Beyond the shadow of a doubt, God intends that to anyone who obeys and follows Jesus, success in the true sense of the word will be the inevitable result. The secular world views success as primarily being rich and famous, but the Bible tells us that is a one-sided view, for if a person is wealthy and famous, yet loses his/her soul at the end of the day, such a life would be a catastrophic loss. To be rich, famous, and sick is not ideal either. Let’s read:
Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Therefore, true success according to the scriptures, incorporates several features, with each one being important, and contributing to an indivisible whole, according to the grace and will of God. For instance, the spiritual, and moral nature of man come first, with health, and the temporal aspects coming after, for if one is in an unhealthy condition always, it will be difficult to enjoy the fruits of one’s labor.
However, if for reasons beyond a person’s control, or because of unavoidable circumstances, one was not able to succeed in the health and the temporal aspects of life, but was enabled by the grace God to maintain the spiritual, then at the end of the day, it will be said of such persons, that they lived life to the best of their ability, with immortal life, and the eternal inheritance as the end result.
Thus, it is important that we understand the right balance, as set forth in the scriptures, for The Lord is greatly honored in our lives when that balance is made manifest. Several passages in the Bible, in the old and new testaments confirm this. Let’s read:
3rd John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
Psalms 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Deuteronomy 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
9 The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.
10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.
It becomes obvious, even to the casual reader, that true success is directly linked to the keeping of all of God’s commandments. Someway, somehow, God’s laws are inextricably tethered to success, and thus, the question becomes, “What is our problem, why it seems as if the perfect balance evades the majority of professed Christians? Why is it that so many are in a state of imbalance, when The God of the Bible has clearly set forth the inevitable result of living by His word?
The answer, to a large extent, lies in the common practice of partial obedience, where persons adopt some of the instructions and laws given in the Bible, while at the same time disregarding, or avoiding the others. As a general rule of thumb this leads to one-sided success where the spiritual may be flourishing but the health and temporal aspects are lagging. Or otherwise, some may become healthy and wealthy, but like the rich young ruler in the scriptures, a true relationship with God is lacking.
Whatever may be our understanding of the Bible, it is evident that partial obedience is the root cause of most of our inadequacies. This problem is also to be seen in the way governments and counties operate, for it is a problem that runs the entire spectrum of our experiences, on a private and public level. For instance, in all states across America, it is a crime to steal and to kill, and these laws did not originate with man, but are derivatives coming from the great moral law of ten commandments. Let’s read:
Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not kill. 15 Thou shalt not steal.
But in the same law we are told not to bear false witness. However, as it currently stands, the law against lying is adopted in most instances only when it is convenient or when a person may be facing dire consequences for not telling the truth. For instance, it is a serious crime to lie to the F.B.I or to congress, as some unfortunate persons have been finding out lately, but to lie to one’s spouse, or to make several false statements in advertisements, is not generally looked upon as being wrong.
Again, the latter six of the ten commandments may be adopted to a greater or lesser extent, but the first four which govern our relationship to God, are often left on the back-burner. For instance, the 4th commandment delineates in no uncertain terms, that the earth was created in six working days, and then God instituted the Sabbath as a day of rest for man.
However, for all intents and purposes, that law has been thrown out by most Christians, and we have instead adopted the first day of the week, and in consequence, evolutionary tales have now become standard in our curriculum. Thus, on the one hand we are big on “Thou shalt not kill”, but we are small on “Remember the Sabbath day” and creation, and as a direct result, success on all fronts are evading us. Let’s read:
Isaiah 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
However, because it is not within the domain of any man to coerce the conscience, the needed reforms, as it pertains to the spiritual aspects especially, will have to begin with the individual. This is what the apostle James was referring to, as he wrote about partial obedience, because when persons or nations espouse some godly laws and despise the others, it will not, and cannot go well. Let’s read:
James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
This conundrum will inevitably lead to a one-sided form of success where the nation may be financially viable, but the moral and spiritual aspects are in the dust. Wherever the commandments of God are only adopted partially, partial success will follow, and if on a personal or national level the Biblical principles are espoused in entirety, balanced success on every front will be the result; it cannot be otherwise, for the mouth of The Lord has spoken it. Let’s read:
Deuteronomy 4:5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.
6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the
nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?
8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?
Many persons are now perplexed at what is taking place nationally, and many more are alarmed at the inability of leaders to resolve what may seem as a simple problem. And it may seem to many more, as if God is not listening to the prayers and concerns of those who may be falling into dire straits because of the national impasse. The solution is quite simple, if it is adopted on a personal level; and if it is done on a national scale, the clouds will be lifted. Let’s read:
2nd Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
Thus, it is against this backdrop that we will proceed to our study for today. It has been stated over, and over again on this forum, that the moral law of God takes preeminence over natural law, for the laws in the natural world are subject to the moral law, and they fall under its jurisdiction. Thus, whenever the moral law is disregarded, either individually or on a national scale, the other laws which are operating downstream become discombobulated.
This is what took place during the reign of Ahab and Jezebel, who had led the nation of Israel deep into idolatry. The moral laws of God lay in the dust, idols and atheistic theories had overspread the land, and in direct consequence, the natural laws governing the yearly seasons were interfered with. Many folks view this as something God “Did” unto Israel, as opposed to the natural consequence that always follows deliberate disregard of God’s moral law.
Because the prophet Elijah was sent to deliver the startling message, some have concluded that it must be something God “Did”. It is true that God controls all laws, whether moral or natural, for they are all subservient unto Him, and they do not run on automatic. Yet we must remember that there are also laws of sowing and reaping, so that if a person or a nation sows “Corn” they will reap corn.
Jezebel and Ahab had led ancient Israel into callous disregard of the commandments, and the inevitable results followed. Their economy took a hit, and dust storms appeared out of nowhere, and the lack of rain, together with the unrelenting heat waves took a fearful toll on man and beast. The poor animals, and beasts of burden, who looked to man for help were sadly disappointed as they saw their grass and grain wither into nothingness.
Then, when Elijah was sent to confront Ahab, the real cause of the national disaster was disclosed, as it will be, sooner or later in the land of the free and the home of the brave. One of the delusions of the last days is the erroneous conclusion held by some, that the spiritual and the temporal aspects of life are disconnected. Nothing can be further from the truth as we have read previously in the scriptures. Let’s read:
1st Kings 18:17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.
Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.
Isaiah 24:3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.
4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
Just as soon as Israel saw, and acknowledged their errors, and turned from the prevailing idolatry, the other laws downstream of the great moral law were marshalled back into line, and the seasons, which had come and gone reliably in former years, began to resume their regular cycles. The laws of gravity, and the laws of ten commandments have One and the same source, for God is the Author both, and the lesser is affected by the greater. Let’s read:
1st Kings 18:36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may
know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.
41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
45 And it came to pass in the meanwhile, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain.
There are great lessons of success in the history of the rise and fall of nations, some of whom obeyed the moral law, and were blessed, and others who disregarded and thereby incurred a curse. In these times of uncertainty, where everything seems to be out of whack, where health seems to be evading millions, and where imbalanced success threatens the fabric of society; isn’t it high time that we take a second look at Christ who gave us the great moral law?
One cannot espouse Christ, and at the same time reject His law for the two are inextricably combined as a complete whole. To claim to believe in Jesus must mean something tangible, for our love to Him is never measured by praise, but by obedience. Let us then take an introspect look at ourselves, and if we discover that we have come up short in some areas, let us do the right thing, and surrender our hearts to Christ, so that the spiritual, health, and temporal aspects of life may be well-balanced and fine-tuned.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which will help us to see the importance of obedience to all of God’s commandments, and the results which will naturally accrue to those who thus subscribe to His wise instructions. Let’s read:
Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.
6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
God Bless!