Wandering From The LIGHT
Please stand as we read our newest memory Scripture together …
1 John 1:5-7
“This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
“But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.”
And our memory refresher verse(s) for today is(are) …
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
“Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall ever be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
Please open your Bibles to 1 John 2:3-6
John talks a lot about Jesus the Light and living in the light. He also talks about darkness which is sin and that living in sin cannot be done at the same time you are living in the light.
(refer to our memory verse above)
Are we walking in the Light of Jesus? If we are, PTL!! If we are is there danger of walking back to the darkness??
With that in mind let’s go ahead and read: 1 John 2:3-6
1 John 2:3-4
“We know that we have come to know Him [Jesus] if we keep His commands. Whoever says, ‘I know Him,’ but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.”
Do we have an example in the Bible of someone who had a very close, even an intimate relationship with the Lord and yet drifted away to his own spiritual ruin?
Also, did you know that there is a command given in the Old Testament that is a command specifically written for the kings of Israel?
This law was given so that the kings of Israel would not deviate from the Law of Moses which comes directly from the LORD God Almighty Himself.
Here is that law … Deuteronomy 17:18-19
18 When he [the king] takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees.
Those are some pretty simple commands, right? And, by the same token, it would seem that if a person has transcribed the entire Law of Moses onto a scroll and then they read it every day it would be easy to abide by those commands.
But just listen to these further commands regarding future kings of Israel!
Deuteronomy 17:14-17
14 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” 15 be sure to appoint over you a king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
Here is something we need to keep in mind as we look at these Scriptures and examples from Israel’s history.
The purpose of Israel in the Old Testament was to declare the glory of God and to call all nations to revere the name of the LORD. Our task is the very same task.
To bring glory to God that He may be honored and glorified throughout the earth.
----- A Great Number of Horses (especially from Egypt) ----
The LORD’s commanded stated that the king, “must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, ‘You are not to go back that way again.’”
1 Kings 4:26
Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses
1 Kings 9:22
Solomon had fourteen hundred chariots
1 Kings 10:28-29
Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue - the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price. They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.
Not only did King Solomon gather to himself a great number of horses and chariots but he bought them directly from Egypt which was forbidden and he also became an arms dealer selling them to his own enemies!
Why was this important?
Why did the Lord forbid the accumulation of many horses and chariots!
Why? Because the LORD Himself was to be defender of Israel!
The LORD had defeated the army of Egypt many years ago at the Red Sea when the Israelites had NO WEAPONS AT ALL!
The Testimony of Rahab in Joshua 2:9-11
“I know that the LORD has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.”
The battle of Jericho (describe briefly)
The Midian and Amalekite Armies verses the LORD and three hundred men under Gideon
Why did the LORD reduce the army of Israel to 300 men?
Judges 7:2
The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’”
Just a point of interest …. Some modern scholars say that the LORD did not part the Red Sea but the Sea of Reeds which was only a few inches deep. And in most translations it will read the Red Sea with a footnote of “or, the Sea of Reeds”.
Many people claim that the Sea of Reeds was where the army of Israel crossed to flee from the Egyptian army because it was only a few inches deep.
Would it be possible to build a fleet of merchant ships to sail on a sea that was only a few inches deep?
It was interesting to read in
1 Kings 9:26-28
King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber, which is near Elath in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea (or, the Sea of Reeds). And Hiram sent his men - sailors who knew the sea - to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s men. They sailed to Ophir and brought back 420 talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.
It seems to me that it would be mighty hard to sail a fleet of merchant ships on a body of water that was only a few inches deep. I’m just sayin’ …
Anyway, when Solomon accumulated a large number of chariots and horses and soldiers the nations in that area no longer trembled because of the power of the LORD most high. Instead they trembled at the power of the army of Israel and glory was diverted from the LORD to Solomon.
This process all started with the purchase of the first horse from Egypt in direct disobedience to the Word of the LORD and a dangerous course was set in motion that would lead from spiritual light to spiritual darkness.
----- The accumulation of great wealth ----
Deuteronomy 17:17b
[The king] must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
Gold supplies (silver was of little value)
1 Kings 9 – 4.5 tons (Hiram) + 16 tons (from Ophir)
1 Kings 10 – 4.5 tons (the queen of Sheba) + annual receipts 25 tons + other gold revenues from merchants and that’s just what is listed!
Solomon’s throne …
1 Kings 10:18-21
Then [Solomon] made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days.
How did Jesus teach us to pray? “Give us this day our daily bread …”
Why did the LORD command that the king must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold?
The Israelites were to depend on the generosity of God Himself for their provision.
What is the temptation of riches?
1 Timothy 6:6-10
Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Psalm 52:7 says,
“Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!”
( Side note …
You don’t think hundreds of tons of gold just sprouted up from the ground for Solomon, do you? No. Every nation under Solomon’s domination was required to produce a certain amount of gold each year. There was no gold miner’s union to protect the workers. People were conscripted by kings to produce the gold and many died doing so. Much of it was gold produced by the blood of slaves.
Even the Israelites asked Solomon’s successor, Jeroboam to lighten the heavy load that Solomon had put on his own people for his own wealth!)
You see, the LORD was to be the provider for Israel in whom they would have their confidence. But, Solomon, placed his confidence in gold.
This process all started with the purchase of the first ton of gold that was not needed to build the Temple of the LORD.
This was direct disobedience to the Word of the LORD and a dangerous course was set in motion that would lead from spiritual light to spiritual darkness.
----- The accumulation of many wives including foreigners ----
Deuteronomy 17:17a
[The King] must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray.
1 Kings 11:1-10
King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter - Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2 They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.
3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.
7 On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.
9 The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command.
700 wives in a 40 year reign = 17.5 weddings per year
300 concubines (sex servants or slaves) in a 40 year reign = 7.5 added per year
What had The LORD Himself said?
Genesis 2:24
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
We think of Ken and Dot Woods who were married over 70 years and we say, “Glory to God!”
We think of Duane and Annabelle Tullar who were married nearly 52 years and we say, “Glory to God!”
We think of Solomon and his 1,000 women and we say, “what a waste!”
All of the young, healthy women of Jewish descent could have been raising Israelite children to reverence the God of Israel.
If Solomon had obeyed the word of the Lord in marriage as well as in the rest of the Law the LORD would have been glorified.
All of the foreign wives could have remained in their own country where they would have seen, from afar, the glory of the LORD God of Israel as He provided protection for His people, as He provided sustenance for His people and as His people faithfully followed and worshiped Him.
But instead of seeing the glory of the LORD they saw the self-centered glory of a king who gave it all up for earthly power, earthly riches and earthly alliances and sensuality.
And the trip down this horrific road all started with Solomon’s very first marriage in direct violation of God’s Holy Word telling him not to marry a foreign wife.
That was direct disobedience to the Word of the LORD and a dangerous course was set in motion that would lead from spiritual light to spiritual darkness.
---- What does that mean to us today?
We live in a spiritually dark land. We don’t think we do. We think we live in a land of light, a land of enlightenment, but it is really a land of deep, deep spiritual darkness and along with that darkness comes a grinding despair that is evident all around us.
Jesus is the only true spiritual light in this world.
But, where do those who are groping in the darkness of sin try to find happiness and peace and contentment?
Wealth and possessions …
- The lottery
- Living on the edge of bankruptcy because of senseless spending
- Hoarding
- Using “Schyster” lawyers as a get rich quick scheme
- Never being satisfied / never enough
Sex outside of marriage …
- Adultery
- Pornography
- Multiple sexual relationships
- Homosexuality
- Trying out a new sex to see if it fits
- Dressing as the other gender
- Employing prostitutes
- Molestation and rape
False religions
- Facing endless cycles of “reincarnation”
If life here is miserable now why would it be any better the next time around?
How many times will I have to go around?
- In a religion where not avenue for the forgiveness of sin is found …
- Can you imagine the emptiness of trying “to connect to your soul via the silence of the universe …”
What do all of these things have in common?
They all seek to find satisfaction in a spiritual or physical sense in a way contrary to the Word of God.
With wealth and possessions the attempt is made to fill a spiritual darkness with lifeless objects.
If you succeed in collecting enough money or possessions you may get the praise of people around you or most likely people who hope to benefit from your possessions but the praise will be fleeting. And as the praise goes away the emptiness of the spiritual darkness will overwhelm you.
Darkness, darkness, ever increasing darkness …
With sex outside of the bounds of Holy Marriage there will never be a real satisfaction.
There may be moments of pleasure but unless your heart is totally hardened against the Lord there will be long periods of guilt and shame as well.
And as you participate more and more and as you try more perverse acts your soul will grow darker and darker until the darkness will seem like it is smothering you.
Darkness, darkness, ever increasing darkness …
With false religions there is a monstrous, deceiving danger.
As you open up your heart to any other spiritual entity other than Jesus you actually place yourself in great spiritual danger.
We, in our sophisticate, enlightened society, consider the thought of demonic oppression or demon possession to be from ancient mythology.
It’s not.
This will be you surest and fastest route to darkness, darkness, ever increasing darkness.
The "Pain in the Nation" report found that a record-high 142,000 people died in 2016 from alcohol- and drug-induced fatalities and suicide. The rate of alcohol-related deaths has increased by 40 percent over the past decade, while deaths from synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, roughly doubled from 2015 to 2016, from 9,600 to 19,400 and that number of 19,400 in 2016 has now jumped to over 40,000 in 2018.
Why? Darkness. Suffocating, spiritual darkness.
We should be weeping over this!
Why? Because we have the answer and His name is Jesus!
What about you? Do you see yourself on a spiritual path that is similar to Solomon’s?
Have you been taking steps away from the Light of Jesus toward spiritual darkness?
(Invitation to turn around …)
Closing comments.
Invitation if the Lord leads.
Prayer
