May 2 – Thoughts on 1 Kings 12-13 & Luke 22:1-30

Rehoboam and Jeroboam; two kings of a split kingdom.  Two men leading poorly and doomed to lead a doomed people.  For the Lord stood against them both.

When there is a split among God’s people, seldom is one side right and the other wrong.  Both sides try to follow God but do so differently.  And both sides fail to do so.  And so the sin compounds – they follow poorly, and then divide the kingdom which is a sin itself.  And while both claim to have God on their side, neither does.

As we continue in the Covenant to debate the spectrum of views on human sexuality, we like every denomination to do so before us, face the threat of splitting the denomination, this small band of Christ-followers.  Some proclaim that God said homosexual acts are sinful and so we must proclaim this.  Others claim that today’s homosexual relationships would be foreign to bible times and so are not mentioned in the scriptures.  Some claim that we should welcome the LGBTQ community and teach them to repent.  Others claim that we should not just welcome them but celebrate their choices.  And so “some” and “others” go to war over these claims and both lose.

I’m reminded again and again of Joshua preparing to attack Jericho.  He meets a man in shining armor, a representation of God Himself, and asks Him whose side He is on.  The answer is one none of us expect:  “Neither.”  God doesn’t take sides in our petty human arguments any more than a loving parent takes sides when two children squabble.  A good parent’s desire is not for the kids to agree – whether math or football or choir is more important or valuable isn’t the point to them – but for the kids to keep loving each other when they disagree.  I’m not convinced God is on either side of this war over human sexuality.  I think maybe His will is that we remind united in spite of our differences of opinion and interpretation.