A Tale Of Two Kingdoms

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (Php 3:13)

This is a beautiful passage, one that speaks of redemption, forgiveness, and hope.  I like to think of it as the "do-over" verse.  It's always good to get a "do-over", isn't it?  It reminds us that our past sins are forgiven. Forgotten.  As the Psalmist says:

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. (Psa 103:12)

And the prophet Isaiah:

I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. (Isa 43:25)

It reminds us that we are made free to move ahead into the future, absolved from the weights of the past.  There are plenty of failures to forget, we all have them.  No one gets a free pass here, but God says in his word that if they are under His blood, then they don't even exist as far as He is concerned.

But what about the successes and achievements of the past?  It is good to remember the successes, but is it good to rest on one's laurels? Not necessarily.  Now the Patriarchs often erected memorials to God by raising standing stones.  They also carved memorials onto their staffs.  Whenever you see a passage where one of them 'leaned upon his staff', they were remembering the good things God had done for them.  This is a good utilization of our thought life, as far as it goes.

What we are really focusing on is idleness in the life of a believer.  Another way of viewing it would be a lack of spiritual growth, or lack of progress in one's calling.  Self satisfaction and complacency are all too common of failings in the human family.  It occurs with little effort at all, and it takes a conscious effort to correct.

Let's take a look at the lives of two kings in scripture.  They were two different types of men, ruling two different kingdoms, even in different eras:

And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies; That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. (2Sa 7:1-2)

The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? (Dan 4:30)

Here we see snapshots of two kings, with two different heart conditions.  David had a heart for God. He desired to build a grand temple for God, a better dwelling than his own.

Nebuchadnezzar by contrast was a selfish man, desiring to glory in what he had built, to magnify his own name.

In both of these cases we see them in a similar situation.  God had blessed both of them, established their kingdoms, and given them peace from all enemies.  But we can also see in the different accounts that they simply “too much time on their hands”.

We see the sad tale of David's downfall in 2 Samuel 11-12.  God had blessed him.  God had established his kingdom in Saul's place.  God had given him victory over all his enemies

Nebuchadnezzar had a downfall as well:

While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws. (Dan 4:31-33)

God had also blessed him and established his kingdom.  He had also given him victory over his enemies.

The common problem here seems to be idleness, or maybe better described as lack of forward momentum.   Both were resting in the glow of achievement.  In the case of David, in God's blessing:

And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies; (2Sa 7:1)

Nebuchadnezzar's problem lie in his own arrogance:

The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? (Dan 4:30)

In David's case, his idleness got him into trouble by allowing himself to put his eyes and mind where they did not belong as we see in 2 Sam 11-12, the account of Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite.

Nebuchadnezzar's problem was with a sense of self pride and infallibility.

The penalty for David's downfall was conflict that would plague his family for generations.  Amongst his own children there was murder, rape, incest, and attempted regicide.

Nebuchadnezzar's penalty was in his own flesh, as we read in the earlier passage.  Some sort of weird lycanthropic disease or mental condition plagued him for seven years, also depriving Babylon of a king.

Trouble can come through idleness, or pride one's accomplishments.  Simply put, if you're not going upstream, then you're going downstream.

Can a Christian be tripped up like these two kings?  There can only be one correct answer to this question.  It is a human tendency to live in the glow of success, but the Bible calls this pride.  It is good to glorify God for all the things He has done, but never to glorify self.  It is God who 'exalts in due season'.

There is a saying: “An idle mind is the devil's workshop”.  It's not a scripture, but it certainly contains some good old common sense.  This is something we know innately to be true.  It's a good thing to stay busy, working with one's hands, etc.  Productivity is good.  But it's not always enough. Keeping one's heart and mind on God is extremely important, the most important thing, and can often be crucial in averting disaster.

We can all call to mind some high profile minister that has stumbled and fallen from grace.  In most cases they repented, but their name as well as their ministry was diminished, and was never quite the same.  Pain and difficulty was caused among their families and flocks.  It did not just “happen” one day, we only heard about it in a day. It all started with just a thought that grew, developed into an action, then a series of actions.  The Bible admonishes us, 'Be sure your sins will find you out', as David discovered.  Disaster strikes, and the tragedy is that it is completely avoidable.

Lest we judge too harshly, it could happen to any one of us.

In light of all this, are there ways to avoid these types of pitfalls in the life of a believer?  The Bible gives us many, many tools.  But let's explore a few of the main ones here.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; (2Co 10:3-5)

Recognizing that the conflict is spiritual is absolutely critical if we are going to deal squarely with our issues.  No amount of 'white-knuckling it' will ever completely avert disaster.  We need to recognize our strength is in God.

Looking at the verse above lays the ax to the root, so to speak.  What are things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God?  In a nutshell, Things that violate His law, or are contrary to His Word.  Things or people that seek to take His place can also exalt themselves against God.  There is no shortage of unsolicited advice in the world.  Not that all advice is bad, but it has to square with scripture in order to be beneficial.

A lifestyle that practices a Godlessness can exalt itself against God.  Conversely, practicing the presence of God will nearly always cause us to avoid the snares of the enemy

Captivate every thought.  It is actually possible to examine every thought in your mind.  The scripture directs us to do so, so it has to be possible.  No more excuses for a poor thought life.  You can't keep a bird from flying over your head, but you can keep him from nesting in your hair.

We have the glowing example of our Master to follow.  It was one of the reasons He came to Earth and ministered as a man.  Ask yourself, what would Jesus do?  Compare your thought life and actions with His perfect example.

Study the Word diligently. Push out unproductive thoughts with the mind of Christ.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2Ti 2:15)

Develop a prayer life, a two way exchange, to the point where you can easily hear His voice.   It takes some development spiritually to be able to hear God, and it is founded firmly in the last tool we mentioned: diligent study of His Word.  One of Jesus' most oft used phrases: “Who has ears to hear”. Only those who have developed ears to hear will be able to hear His still small voice.  But once you do,  He is always there, speaking comfort, guidance and correction for the true disciple.

Obey.

And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. (1Sa 15:22)

Obedience always trumps works. You can never do enough, if it is not what God has directed.  It pays to take inventory once in a while, get rid of preconceived notions about what is right, and simply seek His will.

Seek to grow. Never be satisfied.  Sometimes this is a conscious decision. It does not always come automatically, or easily.  But by keeping it in the forefront of your mind, and on your lips, it will come to pass.

Be determined to do the right thing, even when no one is looking. Do it right simply because it's right, and do it right every time.  If in doubt, check it out in scripture.  Seek Godly counsel if you are unsure.

Serve.

Serve God, in any way that you can.  This can be best done by serving others. “If you have done this to the least of these, you have done it unto Me...”

Be on guard at all times:

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (Pro 4:23 KJV)

Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts. (Pro 4:23 GNB)

Carefully guard your thoughts because they are the source of true life. (Pro 4:23 CEV)

These are all things that we can do.  The life of a Christian can be challenging, but the principles are simple:  Put God first.  Never be satisfied with where you are at in your walk.  Pray.  Study the Word.  Pray some more.  Study some more.  You get the idea...  Don't be a hearer only. As James, the brother of of our Lord said, "Be a doer."  Find a need and fill it.

Anybody with me? Go!