Stones and Glass Houses
Most of us are familiar with the old adage:
People who live in glass houses shouldnt throw stones.
This is actually a warning against hypocrisy. Before you go accusing someone of some wrong doing, make sure that you too are not guilty of wrong doing because your accusation could come back and get you.
Let him who is without sin throw the first stone. John 8:7 NIV
Some people just hate to see others doing good or enjoying success and recognition. Lets face it people can be pretty petty about criticism and can get all bent out of shape when they see someone doing something for all the right reasons especially if it took a significant effort to accomplish the good thing they are setting out to do.
This is often the case with the un-churched world around us. The un-saved man and woman seem to have a bee up their bonnet when it comes to evaluating the life and actions of a Christian in todays world. This same attitude sometimes rears its ugly head in the church as well with Christians criticizing fellow Christians wrongly.
If you are like me you may be the kind of person who takes a measure of Pride in your Christian character. If that is true than like me you also need to be humbled from time to time and brought back to your center which should be Jesus Christ.
You see I have not developed my Christian character by myself, it is Christ living in me that has changed me into the person I am today so I can not take any credit for the change even though I may like the results. I may really like that I am more patient, or kinder or gentler or more thoughtful of others but that is not my doing that is Christ living in me and changing me to His likeness. 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV
9But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christs power may rest on me.
The world might call this kind of change Self Improvement and millions of books have been written to advance this idea. For the Christian it is not self improvement it is the battle with self. It is recognizing that I am a sinner and in need of a Saviour it is understanding that I am not just failing to reach my potential as a person but I am failing to love and honor my creator and my God with what amounts to the standard of character expected and that is a Christ like character. So we all have a way to go before we attain that Christ-likeness our Heavenly Father loves to see lived out in our lives.
Philippians 3:10 NIV I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
All along the way though people see the good you do and the life you live and sometimes it gets their water to boil. They are uncomfortable around you for being that sweet, kind, loving Christian you often try to be.
They really wish they could be like you doing the Christian things you do, like a phone call to a sick friend or fund-raising for a Christian cause or just going to church on Easter Sunday and then following it up by going back again week after week. That kind of stuff can really frost their cupcakes.
It can set them off on a personal attack of your character. In reality they are attacking Christ since that is whose character you are being transformed by. Romans 15:3 NIV
For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." [ Psalm 69:9]
It is not so much out of spite or jealousy that they attack you but sometimes it is because their own guilty sinful life convicts them. It means this is an opportunity to witness through the very criticism they are attacking you with. You can now demonstrate how you too are a fallen individual subject to the same human weakness but for you Christ covers your guilt and sin and convicts you for your sin so that you will correct your life and as a result your character as well.
So if you are the Victim of what appears to be an unwarranted attack that seems to come out of the clear blue sky you need to realize that God may just be using you for an object lesson to others while at the same time correcting what may be a proud or haughty spirit in you. This is especially true if you have let your guard down and said something or did something that is more like your old nature than your new nature.
The bible warns us that Pride comes before a fall. That is the way it is often quoted. What that verse actually says is 18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. From Proverbs 16.
In todays scripture passage we see King David marching along to Jericho when he is confronted by a family member of the former King, King Saul. Saul took his own life on the battle field and for that David can not be blamed. However David did replace Saul as King and as a result the family members who once received community status for being related to Saul no longer enjoyed that social standing.
They no longer had the kind of access to the throne they once had, they no longer had the supposed respect or admiration of the community for their association to the king. In effect they were now just common folk and Davids family line and tribe had the prestige and honor of the Kingship.
It is not unlike the current American Democratic Nomination race. We see people taking cheap shots at candidates in order to win the prize at all costs. Having and holding power is a big motivator for some people. There are few who know how to administer that power justly.
King David also bore the current responsibility for what the Kingdom was enduring. At that time there was a military coup in Israel by Davids son Absalom and things were kind of upside down. The people were divided and Davids own house was divided by the actions of his son. Things would work themselves out eventually but Absalom would die and David would reign unopposed.
In the mean time here comes David being pursued by Absalom and he is confronted by this man who is throwing stones and calling him names. How does David deal with this? David ignores it. One of Davids army officers Abishai offers to kill the man with the stones and asks David why he is putting up with this attack on his character.
David tells him, look we serve the living God, and if God has told him to curse me who are we to tell him to stop. My son is trying to kill me and that is why we are on the march and you want me to be concerned about this little man and his stones and words? Let him do what he is doing God for some reason has prompted him to do it. It may be that the LORD will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today." I will put up with it and God will see that I am putting up with it and may have mercy on me.
So David takes the high road, he does not turn and cut this man down in the street instead he lets the man continue for miles and miles all the while crowds are hearing this attack on Davids character yet David keeps his cool and suffers the indignity.
We see in Davids action the kind of character we need to display when we are attacked and criticized even if the criticism is just. We must keep our heads and hold our tongues until we hear the full matter. It is not an easy thing to do and in fact Davids army buddies didnt like seeing their King and friend being attacked and they wanted to vindicate him. David said no lets wait and see what God is doing through all this. This is the hard lesson of building Christian character.
To suffer accusations for doing something wrong when in fact you did no wrong is a hard thing to tolerate. We are not to assume why our accuser is motivated to take this kind of action. We are to leave the situation with God and trust God to exonerate us.
For those of us who have worked to build a Christian reputation we must remember that it is God who has been building us. We are His workmanship and He will take care of what belongs to Him. The taunting may be long, it may be loud and it may even be public and very humiliating yet we like David must keep our peace.
We live in a very politically correct world. It seems that it is politically correct to come to the defense of religious people and religious rights for all kinds of minorities but the people of the Christian faith are somehow not entitled to the same kind of defense when their religious rights are being challenged.
It does seem to be a growing trend in our society as we become more and more multi-cultural and multi-religious. We must remember that the Israelites were once a minority and have for centuries suffered for their faith under the hands of many governments and authorities. We must learn to endure it and trust God to preserve us and defend us.
I have found that when I take such a fight into my own hands I am no better than those who criticize me.
The same human pride comes out and I want to prove that I am right for the sake of being right rather than allowing God to work His will through the situation.
Jesus demonstrated this strength of character time and time again. The religious authorities wanted to stone him several times yet Jesus just walked away saying nothing. Jesus was subject to all kinds of empty criticism on a daily basis. His integrity was challenged in every way yet he never struck out at His accusers instead He attacked their sin.
Jesus stood before the Jewish Sanhedrin and was tortured and interrogated yet He held His peace. He stood before the governments highest official in Jerusalem and did not utter a word in His defense. He allowed himself to be nailed onto a cross and His words were Father forgive them for they know not what they do
Let us be like Jesus and extend forgiveness towards those who throw stones at our glass houses and let us be willing to suffer the cuts of the glass as we trust our Heavenly Father to heal the wounds of our accusers and the sin that motivates them to throw stones.
