EXECUTIVE OBLIGATION-II—Deuteronomy 17:14-20
Attention:
Tuesday is Election Day—We are obligated to vote our belief!
Those for whom we vote have a(n) Obligation/Commitment/Responsibility/Duty to their constituency, which sounds noble. Many, if not most, enter office with noble purposes in mind. But are they really prepared?
As is the king, so shall the people be.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”—Prov. 29:18
“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.”—Prov. 29:18
Moses gave exhortation regarding the dutiful obligation of Israel’s king for the people’s freedom to serve God.
Executive leadership should & can be dutifully obligated to God’s people.
How should executive leadership obligate itself to God’s people?
8 obligations for executive leadership of God’s people.
This morning we found that Executive leadership is obligated to Freedom from...
1. FRATERNIZATION/(:15)
2. Earthly RELIANCE/DEPENDENCE(:16)
3. A SPIRITUAL MARKETPLACE/Smorgasbord MENTALITY(:17a)
4—Executive leadership is obligated to Freedom from...
COVETOUSNESS(:17b)
Explanation:(:17b)Wealth as Power
:17—“ “Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver & gold for himself.”
E)Another related restriction upon Israelite kings regarded their accumulation of wealth. He was not to use His sovereignty for gaining wealth. That is what foreigners would do, given that they would have no love for the land or its people.
Solomon’s son Rehoboam realized that his father had taxed the people so heavily that they were burdened. Rehoboam chose to add to the pain rather than to relieve it because he was in it for himself!
1Kgs. 12:3-4, 6-7, 8, 10-11, 13—“...Then Jeroboam & the whole assembly of Israel came & spoke to Rehoboam, saying, “Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, & his heavy yoke which he put on us, & we will serve you.”.....“Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, & he said, “How do you advise me to answer these people?” And they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to these people today, & serve them, & answer them, & speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, & consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.”.....“Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to this people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’--thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist! ‘And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!’”.....“Then the king answered the people roughly, & rejected the advice which the elders had given him;”
To his detriment Rehoboam’s kingdom was divided because of his greed! Excessive taxation pads the pockets of those who seek it the most.
Money can be employed both for good as well as for bad. But it is never to be the Christian’s master, only his/her servant! Covetousness also preys upon the base desires of others potentially drawing out greed in others.
Mat. 6:22-33—“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one & love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one & despise the other. You cannot serve God & mammon. “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food & the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; & yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, & tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ “For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God & His righteousness, & all these things shall be added to you.”
Authority is not to be wielded for personal advantage to the exclusion of others. It is to serve others! An Israelite king’s sovereignty is to be lovingly submissive to God & that for the sake of the people, not for selfish ends.
Once wealth is trusted, it replaces God & all suffer as a result.
Lk. 16:10-12—“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; & he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?”
*All of these restrictions(:15-17) upon sovereignty over God’s people exist for the purpose of ensuring that the people are lead by the hand of God Himself & toward godly ends. The head is entrusted with much & if he cannot be trusted with himself, he is unfit to lead others.....especially God’s people.
Argumentation:
Ex. 20:17; Deut. 5:21—“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Lk. 12:13-14—“Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?”
1Tim. 6:6-12, 17-19—“Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, & it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food & clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation & a snare, & into many foolish & harmful lusts which drown men in destruction & perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, & pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things & pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called & have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”.....“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
Mat. 6:19-21—“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth & rust destroy & where thieves break in & steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys & where thieves do not break in & steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Israel was defeated by the inhabitants of the small town of Ai because one man, Achan, had sinned in their earlier conquest of Jericho...
Josh.7:20, 21—“And Achan answered Joshua & said, “Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, & this is what I have done: “When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, & a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them & took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”
Rev. 3:17-19—“Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, & have need of nothing’--& do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, & naked--I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; & white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; & anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke & chasten. Therefore be zealous & repent.”
Illustration:
Making decisions because of money alone/Business men(makers of money) destroy resources for the sake of money disregarding the impact/Gold Sluicing(a type of mining)—Use huge jets of water to wash the land into a concentrated stream, wherein the gold is removed—Destroys the entire landscape with no attempt to repair their damage!/Then when the resources run out, the businessmen flee!/NO Freedom from COVETOUSNESS(:17b)
Going up the corporate ladder regardless of the human collateral damage & casualties/ NO Freedom from COVETOUSNESS(:17b)
Application:
?Executive Leadership obligated itself to Freedom from COVETOUSNESS?
?Executive Leadership obligated itself to your freedom?
5—Executive leadership is obligated to Freedom from...
IGNORANCE(:18)
Explanation:(:18)
:18—“ “Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites.”
6)Both priest & king must be ‘on the same page’ regarding God. This is because God uses the king to accomplish His will. If the king is ignorant of God’s desire, then God will be unable to use him, because the king will be unfamiliar with & unresponsive to such direction. Such an ignorant king will give himself to his own considerations above that of God. The king of God’s people is instead to place himself at God’s disposal.
This is not to say that the king cannot think for himself, but rather that his thinking must be enabled to service thru continual submission to God. The king’s mind must be constantly renewed amid & in opposition to worldly influences(Rom. 12:1-2).
Rom. 12:1-2—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God.”
Painstakingly “copying” the word of God, word for word will alleviate the king’s ignorance of God’s desire.
?How many of our executive officials are know for maintaining such a close relationship with the word of God?
“Write”—btk kaw-thab’—Qal Perfect—1) To write, record, enroll. Strong—a primitive root; To grave, by implication--To write(describe, inscribe, prescribe, subscribe).
“Copy”—hnvm mish-neh'—1) Double, copy, second, repetition. Strong—from hnv[a primitive root; To fold, i.e. Duplicate(literally or figuratively); by implication--To transmute(transitive or intransitive)]; properly--A repetition, i.e. A duplicate(copy of a document), or a double(in amount); by implication--A second(in order, rank, age, quality or location).
“Law”(See :19)—hrwt tow-raw'—1) Law, direction, instruction. Strong—from hry[ a primitive root; properly--To flow as water(i.e. To rain); transitively--To lay or throw(especially an arrow, i.e. To shoot); figuratively--To point out (as if by aiming the finger), to teach]; A precept or statute, especially the Decalogue or Pentateuch.
“Book”—rpo say’-fer—Noun f.—1) Book—N. m.—2) Missive(of instruction), document(legal), writing, book. Strong—properly--Writing(the art or a document); by implication--A book.
“Priests”—Nhk ko-hen'—1) Priest, principal officer or chief ruler. Strong—active participle of Nhk kaw-han’[a primitive root, apparently meaning to mediate in religious services; but used only as denominative from Nhk; To officiate as a priest; figuratively--To put on regalia] literally--One officiating, a priest; also(by courtesy)--An acting priest(although a layman).
“Levites”—yywl Lay-vee-yee’—Adj.—Levite = see Levi=“Joined to”—1) The descendants of Levi, the 3rd son of Jacob by Leah—1a) The tribe descended from Levi specially set aside by God for His service. Strong—patronymically from ywl; A Levite or descendant of Levi.
Argumentation:
Prov. 19:20, 21—“Listen to counsel & receive instruction, That you may be wise in your latter days. There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the LORD’S counsel--that will stand.”
1Kgs. 3:7-14—“Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good & evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” The speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing. Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, & have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise & understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches & honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes & My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
Js. 3:17-18—“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy & good fruits, without partiality & without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
1Cor. 3:18—“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.”
Eph. 1:15-23)—Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus & your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom & revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, & what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead & seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality & power & might & dominion, & every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, & gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
Eph. 5:6—“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
1Cor. 1:18-21—“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”
Prov. 3:5-7—“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD & depart from evil.”
Ps. 111:10—“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.”
Prov. 9:8-10—“Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, & he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, & he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, & he will increase in learning. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
Prov. 1:7—“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom & instruction.”
Prov. 4:7—“Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”
Eph. 4:1718—“This I say, therefore, & testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;”
1Pet. 2:15—“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men--“
Rom. 11:25—“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion,..”
Paul often states &/or implies, “I do not want you to be ignorant...”(Rom. 1:13; Rom. 7:1; Rom. 11:25; 1Cor. 10:1; 2Cor. 1:8; 1Thes. 4:13).
Rom. 10:1-4—“Brethren, my heart’s desire & prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, & seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
Ignorance is linked to “Going astray”(Heb. 5:2)/“Unbelief”(1Tim. 1:13)/“Sexual misconduct”(1Thes. 4:5)/“Hopelessness”(1Thes. 4:13)/“Foolishness”(1Pet. 2:15)/“Evil” & ‘Brutish/Beastlike’(2Pet. 2:12)/& many more negative things.
Jn. 16:1-3—“These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.”
Prov. 15:22—“Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established.”
Prov. 24:6—“For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.”
Illustration:
Congressmen may come up with seemingly brilliantly devised laws, but these laws must first go before many others & usually thru many revisions prior to being accepted or rejected/Freedom from IGNORANCE
Me installing a tile floor/I would have no clue how to do it correctly, BUT if I were to shadow a seasoned floor installer familiarizing myself with their instruction, I could be successful/Freedom from IGNORANCE
Putting together a bicycle without the instructions/
Application:
?Executive Leadership obligated itself to Freedom from IGNORANCE?
?Executive Leadership obligated itself to your freedom?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Upcoming elections—We are obligated to vote our belief!
Action:
Executive leadership is obligated to Freedom from...
4. COVETOUSNESS(:17b)
5. IGNORANCE(:18)
1. FRATERNIZATION/(:15)
2. Earthly RELIANCE/DEPENDENCE(:16)
3. A SPIRITUAL MARKETPLACE/Smorgasbord MENTALITY(:17a)
Pts. 4-5 Presented 11/02/2014pm to:
FBCCbelle
206 Storrs Ave(Ave A) SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
