PLEASE PASS THE SALT
Jesus said:
Matt 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
Much could be said about all of the implications that Jesus made when he said that we are to be the salt of the earth. Salt preserves; salt purifies; salt enhances flavor; but the most important aspect that each of these truths share is this: salt makes a difference. God's plan for a righteous man is for his life to make a difference. In fact, Jesus said that if I don't make a difference, I am good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled by men.
In this discussion today we will show that a wise man can expect to have an impact on all levels of society. To gain an understanding of how this happens, we will take a look at the four levels of interaction between God and man, and the four institutions God has ordained to be the vehicles for that interaction. And finally, we will show in scripture and in history that there are four stages of a wise man's life, and that each stage is marked by an emphasis in leadership at each successive level of interaction between God and man.
Let us begin in the book of beginnings.
Gen 2:7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
In Gen. 2:19 we read that God formed all the creatures of the earth out of the dust of the ground. But of only one creature was it written that God breathed into him his own breath. Man is unique among all the other creatures of the earth. All creatures die, and return to the dust from whence they were made. But man possesses within himself the very breath of God, a spirit that will never die, but will live on for eternity. God made man for a special purpose, and he desires to interact with man at the level of the individual. God wants to have a personal relationship with you, as an individual. What is it that he expects from you in return?
Matt 22:37 Jesus replied: "`Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
Matt 22:38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
Jesus said that the most important thing that God expects you to do is to love him. And Paul tells us in
1 Tim 1:5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
Do you see the correlation between what Paul said and what Jesus commanded? Jesus said to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Paul said that to love entails keeping a pure heart, a sincere faith, and a good conscience -- heart, soul, and mind. Later in this discussion we will show that these three assets -- a pure heart, a sincere faith, and a good conscience -- are the keys to success in a man's participation at the first level of interaction between God and man, the level of the individual.
But God, in his wisdom, chose not to build society as merely a group of individuals.
Gen 2:18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I
will make a helper suitable for him."
Gen 2:21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while
he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with
flesh.
Gen 2:22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the
man, and he brought her to the man.
Gen 2:24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united
to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
Notice God's plan. Two individuals join together to become no longer two, but one.
Gen 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
We have all heard that the Great Commission is to go into all the world and to preach the gospel. But do you know what the first commission is? Be fruitful and increase in number. What does this mean; be fruitful and increase in number? Business and babies. Be fruitful; produce something. Many people hold a misconception today that because Adam sinned, God cursed him by making him work. This is not what God said at all.
Gen 3:17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, `You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
God did not curse Adam by making him work; he cursed the ground because of Adam. And now, the work that should have been a pleasure and a joy to him, was going to be difficult and painful. But God had intended for Adam to work from the very beginning, for he told him to be fruitful, to subdue the earth, and to rule over it.
So we see that after God created the individual, the very next thing he did was to create an economic unit, called a household. A man and a woman, working together to produce. And then he told them to increase in number. How are they to increase in number? Primarily, through the reward of children.
Ps 127:3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.
Now for the very first couple, Adam & Eve, this was the only way for their household to increase in number. But, we can see in later scriptures that God intends for the household in a more populated society to increase in other ways as well, by bringing other individuals into the household who, for one reason or another, need a place where they can be productive, as God intended.
Gen 17:12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner-- those who are not your offspring.
And so we see that a man's offspring are only part of the increase of a biblical household, though by far the most important part. Listen to the definition of the household as found in NELSON's Bible Dictionary.
HOUSEHOLD
All the people who lived together in the same family in Bible times. Israelite
families were larger than ours today. The family included the immediate family
and all who lived together in the same house. This included slaves, concubines,
foreign residents, and servants.
The key to understanding the biblical concept of the household is to realize that it is an economic unit in which a man, his wife, his children, and other individuals find a place to be productive, and to have their own needs met in the process. And here we come to a point where it is important for us to understand God's wisdom in this design. When individuals combine their efforts as members of a Godly household, their impact and influence on society is greater than would be the sum of their efforts as individuals alone. This is an important statement, and I want to make it again. """" And what is the key to success at this level of interaction between God and man? Joshua said it succinctly in
Joshua 24:15 ...as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
So we see that God wants to interact with man as an individual, and he wants to interact with man in the context of participation in a household. but in his desire for man to include him in every aspect of life, God provided for an even higher level of interaction.
Gen 17:7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. (NIV)
God offered Abraham and his descendants for generations to come, a wonderful opportunity here, to enter into a special relationship with God; a covenant relationship. Jesus had something to say about this on the night in which he was betrayed. He and his disciples were sharing their last Passover meal together before his death, and in
1 Cor 11:25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." (NIV)
What a wonderful thing Jesus said here! Not only did he reaffirm the covenant relationship, but he offered it to all those who would partake of his blood; in other words, to all who would be reconciled to God through the sacrifice of his own life that he was about to make on the cross. That means, my friend, that you and I have the opportunity to enter into that covenant relationship with God.
Gal 3:29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (NIV)
God wants me to enter into this covenant relationship with him. He wants me to say along with Joshua, as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord; and in so doing, join with other Godly households to become the very household of God. Listen to what Paul said in
1 Tim 3:14 Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions
so that, (NIV)
1 Tim 3:15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves
in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation
of the truth. (NIV)
By participating in the church, men encourage one another, hold one another accountable, and leverage the influence of their households for good in the community. It is this leveraging of influence, the increasing of strength that comes from Godly individuals and households uniting in faith and action, that enables the church to be what it is called to be; the pillar and foundation of the truth. for the efforts of one man alone will not usually bring about significant changes in society. As the head of a Godly household, with other individuals helping him reach his goals, he can achieve somewhat more. but it is at the third level -- the level of the church -- where he can really begin to make a difference.
Prov 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (NIV)
Heb 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and
good deeds. (NIV)
Heb 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,
but let us encourage one another-- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
(NIV)
The importance of Godly householders meeting together must not be underestimated. For it is working together, planning together, forging alliances and building reputations that will prepare men for the fourth and final level of interaction.
Let us take a minute, now, for a quick review. God made man as an individual being, and he desires for man to love him with a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. God gave man the precious gift of a woman, and he told the man and woman to establish a household, where their children, family members, and others can find a place to fulfill God's mandate to be productive. Then God provided for men the opportunity to enter into a covenant relationship with him, and to join with other Godly householders to make up the household of God, the church. Now if everyone submitted to God's plan in this way, and strove to love both God and their neighbor, then there would be no need for another level of interaction between God and man. But in his wisdom, God understood that not all men would participate in this plan. And so God gave man a law. And he established and ordained civil government to enforce that law, so that all men would come under the authority of God's justice.
Exodus 24:12 The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction." (NIV)
You see, man did not come up with the idea of law. God did. And not only was it God's idea, but he also gave us an absolute standard for law, in tablets of stone, carved with his own finger. And that law was not intended to be brought to bear against those who do good, but for those who do evil.
1 Tim 1:8 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. (NIV)
1 Tim 1:9 We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers
and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who
kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, (NIV)
1 Tim 1:10 for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--
and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine (NIV)
Law was given by God because of unrighteousness. And his purpose for those who govern is to uphold and enforce that law; to punish those who do evil, and to protect those who do right.
1 Pet 2:13 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted
among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, (NIV)
1 Pet 2:14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong
and to commend those who do right. (NIV)
Romans 13:3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those
who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then
do what is right and he will commend you. (NIV)
Romans 13:4 For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be
afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an
agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. (NIV)
Notice how Paul says it twice for emphasis -- rulers are God's servants. God instituted government, and he mandated that rulers work to enforce his law; to protect the rights of all citizens to life, liberty, and property. When government officials fulfill these obligations with a clear conscience before God, then the blessings of prosperity rest upon the land. Listen to the Psalm of the faithful ruler.
Ps 72:1 Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness.
(NIV)
Ps 72:2 He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with
justice. (NIV)
Ps 72:3 The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit
of righteousness. (NIV)
Ps 72:4 He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children
of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.
Defend the defenseless, punish the evildoer, strive to bring about liberty and justice for all. This is the work of a righteous man at the final level of interaction, the level of civil government.
And so we see the Big Picture. Four levels, and four God ordained offices, each with it's own responsibilities and its own jurisdiction. And it is important to realize that God instituted these four jurisdictions in the order of their importance in his plan for society. An individual man brings together and is directly responsible for other individuals in a household. Households join together in faith and deed to form the church. The church has the responsibility of illuminating God's Law, the platform on which all good government must stand. And that's the way it's supposed to work. doesn't that sound great? It makes so much sense. So why doesn't it work that way? The answer, in one word, is sin. Because of sin, individuals fail to maintain a pure heart and a clear conscience before God. Because of sin, households fail to serve God, and many break up. Because of sin, churches go their separate ways and fail to live up to their heavenly mandate to be the pillar and foundation of the truth. Consequently, their message becomes irrelevant to every day life. And finally, because of sin, civil governments fail to stay within their God-ordained bounds; and the inevitable result is tyranny.
Prov 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.
But perhaps you will ask, "What does all this have to do with me?" Everything--because God has a plan for your life. And that plan involves leadership at all four levels of interaction between God and man.
Ps 90:10 The length of our days is seventy years-- or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. (NIV)
Is the Bible encouraging nihilism here, that our lives are short and meaningless, so let's all just eat, drink, and be merry? Not at all. Look at verse 12.
Ps 90:12 Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (NIV)
The Bible is not telling us that our lives are so short that they just don't matter. On the contrary, it is telling us that to be wise we must number our days, and recognize that we only have 70 or 80 years to develop our leadership skills and exercise influence in each of the four areas of society. In order to become a successful leader, you need a plan; a plan that takes into account the time span of a normal man's life, and calls for you to do the right thing at the right time, one step at a time. Some may say, "Well, I can see how that would apply to some people, but I was just not born to be a leader." My friend, that is simply not true. You do possess the potential for leadership; in fact, it was for this very reason you were created. Go back with me to the very beginning.
Gen 1:28 ...fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
Within every man there is a drive to rule, to have mastery over someone or something. Now, when men allow this drive to control them, to direct their actions and their decisions, every conceivable evil can follow--from tyrants like Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin, to meddling bureaucrats in the ATF or Family & Children's Services. But when a man submits that natural drive to the will of God, it becomes a great tool to keep him on track; to do the right thing at the right time; to be a man after God's own heart.
So let us exercise wisdom now, and number our days aright. Since God tells us to expect 70 years, or 80 if we have the strength; and since there are four levels at which we can exercise leadership in our society; I believe we can show in scripture and in history that there are four stages of a wise man's life, each being roughly 17« to 20 years long. And that at each stage, his influence should expand to include leadership in the area of society appropriate for that stage.
The Seasons of Life
1. A Godly Individual
2. A Godly Householder
3. A Godly Elder
4. A Godly Statesman
I want to conclude this article with a description of a righteous man who has lived this kind of life, one season at a time. In Job 29, we read about the kind of man Job was before his time of great testing, and as best as I can determine, what he was restored to after his time of testing was over.
Job 29:7 "When I went to the gate of the city and took my seat in the
public square,
Job 29:8 the young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their
feet;
Job 29:9 the chief men refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with
their hands; (NIV)
Job 29:10 the voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the
roof of their mouths. (NIV)
Job 29:11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended
me,
Job 29:12 because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless
who had none to assist him. (NIV)
Job 29:13 The man who was dying blessed me; I made the widow's heart sing.
Job 29:14 I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my
turban.
Job 29:15 I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. (NIV) Righteous
Job 29:16 I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger.
Job 29:17 I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their
teeth.
Determine today to become a man like Job. This is God’s Plan for your life!
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Bret Smith is the President of The Homeschool Advantage. For information on having the Homeschool Advantage Crew come to perform for your church or civic group, call 678-570-2195.