Predictably unpredictable…
Jim Thorpe! Does it ring a bell? Well arguably he was the greatest athlete of 20th century. Blessed with abundant natural talent in those days of amateurism, Thorpe virtually “torpedoed” the competition into submission by winning the gold medals in the Pentathlon and Decathlon events of 1912 Olympics. Encomiums were predictably showered upon him on his glorious Olympic victories by the Olympic authorities but heartbreak was only round the corner. Very soon his gold medals were cruelly withdrawn by that same Olympic officialdom which had sung his praises on the allegations that this versatile athlete had connections with professional baseball. Sadly, professionalism was a “Forbidden fruit” to myopic Olympic movement of those days. Should not best of athletes be allowed to participate in the greatest sporting event organized to showcase the best of athletic ability? Finally, sanity dawned upon Olympic movement and that is why we have modern-day NBA professionals “displaying their wares” in Olympics now. To complete the Thorpe saga, International Olympic Committee finally “realized their mistake” and his Olympic medals were restored posthumously, in 1982.
Times really have not changed. In the Biblical realm too we see people being consistent in their inconsistency while dealing with their heroes. Good many times, great motivators have been made heroes’ to be only reduced to zeroes the very next moment. Sad to say, people have been vacillating in their attitude towards the Almighty also (yes, He too has not been spared). In this sermon covering 4 incidents (classified into 3 parts) in the Scriptures, I intend to focus on the extreme mood swings of the public contrasted with eternal unchanging ways of the Creator (Heb 13:8), who consistently bears our inconsistencies!
From water to vapor…
In Chapter 15 of the Book of Exodus, we see Israelites at their eccentric best all over the subject of WATER! At the beginning of the Chapter, we see them going gaga over their Redeemer God drowning the wicked Pharaoh and his army/cavalry in the Red Sea waters however, even before some water had flown under the “Nile bridge” as it were, we see them turning bitter (towards the end of that very chapter) over the issue of…yes… some bitter water this time (Exodus 15:22-24). Only some time back their praises for their Savior was overflowing like River water during monsoon time only to evaporate very soon and worse…turn into a bitter complaint. Now what about the unchanging God, did He make a big fuss over the fussy ways of His people? NO! Rather He immediately provided sweet water to them (vs 25). Yes in this fallen world (Romans 8:22-23), no one is exempt from problems but that doesn’t grant us license to turn bitter and use the intemperate language (Exodus 14:11)…the kind the people of Israel used when confronted with difficulties. Viewed positively, problems are an opportunity for us to lean upon Him, who would either immediately get us out of our messy situations (Psalm 50:15) or would give us His grace to grin and bear them for His glory(2 Cor 12:8-12)!
From a Shepherd to a scapegoat…
Now for the woes of a man of God’s own heart…
David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him…(I Samuel 30:6). David and his faithful (?) men after an incomplete military expedition had just arrived home (Ziklag, where David was in hiding, as King Saul was hunting for his life) only to find that their perpetual enemies-Amalekites- in their absence had raided their town, looted their property and carried off their wives and children. This experience was a shock for David with a capital S…now his problems were being compounded as his men, whom he had so faithfully led as a good shepherd for some years now were making him a scapegoat for all this mess.
I reiterate, times have not changed as fickle human mentality has not changed. “This daughter-in-law of ours has brought ill-fortune to our family”…so goes the refrain in some nominal Christian circles…if a tragedy were to befall a family, despite no fault of that innocent daughter-in-law. How silly!
To complete the David story…this exemplary Leader of men did in this moment of crisis, what great men of faith had always done…depended on the Lord to solve their knotty problems…But David found strength in the LORD his God vs 6. Once He depended on the Lord, things started falling into place…one by one…so much so towards the end of that same chapter, we find David and his men rescuing their families from the kidnappers. Say Pastor are you sick and tired of some of your fickle flock? Draw patience from our Patient God (Heb 12:3-4)…like David did!
Consistent Ministry is one which is not influenced by “the stupidity or cupidity” of people but is the one which looks for approval from the ever-consistent ONE!
From oblation to obituary…
There they were the people of Lystra …all oblation one moment vis-à-vis Apostle Paul (along with his missionary mate Barnabas) following a miracle and can you believe it (!) hell bent on writing his obituary as it were the very next moment (Acts 14:8-20), courtesy insidious, insinuation of some Jews. Even a chameleon may not have changed its colors, so fast. But did Paul propelled as he was, by unchanging Divine love change his commitment as to the spiritual welfare of this touchy town? No! Why he selflessly visited Lystra not once but twice (Acts 14:21/16:1) and selected most trusted aide of his…Timothy… FROM THAT VERY TOWN!
From Hosanna “howls” to Crucify cries…
Only a week before His crucifixion, as Jesus rode into Jerusalem humbly on a donkey’s colt loud Hosannas’ (Hosanna in Greek -cry of adoration) reverberated in the air in expectation of deliverance from the Roman rule. Jews looked upon Jesus as their Freedom-fighter, the One who would wield a sword and use His miraculous powers to liberate them from the Roman tyranny but their hopes were dashed as Jesus without as much as lifting even a little finger against the Romans focused more on His spiritual mission of liberating people from the tyranny of much more dangerous rule…SIN. More than ruling from a throne in Jerusalem, Jesus’ I Coming was all about ruling in the hearts of men! No wonder, with their expectations belied, when Jesus’ enemies ( jealous, insecure the religious hierarchy of that time) sought public support for His crucifixion before Pontius Pilate, the very same people who yelled Hosanna now shouted “crucify Him” (Matt 27:11-23). Talk of U-turns for worse…
What was Jesus’ response to the wavy ways of His fellow Jews, who in a way represented mankind in general? Accepting God’s sovereign plan to be a “Lamb slain for this World” (I Peter 1:19-20), He went to the cross, knowing fully well that the people He was dying for, would still be fickle in their devotion for Him (which includes you and me!). To be honest, does not our love for Him blow hot and cold at various times? Yes, we are all guilty of vacillating in our devotion, yet amazingly He remains unchanged in His love for us!
Conclusion…
As one Biblical scholar put it creatively and insightfully “If you are you not feeling close to God? Guess who moved…” In this World, where it is said that only permanent thing is CHANGE, let us all rejoice that we have an UNCHANGING GOD (Heb 13:8)! More than worshipping God for the bountiful blessings, He pours into our lives let us learn to worship for His unique attributes. Have we ever praised Him for His constant, unchanging nature? HALLELUJAH!
Suresh Manoharan
www.jandsmministries.com
