Scripture
But when Ahijah heard her walking up to the door, he said: Come in! I know you’re Jeroboam’s wife—why are you pretending to be someone else?
~I Kings 14:6, CEV
Quote
Fake people work to maintain an image or reputation–real people work to maintain integrity.
~Ya’akov
In the early days, Jeroboam seems to be filled with potential, so much so that he threatened Solomon who put out a contract on him. Jeroboam fled to Egypt where he took asylum. After Solomon’s death and the rebellion of the Northern Tribes; they made Jeroboam their king. When Jeroboam became king of Israel his insecurities came to the surface. He was fearful of losing control so he organized his own pagan religion to hold the tribes together; much like the followers of Muhammad did after his death. Islam was organized to consolidate the Arab world and unfortunately, it worked. Jeroboam’s new religion was centered around the Canaanite fertility cults and the worship of the golden calf [bull]. Needless to say, the LORD was very displeased with Jeroboam and Israel. The prophet Ahijah was the voice of truth. When Jeroboam son Abijah gets sick, Jerobaom has his wife disguise herself and go to Ahijah for help. By the way, you look at the two names and you know they resemble: Abijah means Yah {God} is my father and Ahijah means Yah is my brother. Anyway, Jeroboam was ashamed to go to a true prophet with his prayer request because he had been unfaithful to God. It would be like a back slidden Baptist quitting church and joining the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witnesses and then when he gets in trouble, he comes back to the pastor and asked for help.
Here is the neat thing about the story: the man of God saw through the charade. It was not fooled for a second. Why do people disguise themselves; why do they hide their true motives? Obviously, I can’t answer this question in one blog but our fear of being known goes back to the Garden of Eden. Sin created immediate guilt, guilt created shame and shame created a fig leaf apron. Adam and Eve hid things from each other and tried to hide them from God. Before their transgression, they hid nothing from each other. When we think naked, we are usually thinking the wrong thoughts but their nakedness had more to do with the soul than the body. They didn’t pretend before each other: they didn’t hide things from each other. Most of us are afraid to be transparent because we are afraid to be known. Our fear is that if people really knew us, they would reject us. The only person who can fix this deep seated insecurity is Jesus. He can make us so confident of HIS love that we stop worrying about the rejection of men. So everyone does not love Jack! Big deal, everyone didn’t love Jesus. I love the story Rodney Dangerfield told about his son. His son came to him and said, “Dad, no one likes me.” Rodney said, “Shut up boy, everyone hasn’t met you.” Just kidding. Don’t know why but I have always thought this story was funny. Seriously, rejection can be frightening.
One other thing: when we live pretentious lives, working to maintain a certain image, we fool far less people than we realize. Most people can detect a phony; they pick up on our pretense and they know we are not genuine. It is a thrill to be real so why are you pretending to be someone you are not? Paul told the Corinthians: “We don’t do shameful things that we have to keep secret and we don’t try to fool anyone.” The biggest fool is the one who thinks he has everyone else fooled.
Speaking of phony or hypocritical people: Time magazine columnist and editor at large Ian Bremmer admitted that he fabricated a demeaning quote about President Trump that went viral over the weekend. At first Bremmer defended his fake quotes as “plausible,” but later admitted the comments were completely made up. This lying hypocrite is a professor at NYU. Trump called his hand and he printed a retraction. How much more evidence do you need to distrust the media? I do not believe a word they say, not a word.
New evidence surrounding the sexual exploits of Martin Luther King, Jr. are out and it is not good. There is evidence that he watched a friend rape a woman. They were teaching her a lesson. Before Ralph Abernathy died, he confessed that King had women in every city but Abernathy said, “His private life has nothing to do with his cause.” King was a stooge, bought and paid for by big money. You do know where the big money is don’t you? Check out the modern day Sadducees. King had a Jewish speech writer. Practically anywhere you go where there is a hint of communism/socialism in the air, you will find the Sadducees in the shadows stirring the stink. They don’t want free enterprise: they don’t want competition because they want it all. Churchill believed they ignited the communist revolution is Russia and I think he was right. You don’t read that in a government text book do you. Roosevelt, Kennedy, King, and more recently Clinton and Obama are all fabricated icons, created in the devious minds of the left, and we all know that with the left, CHARACTER DOESN’T COUNT. It’s a good thing because they don’t have any.
We had a big day yesterday {Memorial Day}. It was our first time to attend the Memorial Day service at Athens. They honor all the veteran’s who departed this world in the previous year. They honored 154; three from Sardis Springs {community where I grew up}. I heard another General from Redstone, two in two days, make a speech and we also attended June’s uncle Memorial Service. It lasted for several hours so we didn’t get to stay. It is hard for me to post pictures on the blog but I put several on Facebook. One of the highlights for me was a stop at Good Springs Cemetery where June’s parents are buried: Seth and Meg found five tombs of CONFEDERATE veterans. Someone had put flags on their graves.
I got in a chat group last night about the SBC and the reforms who are pushing social justice [biblical injustice]. The problem in American is not racism or slavery, it is stupidity. We have a group of morons holding high positions in our convention and something has to be done. Russel Moore is…well my conscience forbids me to tell you what he is but let’s just say, it is not intelligent.
A Tribute to Edgar David Gross, 1901-1941, killed in action aboard the USS Oklahoma. He was a Water Tender 2nd class and it was his second tour in the Navy. After spending several years in the Navy, he re-enlisted in the Navy Reserve and was called back into action. There were 429 men who died aboard the Oklahoma on December 7, 1941. He was a Purple Heart recipient. He married June’s aunt Anne Pearl Marbut. They had no children. After Pearl Harbor, June’s father Woodrow Marbut and all five of his brother enlisted: three in the Army and three in the Navy plus two brother in laws. This gave June’s grand parents 8 men in WWII. No family in Limestone County has ever matched these numbers. Can you imagine the stress her grandparents felt: all nine {sons and son in laws} in WWII and one not coming home. Eight in at one time, wow! I think June’s grand dad’s name was Emmit and her grandmother Fanny but she has gone to bed and I am not positive about the names. I never knew them. I do know that Emmit collected commode seats and hung them in the hall of the barn. He never had a commode to my knowledge.