Right, Rights, and Right…
04.23.23
In Sunday’s message, Pastor Rich said this about the expectations of kings:
“Kingdoms demand allegiances. Ask us to pledge fidelity. Where is your allegiance today? To what do you pledge yourself? Peace, humility, prayer, selflessness, sacrifice, self-denial? The pattern of the world says those things are the exception. (As Christians) those things become the rule not the exception because we are no longer conformed to the pattern of this world. We are citizens of a different kingdom.”
Let’s circle back to last week when we talked about our assumptions and associations, but this time let’s talk about the word “right.” If we are the kings of our own kingdom, odds are that we are also, in our minds, always right. Right? But what if we ARE actually right… is that alright?
The pledges in the above quote are important to meditate on, because:
- Jesus taught and modeled them. And,
- We are explicitly told that this is the Kingdom that we were originally created for, and the one that is to be restored.
All these pledges represent the holy love of God, fully revealed in Jesus. Can you see what is strangely missing from those pledges? Being right… But that can’t be right… Right?… Okay, I’m done.
The story of Jonah and the whale is one of the more popular biblical tales in kid’s ministries everywhere. The story of God telling Jonah to preach the truth against the wickedness of Nineveh, Jonah running away from that calling, God protecting him through the storm and being swallowed up at sea, Jonah praising God and repenting from his disobedience, Jonah preaching God’s message to Nineveh, and the people of Nineveh being saved. The End. Right?
Jonah 4:1,4 “But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry… But the Lord replied, “is it right for you to be angry?”
The book of Jonah ends with God expressing grace and compassion, all the while a prophet grows bitter and prideful. See Jonah was just fine with telling people how it is, wielding God’s Word, but he could not accept when God showed mercy, and the people that Jonah thought should be punished were saved too. For Jonah, being “right” was more important than living in a Kingdom where God was making things right.
Now let’s look at another prophet, one that gives us insights about “rights.” Daniel, known for his almost unmatched faithfulness to God, seemed to have no concern about his personal rights as long as he could honor God with his life. He allowed himself to essentially to be removed from royalty to become a servant to the wicked king. That meant his name being changed, his language being changed, his whole identity erased. But Daniel served humbly. But, when it came to some of the few pleasures or “rights” that were offered from Babylon, things that would dishonor God, he abstained. Because of this, Daniel was given much wisdom from God and many other “rights” from the king, but it never seemed to change his posture. He always remained faithful to the righteousness and Lordship of God. And so did his friends Rack, Shack, and Benny (thanks VeggieTales.) So, whether it meant resisting power and pleasure for the glory of God or rejecting the will of kings to remain in the will of God, for these faithful servants, it was never about personal “rights” but living righteously.
Even though both of these stories have similar endings (God calling us to be faithful and the preserving of salvation for God’s children) the condition of each prophet’s heart could not be more different. It is because they pledged their allegiance to different kings and different kingdoms. God was still gracious, merciful, and compassionate, but only the ones who chose peace, humility, and selflessness got to experience true joy. On Earth as it is in Heaven.