Doing the Right Thing is Not Enough

Newsletter article for February 2004

© 2004 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

Saul was the first King of Israel, but he was also the last one of his family to be a king. If you recall the Bible story God became displeased with Saul and chose the boy David to succeed Saul as King of Israel. Do you remember what Saul did to displease God? If we think we are pleasing God by what we are doing then we ought to consider King Saul and try to avoid the trap that he fell into.

There are actually a couple of events in I Samuel 13-15 that are significant, but it is the first one I want to recall here. What Saul did which led God to look for the next king outside of Saul’s sons, was to offer a burnt offering to God. Now, if you know anything about Old Testament history and worship practices this doesn’t seem such a bad thing at all. It doesn’t seem like Saul was worshipping a false God. People made burnt offerings to God all the time. Many of these were actually required by law and the Bible records many more rebukes for those who did not make an offering to God, than for those who did, but Saul is one exception.

The situation was that the Philistines were gathering to attack the Israelites and Saul and the soldiers of Israel were looking to get some encouragement and strength from God through His prophet, Samuel. Samuel told Saul to meet him in seven days time at Gilgal where Samuel would offer sacrifices to God and ask the Lord to give them success against their enemies. On the seventh day Samuel was nowhere to be found and the soldiers began to lose heart and to scatter off to someplace safe before the Philistines attacked. When Saul saw his men leaving he thought that he needed to do something to keep the men together so he offered the sacrifice himself and did not wait any longer for Samuel. But just when Saul had finished making the offering Samuel arrived and was greatly displeased with Saul’s impatience. He proclaimed that because he did not keep God’s command his kingdom would not endure and God would seek a man after His own heart to lead His people.

This may seem to us to be a little harsh, but as in all the things God does it is completely appropriate. There are a couple things wrong with Saul’s actions. First, although it was a good thing for Saul to prepare to make a sacrificial offering to God, it was inappropriate for him to actually make the sacrifice. This was the role of the priest, or in this case, the prophet, Samuel. In and of itself, this probably would not have brought down such a severe rebuke from God, but the second incident in I Samuel 15 shows that the first simply revealed a greater lack of faith in God. Although Saul seemed to be making an offering to God, he really wasn’t. God’s instructions through the prophet Samuel told him to wait, and Saul did not. With his men leaving Saul decided that he couldn’t wait for God to give the men encouragement, so he did it himself. This was idolatry. Saul put himself in the place of God.

It wasn’t Saul’s actions which were so wicked (although he certainly disobeyed God), but his lack of faith in God made his sin inexcusable. Compare this with the worst sins of David, Saul’s successor. David committed adultery with the wife of one of his best soldiers. He tried to cover up the sin, and when that failed he had the woman’s husband murdered. This was nearly as great a rejection of God as Saul’s sin, and a much greater sin against others (Uriah and Bathsheba), yet David didn’t lose faith in God. There were some tragic and lingering consequences to David’s sins, but he was forgiven. There were twenty-one of David’s descendants who ruled as king from Solomon to Zedekiah, but Saul’s family died out with his great-grandchildren, and few of them enjoyed a long life.

I am sure that to many people this seems a bit backward. To our earthly eyes the sins of adultery and murder are virtually unforgivable, while the sins of impatience and improper worship seem relatively inconsequential, but then we often place our own concerns above God’s concerns. Such is the way of all sinful flesh. God looks at things a little differently. First of all the sins against God (first table of the commandments) are much worse than our sins against others (second table) for the simple fact that God is GOD, and everyone else is not. But God also can see into people’s hearts. God knows who has faith in Him and who hates Him. For those who have faith (like David) God can forgive the worst sins (adultery, lies, conspiracy, murder, misuse of authority, etc.), but for those who do not have faith (like Saul) even the seemingly good things he does (worshipping God, having compassion on an enemy, etc.) are unforgivable.

Judas also did a good work in the garden of Gethsemane when he kissed Jesus. Psalm 2 tells us, “Kiss the son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way.” Kissing is a sign of affection, and how can that be wrong when we show affection to our Lord? But Judas did not kiss Jesus to show affection, instead he used it as a sign to Jesus’ enemies so they could come and arrest him. What should have been a good work Judas turned into an opportunity for the enemies of Jesus to grab him so they could kill him. Judas lacked faith in Jesus, and so despite any good that he had done, he despaired of his life and took a shortcut to destruction despite the fact that his salvation was so near.

There are those who would tell you that if your worship is not full of feeling you should work harder to make it so, but this was Saul’s wrong solution to the problem. It is the wrong solution because the fact that you make yourself feel happy or excited about something doesn’t make it God-pleasing. Saul and his soldiers were quite satisfied with his solution to restore morale to the soldiers, but God was angry about it. You can do all sorts of things to make yourself feel good about your sins, but this is only a temporary distraction and not a proper way to deal with sin. People do it all the time. The devil encourages it, because as long as people feel good about their sins without truly repenting, they are lost and belong to him. God doesn’t necessarily want you to feel good, and He never wants you to feel good about sin. God wants you to recognize your sin, come to true (i.e. painful) repentance, and be saved.

You cannot measure your faith by your good works. If you could then Saul might have been a more righteous person than David. But God looks at us according to our faith in Him. Jesus Himself was praised as the Son of David for more than just the fact that David was His ancestor. Jesus came to rescue us from the sinful self-centeredness which makes all our good deeds tainted by wickedness. Only Jesus can sanctify us and make us holy. Only Jesus can give us hope and peace and satisfaction, and none of this comes from ourselves. If our happiness, peace, hope, or general good feelings come from within us then they cannot save us, and like King Saul they will likely turn us against God and lead us to our destruction.

The Modern Prodigal Son and the Loving Father

Newsletter article for September 2003

© 2003 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

Imagine if the only Bible verse the prodigal son knew or believed was Romans 12:15 where it says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice.” One day the son told his father that he was going out with his friends, and the father said, “Just be home before midnight.” The next day when the father woke up his son still wasn’t home. When the boy finally rolled in at noon with a big smile on his face he embraced his father and said, “Father, don’t be mad. You are going to be happy for me because I am happy. I had the time of my life last night. I spent the night with my friends drinking beer and smoking marijuana and we spent all our money on prostitutes. I have never had as much fun in my whole life and I want you to be happy as I am happy.”

What do you think the father would say to this prodigal son? If he truly loves his son he would never say, “Well, as long as you are happy then go and do as you please.” If he truly loves his son he would rather say, “How can I be happy for you? I told you to come home before midnight so that you wouldn’t get hurt destroying your body with alcohol and drugs, and so that you wouldn’t get infected with syphilis and AIDS and die a horrible prolonged death. Not only did you NOT do the one thing that I told you to do, you did everything I didn’t want you to do. You are grounded forever.”

Obviously the story of the prodigal son that Jesus told in Luke 15 didn’t end this way. In Jesus’ story the young man recognized his sin, repented, and came crawling back humbled to his father to beg for mercy. In return, the father welcomed him back joyfully as his son. In my modern version above, there is no redemption because there is no repentance. Without repentance the sinner will continue to willfully disobey what is good and proper and safe until he destroys himself and those around him also.

This illustrates one of the tasks that we have in our lives as Christians. Our obedience to God is not limited to simply how we live our own lives. We can’t be like Lot living in Sodom (see Genesis 19) thinking that all is well because we are obedient. We sometimes need to be like Jeremiah in Jerusalem (see Jeremiah 19) calling the sinners to repentance. We are to be witnesses to the world in all that we do, but that doesn’t always mean giving a cheerful message of the good news of the Gospel. Consider the prodigal son in my illustration above. If you came to him with a message of God’s love, forgiveness, and eternal salvation he would not pay any attention to you. Concerning love – he would say that it isn’t worth the trouble, and besides he gets more enjoyment out of a bottle of wine anyway. Concerning forgiveness – the prodigal would say that he doesn’t need it because in his mind he isn’t doing anything wrong. Concerning heaven – he would say he doesn’t need heaven because he already has as much fun as he can handle. Before this lawless person can enjoy the benefits of the Gospel he needs to know and understand the law.

Fortunately for him (and for us) God doesn’t immediately “ground us forever.” That remains an option, and He would be well within His rights and power to do so, but God is patient with us. God calls sinners to repent, and He usually gives them a little time to come around and see things His way. That is what we are here for. We are to help sinners to see the error of their ways so that they can appreciate and accept the wonderful message of the Gospel. Once the sinner sees the consequences of his sins then he may be ready to receive forgiveness, and we should always be ready to forgive even the worst sinners.

We live in a world which is increasingly like the prodigal son that I described at the opening of this essay. Our society is increasingly more tolerant of sin and depravity and much less tolerant of righteousness and God’s Law. This makes the task of the Christian much less popular. We will find ourselves tested in our faith much more often. This is not a comfortable place to be, but it is where God wants His faithful people to be for the sake of the heathen. God has given us His Word to prepare us and strengthen us so that we can be where we need to be to lead others to their salvation, but we need to be careful that we do not fall into the temptations which enslave the world.

Worthy of Salvation

Newsletter article for April 2002

© 2002 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

Who is worthy of Salvation?

There once was a king who had a very special daughter. She was his only child and the king loved her very much. When the girl reached maturity the king was determined to find a husband for her who would love her with his whole heart and would be a good and wise ruler over the kingdom. The king issued a decree that he was looking for a man who would be the most worthy to be the king’s son-in-law and heir.

This news was greeted with great joy and hope and anticipation. The princess was very beautiful and kind, and her father was extremely wealthy and powerful. Whoever was chosen to marry the princess would not only get the most desirable woman in the kingdom, but would also inherit the richest kingdom in the world.

The king was very protective of his daughter and would only settle for the best for her. In order to ensure that he would find the most worthy prince to be his heir the king had a magic sword called the Sword of Truth. If anyone told a lie in the presence of this sword it would immediately kill him. This way the king would be sure that the man who married his daughter would be most worthy of her.

After a time the king held court in the great hall in order to interview all of the potential suitors for his daughter. The first man to stand before him was the son of a very wealthy nobleman. He was handsome and charming and well-liked by all who knew him. As he stood before the king he was sweating a little as the king asked him, “What makes you worthy to marry my daughter, the princess?” The young man hesitated and then said, “I love your daughter and I only want what is best for the kingdom.” Apparently none of this was true because before he drew his next breath the sword of truth flew out of the hands of the king and impaled the man right through his heart.

The next young man chose his words very carefully. “I choose your daughter to be my wife,” he told the king.

The king was furious. “Don’t make fun of me!”

“I’m not.” The man replied. “I believe I am worthy because I choose your daughter to be my wife.”

Despite his foolish words he was telling the truth because the sword of truth made no move in his direction. However the king was indignant. “You must think I am a fool, and I would be if I considered you worthy simply because you chose my daughter. Open your eyes! Every man in the kingdom would choose my daughter if they could. Look behind you, many of them are here now! She is the most desirable woman in the world because of her beauty, her wealth, her power, and her loving heart.” At this the king sent the man home until he would come to his senses.

The next suitor came and with a humble and sincere bow he declared to the king, “I would give your daughter everything I have.”

The king was beginning to get tired of this nonsense, so he laughed. “Do you have any idea who I am? I am the ruler of the richest kingdom in the world. I could buy you and sell you hundreds of times. Do you consider my daughter some sort of beggar who can be bought for a pittance?” With these words the king sent the man to prison until he would repent of his arrogance.

And so it continued for quite some time. The finest men in the kingdom all came and made their claim as to why they were worthy to wed the king’s daughter, but each plea was rejected by the king. In addition many came who were not nearly the finest men in all the kingdom, trying to trick their way to winning the greatest prize in the kingdom. These were either slain by the Sword of Truth, or imprisoned or banished by the king.

Finally, a man came before the king dressed as a common laborer. He didn’t appear to be wealthy, nor of noble birth or heritage. The king looked down on this poor man and asked in a stern voice, “Do you think you are worthy to be my son-in-law and heir?”

The poor man trembled. “Have mercy on me, lord. Forgive my simple clothing, but it is the best that I have. I am not a rich man. I do not intend to insult your majesty or your lovely daughter by my appearance here. It is true that I am not worthy of such a fine woman as your daughter. I cannot give her the fine things that she deserves. My language isn’t as refined as that of a nobleman, and I suppose I appear to you to be vulgar. There is absolutely no reason why you should give me your daughter to be my wife, and I would completely understand if you quickly send me on my way. I can only say that if you choose me by your grace and kindness then I would love your daughter and treasure her and make her know that she is the most valuable thing in the world to me, because she is.

The king looked at this humble man. He had hardly looked up at the king the whole time he was in the great hall. Then the king spoke. “You are right to say that you are not worthy of my daughter. And of all the noble men who have come seeking my daughter’s hand, you are the first to admit that you are not worthy, but they were not worthy either. You were wise to appeal to my grace and kindness because it is by reason of my good grace that I accept your petition to marry my daughter. You are not worthy of my daughter, but I will make you worthy. You will be a good husband to my daughter, a good son-in-law to me, and a good ruler of my kingdom when the time comes. I will see to it myself.”

And this is how it happened that the poor man became the king’s heir. It wasn’t because he was worthy, but because of the king’s kindness and grace.

Who Will Take the Son?

Author Unknown

(The first part of this story was forwarded to me in an e-mail message, and I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to share it with all who get this newsletter. The second part of this story is a brief theological commentary on the story.)

Newsletter Article for April 2001

Commentary © 2001 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Rafael.

They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.” The young man held out his package. “I know this isn’t much. I’m not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.”

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears.

He thanked the young man and offered to pay for the picture. “Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift.”

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings.

Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son.

The auctioneer pounded his gavel. “We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?”

There was silence, then a voice in the back of the room shouted, “We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.”

But the auctioneer persisted, “Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?”

Another voice shouted angrily, “We didn’t come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!”

But still the auctioneer continued, “The son! The son! Who’ll take the son?”

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. “I’ll give $10 for the painting.” Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

“We have $10, who will bid $20?”

“Give it to him for $10. Let’s see the masters.”

“$10 is the bid, won’t someone bid $20?” The crowd was becoming angry. They didn’t want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel.

“Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!”

A man sitting on the second row shouted, “Now let’s get on with the collection!”

The auctioneer laid down his gavel, “I’m sorry, the auction is over.”

“What about the paintings?”

“I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!”

God gave his son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, “The son, the son, who’ll take the son?” Because you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

***********************************

Theological Analysis

by Rev. Paul Wolff

There is much to like in the story above. It is an uplifting story, and it has many things to remind us of Jesus, but as with all parables and analogies, it has its limits. So to better appreciate this wonderful story I would like to take this opportunity to mention a few things that I find useful, and note a couple of things where care and discernment must be used, just as in reading the Bible.

Among the many good points in this story is the main theme that “Whoever has the Son has everything.” This reminds me of the story of Mary and her sister Martha (Luke 10:38-42) where Jesus speaks of the “one thing needful” which is to let Jesus serve us because that is much more important than our serving Jesus. Jesus is the “One thing needed” so whoever has Jesus has everything he or she needs.

Another good image in this story is the riches that come with the painting of the son reminds us of the riches of heaven which God has promised to give us through Jesus.

I also like the part of the story where the son had given his life to save someone else. This reminds us of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us when He died on the cross to save us all from the punishment for our sins.

The reaction of the participants in the auction, and their contempt for the painting of the son reminds us that the world does not care for Jesus, but is only concerned about their own riches and welfare. This brings to mind the passage from John 1:10-13 which describes Jesus in this way, “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

The purchase of the painting by the poor gardener is tricky, but it brings to mind the beatitudes in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This also reminds us that when Jesus preached and taught it was the poor and despised “sinners” who most eagerly responded to His teachings of forgiveness and trust in God for salvation.

But as with all parables it has its limits to its meaning. I suppose that someone could read this story and conceivably think that because the gardener bought the painting that there must be something that we must do to obtain the riches that God has promised. To think that one must make the first move to God goes against what God says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works so that no one can boast.” It will be to that person’s eternal regret who meets Jesus on judgment day and says something to the effect of, “Yo, dude, let me in, I paid my dues, now show me the money.” (see Luke 13:22-30) Jesus is not very likely to respond favorably to that person, especially since Jesus had to suffer and die to pay the price for our salvation. There is nothing left for us to pay, and Jesus gives it to us for free, as a gift.

It is also a little difficult that the gardener who worked for this rich man was so poor that he could only afford $10 for the painting. That may suggest to some that God doesn’t properly reward his people (until the end), or it may lead some to justify the underpayment of church workers. This would be a wrong interpretation of Scripture because I Tim. 5:18 says, “The worker deserves his wages” so we ought to do all we can to pay our pastor and teachers a generous wage. On the other hand, the poverty of the gardener could remind us that God never said that His people would be guaranteed wealth and prosperity in this life, only “daily bread.” Nevertheless, God’s daily bread is generous and sufficient for all our needs, and even more, and God will reward us.

I hope that you continue to find blessings in this story, and will use it to remind yourself to treasure Christ, because “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Lk. 12:34)