When Push Comes to Shove
Scripture: Mark 6:19-20
"John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But without Herod’s approval she was powerless, 20 for Herod respected John; and knowing that he was a good and holy man, he protected him. Herod was greatly disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so, he liked to listen to him."
Observations:
The stories of Jesus' life often include many examples of people who responded to the truth as well as those who didn't. King Herod was a powerful leader who was openly confronted with his adulterous affair by a prophet named John the Baptist whom Herod respected as a "good and holy man" because deep down he knew John spoke the truth of God. What's strange is that when he was confronted by John with the truth of God's Word, Herod was "greatly disturbed" on the inside but just not to the point that he was ready to make any changes. He knew what he was doing was wrong and he even knew what he should do about it, but instead he chose to bend to the pressures formed by the voices all around him and stay neutral about his sin. You'd expect that the last thing a powerful ruler would want to do would be to take time out of his schedule on a regular basis and invite John the Baptist over just to have him point out his sin and tell him to turn it over to God. Nevertheless, in the end, when push came to shove, it finally became clear where Herod's true loyalties were- with Himself. Even though He regretted having John killed simply to appease his birthday guests and save his reputation, his choices eventually revealed an unrepentant heart. Because Herod failed to evaluate his relationship to God's Word in response to the truth he had heard, his life became an example of the danger of forfeiting God's grace.
Application:
Jesus once said that although from the outside it looks the same, there's a huge difference between hearing God's Word and actually doing what it says (Matthew 7:24-28). How is it that every week people across the country flock to a building on Sunday mornings to "worship" God and "hear" God's Word and somehow leave challenged, even rebuked, but often unchanged. The question of the day is, "Why?" Why would people bother getting out of bed and go out of their way to have someone confront them with truth? It seems like there's something in human nature that deep down knows and agrees with the truth yet at the same time opposes any authority (especially God's) over our lives other than our own. Like Herod, it's easy to know what's right and even convince ourselves that we're really ok because we still feel convicted when we God's truth. But like a good parent, God doesn't talk just to hear Himself talk; nor is He satisfied just because we took the time to hear what He has to say unless it is followed by the coresponding action. It never hurts to ask ourselves on a regular basis, "am I just going through the motions or am I actually doing what God's Word tells me to do?"
Prayer:
Father, investigate our lives today against the standard of Your truth and point us towards obedience. Show us the ways we have avoided facing the searchlight of Your Spirit and help us not to shy away from the grace of Your conviction. We choose to take action today and ask for personal transformation to become the foundation of relationship with You today. Amen.
"John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But without Herod’s approval she was powerless, 20 for Herod respected John; and knowing that he was a good and holy man, he protected him. Herod was greatly disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so, he liked to listen to him."
Observations:
The stories of Jesus' life often include many examples of people who responded to the truth as well as those who didn't. King Herod was a powerful leader who was openly confronted with his adulterous affair by a prophet named John the Baptist whom Herod respected as a "good and holy man" because deep down he knew John spoke the truth of God. What's strange is that when he was confronted by John with the truth of God's Word, Herod was "greatly disturbed" on the inside but just not to the point that he was ready to make any changes. He knew what he was doing was wrong and he even knew what he should do about it, but instead he chose to bend to the pressures formed by the voices all around him and stay neutral about his sin. You'd expect that the last thing a powerful ruler would want to do would be to take time out of his schedule on a regular basis and invite John the Baptist over just to have him point out his sin and tell him to turn it over to God. Nevertheless, in the end, when push came to shove, it finally became clear where Herod's true loyalties were- with Himself. Even though He regretted having John killed simply to appease his birthday guests and save his reputation, his choices eventually revealed an unrepentant heart. Because Herod failed to evaluate his relationship to God's Word in response to the truth he had heard, his life became an example of the danger of forfeiting God's grace.
Application:
Jesus once said that although from the outside it looks the same, there's a huge difference between hearing God's Word and actually doing what it says (Matthew 7:24-28). How is it that every week people across the country flock to a building on Sunday mornings to "worship" God and "hear" God's Word and somehow leave challenged, even rebuked, but often unchanged. The question of the day is, "Why?" Why would people bother getting out of bed and go out of their way to have someone confront them with truth? It seems like there's something in human nature that deep down knows and agrees with the truth yet at the same time opposes any authority (especially God's) over our lives other than our own. Like Herod, it's easy to know what's right and even convince ourselves that we're really ok because we still feel convicted when we God's truth. But like a good parent, God doesn't talk just to hear Himself talk; nor is He satisfied just because we took the time to hear what He has to say unless it is followed by the coresponding action. It never hurts to ask ourselves on a regular basis, "am I just going through the motions or am I actually doing what God's Word tells me to do?"
Prayer:
Father, investigate our lives today against the standard of Your truth and point us towards obedience. Show us the ways we have avoided facing the searchlight of Your Spirit and help us not to shy away from the grace of Your conviction. We choose to take action today and ask for personal transformation to become the foundation of relationship with You today. Amen.
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