| From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase |
Part one of a series.
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Bible study outlines beginning with the same letter of the alphabet are often artificial and even misleading. But when the Bible deals with compromise, the discussion falls into three categories that all begin with the same letter in English.
Centuries before its first monarchy was established under Saul, God warned Israel about their incipient desire to live under the rule of an earthly king instead of under the theocracy that He prescribed in the wilderness. God said this to the nation of Israel, even before they entered the Promised Land:
When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, "I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me," you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, "You shall not return that way again." Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.
Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this Law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this Law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:14-20)
The requirements God stipulated were the very areas in which many of the kings of Judah, and all of the kings of Israel, would fall into sin over the four-and-a-half centuries recorded in the six books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles. In both their personal lives and public actions we find sinful compromise in three major areas. We find those same categories of compromise in the subsequent history of the church up to the present day.
Outlines that all begin with the same letter of the alphabet can be a very artificial (and even misleading) way of looking at the Word of God. But in this particular case, we find that the compromises God warns against all begin with the same letter in the English language. They are primarily in the areas of relationships, resources, and religion.
How did those compromises manifest themselves in Biblical history? How do they manifest themselves in the church today, and in the lives of individual Christians? What is the Biblical cure for these compromises? As we continue this series, the Lord willing we shall examine those questions. The Lord willing we shall see much that will benefit us, individually and in our churches, to protect us from the influences of this present evil world and draw us closer to our all-wise God - if we will only heed His precious Word, by the power of the indwelling Spirit.
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