Doing the Perfect will of God – The calling of every Child of God.

When a blessing comes, be careful not to be euphoric and go against the will of God.

Every Child of God, has been called for a purpose. The biggest purpose is to do the perfect will of God. This is true not just for the servants of God, who preach the Word of God, spreading the Good News of Jesus and His resurrection, but for every child of God.

The simple reason why a child of God backslides in their ministry or secular life, is always when the child of God starts doing his/her will instead of the perfect will of God. And most often than not, the reason put forward for this transgression is “But, I am only doing it for God or I am just working God’s will, albeit in my way”.

In 1 Samuel 4, we see that the Ark of the Covenant has been captured by the Philistines. The Ark of the Covenant was a significant part of the Israelite relationship with God. But since the Israelites had backslid, God allowed the Ark to be captured. But, since the Ark was Holy, the Palestinians could not hold on to it. There is no association between holiness and unholiness. 1 Samuel 5 the presence of the Arc among the Philistines brings about a lot of trouble to them. God struck them with tumours and death. And they decide to send away the Ark on a cart pulled by milch cows, retaining the calves. They wanted to test if the cause of all their troubles was indeed the powerful God to who the Ark of the Covenant belongs or otherwise. They got the answer, when the cows pulled the cart with the Ark to Israeli territory, without turning back to their calves.

Now when the Arc reached Beth Shemesh, we see the death of Israelites again. The Bible says in I Samuel 6:19 'Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord . He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter.'

They were Israelites – children of God. But, they had transgressed, because the Lord had instructed the Israelites through Moses, that only Levites can minister to the Ark. The people of Beth Shemesh were initially joyous about the return of the Ark, but, in their euphoria, they did not give the reverential fear due to God and were struck. As children of God, we need to be careful not to lose our sense of the reverential fear of God when we go through a happy or euphoric event in our lives. Always keep God and His commandments first.

The Ark was later sent to a man named, Abinadab in Kirjath Jearim, 'Then the men of Kirjath Jearim came and took the ark of the Lord , and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord .' (I Samuel 7:1)

The Ark stayed here for a long time, and the men at Kirjath Jearim and the household of Abinadab were not troubled. Eleazar was consecrated, which means he was purified and cared for the Ark. This was within the instruction of the Lord, and hence they were not troubled.

However, a few years later when King David wants the Ark to be brought to Jerusalem, one of the son’s of Abinadab, Uzzah gets killed. We do not see anywhere that Uzzah was consecrated. Also, being Levites they did not remember that the Ark was to be carried by Levites on their shoulders by two poles which were inserted inside the rings in the Ark, that were designed for that purpose. 'And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. '(II Samuel 6:6-7). May be, they were euphoric at the thought of the King himself coming to take it to Jerusalem and they tried pleasing the King and not God. This lead to death.

When a child of God, is entrusted by God with specific tasks, it's best to stick to the task exactly as instructed by God. Never do things of your own will for God.

Another instance of a child of God moving away from the mandate and suffering the wrath of God, is about King Hezekiah. The Bible says he was so pious for God, II Kings 18:5-8 'He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord ; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. He subdued the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.'

God blessed Hezekiah. But he fell sick in the manner of men and God sent Isaiah to tell Hezekiah he was to die. However, Hezekiah wept on his deathbed to the Lord. Having been a good King doing the perfect will of God, God immediately answered his tearful prayer and granted him 15 more years to live.

And again we see that in the euphoria of having been given an extension of life by God with just one prayer, Hezekiah trips. When emissaries of the Babylonian King came to greet him, he showed them all the blessings that God had endowed on him. But he did not show the God, who gave them to him in the first place. God was angry and lets him know through Isaiah that all his blessings will be carried away to Babylon. Unfortunately, instead of repenting and crying to the Lord for Mercy, Hezekiah is happy that these things would not come to pass in his lifetime. II Kings 20:19 'So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “Will there not be peace and truth at least in my days?”' What a fall for such a Godly King.

Since he did not repent, his son Manasseh who became King in his stead, the Bible says, was such a transgressor of the Laws of the Lord. As parents of children, children of God need to correct ourselves when God brings to our notice mistakes we have committed in our euphoric state. The perfect will of God is repentance and a contrite heart when a child of God is shown their mistake.

Praise the Lord!

Glory to Jesus.