factor.
He wrote in I Cor.
9:24-27: "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one
receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain. And every man that
strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to
obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
"I
therefore so run not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beats
the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest
that by any means, when I have preached to others, I
MYSELF SHOULD BE A
CASTAWAY!"
The apostle Paul realized he could lose out in the end.
What About You?
Have
you been letting down? Have you started out with a burst of spiritual
speed only to sink down in the mire of spiritual lethargy?
It's time to wake up. You could lose out!
Ezekiel gives us this dire warning.
"But
when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits
iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked
man does, shall he live? All his righteousness that he has done shall
not be mentioned: for in his trespass that he has trespassed, and in
his sin that he has sinned, in them shall he die!" (Ezekiel 18:24.)
This is a frightening warning!
If we end our life in a state of disobedience, God will forget our righteousness.
Let's
heed that warning. Let's conquer the weaknesses that are beginning to
overtake us. Cry out to God Almighty to supply the desire, strength,
zeal to continue to overcome. Begin to pray fervently. Study with
drive. Meditate. Fast when necessary.
Let's be Christians of Ezekiel 18: 21, 22.
"But
if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he has committed, and
keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall
surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that
he has committed,
THEY SHALL NOT BE MENTIONED UNTO him: In his righteousness that he has done he shall live!"
by Paul W. Kroll The GOOD NEWS October-November, 1965 