Articles
Serving A False God / Whoso Findeth a Wife - part 6
(by Ken Weliever)
Mt Olympus, in ancient Greece, was once regarded as the abode of the Greek gods. The deities believed to have dwelt there were Zeus, the king of the gods; his wife Hera; his brothers Poseidon and Hades; his sisters Demeter and Hestia; and his children, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Athena, Hermes and Hephaestus.
I’m reminded, however, of a quip by D. L. Moody who wrote, “You don’t have to go to heathen lands today to find false gods. America is full of them.”
For some, their god is pleasure. They live to enjoy their fleshly desires gratified. For others it is money. Many worship the golden calf of financial success and monetary gain. And still others bow before the trinity of power, position, and prestige. This god demands a religious devotion and a cult-like control.
Conservative columnist, Cal Thomas, writes about another kind of god in a column pre-dated October 21, 2015. The false god of politics.
“As we continue to be bombarded by the words of politicians promising things they can’t deliver–like free college tuition and free heath care and ‘putting God back in America’–consider this. It’s from Psalm 4: “How long, O men, will you turn My glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?”
“In our day delusions are all around us from the Kardashians to politics. Politics has become a false god, a belief system to its own. Just like the ancient false gods–from Baal to Molelch, to Greek statues and the Roman Emperors–none can deliver. None are real. None are God.”
“We Americans think we are more sophisticated than the ancients, but human nature never changes. The emptiness in every human heart meant to be filled by God Himself is being filled by false gods, including the false god of politics. These can’t deliver either.”
Sadly, Cal Thomas’ words strike a nerve that affects many conservatives, including Christians. I recently heard someone lead a public prayer asking God to touch the hearts of our national leaders to be guided by His Word. Then adding “so that we might be able to reach the lost.”
Really? I thought the power to reach the lost was through the gospel (Romans 1:16)? I’m sure the brother leading the prayer meant well. And no doubt is concerned about the perilous direction of our country. Yet, the success of evangelistic outreach is not dependent upon which political party occupies the White House or is elected to Congress. The answer to what ails America will not be found in newly elected political leaders. Our real problems are spiritual. The root cause is sin. And the answer is Jesus Christ.
I am not opposed to political involvement, supporting a candidate, or voting. All are within our personal prerogative as citizens and Christians. But let’s not make a god out of politics.
Christianity was born and flourished in the Greco-Roman world of Emperor worship and cities filled with pagan gods. The means of “turning the world upside down,” was not overthrowing the emperor or the policies of Rome, but the preaching of Jesus Christ. (Acts 17:5-9).
Political preference and party affiliation should not divide brethren. Nor become a stumbling block to reaching the lost who may hold divergent views. To paraphrase Paul, “All are one in Christ”–whether Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, Green Party or Constitutional Party.
D. L. Moody was right, “Whatever you make most of is your god. Whatever you love more than God is your idol.” Indeed, it is correct to say, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person, and it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ.”
“Choose this day whom you will serve.”
Worth More Than Rubies
“Whoso Findeth a Wife” – Part 6
(by Dene Ward)
We’ve already quoted from Proverbs 31 extensively—the worthy woman, or as the King James reads, the virtuous woman. Maybe it’s worth checking out the meaning of “worthy.” Just what makes this woman so rare and precious, her value “far above rubies”? The word itself has a depth of meaning you might never suspect.
The Hebrew word chayil is used 150 times in the Old Testament. Look at these other words it is often translated by: army, band of men, band of soldiers, company, forces, great forces, host, might, power, strength, substance, valor, war, able, strong, and valiant. Look up these passages where the word is translated by one of those: Judg 21:10; 1 Chron 5:18; 2 Kgs 2:16; 2 Chron 33:14; 1 Sam 9:1; 14:48. Of the 150 available, that is a good representation. Can you find the word in those verses? If you see one that has anything to do with brave, strong men, that’s it: “worthy.”
We tend to think of strength and courage as specifically masculine traits, and yes, men may have the monopoly on brute strength, but look through Proverbs 31. Not only does this woman have the strength to survive long, busy days, one after the other with no end in sight, but she has the inner strength to survive life! “Hothouse flowers” who “have the vapors” are not who God had in mind when He created woman.
A woman should have the strength to stand by a man through thick and thin, “in sickness and in health, for better or for worse” and all the other things she promised all those years ago, to manage her household (1 Tim 5:14), to teach her children, to help the needy, to serve the saints, and to stand against the wiles of the Devil, and to quench all the fiery darts of the Evil One, Eph 6:11,16.
By using this word “worthy” in Proverbs 31, both at the beginning of the passage, v 10, and at the end, v 29, God is surely telling us that He expects His women to be strong, inside and out. She won’t wilt when times get rough, when one trial after the other besets her soul.
She won’t leave when the money is so scarce she can’t go shopping, when all the appliances break down at once and she can’t afford new ones. She might even have to put her hands in dishwater and scrub, or hang clothes on a clothesline in the winter, but she will do whatever is necessary, when it is necessary. She doesn’t have to have a certain brand, a certain level of living, a certain status among her peers or “my life is ruined.”
She won’t go to pieces when the schedule is full and time is short, when there is a deadline to meet and being late is not an option.
She will stand by a man, even when he makes mistakes that he has to pay for with shame and humility, forgiving and comforting as only someone intimately close can.
When tragedy strikes, she may cry, but she won’t disintegrate. She may grieve, but she won’t become bitter. She may bend over in sorrow, but she won’t break in defeat. In whatever life brings her, she plays the hand she was dealt and comes away a winner.
Ladies, God says there is strength and courage in femininity—don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
“A worthy [strong, valiant] woman, who can find? Her price is far above rubies; she girds her loins with strength, and makes her arms strong. Strength and dignity are her clothing and she laughs at the time to come. Many daughters have done valiantly but you excel them all. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.” (Proverbs 31:10,17,25,29,31)
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