Spiritual Eyes

6 min read

1 Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he went up and besieged Samaria and attacked it. 2 He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, saying, “This is what Ben-Hadad says: 3 ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine.’ ” 4 The king of Israel answered, “Just as you say, my lord the king. I and all I have are yours.”
— 1 Kings 20:1-4

Ahab felt that he had no choice but to give up his treasury and his wives and children to Ben-Hadad. Their army was much larger, and if he had fought back, the result would have been the same, except that he would be dead. That’s what he must have been thinking.

Of course, the way that people thought about family and even the value of life was much different than the way we do here and now. At the same time, it is still relevant to ask the question: Did Ahab consider saving his own life more worthwhile than attempting to save his family from slavery?

In other words, if he felt that the result was going to be the same as far as his family is concerned, could he live with that shame the rest of his life? And in saving his own skin, he too would have been a vassal of Ben-Hadad.

With our more “enlightened” minds, we might find ourselves judging Ahab pretty harshly. But if we consider the spiritual realm as being “more real” that the material realm, we might come to the conclusion that people today are quite willing to make the same sacrifice that Ahab made.

The values that we hold and the priorities of our lives often lead our families away from Christ and His church. We might think that the “wisest” and “most logical” choice to make, given the “realities” of this world, is to play along with the values and priorities of the world in order that we might live. But in the end, we all become slaves to this world. And then what hope of eternal life will there be for our children or our children’s children?

I remember the story of King Hezekiah. He was a godly king for the most part. But when Isaiah told him that Babylon would destroy Jerusalem and the temple in the near future, Hezekiah said ‘The word of the LORD you have spoken is good.” And why did he say that? Because he was just happy that it would not happen in his lifetime (2 Kings 20:12-21). That attitude of Hezekiah just might express everything that is wrong with our world.

If we consider the spiritual realm as being “more real” that the material realm, we would make different choices with regard to Christ and His church relative to the rest of our lives. Our values would be spiritual values. Our priorities would be spiritual priorities.

There is certainly nothing wrong with enjoying the good blessings that God is pleased to give us in His kingdom. But we are only in His kingdom when we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.

Father, please protect our GCC family and especially our Canvas family. Make us into a true family in Christ. Shape our values and our priorities so that they would be balanced according to Your will. Mold us to enjoy the abundant blessings that You desire for us in Your kingdom. In Jesus’s name. Amen.