Scripture
“And don’t worry about those donkeys that were lost three days ago, for they have been found. And I am here to tell you that you and your family are the focus of all Israel’s hopes.” 1 Samuel 9:20
Observation
Israel was placing all their hopes on Saul. This phrase speaks of seeking out something precious and desirable like a treasure of great worth. If the history of Israel has taught us anything it’s how quickly a treasure turns into an idol. In fact, any time Israel treasured anything else other than the Lord they were turning away from God. They weren’t even ashamed to admit it. They wanted a king like the foreign nations around them even though God was their king. We know how this story turns out. This was a misplaced hope. Saul was not the answer to all their problems. In fact, he created more problems than he solved. With this demand, we read some of the saddest scriptures in the Bible, “6Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. 7“Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. 8Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. 9Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.” The books of First and Second Kings and First and Second Chronicles bare out the sad reality of choosing to put our hope in any other king, any other thing but King Jesus. Fast forward to Good Friday. Jesus was not the Messiah they wanted so they rejected Him as well. All these years later they end up shouting “We have no king but Ceasar” even though they despised his rule. You see, Jesus had come to set up a kingdom in the hearts of His people and Israel wanted a Messiah who would act as an earthly king and take back rule from the Romans. So, they nailed Him to a cross, rejecting God to his face while all the while the true hope of the world was bleeding out in front of them. The sign over Christ’s head read “King of the Jews” and though they hated it and rejected it, this is what Jesus had come to do. He had come to invite His chosen people back to Himself, to be King of their hearts.
Application
I really like Pastor John Piper’s definition of idolatry: “Idolatry starts in the heart: craving, wanting, enjoying, being satisfied by anything that you treasure more than God.” This is what happened when Israel chose Saul as their King over God. They craved, wanted, and would not be satisfied by anything less than a man as their king. So, they rejected God and placed Saul on the throne of their hearts. There’s only room for one throne in our hearts and we determine who sits there by where we place our hope. There’s been a lot of talk lately from a lot of Christian personalities about how the Covid-19 Pandemic is God’s judgment upon our idolatry. Though that certainly lines up with the Old Testament realty it doesn’t line up with Good Friday. Jesus came and took the judgment we deserved for our idolatry and placed it upon Himself. He is not judging us back to Himself, but loving us back to Himself. Is there idolatry in America? Of course! We make an idol out of almost anything. From sports, to sex, to business success, entertainment, escape, our online image, religious traditions, to having the nicest lawn on the block we place our hope everywhere but in God. John Calvin said, “The human heart is a perpetual idol factory.” Humility conquers idolatry every time. Jesus humbled Himself on the Cross to call us back to Himself. When Christ is King of my heart He is king over every area of my life. God’s heart is not in this Pandemic but His hand is working through it to topple the idols we have hoped in for deliverance. There is nowhere else to run but to Him. Our hopes have been dashed by looking to the Hollywood Hero scenario. You know the one where the man with a perpetual five o'clock shadow steps in at the request of President Morgan Freeman to save the day through pluck, courage, and sheer will power while cracking jokes along the way. Even with how hard our scientists are working on a cure they are saying it won’t be here for at least a year. So, are we placing our hope for our future in them and just biding our time until then? Many are placing their hope in our own efforts to flatten the curve. Though this is certainly what we should be doing this is not going to bring Covid-19 to its knees. Dr. Christopher Murray, the director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation stated today in a New York Times article, “We’re just looking at this first wave,” noted Dr. Murray. He estimates that in June, some 95 percent of Americans will still be susceptible to the virus.” If your heart sank as mine did with the reality of how long and drawn out this virus war is going to be then that’s a telltale sign we are placing our hope in the wrong hands. On this Good Friday, in the shadow of the Cross, we must fall to our knees and repent for focusing our hopes in any other place but King Jesus. Let us not be like the Roman Centurion or the people of Israel who realized only at the death of Jesus on the Cross that He was truly the King of Kings. (Luke 23:44-48)
Prayer
I pray the truth of 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 would be true of me today, “You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” Your heart is not in this Pandemic but Your hand is using it to topple the idols in my heart. You are the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and I place You as the focus of all my hopes. You are the One that will get us through this. I deserved to be judged but You showed me mercy. Forgive me for turning anywhere else but to You!
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