Prosperity Promo

2 Chronicles 31:21

In everything that he undertook in the service of God's temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.

Yesterday, I found myself in a room listening to a business presentation, and this for the nth time is all for friendship’s sake. Sales isn’t really in my blood. There’s just really no inclination at all. But when they started to flash onscreen those big amounts, lured was an understatement. For who wouldn’t want a prosperous, comfortable life? And for those who knew our situation, as in today exactly, you’d understand why we went home very much considering.   

Chapter 31 is all about King Hezekiah commanding Judah to fulfill their obligation as God’s people to tithe. It was specifically in support for the priests and Levites so that they could fully devote themselves to the study and teaching of God’s word. The idolatry of the previous reign, implying there was no offering brought to the Lord resulted to the priests and Levites possible ‘we have no choice but to close the temple doors’. Either out of need or sin’s deceit, we can imagine them like those reported pastors who left their flocks to be with Manny Pacquiao. It was God’s design that our proportional giving to His work is partly for the encouragement of His workers. It is His instituted way of providing for them. If they are wanting, it is not because God did not keep His promise. It is because we failed to obey His directive.

What King Hezekiah promoted was noted to be good and right and faithful before the Lord. It ended with the words: ‘And so he prospered’. Meaning all of Judah. The chapter says everyone faithfully brought in their firstfruits and it amounted to so much that even after the workers got their share, they had to prepare storerooms for the extra heaps. Yesterday in that business meeting, seated in front of me is a pastor. I have nothing against tent makers. But it saddens me, being a pastor’s kid myself, to see God’s workers seeking additional means to make ends meet when they are in fact worthy of double honor. Let's take care of our pastors please. Prepare those tithes now and encourage them this Sunday. More than the amount, their joy is to see the heart that goes with it.

FRAN Day

2 Chronicles 30:12

‘...the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the LORD.’

It’s not easy to invite unchurched people to church. Especially your FRAN - Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors.  So when our pastor announced that our church anniversary will again be a FRAN Day, meaning we enlist them as guests, I’m sure most of us secretly wished to be exempt.  Or some may already be thinking of persuasive scripts and enticing treats attached to the invites - say, free lunch and good music. Why not? It’s still true. But isn’t it better if we’re completely honest in sincerely saying, ‘Would you like to worship God with us next Sunday?’

King Hezekiah did exactly that. To the letter he sent throughout Israel and Judah, he said: ‘People of Israel, return to the Lord…’ What he was referring to was his invitation for them to come and celebrate the Passover. He could have highlighted the feast. Food and fellowship could easily secure good attendance. But he didn’t soft-sell. Instead, he boldly addressed their long-standing issue of unfaithfulness and stubbornness and called everyone to repentance and submission.  Sure enough, as what most of us feared, the couriers were met with scorn and ridicule. But if they stopped at discouragement’s plot, they would have missed those in Asher, Manasseh, Zebulun and Judah who humbly returned to Jerusalem.  And those people would have missed the great joy of being healed and heard by God Himself.

The verse above said ‘the hand of God was on the people’. Maybe that’s the pointe we oftentimes forget here. It is the Spirit of God who works in the hearts of people, enabling them, us too, to respond to His call. The Bible is said to records six hundred forty two personal invitations to ‘Come’. We are actually just the couriers here. Apart from God’s initiative, we are sure to get NO answers. No amount of sales talk or pleasing personality can make our FRANs come with us to church. King Hezekiah knew that. But he still invited everyone anyway. After all, it is God’s event, not his.

Prima Donna

2 Chronicles 29:11

The priests, however, were too few to skin all the burnt offerings; so their kinsmen the Levites helped them until the task was finished and until other priests had been consecrated, for the Levites had been more conscientious in consecrating themselves than the priests had been.

In an opera or theatrical production, a prima donna refers to its lead actress, usually a soprano, playing the role of the heroine. Later on, possibly because of the temperaments and demands of many egoistic leads, it became an expression for someone who behaves as if she deserves all the red carpet treatment possible. In the Phantom of the Opera movie, both meanings apply to one vain woman: Carlotta Giudicelli. There was that scene where she walked out from rehearsal, thinking her indispensability will panic everybody to run after her. To her disappointment, it just paved the way for the discovery and fame of Christine Daaé, the phantom’s protégé.

On the first month of the first year of his reign, King Hezekiah reopened the temple doors and called in all the priest and Levites to consecrate themselves and the sanctuary from all defilement. Considering the perfect holiness of God and the depth of idolatry of the previous rule, he knew this was imperative to achieve true land reform.  When the people’s turn came for the sacrifice, only a few priests were found qualified to receive the hundreds of rams and lambs. The other priests weren’t finished yet with the seven-day consecration process. Because of this, the Levites, who were said to be ‘more conscientious in consecrating themselves than the priests had been’ were instead tapped to help with the offerings. The chapter closed with the people rejoicing at what God had brought about for his people, because it was done so quickly.

So why were the other priests late in complying with the consecration order?  Were they doubtful of the reformation? Were they too secure in their positions, even too proud to be told again of their job descriptions? What amazes me is that regardless of the great need for extra hands, Hezekiah or whoever was in charge, made a stand that only those qualified by God’s standards can take the job. Seniority discredited. Skills not mentioned. And as if to further prove a point, God allowed the second-in-line Levites to help out. No one is most indispensable in the Lord’s service. His purposes will be not delayed because we’re disobedient prima donnas. What are we waiting for?

Negligence

2 Chronicles 29:11

My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense.

When we came home from our eventful, two-week Manila vacation last week, we were surprised to find our water supply cut off. Imagine giving such news to a housewife while she was unpacking the family’s laundry :< And we had to endure it for three days! To cut the long story short, the supposedly stewards of the house we’re renting, to whom we’re paying our share of the water bill, spent the money somewhere else. For the supply to be cut off implies two months of non-payment. For it to be reconnected, and because we wanted it back asap, we had to take it from our own pockets. What saddens us more is that they never answered our calls, never came to their doors when we sought for explanations. They left us no choice but to inform the owner last night when she called.

Negligence. Google defined it as failure to use reasonable care, resulting in damage or injury to another. In today’s text, it was the priests and the Levites not standing before God to serve in His temple. Actually, it was more like ‘not making a stand’ for God when all Judah and its previous kings were rampant in their sin, even shutting the temple doors. It may be that they were fearful for their lives, or they soon gave up their zeal for lack of visible fruits, or worse, they stopped caring at all. Regardless, God’s punishment of war and captivity came upon all Judah, young and old, partly because they failed to do their part. Praise God for raising up the godly Hezekiah to put a stop to their indifference. What is amazing is his God-like graciousness, gently calling them ‘sons’ and reviving their hearts to serve God anew.  

It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. Even in agriculture, God gave laws that a man on duty must make restitutions for carelessness.  If it’s your animal, mind it, if it’s another’s money, safekeep it. If we’ve been given and we accepted responsibilities, follow through. Don’t accept other invitations if it’ll affect your first commitment. Don’t allow laziness and distractions at your door. Even if your boss is not around. Especially when your boss is not around! That is stewardship. For He will sure return. And when He finds us neglecting and abusing our post, Luke 12:46 say, ‘He will cut (us) to pieces’.  So let's get back to work guys!

Plagiarism

2 Chronicles 28:1

Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD.

Senator Tito Sotto’s name linked to plagiarism hit a second time this week. His controversial speech against the Reproductive Health bill was found to be an exact translation of Robert Kennedy’s 1966 speech. Before this, he was already on hot seat for copying from a US-based blogger without attribution. But what is disturbing in both instances is that he never saw it as wrong. He even considered himself as cyber-bullied.  To his detractors, he demanded answers to population control and abortion issues. But to the Filipino people, his excuses to plagiarism are wanting. He may continue to ignore the ethical argument here, but will it  make him right?

The first verse in King Ahaz’ account says ‘he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord’. By implication, we can say that all he did was what was good in his eyes and maybe everyone else. He indulged in idolatry, copying the kings of Israel; he sacrificed his sons in the fire following the ways of the nations around him; and, he was unfaithful to the Lord as the rest of Judah were. At one point, he even offered to the gods who defeated them, for he thought, ‘Since the gods of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.’  It seemed right, looked right, many-said right, in-Aram’s-record right, even felt alright - - but because it wasn’t God-right, he was wrong. Sadly, in God’s time to execute His justice, he became even more unfaithful. Unlike King David who readily repented at first rebuke, Ahaz himself shut the Lord’s temple doors as his last resort.

Senator Sotto argued there was no law against plagiarism. His lawyers were obviously on his side. What surprised me was Senate President Enrile’s defense that many views on earth were also copies from others. Even the word ‘democracy’. Shall we take their word for it? BUT shall we also rally to the other side because the Netizens are in and ‘we feel smart already’ by sharing their ground? Have we even once asked what God really has to say about this? Don’t you think it falls under the ‘Do not steal’ and ‘Love One Another’ commandments? And why do you think God’s anger burn against idolatry and ungratefulness? Isn’t it because He was robbed the glory due His? In His eyes, we’re all guilty here. Now will we do what is God-right?