1 Kings 18:21
7/10/16
On April 9, 1945 seven conspirators against Hitler were marched to the gallows and hung. It was just one month before Germany surrendered. One of the men hung that day was a pastor named Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Some of you have probably read his book, The Cost of Discipleship1.
But come back with me a decade earlier. Hitler is on the rise. His stranglehold on the church in Germany was almost complete, and no one seemed willing to act.2 The Deutsche Christen (German Christian) movement had accepted Nazi ideology. The Global Ecumenical Movement was passive and indecisive toward Hitler’s agenda. Bonhoeffer and his friends would soon form the “Confessing Church” and publish the “Barmen Declaration” which rejected the compromise with Nazism much of the German church was making.3 But now Bonhoeffer is pleading for deceive action.
On April 7, 1934 he wrote a letter to Henry Louis Henriod, the Swiss theologian who headed the ecumenical World Alliance. “A decision must be made at some point, and it’s no good waiting indefinitely for a sign from heaven that will solve the difficulty without further trouble. Even the ecumenical movement has to make up its mind and is therefore subject to error, like everything human. But to procrastinate and prevaricate simply because you’re afraid of erring, when others — I mean our brethren in Germany — must make infinitely more difficult decisions every day, seems to me almost to run counter to love. To delay or fail to make decisions may be more sinful than to make wrong decisions out of faith and love.”4
Hitler was decisive. The ecumenical World Alliance was indecisive. They kept hoping things would work themselves out. They kept waiting for the perfect moment; the perfect choice. Neither came.
I have entitled this message “I Think I Will; But Maybe Not.”
We find that kind of thinking in the Bible during the days of Elijah. King Ahab and Queen Jezebel were aggressively leading the nation. Their intents and tactics were much like those of Hitler. To openly oppose them was very dangerous business. A small remnant of about 7,000 people5 resisted them. But most of the population just went along with their policies. God gave Elijah the courage to challenge them and their followers. On Mt. Carmel he took on the 450 prophets of Baal. As that contest was about to ensue, Elijah issued this challenge to the general population of Israel. 1 Kings 18:21 “And Elijah came to all the people, and said, ’How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ But the people answered him not a word.” Their response to his words was about the same as their response on everything else. “But the people answered him not a word”: a passive, complacent blank stare. The KJV says, “How long halt ye between two opinions? Some versions translate it “waver” or “hesitate” between two opinions. I think the American Standard Version is the most vivid. “How long go ye limping between the two sides?”
During World War II only 10% of the population was members of the Nazis party.6 Most people just went along. Most just followed the line of least resistance; more committed to their own comfort and ease than to real purpose. Martin Niemoeller was a Protestant Pastor in Germany who initially supported Hitler. But he later became an outspoken critic of the Nazis and was arrested in 1937. He spent most of the war in German concentration camps.
Here is his statement on how the Nazis took over Germany:
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.”7
In his letter to the ecumenical World Alliance, Bonhoeffer was trying to shake them out of their passive indecision before it was too late. He was not successful in doing that. Now in 1 Kings 18 Elijah is trying to shake these Israelites out of their complacency. But they don’t even answer him. ’How long will you falter between two opinions? Not one person stepped forward and said, “Today the faltering stops; I’m with you Elijah.” You would have thought that at least a few in the crowd would have stood with him. They were in a mode of indecision and they continued in that. Of course, after Elijah had publically brought down fire from heaven, they got on board. They wanted to be on the side of the winner.
Joshua had faced double-mindedness earlier in the history of Israel. He had seen first-hand the vacillating of the previous generation at Kadesh Barnea. First they were going into Canaan. Then they got the report from the ten spies and decided to not go in. Then God spoke judgement over their unbelief and they decided they would go it. God said no, its too late for that now.8 Here again Israel stands at the Jordan River and their leader, Joshua, calls upon them to serve the Lord. In Josh 24:15 he says to them, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
Joshua was decisive. Elijah was decisive. We know their names today. Many, many others were indecisive and we don’t know their names. Their lives were not impactful like Joshua and Elijah.
In the New Testament James warned Christians about being double-minded. He characterized them as being tossed to and fro like the waves of the sea. Have you ever had circumstances come crashing down on your life like the waves of a stormy sea? It tests your faith. It tests your commitment to the Lord. When we “know in whom we have believed and are persuaded that He is able to keep that which we have committed to Him”9 then we can keep our bearings during such times. Otherwise it will throw us off course. Double-mindedness produces instability in our lives. Wholehearted commitment stabilizes our walk.
The Church at Laodicea was neither hot; nor cold. They were half-hearted in their commitment to the Lord. Saturday night was party time. Sunday morning was serve-the-Lord time. They weren’t openly defying the Lord. They didn’t want to do that. Yet they weren’t sold out to the Lord either. They were lukewarm in their faith. That describes a lot of Christians in America today. If a Hitler came to power how would we handle it? Would we lay back hoping it didn’t affect our lives too much? What if Jews were being unjustly arrested? What if conservative Christians were being targeted by the IRS? What if godly organizations were being unjustly fined because they would not violate conscience?
The problem with evil is that it slips up on you. It doesn’t jump in your face with a pitch fork and red tail. It comes disguised.10 The words on the surface sound pretty reasonable. It’s the trends that you have to watch. The problem is not just what has happened and is happening. The problem is also where this is going. First Hitler only deprives Jews of their citizenship. No one is killed. In many ways their lives could continue as is. But a step is taken in a direction. That happened in 1935. By 1938 Jewish businesses are shut down and all Jews must carry an identification card. By 1940 they are moved into ghettos and forced into concentration camps.11 The process is usually done in stages so that people slowly accept the change. You’ve heard how to boil a frog without him reacting? You put him in water and slowly turn up the heat until it boils him. That’s what Hitler did to the Jews.
Edmund Burke is credited with the saying, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”12
We have seen the peril of indecision in the history of Israel and in the history of Germany. Now let’s look at some places in the Bible where people were decisive.
Ruth was a gentile who lived in Moab. She met a family who had come there from Israel. These Israelites served a different God than her forefathers. She grew up in a pagan home. But she fell in love with a young man in that family and married him. Another Moabite girl, named Orpah, married his brother. Tragically all the men died: Ruth’s father-in-law, her brother-in-law, and her husband. All that were left was her husband’s mother, Naomi, Orpah, and herself.
Naomi and her husband, Elimelech, had come to Moab because of a famine in Israel. Now Naomi gets the news that the famine is over. So she decides to return to Israel. When she tells her daughters-in-law that she’s going, Orpah takes it in stride. She kisses Naomi goodbye and stays in her old land. But Ruth made a profound decision. She decided to go to Israel with Naomi. Even when Naomi tried to talk her out of it, she stuck with her decision. Ruth 1:16-17 “But Ruth said: ‘Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.’"
When Naomi saw how determined Ruth was to go with her, she conceded.
A determined decision: I’m sure it was influenced by her love and affection for Naomi. But there was more involved than even that. For Ruth also said that Naomi’s God is also her God. It was a commitment to Naomi; but it was also a commitment to continue with the Lord. When they got to Israel, life was not easy for Ruth. She worked out in the fields gleaning the grain that the harvesters missed. And she was glad to get that work; because she and Naomi lived off of that. You never see Ruth complaining or second guessing her decision. Well the decision paid off big time. Most of you know the story. Boaz, a wealthy landowner and kinsman redeemer, marries Ruth. They have a son named Obed who is the father of Jesse who is the father of David. One crucial decision set the course of Ruth’s life.13 We don’t know what happened to Orpah. It really doesn’t matter much. But this pagan, gentile girl named Ruth became the great-grandmother of King David and entered into the linage of Christ. She was not double-minded about her decision. She stuck with it through thick and thin. God honored her choice and has highly honored her. That’s the kind of decisions we want to be making.
In Matt 4:18 Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee and saw two fishermen casting a net into the sea. It was Simon Peter and his brother, Andrew. Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." That invitation called for a decision. The Bible says “They immediately left their nets and followed Him.” That was an amazing decision. They walked away from everything to follow Jesus. It was all based on one thing: His word to them that contained a command and a promise, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." You can’t get much more decisive than that. And notice the word “immediately” in that text. When God speaks to you, obey “immediately.” Otherwise you may talk yourself out of it. There were plenty of reasons for them to postpone that decision and think about it for a while. After all they were giving up a solid career.
There were other occasions when Jesus gave that invitation and people halted, hesitated and lost the opportunity. You can’t put God on hold. When He calls you answer. In Luke 9 there was a scribe14 who thought about following Jesus; but when he counted the cost he turned back. Another man’s response was "Lord, let me first go and bury my father" (verse 59). And another said "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house." Do you see the indecisive nature of his answer? "Lord, I will follow You, but….” Luke 9:62 is Jesus’ response. “But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’" Remember Lot’s wife—double-minded.15 No looking back, no turning back, full speed ahead. Amen?
I have often seen people under the delusion that a good excuse was the same as obedience. Those people excused themselves from the greatest opportunity they would ever have in life.16 Be careful that you produce obedience and not just good excuses!
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, responded in the same way Peter and Andrew responded to their call. They too were busy when Jesus spoke to them. They were fishermen mending their nets. The Bible says “immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him” (Lk 9:22).
People wallow in a problem or wallow in the decision-making process for various reasons.
Perhaps it’s because they genuinely don’t have enough information to make a wise choice. In that case, actively pursue the information. Don’t just use that as an excuse to not decide. One thing that you have to accept is that all decisions have to be made without all the information. We get a prudent amount of information. But there is always an element of risk in a decision—simply because we don’t have infinite knowledge and we don’t know the future.
Sometimes people are just plain fearful of making a wrong decisions. We don’t want to be impulsive; but life is one decision after another. In hard decisions, I sometimes ask myself “What is the worst that can happen?” If I paint the room the wrong color, the worst that can happen is I’ll have to repaint it. I can live with that level of risk. Faith in God’s goodness and guidance is the solution for this problem. “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters.” We can trust the Lord to help us with our decisions and direct our steps. If we ask Him for wisdom, He promises to give us wisdom.17 We need to ask; then take Him at His word.
Sometimes people want to keep options open. That’s understandable. To say yes to one thing almost always is to say no to several other things. However, while we’re trying to keep all options open, the one best option may close on us. To get something done we usually have to make a commitment to something. Ruth made a commitment to go with Naomi and to serve the Lord. That commitment sustained her during the hard times.
Think about the commitments God makes. He is sovereign; He can do anything. But He limits Himself by the commitments that He makes. No one can limit Him; but He can limit Himself through His own sovereign choices. God’s commitment to the freewill of man is a profound example. He could immediately end all war and suffering in this world, if He would simply go back on His commitment to honor the freewill of man. But He made us in His image. He did not make us to be robots. And He does not go back on that commitment.
Sometimes people simply want to play both sides of the fence. They want to serve the Lord. They want the benefits of His blessings. They want to be able to call upon Him in times of trouble and receive His help. On the other hand, they don’t quite want to give up some things of the world either. I’m reminded of the squirrel in the middle of the road that can’t make up his mind which way to go to keep from getting run over. The hesitancy guarantees he’s not going to make it. His splattered body on the pavement is a memorial to the peril of indecision!
Decisions have to be made. We have to make them with incomplete information and imperfect brains. But life gets real miserable if we don’t learn to make solid, timely decisions.
Here are a few steps that are usually needed in the decision making process.
1. Clearly determine what the objectives are. What is it that you want? You can’t have it all. You certainly can’t have it all at the same time. If I want to be a nurse, then I must invest time and resources in that direction. That means the time and resources are not available for other pursuits.
2. Gather a prudent amount of information.
3. Identify options.
4. Analyze the pros and cons of the options; but don’t analyze it to death. Don’t get so enmeshed in the details that you lose sight of the big picture.
5. Ask God for wisdom throughout this process. And trust Him to be giving it.
6. Make a decision. You may have to give yourself a deadline for this. Be decisive. If you’re going in a wrong direction, God will let you know. He did that for Paul when he was trying to go into Asia and saw the Macedonian vision.18
7. Don’t live second guessing old decisions. You can’t change them now anyway. Put your energies into today’s decisions. Proceed from where you are now.19
Is there a decision you have been putting off? Perhaps it’s time to get more intentional about what you will do. A state of indecision is very stressful. Of course, the most important decision of all it whether you will serve the Lord or not. Don’t take that one lightly. It determines where you will spend eternity.
Invitation
END NOTES:
1 “Dietrich Bonhoeffer: German Theologian and Register,” Christian History, retrieved 7-8-16 at http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/martyrs/dietrich-bonhoeffer.html.
2 John Piper, “When Is Indecision Loveless and Sinful? (A Lesson from Bonhoeffer). Accessed 7-8-16 at http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/when-is-indecision-loveless-and-sinful-a-lesson-from-bonhoeffer.
3 “Barman Declaration,” Wikipedia. Retrieved 7-8-16 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barmen_Declaration.
4 Eric Metaxas, Bonhoeffer, [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010], p. 218 as quoted by John Piper. Retrieved 7-8-16 at http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/when-is-indecision-loveless-and-sinful-a-lesson-from-bonhoeffer.
5 1 Kings 19:18; Romans 11:4.
6 “How many Germans were actually card-carrying Nazi Party members?” retrieved 7-8-16 from http://www.historyplace.com/specials/faq/
7 “Who made the 'And I did nothing' statement concerning the Nazis?” retrieved 7-8-16 from http://www.historyplace.com/specials/faq/
8 Numbers 13-14.
9 2 Timothy 1:12.
10 2 Corinthians 11:14.
11 “History of the Holocaust-Timeline” retrieved 7-8-16 at http://remember.org/educate/mtimeline.
12 Edmund Burke quote retrieved 7-8-16 at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/edmundburk377528.html.
13 Of course, many smaller decisions shape our thinking and prepares us to make the big choice when the time comes.
14 Matt. 8:19
15 Luke 17:32-33
16 See this principle in the Parable of the Great Supper (Luke 14:16-24.
17 James 1:5
18 Acts 16:6-10
19 Our GPS doesn’t take us back to where we were yesterday. It tells us the best route to take from where we are now to get to the desired destination.
