Disloyalty

Scripture

The warriors of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned their backs and fled on the day of battle.

~Psalm 78:9, NLT

Quote

We the going gets tough, the tough get going.

~Knute Rockne

We all have character flaws and no one is perfect but disloyalty is very hard pill to swallow. Psalm 78 is a short history of Israel which recounts God’s miracles on their behalf as He redeemed them from slavery in Egypt and leads them through the wilderness. God was good to Israel. He showed them favor. He literally saved them from bondage and gave them the promise of a new life but they did not respond properly. Instead of being thankful and obedient to God; they were stubborn, rebellious and unfaithful. In other words, they were disloyal. After all God had done for them; you would think they would feel some duty or obligation to serve Him but that was not the case. One of the larger tribes and the most prideful was Ephraim. Ephraim had an army of trained warriors but on the day of battle, they turned their backs and ran. To my knowledge, there is no distinct battle in Israel’s history where the Ephramites actually turned their backs and ran but it is noticeable in the Judges that Ephraim was not dependable and could not be counted on. In the early days of Israel’s settlement in the Promise Land, Ephraim was the leading tribe and the center of worship. This would eventually change and Judah would become the leading tribe.

Disloyalty is a kin to treason; no one admires it. In John 6 Jesus feeds the multitude and the following day, they multitudes sought Him out because they wanted another free meal. Jesus refused to feed them the second time because their motives were vain. Jesus basically told them, “You are following me for the wrong reasons. You crave my blessings but you have no appetite for Me. You are more than willing to eat  the free fish and hushpuppies but will you consume Me {drink my blood and eat my flesh}?” Of course, Jesus was right; their interest was in what Jesus could do for them, not what they could do for HIM. In other words, there following Jesus was  about THEM and their needs; not HIM and His kingdom. When Jesus laid it on the line, they turned and walked away. The free meal and the free medical care was fine but they wanted no part of suffering and sacrifice. They were fickle and fair weather fans. Why don’t we love Jesus because He died for us and saved us from hell? Why don’t we love Jesus for who He is and not just what He can do. We all know how an old man gets a young and beautiful wife–Money, he must have lots of money. She is not actually attracted to him as a person, she is attracted to the things he can do for her. What’s your attraction to Jesus?

EXTRA

Another good Sabbath day and we give thanks: what a joy to share God’s word. Attendance was up yesterday. Please pray for our good friend Joyce Chaney. She is not doing well.

I hope you have a great day and a good week.

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