New Survey

Here is the results from my previous survey:

How would you best describe yourself?

I am a Christian: 27 (79%)
I am some other religion: 3 (8%)
I am not a believer: 1 (2%)
I am not sure what I am: 3 (8%)

Be sure to check out the new survey question. Enjoy!
David Robison

Overcoming Sin: Dt 7:12-26

"If you should say in your heart, 'These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?'" (Deuteronomy 7:17)

Sometimes, when faced with my sins, the task of overcoming them seems too daunting to even attempt. My sins seem too large and my will power and moral strength too small. I want to overcome my sin, but I'm not sure if I can. I easily identify with want Jesus said, "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak ." (Mark 14:38) Fortunately, God has not left us to ourselves in our fight against sin. Not only has God given us the power of His Holy Spirit, but He has also given us a plan to overcome sin. Here, in part, is God's plan for us.

"you shall not be afraid of them; you shall well remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: the great trials which your eyes saw and the signs and the wonders and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the Lord your God brought you out. So shall the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid." (Deuteronomy 7:18-19)

When facing sin, we must first learn not to be afraid of sin or its hold on our life. We must remember that we have been saved, that we are no longer orphans, and that we are now children of God. We must remember what Paul said, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32) God did not save us to leave us to our own devices. Salvation was merely a first step; our reconciliation with God. Now that we have been saved, God has freely given is all things "pertaining to life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3) and is now at work in our lives giving us the motivation and strength to overcome sin. Paul reminds us, "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." (Romans 8:37) The truth is that we are overcomers, we are able to overcome sin, and we have all we need to be victorious, not in our selves but because of the one who now lives is us. "Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27)

"Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet against them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you perish. You shall not dread them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God." (Deuteronomy 7:20-21)

At times, I find myself willing to live "at peace" with my sin. As long as I can hide it and as long as it stays in the shadows and doesn't bother me too much, I am willing to let "sleeping sins" lie. However, God is not content with my hidden sin. Even when I am not committed to the eradication of my sins, God is, and it is for this very purpose that He as called me and made me His son. "But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth." (2 Thessalonian 2:13) God is committed to our sanctification, even more so than we are. One of God's strategies in our sanctification is to employ His "hornets". God has a way of bring our hidden sins to the surface, of flushing them out of their hiding places so we can deal with them and be free of them. I had a friend who, every time we went out to eat, his order was always messed up, and every time he got very upset. After a while I suggested to him that maybe it wasn't the waiters and waitresses, but maybe it was the Lord. Maybe it was the Lord sending His hornets to get at an area of his life. God is faithful to bring our sins to the surface and, when He sends in His hornets, we must be faithful to deal with what He brings to the surface.

"The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, for the wild beasts would grow too numerous for you. But the Lord your God will deliver them before you, and will throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed." (Deuteronomy 7:22-23)

Our perfection and our sanctification does not happen overnight, nor is it imparted to us immediately and completely upon our being born again, rather it is a process that starts with our salvation and continues until we finally stand before the Lord; completed in His presence. Paul reminds us that, "He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6) If God were to show us the sum total of our sin, we would be overwhelmed. This is why Jesus told His disciples, "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now." (John 16:12) God does not expect us to become perfect all at once but rather little-by-little, one sin at a time. This is the great difference between the enemy's condemnation and God's conviction. The enemy wants to show us all our faults and convince us that we are hopeless causes, while Jesus shows us a specific sin, asks us to repent, and then gives us the power to overcome the sin. As we deal with each sin in its turn, we enter into a process of sanctification that takes us "from glory to glory" (2 Corinthians 3:18) and from righteousness to righteousness.

"He will deliver their kings into your hand so that you will make their name perish from under heaven; no man will be able to stand before you until you have destroyed them. The graven images of their gods you are to burn with fire; you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, or you will be snared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God. You shall not bring an abomination into your house, and like it come under the ban; you shall utterly detest it and you shall utterly abhor it, for it is something banned." (Deuteronomy 7:24-8:1)

Sin must be dealt with. It is not enough to learn to "cope" or "coexist" with our sin, we must defeat it and overcome it. The world does not understand such a radical commitment against sin. Peter, speaking of those who knew us before we gave our hearts to Jesus, says "In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you." (1 Peter 4:4) But even if the world should malign us, the price of sin is too great, and its ruin and destruction can last a life time, and even an eternity. Jesus spoke of how we should be radically committed to purging sin in our lives. "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell." (Matthew 18:8-9) We were made for glory, we were made for the presence of God, but sin separates us from our eternal purpose in God. As we commit our selves to God's process of sanctification, we open ourselves up to our true calling and purpose in God and, as Paul reminds us, "we derive our benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life." (Romans 6:22)

David Robison

Technorati Tags: Book of Deuteronomy, sin, righteousness, eternal life, The Robe, David Robison

Make no Covenant with Sin: Dt 7:1-11

"When the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, and when the Lord your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them. Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you. But thus you shall do to them: you shall tear down their altars, and smash their sacred pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire. For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth." (Deuteronomy 7:1-6)

While there is grace when we sin, there is not grace for sin. God has extended His grace to us to forgive us when we sin against Him, but He does not want is to remain in our sin. The grace of God has not appeared to excuse us of our sins but rather to teach us how to walk free from our sins. "For the grace of God has appeared , bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age." (Titus 2:11-12)

God warned Israel that they were not to make covenants with the enemies of God; those who sought to inhabit the land that God was giving to them. Instead, they were to embark on a systematic campaign to eradicate the enemies of God from the land and to destroy the remembrance of them and their sinful ways from the face of the earth. In order to live holy in the Promised Land, they could not afford to live with mixture; part holy and part sinful.

The same is true for us with regards to our sin. We cannot afford to tolerate or excuse our sin. Our sin is not to be coddled or indulged rather it is to be overcome and defeated. There is no truce or detente with sin, there is only victory or defeat. We cannot wink at our sin, we must be serious about removing it from our lives. In Romans 8:13 Paul tells us to "put to death the deeds of the flesh." This is the attitude we must have. At times it may even mean destroying our idols; the places and ways we make room for sin in our lives.

Sin is not our friend, it is not a welcomed companion, rather it is the source of many of our hurts and broken relationships. Only by confessing our sin can we receive forgiveness for our sin, and only by the power of the Holy Spirit can we walk free from our sin. Let us choose to walk free.

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." (Romans 13:14)

David Robison

Technorati Tags: Book of Deuteronomy, sin, repentance, forgiveness, Holy Spirit, The Robe, David Robison

Doomed from the Start: Dt 6 (Part 2)

The second reason I believe that the Old Covenant was doomed from the start is because it depended upon the people of Israel remembering someone with whom they had no relationship.

"Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, then watch yourself, that you do not forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." (Deuteronomy 6:10-12)

It was inevitable that they would grow distant and drift away from God. While in the wilderness they daily saw God's presence: a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They also daily experienced God's miraculous provision for their lives: fresh manna each morning and their clothes never wearing out. However, as they entered the Promised Land, things would change in two very specific ways. First, as they took possession of the land, they were dispersed far from the presence of God. Except for those who lived near where God chose to place His presence, they no longer saw or experienced His presence on a daily basis. Yes, they were to appear before God at the regular feasts, but on a day-by-day basis, they did not "know" God in any intimate way. Secondly, as the generations passed, many of the new generation had no first hand knowledge of the miracles and power of God. They had never seen the miracle of the manna, they had never seen any miraculous healings, nor had they seen the power of God expressed though His judgments. They heard stories but they lacked their own first hand account of these events. In the end, without a personal relationship with God, they drifted farther and farther, and eventually "forgot" God.

Thirdly, as the years passed, their faith with God became more cultural than experiential.

"When your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What do the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments mean which the Lord our God commanded you?' then you shall say to your son, 'We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us from Egypt with a mighty hand. Moreover, the Lord showed great and distressing signs and wonders before our eyes against Egypt, Pharaoh and all his household; He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He had sworn to our fathers. So the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today.'" (Deuteronomy 6:20-24)

While the Israelites were very good at passing down their national history, they failed to instill their faith in God from generation to generation. They had a cultural awareness of God and His work in the forming of their nation, but they lacked the present day faith and vital relationship with God that He seeks with all His people. Knowledge and history of God is not enough, we need faith and a relationship with God. Without such a relationship, any covenant with God is doomed to failure, even from the start.

David Robison

Technorati Tags: Book of Deuteronomy, Promised Land, Forget God, The Robe, David Robison

Doomed from the Start: Dt 6 (Part 1)

"Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the Lord , the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey... So the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today. It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the Lord our God, just as He commanded us." (Deuteronomy 6:1-3, 24-25)

Throughout the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses lays out the conditions of the covenant between God and the Nation of Israel. A covenant which, if they would be faithful to observe, would grant them long life and prosperity in the new land into which they were about to enter. This was a covenant not based upon their relationship with God but rather upon their faithful and strict observance of the laws and ordinances established by the covenant. As excited as they must have been, standing ready to possess the Promised Land, it was a covenant doomed from the start.

It was not that there was anything wrong with the covenant or its laws, for Paul reminds us, "So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good." (Romans 7:12) Rather it was the inability of the law to produce righteousness within them that was the problem. "Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life , then righteousness would indeed have been based on law." (Galatians 3:21) Though the people didn't know it, they were entering into a covenant that they were completely unable to keep.

I believe that there are at least three reasons why the Mosaic covenant failed.

"These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart." (Deuteronomy 6:6) External pressures and reminders to observe the law will never server to create in us a heart to observe the law. Moses counseled the Nation of Israel never to forget the requirements of the law. "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:7-9) But for all their external reminders, symbols, and exhortations, their hearts were rebellious and they consistently failed to keep God's law. For example, it is not enough to have the Ten Commandments prominently displayed in your house, unless they are written on your hearts, we will most certainly fail in our attempts to keep them.

We need to let God write His laws on our hearts. "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people." (Hebrews 8:10) When God wrote the Ten Commandments, it was said, "He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God." (Exodus 31:18) In the same way, as we grow in our relationship with God, He will write, with His own finger, His laws on our minds and our hearts. Without a relationship, they are just external laws, laws we are unable to keep, but with a relationship with God, then His laws become a part of us and His Spirit empowers us to keep them and to live Godly lives.

More to come... David Robison

Technorati Tags: Book of Deuteronomy, covenant, law, relationship, The Robe, David Robison

His acts and His ways: Dt 5:23-27

"And when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders. You said, 'Behold, the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire; we have seen today that God speaks with man, yet he lives. Now then why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer, then we will die. For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? Go near and hear all that the Lord our God says; then speak to us all that the Lord our God speaks to you, and we will hear and do it.'" (Deuteronomy 5:23-27)

I was struck by the difference between the people's and Moses' response to the presence of the Lord. Moses responded by going up into the presence of the Lord to receive His word while the people responded with fear. Moses was drawn closer to the Lord while the people drew back. Why does the presence of the Lord cause some to draw near and others to shrink back? I think the key difference was that the people of Israel knew about God, but Moses knew God. Consider the observation that David made:

"He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel." (Psalms 103:7)

The son's of Israel saw God's acts, deeds, and miracles. Moses, however, knew God's ways, character, and nature. The people knew what God did, but Moses knew God. Moses had a relationship with God. Moses knew His nature and His character and was not afraid of His presence. The people, however, only knew of what God did, they didn't have a relationship with God. Because of this, when God came, they're response was fear.

It is important that we do not become content with the substance of God's gifts, blessings, and miracles and fail to acquire a relationship with the giver of those gifts, blessings, and miracles. As exciting as our experiences in God may be, they should never become a substitute for a relationship with God. God describes the difference between His relationship with Moses and that of even the other prophets of his day.

"Hear now My words: if there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. Not so, with My servant Moses, he is faithful in all My household; with him I speak mouth to mouth, even openly, and not in dark sayings, and he beholds the form of the Lord." (Numbers 12:6-8)

There are many people today who are seeking for an experience, a dream, a vision, or a manifestation, yet, as important as those may be, they can never compare to a "face to face" relationship with God. Visions are one thing, but an open, "mouth to mouth" relationship with God is another. Visions and experiences will one day cease, but our relationship with the Lord is eternal. Let us receive with gladness the experiences we have in the Lord, but let be willing to go beyond experience to have a whole hearted relationship with Him.

David Robison

Reason and Revelation: Conclusion

A little over three months ago I started this adventure in examining the relationship between reason and revelation. One of the primary motives for writing these nineteen articles was to attempt to change the discourse when discussing which mode of learning was preferable: Reason or Revelation. I wanted to show that it is not one or the other, either your given to reason or your given to revelation, rather that both are needed and necessary. Revelation is necessary because it is how we obtain new knowledge, but reason is also necessary because it is how we assimilated that revelation into our everyday lives. Without reason, revelation would come and go but we would never be changed, and with out revelation, we could reason all we want within ourselves, but we would never come to know the sublime and the hidden truths that are all around us.

When we run into problems, it is usually not because we have drifted too far to one side or the other, towards reason or towards revelation, but rather it is most often caused by a problem that is deeper and more systemic in our lives. Our problem is usually not that we have too much reason or too much revelation, but our problem is most often a problem of the heart. The primary factors that affects our learning and our growth in knowledge and understanding is the condition of our heart and the depth of our relationship with God. If we focus our attention on these two areas, then most of the rest of our lives will automatically fall into place.

Each one of us learns and processes information differently, but what we all have in common is our need for relationship with God and our need to be cleansed by Him in our hearts. I hope these post have been helpful. I would greatly enjoy hearing what you think. Drop me a line or leave a comment.

David Robison

Reason and Revelation: Reason (Part 4)

Reasoning in our Hearts

While we all at times reason with others, and may even reason with God, our primary mode of reasoning is in our hearts. Some have relegated the realm of the mind, intellect, and reason to the soul, but Jesus makes it abundantly clear that when we reason, we reason in our hearts. Consider the following scriptures.

"But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 'Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?' Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, 'Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?'" (Mark 2:6-8)

"But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side..." (Luke 9:47)

Reasoning is not a soulish activity but rather a process that takes place within our hearts.

The problem with our reasoning is not the process itself, but rather that it is limited and affected by the condition of our heart. If our heart is clean and pure, then so will be our reasoning, but if our heart is polluted by sin, then too will be our reasoning. "To the pure , all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled." (Titus 1:15) Here are some examples from the scriptures of how the condition of our heart can affect the quality of our reasoning.

"Their inner thought is that their houses are forever and their dwelling places to all generations; they have called their lands after their own names." (Psalms 49:11) When our hearts are full of pride we loose sight of the brevity of life. We will not live forever nor will our works. Pride causes us to misjudge the things that are of first value and can lead us to pursue things that temporal and passing away.

"Abraham said, 'Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.'" (Genesis 20:11) Abraham judged king Abimelech and the people of Gerar, not based upon facts or observations, but rather based on presumption and prejudices. Presumption blinds us to the truth and distorts our vision of reality.

"These things you have done and I kept silence; you thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes." (Psalms 50:21) Just because we believe something does not make it true. Believing as true that which is really a lie is called deception. Regardless of the source of the deception, it will keep us from obtaining the truth as long as we insist in holding on to it.

"Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, 'The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good.' For he thought, 'For there will be peace and truth in my days.'" (Isaiah 39:8) God had just declared judgment against Israel, ye Hezekiah received it as a "good" word. He failed to grasp the gravity of the word of God because his heart was selfish and he thought only of himself.

"And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, 'Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?'" (Matt hew9:4) When we harbor evil motives in our heart we are no longer able to judge between good and evil; evil becomes good and good becomes evil. When we reason with evil motives, we always arrive at the wrong conclusions.

"The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless." (1 Corinthians 3:20) When, in our hearts we reject the knowledge of God, then our reasoning becomes futile. It is only when we open ourselves up to, and submit to, the wisdom of God can we reason effectively and grow in our knowledge, understanding, and insight.

"When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things." (1 Corinthians 13:11) It is the Father's will that we would grow in our knowledge and understanding and in our ability to reason well. While we are born again as a babe in Christ, we are not to stay a babe, but we are to grow up in the knowledge and love of God. At times this will mean putting away some of our childish reasonings that we might learn to reason as an adult.

"For she thought, 'If I just touch His garments, I will get well." (Mark 5:28) While the scriptures are replete with examples of how the condition of our heart can negatively impact our ability to reason well, here is an example of how a heart of faith can lead us to healing and freedom. When faced with the hopelessness of her situation, this lady reasoned with faith and, in reasoning with faith, she was not disappointed.

David Robison

Technorati Tags: Reason, Revelation, The Robe, David Robison

Reason and Revelation: Reason (Part 3)

Reasoning with God

While we my often delight in reasoning with other people, God Himself invites us to reason with Him.

"'Come now, and let us reason together,' says the Lord, 'Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.'" (Isaiah 1:18)

In our pursuit of knowledge and understanding, God has not left us alone to our own devices, rather He has invited us into His presence that we may gain from His understanding, wisdom, and knowledge. When faced with the profundities, quandaries, and conundrums of life, God has offers to share His answers with us.

Much of understanding is perspective. When life ceases to make sense, it is most often because we have lost a proper perspective on life. When we open ourselves up to God's perspective then things that seemed hard to understand all of a sudden become more obvious and easier to grasp. Things that are murky become clear and things that are hidden become revealed.

In one of the Psalms of Asaph, the psalmist reflects on a time when he was unable to understand what was happening around him. In his own understanding he tried to understand it, but could not. He recalls, "When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight until I came into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end." (Psalm 73:16-17) While he tried in his own understanding to make sense of life, it only deepened the trouble in his soul, but when he came into God's presence, his perspective changed and he began to understand what was going on around him.

One of the greatest mistakes we make in our search of knowledge and understanding is to forsake the source of all knowledge and understanding. We are quick to run to others and seek their advice, counsel, and reason, but we are slow in coming to the Lord. We want understanding, but we fail to come to the one who can give us understanding. In our reasoning, we must never forget to reason with God.

More to come... David Robison

Technorati Tags: Reason, Revelation, Knowledge, Understanding, The Robe, David Robison

Reason and Revelation: Reason (Part 2)

Reasoning with Others

"Jesus said to them, 'I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?' And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, 'If we say, "From heaven," He will say to us, "Then why did you not believe him?" But if we say, "From men," we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.' And answering Jesus, they said, 'We do not know.'" (Matthew 21:24-27)

There were many things wrong with the reasoning process used by the chief priests and the elders of the people, least of which was that they "reasoned among themselves". One of the ways we reason is in the company of other people. Reasoning with others is not always a bad idea. When Paul had a dream at night, he submitted the revelation to those who were traveling with him.

"A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.' When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them." (Acts 16:9-10)

After hearing and considering the revelation, the entire party "concluded" that it was a word from the Lord and that He was calling them into Macedonia to preach the Gospel. Reasoning with others can be a good idea, the problem comes in our selection of, and the quality of, those we chose to reason with.

Rehoboam has succeeded his father Solomon as king of Israel. The people came to him and requested of him that he lighten the load and burden that his father had placed upon him. Rehoboam first turned to the elders that had served his father. Their counsel was, "If you will be kind to this people and please them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever." (2 Chronicles 10:7) However, Rehomoam rejected the counsel of the elders and turned instead to the counsel of the young men who had grown up with him and served him. Their counsel was, "Thus you shall say to the people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us.' Thus you shall say to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins! Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'" (2 Chronicles 10:10-11) Rehoboam listened to the counsel of the young men and, as a result, the people revolted and the nation of Israel was divided.

Rehoboam's problem was that he limited the spear of people he reasoned with to those who were like him and who agreed with him. He specifically chose people who would give him the counsel he desired and who would not challenge his assumptions, conclusions, or will. We often do this in the church as well. We set up small groups around common beliefs, activities, or ministries. For example, all the prophetic people get together in one group while the teachers are in another. We separate out the young and the elderly into their own groups. We have separate groups for young parents and empty nesters. We have two Sunday services, one traditional and one charismatic, so that people can be comfortable in their own group.

When we limit our reasoning to be with others who reason like us, we can miss much of what God wants to show us. It can be likened to two groups who are studying an elephant. One group positioned in the rear and one in front of the elephant. As long as the members of each group only consider the reasoning of others in their group, they will only ever have one view of an elephant. However, if the two groups share revelation and reason between them, they will all have a more complete understanding of elephants. Elephants are multifaceted, and so is God.

"So that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places." (Epheasians 3:10)

No one, by themselves, is able to fully comprehend the manifold, or multifaceted, wisdom and grace of God. However, if we are willing to listen to and consider the revelation and reasoning of others, even those who are different from us or who might disagree with us, we will be embracing a process that can lead us to a fuller understanding of God, His Kingdom, and His creation.

David Robison

Technorati Tags: Reason, Revelation, The Robe, David Robison