The Treasury of Solomon : The Identity Crisis

Reference Passage:

Proverbs 16:32 (Amplified Bible)

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our failure to voice a question, cannot always mean that the answer is insignificant. One such question is the mystery of our inner identity – Who am I? Our lifestyle and evaluations of one another as humans, remain hinged on matters of external appearance and occupation. The subtle advances of this doctrine, has even transformed the way we work and earn. Performance measurements in certain quarters of the corporate realm, now evidently abide by the 'what-looks-good-must-be-good' principle alone and thus was born the appraisal techniques that annually fill the stomach of the manager, and the eyes of the subordinate. This is because, one builds his reputation on the toil of the other, and makes it easily appear otherwise. Hence, we end up telling ourselves that there is little esteem anymore for character, and today, personal success takes priority over personal morality.  

'Be yourself' is a battle-cry for the youth, commonly heard when confronting rules that stand in our way. We're told that we need not conform to the ideas of the authority – be it parents at home or teachers in class or elders in society. Think of clothes, food or religious beliefs and you'll easily understand what I mean. Though a commendable idea, is preserving the self our true concern when we say it? A more realistic explanation is that we're merely eager to get rid of whatever we classify as inconvenient, in line with our limited experience and narrow-mindedness. However, some of these 'disposables', actually hold the key to the very self-improvement that we implicitly seek. Obviously we miss these because we fail to sense the gravity of the identity crisis.  

In King Solomon's day, capturing a city involved military action or political intrigue, or a combination of both. Strong-arm tactics such as plugging the fresh water supply, proved useful to break down stubborn resistance, at times. Once there, the conqueror would place the local population under an annual tribute if he desired. There were also other options such as carrying away the inhabitants as valuable manpower resource, or as labour force to construction projects elsewhere. For the man at the helm of the action, all of this was a matter of immense pride, wealth and fame.

Nevertheless, amidst the applause and showers of praise surrounding the conqueror, the wise king had a word of caution to leave with us. One's calibre is best judged by how well the greater challenge of comprehending and conquering the inner self is met. Cities might fall to the genius of human intellect, or the sheer determination of the will, but not so the self. The image that the world has of us, may be one of control and determination, assessed by the cities we have conquered, or the wealth we have amassed for ourselves. Yet, it is perfectly possible to make a mess of life if our very own Ministry of Internal Affairs is in mayhem.

Let's think along Solomon's line of thought. Anger is relevant to most of us as the perfect example for the weakness of self. It takes very little to blow our fuse, especially when we are in 'multi-tasking deadline-approaching' mode. However, the damage generated by those moments of rage, could lead to drastic consequences.

Once, an engineer got into an argument with a driver. The heat rose, until the matter boiled over as physical violence. Corporation rules forbid mortal combat between employees, and offenders are slapped with termination notices. When the matter reached the HR, an officer called the two for an internal investigation. After talking to the driver, he gave the engineer a chance to defend his case. As you might expect, the engineer maintained his right and demanded a judgement in his favour. In fact, many judges today would hastily rule in favour of the mighty. However the officer's subsequent questions thoroughly fixed the self-righteous engineer.

"As engineer with the company, how many people work under you?"

"Fifty."

"And under the driver?"

"None."

"Do you realise that the driver gets a salary about a fifth of yours?"

"Yes."

"In terms of self-respect, in terms of career prospects, in terms of pay, who suffers a greater loss?"

The engineer did not have to admit the obvious.

The identity crisis is not just about anger. Think of the opportunities we have wasted through laziness. Reflect on the relationships we have soured by our lack of commitment. Give a thought to the many blessings we have taken for granted, without any afterthought of gratitude. For instance, have we ever reckoned how much our parents have put into bringing us up? Consequentially, we won't value being exemplary guides to our kids either, which is why parents now think that remaining attached to each other, is not a necessity, in nurturing children. All this, is merely the tip of the iceberg when we consider the missing pieces of the identity puzzle.

Our inner organism has decayed to the state where we are no more able to recognize our Creator, even though we were created in His own image and likeness. He intricately expressed His greatness in the needlework of nature, yet we believed it's simply physics. He beckoned man to Himself, through the establishment of human relationships, yet we were convinced it's simply psychology. He punished our follies with timely rebukes, yet we thought it's simply history. Although we bask in the glory of our scientific progress and technological advancements, we still have no answer to the question He posed before centuries: "What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?" (Mathew 16:26) 

Ultimately, He stepped down and walked among us, laying aside His awesome glory for a while. He healed the sick and comforted the weary, but also made it clear that we urgently needed an inward look. In return, mankind gifted the Cross with a sarcastic wisecrack: "Why don't You save Yourself and prove Your identity?"  (Mathew 27:39-40)

Ironically, as we celebrate 'simply Easter' each year, we silently agree with His premise. We are the ones who urgently need saving, not Him. Its our identity that requires proving and pruning, not His.

Ruth - Until He settles the matter (Part 4 of 5)

Reference Passage:
Ruth chapter 3:1 - 5 Read it here

As always, my humble advise is to refrain from proceeding until you seek the Lord's help to understand the following text.

It will help us to recall that God calls us to satisfaction. Yet, we often misunderstand this satisfaction that God expects us to come to. See what Apostle Paul writes to Timothy: “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” (1 Timothy 6:17) When the Lord asks us to take up our Cross and follow Him, we agree. Along the way, He caters to our need and gives us something that will help alleviate the difficulties of the day. When its time to move on, He exhorts us to take fresh steps into the deeper realms of His Grace wherein He may continue to mold us according to His plan. Yet, we are so caught up licking the candy wrappers that we forget what we initially set out to do. We expect a constant pampering and our shopping lists only get bigger with time. How you noticed how much our prayer time is consumed by our needs? Of course, God expects us to approach Him for our needs. But, I must warn you – something is wrong somewhere if this conveniently eats up all our time spent with God.
What about God's need? Does He not have a plan in calling us to this Grace in which we stand? The New Testament makes it evident that our prayer topics are largely different from those of the saints of old. Several of Paul's prayers are recorded in his letters to the churches and its clear that his priorities were very different. Let me quote just one of those from the epistle to the Ephesians:
“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:15-19)
Do we even have the maturity to understand what Paul is praying for?

Remember: The Lord doesn't ask us to be content because He doesn't have enough stock to supply all our needs – rather, His best treasures are of a different kind. The kind that caused Graham Kendrick to pen the following words, quoting from Paul's epistle to the Philipians:

All I once held dear, built my life upon
All this world reveres and wars to own
All I once thought gain, I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now, compared to this.

Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing...

I now pick up the thread I left with you last week. Ruth now stands with the offer to continue in Boaz's fields till the end of the harvest. In a little while, Naomi brings up another issue of greater significance: “My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for?” (Ruth 3:1) Ruth is reminded that her status has not essentially changed – poor Moabite widow. Merely gathering food from Boaz's fields cannot change her identity even though she desired to be one with the Israelites (Read 1:16).
What about us? We've probably had the privilege of being born to orthodox parents. We've attended church services from our very early days. We contribute generously to church work. Above all, we have been blessed with prosperity, education and family which we acknowledge as blessings of Grace. In fact, we often point to our blessings as evidence of belonging to God's family.

I must raise an uncomfortable question here – if indeed prosperity is evidence of belonging to God's family, what about the many around the world, who in spite of an abundance of wealth, choose to wallow in moral filth? Then again, what about Christians worldwide who follow Christ even in the midst of abject poverty?

Have we indeed undergone a real identity change in the eyes of God? Most importantly, where do we look for information – should I ask the pastor? Or my parents perhaps? Friends? The Pope?
A simple illustration given by the Lord Himself should suffice. Read His words in the Sermon on the Mount:
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
The Lord makes it clear that when His words become the foundation of our lives, and not the words of man, a life that cannot be shaken will take shape. If indeed man speaks with the same solid basis, we will do well to obey. But we better make sure (Acts 17:10-12).

Naomi's words now serve to shift the focus of Ruth's life – from the mere fulfillment of existential needs to a deeper issue at stake that is, the redemption of the family name and inheritance. I wrote earlier that Elimelech's name stands on the verge of extinction as both of his sons died without producing any offspring. Naomi being beyond the age of child-bearing and Orpah having left the household, a lot hinges on Ruth.
Yet, here lies a plain reality – Ruth cannot, of her own, fulfill the redemptive act just as much as she cannot produce a son of her own.

The reality in our lives is no different – in spite of enjoying God's goodness, there is a voice within that's urging us toward a deeper relationship with Him. Have you observed how, at times, you look at your wealth (or lack of it), studies, career or relationships, and wonder where all these are taking you? You keep asking yourself the question 'what is the purpose of my life?' and suggest various answers to yourself – yet, none seem to satisfy.
Raise the banner of love and you quickly have a 'rainbow' crowd gathering in its shade. Nevertheless, at the end of the rainbow, we've often seen a bitterness that calls into question our definitions of love. Some say that they're doing all they can, for their kids. However, recent stories appearing in the media raise troubling questions as to whether the effort is worth its weight. Career is paramount for some others but the reigning economic depression exposes the sad fickleness of wealth. In our minds, we trace our path which seems to go in frustrating circles until we come to a gaping pit that seems to draw everything into its blackness – the mysterious black hole called Death.

How we wish we knew what lies beyond that blackness! If indeed there is hope beyond the curtain, it makes sense that securing that future is worth the effort. If only someone could go in and return to tell us all! Here again, something becomes crystal clear – we're asking for something which no man can accomplish! We may see travel agencies promise exciting holidays to the remotest paradises on earth. But, I ask, who can secure my seat to the Eternal Paradise of God?

As that inner voice eggs us on, we stand reluctant to take a step of faith forward. Here lies a great crisis – on one hand, we hope to discover God and His promises of eternal life; yet, we also desperately wish to hold on to certain 'prized' possessions. Lets ask ourselves: where are these treasures taking us anyway? I recall the words of the Lord Jesus: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mathew 6:19-21)
As Naomi outlines a plan for her, Ruth responds with obedience and exemplary humility. Naomi points to Boaz and says that with him, lies the power and the will to redeem their broken estate.

What of us? Do we not see our Good Boaz of the New Testament who has given us hope? Death could not hold Him in the grave and He is risen to rule and reign forevermore. With His unique perspective of life from every possible angle, He can infuse a fresh and lasting meaning into our lives found nowhere else. Its one thing to experience His mercies in our lives, its quite another to enter into a covenant relationship with Him. The God of the Bible is very particular about that word: covenant (or agreement). He never gets into 'deeper' dealings with anybody without a covenant.

Behold – at the Last Supper of the Lord with his disciples, He spoke of His impending death upon the Cross in very specific terms. Read Mathew's account of the event:
“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. ””
(Mathew 26:26 – 28)
Christians worldwide remember these words each week at the Eucharist or the Lord's Table. We all agree that the Lord's death upon the Cross is the foundational event on which our faith is based. But what is this New Covenant all about? In that case, what is the Old Covenant and why did it have to be done away with?

As I leave you with these questions this week, I must remind you that many of us have only touched the threshold of God's house. As we hear the voice of the Holy Spirit gently welcoming us into God's presence to begin a relationship with God, may we not be satisfied with the mere blessings of the Giver – let us run on to lay hold of Himself and the desires of His heart.

To be continued...

Ruth - Till death do us part (Part 2 of 2)

Reference passage:

Ruth chapter 1:1-18 Read it here
Always remember: Pray before you begin. I know its repetitive to write this each time, but a lot lies there.

Wave upon wave of sorrow began to beat upon the family, we befriended last week. First it was Elimelech, then it were the sons' turns to depart. Naomi was heartbroken. Nevertheless, refreshing news made its way to the bereaved household – the Lord had shown His goodness to His people once again.
I wonder if the thought of returning home was a particularly tantalising one for Naomi for she had to literally start from scratch. They sold their property before setting out for Moab and it wouldn't be easy to buy it back. (More on this later) Besides, things looked very bleak for Naomi – the Moabite girls were not likely to marry within the family and perpetuate the family line. Jewish Law upheld the institution of 'levirate' marriage wherein a dead man's childless widow was to marry a brother, or another near relative. The firstborn from this marriage was reckoned to the name of the departed. Thus this son was to inherit the property of his acknowledged father, rather than his real father. This ensured that the property of the Israelite people would not fall into strange hands.
In that case, this was probably THE END for Elimelech's name in history. When Naomi finally died, a family was going to be wiped off the face of the earth for lack of representatives.

Somehow, Naomi mustered the courage to back home. However, she wouldn't encourage her daughters-in-law to follow suit. In verses 8 to 13, she makes it plain that there is absolutely NOTHING more she can offer them. This is very interesting. Think about this: for most of us, relationships come to a standstill when we realise that there is absolutely nothing we're getting out of the deal. “Do I really need to take this forward? Does this person truly matter to me? Why go to all this for nothing?”, we stop and ask ourselves. Faced with this very possibility, Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye. We cannot blame her – I think we'd do the same given the choice.

The big surprise came from Ruth – she refused to yield to her mother-in-law's words and stood her ground. Given Ruth's background, this is highly amazing. A Moabite youth in Israelite country? From Naomi's words in verse 15, I gather there are at least two very good reasons for her to go back.
Firstly, nothing beats the comfort and prosperity of being at home. Those of us who've stayed away from our parents before we settle down in life, might understand what I mean. From my own hostel days, I still remember my longings for the “familiarness” of home. The food, my room, the presence of loved ones close by, the guidance that trusted people could offer, even the language – staying away was not an attractive affair. For Ruth, this would additionally mean the prospect of a good marriage with a Moabite boy.
Secondly, and maybe more importantly, the convenience of worship: Moab's gods might offer an easier pattern for worship than the Lord Jehovah of the Hebrews. Was Ruth to forsake the gods of her fathers and all the rituals she was “used” to?
Faced with the prospect of making a decision for God, we often choose to hide behind this subtle aspect of our lives: convenient worship. People ask me, “Do you think my parents were wrong in what they taught me? Does God not understand my limitations?” I remember once asking my Christian cousins why they went to a church meeting on Sunday. Quick came the cliche reply: “To worship God.” Digging a little deeper, I questioned if they would have done the same had they been born in a Hindu or a radical Muslim family. No answer this time.
In short, we are all dancing along to the convenient worship of our fathers without bothering to ascertain whether we are in the way of the truth or not.

All the same, Ruth stands as a testimony to the contrary. I'm unable to fully pinpoint from the passage, what triggered her decision. But one thing is crystal clear: she was determined to get a new identity. Her words in verses 16 and 17 emphasise her rock-solid conclusion. Most interestingly, she goes on to say to Naomi, “Where you die, I will die, and there I'll be buried.” She was not even planning to leave the land of Judah after Naomi's death! Do I conclude this to be an extravagant love for a mother-in-law? I think the rationale goes beyond this.
Whatever the reasons may be, Ruth was going to be identified with the Israelites from now on, and not otherwise. If this meant a lack of comforts, so be it. If this implied a radical difference in worship, so be it.

Finally Ruth binds herself to the relationship in the name of the Lord of Israel - “May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."
Christian marriage vows borrow from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer wherein the man says to the woman and vice versa, “I M. take thee N. to my wedded Wife/Husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance.” In fact, many civil ceremonies grant the liberty to omit “till death us do part” or to make any similar opportune correction. Its no surprise that like most other vices in society, divorce happens because “its there”. Like some say, opportunities are not meant to be wasted.
For Ruth, breaking the commitment automatically necessitated punishment from God's hands. Here, I wish to revive my earlier thought that Naomi had absolutely nothing to give her. Nevertheless, this young Moabite woman had set her eyes elsewhere. For her, commitment ranked higher than benefit and that's a lesson worth learning in a wanton world.

As we shall later see, this was just the stepping stone for a miracle to happen: Eventually, Ruth entered the home of another like minded woman, who had forsaken her past to live with God's people. Together, they became the ancestors in the human lineage of the greatest individual history has ever seen – the man Jesus Christ.

May I close with an appropriate illustration courtesy Dr. Ravi Zacharias. He explains the possibility of two scenes at an airport enquiry desk.

Scene 1:
Man: Excuse me, I need help.
Receptionist: Yes, how may I help you?
Man: I think my suitcase has been stolen.
Receptionist: Sir, how did it happen?
Man: I had just left it there, at that coffee table, and gone to pay the bill. When I returned, it was gone.
Receptionist: I'm afraid you're right, sir – its lost.

Scene 2:
Man: Excuse me, I need help.
Receptionist: Yes, how may I help you?
Man: I think my suitcase is missing.
Receptionist: Sir, how did it happen?
Man: I checked in my baggage at your counter in the City Terminal yesterday. I've just found out its still not arrived here. Here's the reference number.
Receptionist: We'll immediately check this out. Rest assured, sir, we'll find it for you at the earliest.

Do you notice the difference?
We're still holding on to our lives, desperate to live on our own terms. How then, can you and I approach God for the problems in our lives when our lives are not committed into His hands in the first place?