Smack!

There are several places in the Bible where there are these little back-handed insults that condemn without a lot of elaboration. Like where Jesus comments on Solomon, who was regarded as the height of Jewish riches and splendor:

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

- Matthew 6:28-30

Do you hear that back-handed comeuppance? "Glorious Solomon... yeah, almost as glorious as God's grass."

Smack!

But there's one place in the Bible that has what I suspect is the insult to end all insults. If it were written by man it would be a throw-away line. Just a single sentence tacked onto the end of the book of Judges:

"In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit."

- Judges 21:25

After 21 chapters of describing the struggles of the Israelites best efforts and failures...

"...everyone did as he saw fit."

Smack!

Where do I go from here? Talk about how my spiritual walk has been characterized by my willfulness? Talk about how modern American's worship self-will? Talk about how pop culture has changed "right" from a code of conduct set out by God into a "feeling"? Let's just let God speak to the topic about our ideas of what's right...

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."

- Proverbs 16:25

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

- Proverbs 3:5-8

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."

- Proverbs 1:7

"...everyone did as he saw fit."

Foolishness like that would be funny if it weren't so tragic. And it is just as tragic today in broken America... Broken Arizona... Broken [where you live]...

Broken homes... Smack!
broken economy... Smack!
broken lives... Smack!
broken schools... Smack!
broken government... Smack!
broken churches... Smack!
broken witnesses... Smack!

And we honestly believe that we can make ourselves happier than God can make us?

Well, if we believe that, it certainly isn't based on the evidence.

"My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.

She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.

Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace."

- Proverbs 3:11-17

My Wish For You In Worship

"Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow.

So one hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become "unity" conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified."

- A.W. Tozer

The water of fellowship...

"Whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again . . . the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up within him for eternal life."

- JOHN 4:14

Flesh-hooks

I was wanting to write an entry about our culture's overwhelming obsession with sexual relationships. I wanted to include the many passages warning of the dangers of serving the flesh, but I didn't really know where to start. So I fired up the trusty old Logos Bible Software and did a topic search under "Flesh". The listing that came back included several listings for "Fleshhook".

"Fleshhook"? Like there was any chance I was going to pass that up?

Doesn't the very sound of the word describe so many temptations and desires? How cool... It's like a sermon in a single word. "The fleshhook caught me!" or "What's the fleshhook in your life?"

So what, I asked, is a fleshhook? According to Harper's Bible Dictionary:

Fleshhooks
Forklike implements used by priests for sacrifices (Num. 4:14; 1 Sam. 2:13-14, which speaks of their having three prongs), now usually translated ‘forks.’ Those in use at the Jerusalem Temple were made of gold (1 Chron. 28:17) and bronze (2 Chron. 4:16)
_{- Achtemeier, Paul J. ; Harper & Row, Publishers ; Society of Biblical Literature: Harper's Bible Dictionary. 1st ed. San Francisco : Harper & Row, 1985, S. 312}

The Easton's Bible Dictionary further explains that:

"used in the sacrificial services (1 Sam. 2:13, 14; Ex. 27:3; 38:3) by the priest in drawing away the flesh. The fat of the sacrifice, together with the breast and shoulder (Lev. 7:29–34), were presented by the worshipper to the priest. The fat was burned on the alter (3:3–5), and the breast and shoulder became the portion of the priests."
_{- Easton, M.G.: Easton's Bible Dictionary. Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996, c1897}

Fleshhooks were used by Eli's sons to sin against The Lord:

"Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord. Now it was the practice of the priests with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand. He would plunge it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh."

- 1 Samuel 2:12-14 NIV

Three-pronged forks... Fleshhooks.

Go Figure.