Tag: consequences

It All Connects

On By Judy GlasserIn May1 Comment

The wisest man who ever lived made a bad decision which led to another bad decision which caused him to make another bad decision.  These choices took him far from where God wanted him to be.May 27 2014

Marriages to foreign women were forbidden by God because these wives often had great influence with their husbands and would encourage them to worship foreign, false gods.  The culture at that time was filled with false gods of every kind.  The Israelites were the only ones worshipping the True God.  God wanted them to stay separate so that they stayed true to him.

Solomon made a  series of very unwise decisions by marrying a foreign wife and then a another and then another.  And it happened to him – his wives lured him away from the True God.  He started following the detestable gods of his wives.  He even built temples for these various false gods.  The wisest man in the world made some very unwise choices that caused him to become a fool.

It all connects.  The first decision led to the next which caused the next.  Solomon needed to avoid that first bad choice…..but he didn’t.  As a result, God ended David’s kingdom with Solomon.May 27 2014

Proverbs 20:26 reads, “A wise king winnows out the wicked; he drives the threshing wheel over them.”  Solomon didn’t winnow out the wicked, he married it.

Proverbs 4 tells us to avoid the path of the wicked, turn from it.  Wise words.  Words Solomon – and us – should follow.  If Solomon had done what he told others to do, his legacy would not be marred by his foolishness at the end of his life.

Solomon’s choices led to his own self-destruction.  His story challenges us to stand firm and strong on the truth of God all the way to the end….which is really only the beginning.

 

 

 

The Explanation

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

They did what they wanted, not what God told them to do, and they paid the consequences.

The Israelites rebelled and refused to go into the Promised Land because of the negative report from 10 of the spies who had scouted it out.  They rejected the fact that God said he would give them success in the battle so they could live in this very fertile and beautiful land.  God wanted them to have it.

But they refused.  They were scared.  They disobeyed.

As a result, God tells them that they will wander in the wilderness for 40 years until the last person from this wicked generation has passed away.  The 10 spies who discouraged all of the people were struck with a plague as a result of their disobedience.

So, what do the Israelites do?  NOW they decided they were ready to go into the land.  NOW they disobey again by not listening to God when he says it will be 40 more years.  They think (dangerous words) that they have paid the price for their earlier disobedience and they want to go live in the Promised land.  They totally disregard God’s latest instruction and go fight the Amalekites.  Moses tells them not to go – “The Lord is not with you.”

But they go anyway…and they are defeated.  No surprise there.

Doesn’t this explain a lot of the pain and defeat we see in the world around us?  People doing what they want, ignoring God.  Rejecting God’s direction and going our own ways only to be defeated over and over again.

God has so much more planned for us!  He has a purpose for us.  He wants us to experience a life full of joy.  And he wants to be the leader of our life so he can make all of this happen.

We are more than conquerors with Christ!

Thank you, dear God!