March 3, 2003
LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for March 16
Honor God through actions, not just words
___1 Kings 5-7
___By Jim Perkins
___Madison Hills Baptist Church, San Antonio
___The old saw may be trite, but most often it is true: Actions speak louder than words. If we desire to honor (hold up as worthy of the highest esteem and reverence) the Lord in our life, then that desire will be expressed best when given the concrete substance of action--when we do something to honor him.
___Determine to
___honor the Lord
___A practical first step in honoring the Lord must include a decision: The Lord is worthy of worship, praise and honor. The young King Solomon published his decision to honor the Lord through a specific action in a letter to Hiram, king of Tyre: "I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the Lord my God" (1 Kings 5:5). Here perhaps "Name" speaks of the personal God who has revealed himself and demonstrated his character to Israel.
___As you might remember, Hiram had assisted King David by providing materials and workmen to build David's royal palace (2 Samuel 5:11). The decision by Solomon, however, to build the temple and the concomitant enhancement of the relationship between the two countries were not based on the political expediency of developing close ties between neighbors along major land and sea trade routes.
___Instead, Solomon's actions flowed from the foundation of a relationship and promise recounted in 1 Kings 5:5 and recorded in its entirety in the Davidic covenant of 2 Samuel 7:5-17. God had promised to establish the house and kingdom of David, and his son--Solomon--would "build a house for my Name" (2 Samuel 7:13).
___Understand how
___to honor the Lord
___Even as the decision to honor God had been made, remember that massive stones and imported timbers in and of themselves will never bring honor to the Lord as he intends and deserves. Indeed, two matters central to Solomon's actions also will be critical for us as we determine the direction of our honor for the Lord.
___First, God did not need a house to honor him. Solomon confessed the inadequacy of this grand construction project in his prayer of dedication for the temple: "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!" (1 Kings 8:27). Even in Solomon's own assessment, his actions were admirable, but not adequate.
___Second, the honor God deserves flows from and is directed by a heart devoted and obedient to the Lord. In 1 Kings 6:12-13, the Lord reminded Solomon of his covenant responsibilities--an obvious opportunity to honor God: "If you follow my decrees, ... keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promises I gave to David your father. And I will live among the Israelites."
___Only two centuries later, the Israelites had fallen down the slippery slope of a shallow, legalistic religion. In Isaiah 29:13, the prophet records God's indictment of the people because they "come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men."
___Christians today face the same crisis of authenticity. Our challenge is to remember that a heart thriving in a personal relationship with our magnificent Savior will produce actions honoring God--but that order cannot be reversed. Common sense tells us sweet, fresh water naturally flows from a spring. Just because you've found water, however, doesn't mean there is a spring--it might be a cesspool!
___Act to honor God
___As honoring God requires a decision to do so and appropriate direction to take, so it must result in a determination to act. In the midst of a thriving personal relationship with the Lord, Solomon acted on his desire to honor God. 1 Kings 6:14-38 offers a concise summary of the seven-year building project Solomon undertook to complete the temple, and 7:13-50 details the furnishings crafted to serve in the active worship of God in the temple.
___In addition, Solomon honored the Lord with personal gifts from the king's storehouse of treasure (1 Kings 7:51). These treasures included the booty and tribute collected by his father, King David (see 2 Samuel 8:9-12), all items that had been dedicated to the Lord and now were presented at his temple.
___The wise king demonstrated a generous spirit in his actions. In his inspired writings, he also challenges us to do likewise. Proverbs 3:9 reminds us, "Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops." Surely giving joyfully and sacrificially is one first step in our acts to honor God, a step that will be accompanied by many more--to the glory of God!
___Questions for discussion
___
___
Get printer-friendly version of this story
Send this story to a friend
News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!/ Signup for FirstLook
