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Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word
Before we begin, only if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life) John 3:16, John 6:47 as a few examples; it is very important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so the Holy Spirit can teach you as to what your reading or hearing is true or false. To be taught by the Holy Spirit you must be filled with the Holy Spirit which means abiding in Christ. To place yourself in fellowship with God the Holy Spirit [also called abiding in the Christ], take a moment to simply name, cite or acknowledge [confess] your known unconfessed sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father). Why? Because you cannot grow spiritually if you’re not abiding in Christ [in fellowship with Him] when you take in bible truth.
1 John 1:9, says: “If we confess [meaning to simply name, cite or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known unconfessed sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all unknown and forgotten sins];” NKJV (New King James Version); we call this REBOUND; read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. Left click the following link to learn more and fully understand the doctrine of Rebound; which answers the question, why do I need to keep confessing my sins all the time? REBOUND
If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to simply exercise faith alone in Jesus Christ alone eternal life; when you do, you will instantly receive Eternal Life: John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 20:30, 31.
John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life." NKJV
Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.
John 3:14-15, 16, 17, 18, says: "14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV
Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:
Study to show yourself approved to God!
Grace Bible Church
Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
STUDY TITLE:
Weekly Bible Study – December 27, 2021; Let God’s Word Put You Together, And God Will Put Your Life Together
Grace Bible Church
Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
STUDY TITLE:
Let God’s Word Put You Together, And God Will Put Your Life Together
In these lessons Pastor looks at:
– Defense Mechanism # 22
– Seeking happiness in sex, love, or romance with the wrong man or woman
– Satan and the human race seek many substitutes and corruptions
– Avoiding the pitfalls and allurements of the wrong man/woman
– God’s timing vs. man’s timing
– Put yourself together and God will put your life together
– Spiritual gifts and team dynamics (members of the body)
I. God’s Plan vs Man’s Perversions and Substitutes
We start off with Solomon’s description of his own and mankind’s failure in Ecc 7:19 (corrected):
Ecc 7:29 “Behold, I have found only this, that God has made mankind upright [the human race] but man has sought out many devices.
The word “upright” is the Qal imperative of the verb ‘jashar’ which has the following meanings, upright, just, righteous and right. Now, there’s only one of these definitions which can accurately fit into our translation correctly….let me show you what I mean!
If the word for man means the human race, man and woman, then the following translation is untrue:
Ecc 7:29
“Behold, I have found only this, that God has made mankind upright, but they have sought out many devices.”
That’s not true, you and I were not made upright, we were born in sin. We know that man and woman have not been made righteous and just and upright by God because we are told that man is born in sin and has a sin nature.
However, God making one man and one woman right for each other, or “right man/right woman” is a doctrine taught throughout the Bible and therefore it fits under the principle of categorical doctrine.
Psa 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
Psa 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.
Principle: The verb “sought” is the piel perfect of ‘baqash’ which is ‘iqshuw’ which means to seek diligently or persistently.
Humanity has always sought to pervert and misuse the gifts which God has given us according to our sin nature and its diverse lusts. The Devil is more than happy to aid in this!
II. Put the man/woman together and God will put the life together
We studied last time the story of the boy and the tired father. He was too exhausted to play with the boy, so he gave him a project that he thought would take a long time and he could slip away to bed. But the boy was clever and came back in a few minutes! The father gave the boy a picture of the earth from space and cut it up into many pieces, asking the boy to put it back together. Now, the boy looked on the back of the pieces and say a picture of a man’s face. This he could put together much more easily than the earth, so he did. He put the man together and the world came together with him! This illustrates our principle. All we have to do is stick to the plan and make ourselves available. When we get ourselves together according to His will, plan, and purpose for our lives, executing the PPOG, God will handle the rest. It will come together bit by bit while we advance spiritually and develop the capacity to handle the blessings and responsibilities.
This goes equal for men and for women!
Let’s look at 1Tim 2:9-10 Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments; but rather let her beauty be by means of good works, as befits women making a claim to godliness.
The more Bible doctrine that a woman has in her soul, the more beautiful she becomes from the divine viewpoint. In fact, there is no such thing as true beauty in the woman apart from her having Bible doctrine in the soul. The spiritually mature woman always possesses inner beauty, and that compensates for any lack of physical beauty. Overt grooming only complements the inner beauty. Overt beauty without Bible doctrine becomes a facade for ugliness in the soul. Therefore, overt beauty is meaningless without inner beauty.
The women in Solomon’s Harem did not have the inner beauty created by Bible doctrine, and because of this, they influenced his soul to turn away from doctrine and to turn toward bitterness. Solomon had a lot of sex with women who did not have divine viewpoint or doctrine resident in the soul. Solomon found out the hard way that women without divine viewpoint are petty, implacable, vindictive, and vicious with their tongues. In contrast, a woman with divine viewpoint has great inner beauty.
1Pe 3:1-7 In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. And let not you be merely external braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands. In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives,You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
The word adorn means to decorate, to adorn, to make beautiful, and to make attractive. But, and ladies there is no extra charge for this is, the woman with divine viewpoint who knows how to properly adorn herself with the use of cosmetics can make herself beautiful. You may have gone around looking like old Raggedy Ann before you were saved, or like a permanent resident of the hippie generation, but your days of sloppiness are over, once you accept and apply the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
This means that the female should be dressed as tastefully as possible.
The active voice of the verb ‘kosmeo’ implies that when women wake up in the morning they can be naturally beautiful, so you must make yourself beautiful. The infinitive of purpose means that the purpose of adorning yourself is to make yourself beautiful and attractive and to reflect the divine viewpoint you have within. Kosmeo means that if you have a feature that is not very attractive, cover it, and if you have a feature that is attractive, emphasize it.
This verse also tells us that all Christian women have the potential to be beautiful; however, because of carnality and wickedness, the modern emphasis is placed on overt beauty gimmicks and so-called sex appeal. Any man with half a brain would not be a sucker for that, yet that is what Solomon sought. Clothes do not make the woman; the woman’s inner beauty makes the clothes.
You’ll never see a woman with divine viewpoint who doesn’t know how to clothe her body in the proper way. In fact, there is a relationship between a sloppy spiritual life and a sloppy appearing woman. And since the woman is commanded to make herself beautiful, it immediately dismisses the fact that women are born beautiful. No one is born spiritually beautiful because no one is born with doctrine resident in the soul. We are born in carnality! Parents might be wild about their baby, but that is just emotional appreciation. A beautiful woman must think divine viewpoint to be beautiful. The upside is that with doctrine in the soul, every woman is beautiful – to God and to her right man.
From time to time advertisements on television and in magazines will propagandize you, ladies, telling you what men like. But you must remember, it is not what men like that counts, it’s what the right man likes that counts. And if you don’t have a right man now, when the right one that God has for you comes around, he’s going to like the way that you are. So, be careful how you try to improve the situation; be sure that your beauty improvements are from divine viewpoint and not cosmic opinion. Paul says that same thing in 1Tim 2, that the woman’s adornment be not merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.
So, these passages teach that the exterior is useless without the interior of divine viewpoint. Even if Solomon did have his right woman in his Harem that still means that he had over a thousand in his life who were the wrong women in his life! In fact, even if he did have his right woman right in front of him, he wouldn’t have had the ability to recognize her. Remember that this is a man who is writing under the ministry of the Holy Spirit near the end of his life. Ecclesiastes was written when Solomon was old and disillusioned about life. He was very miserable and very bitter.
Anyone who reads the great prayer of Solomon when he was dedicating the temple, or some of the great statements he made in his youth when he first became king, would have to recognize that he was a spiritual giant at that time. Unfortunately, prosperity was too much for him. He failed the prosperity test.
Before Bathsheba, David had many wives and concubines and his love life was categorized as ritual without reality: sex without love. David only became free from his sexual arrogance and polygamy once he married his right woman, Bathsheba. Once he and Bathsheba finally got married, he remained faithful to her the rest of his life, and it made a great deal of difference with regard to their children. In fact, David was a lousy father until he married Bathsheba, and he finally settled down and took care of his children.
It’s not only men who are stupid when it comes to women. The Bible also teaches that women are stupid about men. The fact that so many women fell for Solomon illustrates female stupidity when it comes to the male. Let’s continue to look closely at the more of the original language of Ecc 7:26: “And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her.”
The word “heart” is out of place and this throws everything off. The original word order is “haa’ishaah [the woman] asher-hiy’ [who is] matsowdiym [a trap]” so it should be translated “the woman who is a trap.”
Keep in mind that Solomon is speaking from bitterness. Many of you, men, would never regard a woman as a trap. In fact, a few of you would love for a woman to track you down and trap you! However, that’s not what we have here.
When a man finds his right woman, he realizes that she is a grace gift from God and not a trap, as in Prov 18:22 “He who finds ishaah finds a good thing, And obtains grace from the Lord.”
Notice that this verse doesn’t say he who finds a wife finds a good thing, it says he who finds his ishaah or his right woman, finds a good thing and obtains grace from the Lord.
The corrected translation of Ecc 7:26 so far should read, “And I kept on discovering more bitter than death the woman who is a trap.”
Next, we have the phrase ‘wacharaamiym libaah’, which is correctly translated “her heart [or right lobe] is snares or nets.” All these women wanted to be number one with Solomon, and so you can imagine the tremendous plots and schemes that must have developed. A thousand women in his household and they all wanted first place, that’s only natural. However, when you have a thousand women under one roof and they’re all battling for first place; well, there isn’t going to be any peace at home.
Ecc 7:26 “And I kept on discovering more bitter than death the woman who is a trap, and whose heart [right lobe] has snares and nets” [corrected translation].
This doesn’t mean that all women are crafty; it just means that when a thousand women are under one roof and they all want to be number one, they start to do a little manipulating which is called here “snares and nets”.
Remember that the body of the woman was originally constructed or built by the Lord Jesus Christ as a grace gift to the man; and therefore, it is legitimate beauty. However, when the woman uses her body to trap a man, then it is out of the realm of its original design. Add to this a smart woman who doesn’t depend upon her beauty alone, but has enough brains to use her personality as a trap as well. Others are simply clever, and know how to make a man feel important or wanted by appealing to his ego. Male ego makes all men a sucker for this until they have enough doctrine in the soul and spiritual self-esteem. All these things, and many more, that were designed by God to make a woman beautiful, become evil when they are used by the woman to trap a man. However (and never forget this men!), the more nets that are thrown over you, the more helpless you become.
The more affairs a man has with women, the more he is entangled and ensnared in a trap from the female species. According to Prov 5:22 “A man’s own perversions will trap him, And he will be bound with chains to the feminine idol” (corrected translation).
Each wrong act of sex becomes another link on the chain or thread on the rope binding the man to the idol called sex, which is an idol that can never satisfy. Eventually, this idol worship destroys the possibility of a wonderful relationship between a right man and a right woman. However, if this has happened to you, there is a healing process that can take place in your soul, so that you can recover the ability to recognize the man or woman God has designed for you. But that healing process is going to take lots and lots of positive volition toward doctrine, which corrects your thinking.
Psa 107:20 “He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.”
Jer 30:17 “For I will restore you to health And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the Lord.”
Prov 3:8 “Doctrine will be healing to your body, And refreshment to your bones” (corrected translation).
So, every woman is not a trap, but women in general who are promiscuous and who fornicate with a man, become a trap to him. A lot of women become man-crazy and throw their nets over the one they are hunting. Although women generally lack discernment about men, they do know how to ensnare a man when they want to. This is what happened to Solomon after he had heard (and did not apply) the proper doctrines that would have saved him from these traps, which can be found in Prov chapters 2, 5, 6, and 7. This is a very serious warning to all of us. You can hear the doctrine, and believe that it is true, but if you don’t apply it, it is absolutely useless.
Prov 6:20-26. “My son [David is speaking to Solomon], observe the commandment of your father, And do not forsake the teaching of your mother; Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck. When you walk about, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you. For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life, To keep you from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the adulteress. Do not desire her beauty in your heart, nor let her catch you with her eyelids. For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, And an adulteress hunts for the precious life.
The wrong woman can fake a man right into the grave. He will go away thinking that she is absolutely wild about him when actually she thinks he’s a nuisance. She’ll use words to actually make a man feel that he’s the greatest thing in the world when she can’t stand him and can’t wait to get rid of him. This describes the wrong woman who is male oriented but not grace oriented.
All men have the potential of falling into her trap. The Hebrew word for snares in Ecc 7:26 is
mat-sow-diym, which means to be under a curse or to have destructive allurements. Every wrong woman in your life has destructive allurements. They may be beautiful, attractive, and scintillating, but these allurements are destructive and not constructive, and the man who falls for them will become a prisoner.
The next phrase, whose hands are chains, is the phrase a-cu-wri-ym — ja-ad-ey-ha-a, which means her hands are used for the art of caressing. That’s about the nicest way that this phrase can be defined. In Solomon’s case, they all wanted to hang on to him and not let go of him. Each woman probably wanted Solomon to get rid of the rest of the Harem so she could have him to herself. The right lobe or the heart has snares or destructive allurements, which is the soulish way that the woman traps a man into bed.
Look at Prov 7:24-25 Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, And pay attention to the words of my mouth. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths. For many are the victims she has cast down, And numerous are all her slain. Her house is the way to Sheol, Descending to the chambers of death.
Solomon could never say that no one ever told him that’s the way women are. The next phrase in
Ecc 7:26 says, “One who is pleasing to God will escape from her,” and is translated correctly.
The only word which needs correction is the word “escape”, which is the Hebrew verb ‘jim-a-a-leet’, which means to be delivered, or to be released or rescued. This is an awesome thought for the men. No matter how smart you are, there is always one who can hook you or trap you, and only God can deliver you.
How does God deliver? He does so through Bible doctrine in the right lobe of the soul. Bible doctrine in the soul counters the destructive allurements in the right lobe of the wrong woman. It is Bible doctrine in the soul that protects both the man and the woman when they’re frustrated and about to stop waiting for the right one that God has designed.
The word for sinner in Ecc 7:26 is the qal active participle of chata meaning one who misses the mark, one who stumbles, one who falls, one who is seduced, or one who suffers loss of something. Here it is used to describe the reversionistic believer. Solomon was such a reversionistic believer; and therefore, taken in by inconsequential women.
The phrase “will be captured” is the niphil imperfect of ‘la-kad-h’ meaning to be captured, to be caught, or to be trapped. So the entire verse looks like this: Ecc 7:26, “And I kept on discovering more bitter than death the woman who is a trap, and whose right lobe has destructive allurements and her hands are chains.
One who is pleasing to God will be delivered from her, but the reversionistic carnal believer will be captured by her.”
Solomon was raised up in doctrine, he received the best spiritual and practical education a kid could get. He received the timeless wisdom of the Word of God. And he did live in it, for a time, and was a mature believer. But at some point he departed from it, he rejected it. He probably became too familiar and he began to become bored in life. He failed the prosperity test. Thus, since he lost his +H [happiness of God], he began seeking stimulation through pseudo-happiness like any unbeliever or carnal/reversionistic believer. This can happen to any one of us at any time should we get too familiar or cocky and begin to get complacent. If you aren’t moving forward with the spiritual life, you are moving BACKWARD. You can sit in Bible class night after night and take in the Word of God consistently, and in about two or three months you can revert right back to the way you used to think and the way things used to be.
We are warned of this throughout the scriptures; Isa 29:24 “And those who err in mind will know the truth, And those who criticize will accept instruction.”
Isa 30:1-3 “Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the Lord, “Who execute a plan, but not Mine, And make an alliance, but not of My Spirit. Who proceed down to Egypt, Without consulting Me, To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh, And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore, the safety of Pharaoh will be your shame, And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.
2Pe 2:22 “It has happened to them according to the true proverb, A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”
In Ecc 7, in his recovery from reversionism, Solomon recalls doctrines, restoring to his soul the truths that he had previously rejected.
His life was almost over, but there are countless generations of people after him who might profit by these things. Solomon’s father, David, also failed in the field of right man, right woman. His failures were numerous. He married many wrong women, and also had affairs with many others, until finally he married his right woman, Bathsheba. David should have just waited for the timing of God, rather than having her seized and then forcing himself upon her. But even though he tried to do it on his own, God still gave Bathsheba to David. David finally wound up with his right woman. He recovered from his own reversionism, and became a fantastic believer.
1Ki 11:1 says, “Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women.”
Solomon had tried all different kinds of women, and God had warned Solomon about making this mistake: 1Ki 11:2 from the nations of which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, “You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you; they will certainly turn your heart away to follow their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.
God had also set rules for all kings in Deut 17:17 “Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.
Both David and Solomon failed to heed this rule. Like father, like son!
1Ki 11:3 “And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away [this is the second time reversionism is referred to by the phrase ‘turn your heart away’].”
Reversionism is not turning your body away from the plan of God and Bible doctrine but turning your heart or right lobe away. Every Sunday, churches are filled with individuals who have fallen away from the Lord in their heart, although they are in attendance physically, but it is the heart that God is after!
It is written in Prov 23:26, “Give me your heart, my son, And let your eyes delight in my ways.”
1Ki 11:4 “For it came about when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods [notice that this is the third time reversionism is mentioned, when he was young verse 3, when he was old verse 4]; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.”
Having a heart devoted to God does not mean sinless perfection. It simply means that in spite of any failures or sins, you continue to go forward in the plan of God and not let these things stop you (Php 3:13). That is key! This passage says that Solomon’s heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
The scriptures testify to David’s devotion to the Lord, (1Ki 4:7-8, 1Ki 15:5, Acts 13:22)
We have noted recently the many failings of David, including “Operation Bathsheba,” polygamy forbidden in Deut 17:17, the census, faking insanity, etc. This my friends, is the story of the man who the Bible says “kept all of God’s commands” and followed God with all his heart to do only that which was right in God’s sight. He who never turned aside from anything that God commanded him all the days of his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite, and did all of God’s will.”
What does this reveal to all of us? God did not expect Solomon to be perfect; however, he did expect him to have a heart devoted to God. The same principle applies to all of us as believers. Rebound per 1Jn 1:9 is designed by God as a provision which enables us to do this. Like all God’s provisions, we must recognize them and use them!
Sadly, Solomon became bitter from his philandering and making a house of merchandise of his bodily temple. Because he turned his heart away from God, he fell into the trap of idolatry through his many heathen wives 1Ki 11:5-9.
III. The Timing of Man vs The Timing of God.
Solomon “seared his conscience,” which means he damaged it, made it insensitive through scar tissue via negative volition, making him unable to recognize his right woman or love her.
Ecc 7:28 “Which I am still seeking but have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all these.”
Every one of us have had the experience when our conscience has become insensitive and apathetic towards the things of God if we do not watch out for certain sins of omission and have become familiar with God’s calling upon our life. Even believers who have a lot doctrine can become too familiar with God’s calling upon their life. Indifference, apathy, carelessness disinterest, passiveness, negligence, these are all enemies of the spiritual life and a contradiction to the calling of upon your life (Jn 15:16). This is what David found out in 2Sa 11 with his relationship with Bathsheba.
First of all, let’s note that God has assigned to you a number of days to live on this earth according to Psa 90:12; 31:15.
We are not given years or months to live but according to the Bible, days to live!
Psa 90:12 says “Teach us to number our days, That we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom.”
In Psa 31:15, David said, “My times are in Thy hand.”
Now, God has given us an assignment which is a certain amount of time to do certain things in our life. Now, Ecc 3:1-8 teaches the general principle about timing. Let’s listen to Solomon the philosopher!
“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven A time to give birth, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear down, and a time to build up. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing. A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; A time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace.”
Do you realize that one of the most fascinating subjects in life is this word “time”!
It’s amazing, we all have the same amount whether we are absolutely without a dime or whether we happen to be the richest person on earth. Time is an integral and unavoidable part of all our lives. And yet, we all only have so much of it. God has ordained a set number of days for us to live and serve Him (or refuse to) while on the earth.
1Sam 43:7 says “Everyone who is called by My name, I have created for My glory, Those whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”
Rev 4:11 says “Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created.”
God gives you a certain amount of time that you might use it for His glory! Nothing is ever carried over so that you might credit it to the next day! This is why the mature believer regards every day alike, Rom 14:5-6. Every day we live is a gracious gift from God.
Ecc 3:1 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven
Now, although we believe in divine timing and that there is a time ordained by God for us to function in these areas, when Solomon writes this, he is not viewing it from divine viewpoint. Everyday we live is a gracious gift from God and it should be a day that we have time set aside for our relationship with Him.
Rom 14:5 One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord.
Remember that the only time we possess to honor God in this life is the number of days He provides for us in the Christian life, Psa 90:12; JAM 4:13 15.
James reminds us how frail our life really is in Jm 4:14 “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”
And the fact that the believer lives another day is a sign of divine grace and the faithfulness of God, Lam 3:22-23 23, “The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness.”
This is why it is important to learn Bible doctrine every day as Mat 4:4 teaches.
Remember what Job said in Job 23:12 “I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.”
“Treasured” is the verb ‘tsaphan’ which means to esteem; to admire, appreciate, respect, and even worship.
whose word I praise, in the Lord, Whose Word I praise,
The Bible says that if we do not use our time effectively by taking in and applying God’s word daily we can actually lose time (Psa 102:23). In Eph 5:16 17 we have “Constantly buying time, because the days are evil. [you purchase time with doctrine, doctrine is the capital needed to but time] Because of this, stop being ignorant, but completely understand the will [purpose] of the Lord.”
Rom 12:2 says “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renovation of your mind [epistemological rehabilitation through PMA of Bible doctrine] so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Time is irretrievable, you can never get back what you have wasted!
Now, God’s timing is perfect and if you are in fellowship with Him, you will have peace of mind with everything you do. Every time you use your environment as an excuse for your bad habits or your bad decisions, you are so far out of line that you are disoriented to life. All your bad habits and bad timing can only be corrected by believing in Christ and then taking in His word on a consistent basis.
Ecc 3:2 says there’s A time to give birth, and a time to die;
Just like we had no control over our birth, we also have no control over our death! The point is that when we are born and when we die is a matter of the sovereignty of God or God’s judgment. We are all on God’s timetable regarding when we are born and when we die, and we will die in the manner and at the time that God selects. Since God cannot be wrong, there is no reason to have anxiety or resentment over this or any excuse to disagree with His timing!
For the Church-age believer, timing is a matter of adjusting to and synchronizing with the PPOG. Every time we make a decision that is contrary to some principle found in the word of God, contrary to the mechanics of the PPOG, then we are out of sync with God’s plan. So every detail of life is involved in timing, such as being in the right place at the right time. In God’s plan for your life, bad timing is a matter of being out of fellowship, falling apart when under pressure, being out of the will of God, having the wrong priorities, making the wrong decisions, and all of this because of ignorance or rejection of the plan of God. Most importantly, bad timing is lost opportunity under the equal privilege and equal opportunity of God’s plan
Now, in Ecc 3:3 there’s A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build up.
The Hebrew verb for kill is ‘harag’ which means to kill the enemy in battle or to execute the criminal which David had ignored. In the laws of divine establishment, capital punishment is the way that crime is controlled. In fact, as a result of following this principle, the Jews didn’t even need jails. So a “time to kill” refers not only to capital punishment for criminals, but also to the fact that when you serve your country in the military, you should kill the enemy, for that is your job.
The verb “to heal” is ‘rapha’ which means to heal; to bind up wounds, to heal medically, physically, to restore life; to save life; to mend or repair; reconcile. “Tear down” is the Hebrew ‘paratz’ which means to demolish, or to break away. There’s a time when we must have things in our life completely removed. There’s a time when we need to break away form others. And then there’s a time to build up.
The Hebrew ‘banah’ is used for construction of something wonderful, something great, it can also mean to repair something.
Now, in 2SA 11, David should have been celebrating the time for war but he was not, he was celebrating the time for peace when he should have been thanking the Lord on the battlefield for victory and not the issue which is war. Why would David want to stay in a tent in the open field, outside of Rabbah, if he can stay in his own bed, in his own palace, inside Jerusalem? David is starting to become like Saul, in that he is willing to let others go out and fight his battles for him. A lot of believers are willing to let others go out and fight the battles rather than become part of the team that God has placed them on or someone who use to stand in the gap. As we will note their conscience is becoming hardened to the things of God.
Another problem with David is that David is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is in Jerusalem when he should be at Rabbah. God has a place for all of you and you need to be in that place or else eventually, your conscience will become hard. Because he is out of sync he ends up going his own way and causing himself and others to suffer greatly. Not only that but because his conscience is becoming hardened, he now uses his position and power, to take another man’s wife.
2Sa 11:2-3 Now at evening time David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house [where he should not have been in the first place], and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. So David sent servants and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
And the verb ‘to take’ is a Qal imperfect which means that he sent for her more than once. He was bored and out of God’s plan, so his lust pattern takes over.
David knew Uriah. In 2Sa 23:39, Uriah the Hittite is named as one of David’s mighty men. He was known for his bravery and courage as a soldier and his faithfulness and loyalty to David. However, do you see how gross a person becomes when the conscience becomes defiled? He is indifferent toward others.
As Tit 1:15 says, To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
However, what I wanted to reveal this evening is that David committed sin by his adultery with Bathsheba and later by the murder of her husband, but these sins were borne out of David’s omissions which came to pass when he stayed home rather than go to war.
IV. “Teamwork Makes The Dream Work”
Each of us when we are born again and saved are given gifts for use in a role that was designed for us in eternity past by God. We are part of a team, and when we are out of sync and doing our own thing, out position on the field is empty. The rest of the team have to try to cover, but only you can live your own spiritual life. No one can live it for you.
For example, 1Pe 4:10 commands every single one of you as members of the team that God has placed you on as each one has received a special gift.
1Pe 4:8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
1Pe 4:10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Notice it is called a special gift and that is a part of our study which refers to an extraordinary power distinguishing certain Christians and enabling them to serve the church of Christ. This is what happens when the power of the Spirit operates in our lives from Bible doctrine and the filling of the Spirit.
The team depends upon you to employ your gift by serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
We also note a passage in Eph 4:8, which says, And He gave gifts to men.”
EPH 4:8 Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.
Gifts is the noun domata which means more than that, it means a present. A present that the majority of believers do not care to unwrap as it were. This is why we are commanded in 1Tim 4:14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you.
Also in 1Co 12:7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
1Co 12:12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. Meaning we all play different positions on the team.
1Co 12:14-16 For the body or the team is not one member, but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.
Your spiritual gift is just as important to the team as the next persons because all the gifts are beneficial to the team. Are you on the team? Do you know your position? Do you know the schedule? Or are you riding the bench, or skipping practice because you have more important things to do?
All of these spiritual gifts are designed to support each other. We work as a team. The team can’t work at optimum capacity when even one of it’s positions are vacant. An engine can’t run right if even one hose is lose or one spark plug is dead. Soon enough it will stall out. Every part is important. You have to remember, Satan knows this, even if you do not know it and that is that Satan attacks the team.
1Co 12:22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;
This verse is a warning to all team members to avoid judging other team members with different spiritual gifts, often-invisible spiritual gifts. Not all spiritual gifts are obvious so before you begin to judge someone because you do not think that they are operating in their spiritual gift, remember team members have different spiritual gifts, and often-invisible gifts.
Now, David was busy trying to cover up the pregnancy. He was scheming. He wanted to save face. HE is trying to get Uriah to go home and sleep with his wife so that he will think the baby is his own. But Uriah is an honorable man, and is not keen on cooling his heels while his fellow soldiers are on the front lines, unlike our King.
2Sa 11:13-15 Now David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his lord’s servants, but he did not go down to his house. Now it came about in the morning that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he had written in the letter, saying, “Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die.”
So, David was willing even to arrange to have him killed in battle to cover his sin, instead of naming and citing it to the Lord and accepting the consequences. But we see here a problem. There is a conflict between the members of the team, and when that happens, than of course the team begins to hurt and fall apart. So, we have those members of the body who seem to be more feeble. We’re not talking about them being more feeble but seeming to be more feeble.
So, in 1Co 12:22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; They’re necessary, they seem to be weaker, but they’re really not,
Note the word “seem” in verse 22, this is a present active participle from the verb ‘dokeo’, a very unusual word because it refers to a subjective and critical system of thinking about someone else, hence a subjective or judging opinion, without facts, only prejudice. It’s not our business what others’ gifts are. There are always invisible gifts and people working behind the scenes. It is really the Holy Spirit who does the work, so we should not ever put Him in a box or expect to see His workings.
By the way a team member doesn’t just go through the motions, a team member fulfills Col 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
As well as Ecc 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do {it} with all your might;
The proper function of the team demands humility and impersonal love, as well as grace-orientation. This means not only toward those in authority over you but also those you may have authority over. There is a principle called in the Army, “loyalty down, loyalty up.” Remember, every part of the engine is vital. Having authority does not imply superiority. This is why humility is vital; without it you will get caught in inordinate competition and jealousy/resentments of those over you and look down on and mistreat those under you.
Now the whole system broke down in David’s case because he did. He did not follow the protocol, the honor code. He did not heed Gal 6:7.
The four results of Divine Discipline for David’s sin:
1. Nathan said the sword would never depart from David’s house (2Sa 12:10).
Fulfilled in the successive violent deaths of at least three of his sons—Amnon (2Sa 13:29), Absalom (2Sa 18:14), and Adonijah (1KIi 2:25).
2. Nathan also prophesied to David that his own wives would be humiliated before all Israel
(2Sa 12:11).
This was fulfilled when Absalom “lay with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel”
(2Sa 16:22).
3. Nathan pronounced the fatal end of the son conceived by David’s sin with Bathsheba (2Sa 12:14), fulfilled seven days after Nathan’s judgment sentence in 2Sa 12:18.
4. David failed as a father with Absalom and others.
Acts 13:22 “And after He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.”
The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.
