The Giver Who Doesn't Find Fault
Sometimes I struggle to believe a verse of Scripture. Are you the same? One that sticks out for is from James 1.
James 1:5 (ESV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
I love that verse. I also have a hard time believing it. When I ask God for wisdom (or anything for that matter), I'm inclined to believe He's holding my sins in a cup ready to use them against me in a celestial court so that I realize I'm worthy of nothing and I shouldn't even bother asking.
Yet that's NOT what it says. I am choosing to believe a lie in that case. The scripture clearly affirms that God gives without reproach! And notice, "to all"! He's the Giver who doesn't find fault. Another translation reads just that way:
James 1:5 (NIV) If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
To begin the story of Solomon, we find a few things amiss in his life. The first verse:
1 Kings 3:1 (ESV) Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the LORD and the wall around Jerusalem.
Okay, this is not good. Solomon's marriage is a political alliance. He's looking to secure his throne and establish his station among the rest of the nations. This is also a clear violation of scripture. No, scripture is not against interracial marriages. Scripture is against inter-faith marriage. All Israel men were supposed to marry only within Israel to protect the purity of their faith.
Exodus 34:15–16 (NLT) “You must not make a treaty of any kind with the people living in the land. They lust after their gods, offering sacrifices to them. They will invite you to join them in their sacrificial meals, and you will go with them. 16 Then you will accept their daughters, who sacrifice to other gods, as wives for your sons. And they will seduce your sons to commit adultery against me by worshiping other gods.
Now the second verse:
1 Kings 3:2 (ESV) The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the LORD. 3 Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places.
Solomon was already engaged in false worship. It was a compromise of sorts because though he was worshipping the Lord, he was breaking the statute of Israel that only in the place where God chose were they to worship.
Deuteronomy 12:2–4 (NLT) “When you drive out the nations that live there, you must destroy all the places where they worship their gods—high on the mountains, up on the hills, and under every green tree. 3 Break down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Burn their Asherah poles and cut down their carved idols. Completely erase the names of their gods! 4 “Do not worship the LORD your God in the way these pagan peoples worship their gods.
Yet notice what verse 3 stipulates: "Solomon loved the LORD". Solomon exhibits the state every Christian finds themselves. They love the Lord and they struggle to hate the sins of this world.
1 Kings 3:4 (ESV) And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”
Solomon is like you and me. He loved the Lord yet was still very flawed. And YET, the Lord appeared to him and gave him this "blank check" moment. Notice it was after Solomon offered 1000 burnt offerings on a regular basis. The point? You may be flawed. You may not have it all together. You may have many things the Lord still needs to change in you. But keep worshipping, keep serving. Do the things you should do even when you've done some things you shouldn't do. The Lord will appear and is ready to be generous toward you. He's good. He always is.
James 1:5 (ESV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
I love that verse. I also have a hard time believing it. When I ask God for wisdom (or anything for that matter), I'm inclined to believe He's holding my sins in a cup ready to use them against me in a celestial court so that I realize I'm worthy of nothing and I shouldn't even bother asking.
Yet that's NOT what it says. I am choosing to believe a lie in that case. The scripture clearly affirms that God gives without reproach! And notice, "to all"! He's the Giver who doesn't find fault. Another translation reads just that way:
James 1:5 (NIV) If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
Now, here in 1 Kings 3, we have an example from the Old Testament to prove what James says is TRUE according to the character and actions of God in the past.
To begin the story of Solomon, we find a few things amiss in his life. The first verse:
1 Kings 3:1 (ESV) Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the LORD and the wall around Jerusalem.
Okay, this is not good. Solomon's marriage is a political alliance. He's looking to secure his throne and establish his station among the rest of the nations. This is also a clear violation of scripture. No, scripture is not against interracial marriages. Scripture is against inter-faith marriage. All Israel men were supposed to marry only within Israel to protect the purity of their faith.
Exodus 34:15–16 (NLT) “You must not make a treaty of any kind with the people living in the land. They lust after their gods, offering sacrifices to them. They will invite you to join them in their sacrificial meals, and you will go with them. 16 Then you will accept their daughters, who sacrifice to other gods, as wives for your sons. And they will seduce your sons to commit adultery against me by worshiping other gods.
Deuteronomy 7:3–4 (NLT) You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, 4 for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you.
1 Kings 3:2 (ESV) The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the LORD. 3 Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places.
Solomon was already engaged in false worship. It was a compromise of sorts because though he was worshipping the Lord, he was breaking the statute of Israel that only in the place where God chose were they to worship.
Deuteronomy 12:2–4 (NLT) “When you drive out the nations that live there, you must destroy all the places where they worship their gods—high on the mountains, up on the hills, and under every green tree. 3 Break down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Burn their Asherah poles and cut down their carved idols. Completely erase the names of their gods! 4 “Do not worship the LORD your God in the way these pagan peoples worship their gods.
1 Kings 3:4 (ESV) And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”
Solomon is like you and me. He loved the Lord yet was still very flawed. And YET, the Lord appeared to him and gave him this "blank check" moment. Notice it was after Solomon offered 1000 burnt offerings on a regular basis. The point? You may be flawed. You may not have it all together. You may have many things the Lord still needs to change in you. But keep worshipping, keep serving. Do the things you should do even when you've done some things you shouldn't do. The Lord will appear and is ready to be generous toward you. He's good. He always is.
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