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Sunday, March 16, 2014

A Matter of Values

An old joke talks about the simple fellow that goes to church and, when he comes home, his wife asks him what the sermon was about. "He talked about sin," he answered. "What about it?" she asks. "He's agin' it," he replies. We all know what the Bible says about hate. "You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart" (Lev 19:17). "Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all transgressions" (Prov 10:12). "The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now" (1 John 2:9). Yeah, we get it. God talks about hate; He's agin' it.

And then we read, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26). Wait ... wait ... didn't we just determine that God is against hate? So why is Jesus saying this?

Perhaps we can find some enlightenment elsewhere. First, the Bible doesn't only say that God is against hate. It also says that He favors it at times. In Isa 1:14 we read that God hates "your new moon festivals" (etc.). The psalmist hates those who regard vain idols (Psa 31:6), the work of those who fall away (Psa 101:3), and every false way (Psa 119:104) (to name a few). God hates devising evil against your neighbor and perjury (Zech 8:17), divorce (Mal 2:16), and false worship (Amos 5:21). God hates. So apparently there is the proper place in God's economy for hatred.

And then we read another possible input on the subject: "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth" (Matt 6:24). See the parallel? There is something a little different going on here than in our modern use of the term. This isn't a term of intense dislike; this is a valuation. It is, in fact, a comparative valuation. In Genesis 29 we read that Jacob "loved also Rachel more than Leah" (Gen 29:30). The Bible calls this "hate" (Gen 29:31). So, you see, this is a comparison of value.

Plugging that concept back into Jesus's words we find, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not value his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life less than he values Me, he cannot be My disciple." We are to value wealth less than God. Jacob placed more value on Rachel than Leah. The Bible calls it hate. Now it starts to make sense.

The question becomes a question of values. The question becomes a question of your values. What do you value more -- God or____? You'll have to fill that in yourself. Your time to yourself. Your spouse. Your personal pleasure. Your family. Your comfort. When you worship today, it is a question of values. The higher you value God, the higher the worship. Simple as that. What do you value most?

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