Prescription for Division #1

I Corinthians 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Divided, then Scattered...

II Chronicles 36:17 Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand.18  And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. 19 And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. 20 He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

Israel had split, divided itself into two kingdoms. Eventually the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which left the People of God, faded away.  But even those who remained did not remain faithful to God.  When they fell, they did not just split, they scattered to Babylon, Egypt, and all over the empire.  Though eventually some did return, they never fully recovered.  Division, and the reasons we get there, should cause us to learn from History. Especially those of us who have been given a glimpse from heaven of how it all turns out - God bringing His people together to worship Him as worthy.  Do our our petty "opinions" really matter in the light of eternity?

Fading off the scene...

In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 7 And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods 8 and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced. 9 And the people of Israel did secretly against the Lord their God things that were not right... 18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only. (II Kings 17)

At times during the divided kingdom, it was a back and forth competition, and one might wonder which would prevail. Ultimately neither would, and both would go into exile.  But clearly, the divisive Northern Kingdom of Israel led the way in sin, and into exile.  Their evil was not always so obvious for all to see, but the seeds of rebellion and division ran deep.  Such it is for those who leave and divide the people of God.  They may at times appear more "holy", but then again, the comparision is to man, and not to God.  He really does want us all to be humble and repentant towards Him, together.  

Who are these people?

I Kings 15:25 Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.

27 Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon. 28 So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place. 29 And as soon as he was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, until he had destroyed it, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 30 It was for the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned and that he made Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel.

It isn't long after the great Kings, David and Solomon, that we start reading about immemorable kings of Israel and Judah, the divided people of God. The most memorable things they did were fight and kill each other. Who are these people? People who have lost their way. People who look at each other and see enemies instead of brothers.  People who leave little lasting positive impact on the world around them.  That's what happens when we leave for all the wrong reasons, which are most the reasons people do.  May we begin stop looking at the people across the aisle as the problem.  May we focus on who the real Enemy is. And may we find our way back home to God's people who need each other. 

Leaving for something Less, and worse...

I Kings 12:25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. 27 If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one.25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. 27 If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one.
The account of Reheboam is extremely sad.  His domineering attitude split the people of Israel.  But the reaction of the majority, who left, was even worse. They set up a cult, which is alway a potential when the people of God split up. Rather than strive to maintain the unity of God's people and stand for what is right, we often think it is easier, or even better to "start our own thing." When people go through this enough times, always looking for "greener pastures", they often end up starting their own individual cult of stay-away worship.  God has a word for this: sin.  It is ultimately abandoning worship of Him in His way for our way.   We find excuses. We blame others.  But it's us, wanting our own way.  

Refusing to Quit Church

I Samuel 24:4 And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe.5 And afterward David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed.” 7 So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.
David: chosen by God, approved by most, driven away from the People of God. One of the things David shared deepest to his heart in his time on the run was that he was unable to worship with God's people at the Tabernacle.  But he never gave up on God's people.  Not when Saul pursued him, not when supposed friends forsook him, not when the people were slow to accept him back after Saul's death. David never gave up on God's people.  Many of us give up on church so easily.  We walk away because we have been mistreated, spoken evil of, or have not gotten our own way.  We run away or from church to church, making excuses. Not David. He knew that God has called us to do our part, and he never rested until he saw God fulfill that promise. Stop running away. 

Worthless Whiners...

I Samuel 10:25 Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
God was at work. He was responding to the cry of His people for a king.  To be sure, there were problems with their hearts and motives, but God had spoken through Samuel and appointed Saul.  Everyone was on board - well, almost everyone. The historian here, and in a few other choice places, uses this word "worthless." Of course, God is the only one with a position to make such an evaluation or statement, but we get the idea. They were doing nothing for the good of God's people except whining. They were contributing nothing,and that included nothing for the celebration of Saul becoming King. We will see this on and off again throughout the period of the Kings - groups of people splitting off, even from the few good kings, because they would rather complain and point fingers, than do something of value and support God's leaders.  When have you been the whiner?