Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“When Solomon had finished the building of Yahweh’s house, the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do, Yahweh appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. Yahweh said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before me. I have made this house holy, which you have built, to put my name there forever; and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually. As for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep my statutes and my ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, ‘There shall not fail from you a man on the throne of Israel.’ But if you turn away from following me, you or your children, and not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and I will cast this house, which I have made holy for my name, out of my sight; and Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples. Though this house is so high, yet everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss; and they will say, ‘Why has Yahweh done this to this land and to this house?’ and they will answer, ‘Because they abandoned Yahweh their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them, and served them. Therefore Yahweh has brought all this evil on them.’””
(1 Kings 9:1-9)

“For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread. When he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me.” In the same way he also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
(1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

Encounters with God do not change the heart. Solomon had two of them. Both encounters with God included warnings. This wasn’t something he was studying out of the scriptures. He didn’t hear a religious leader teaching. This is GOD HIMSELF appearing to Solomon in a vision and speaking clear and unmistakable warnings to him. Yet Solomon didn’t listen. He didn’t keep to the commandments of God. He let other people tell him what to do. What was right. What was proper. What was needed. He didn’t use the talents that God gave him. Instead, he leaned into his OWN understanding and let his emotions determine his reality. As a result, he stepped wrong. More than once. He did it on purpose and he suffered the consequences. He took God out of His rightful and proper place, putting his wives there instead. It was a tragedy.

We are to submit to one another as we submit to Jesus, who submitted to the Father. Classic chain-of-command. But not for orders. For submission. We are each an example to the other of submission. Why do we submit? So that we remind ourselves who God is. What position does Jesus occupy in our lives? If we’re always pressing forward and demanding the reins and stepping out of our lane, how are we ever going to get anywhere? How are we ever going to receive anything? We need to remember who Jesus is. We need to remember what Jesus has done for us. We need to remember where we would honestly be without Him. Working together to keep God in His rightful and proper place. Working together to encourage each other in Jesus. Working together to make sure that we NEVER forget, NEVER get complacent, and ALWAYS look to the Lord as THE author and THE finisher of our trust in God.

Summary

This chapter of Corinthians is not about authority. It is not about proper husband and wife relations. It is not an invitation to dominate or abuse. It is not a ticket out of the marketplace for women. It is a serious encouragement to maintain relationship with the Lord through humble submission. No one is without the need to look to another. And the buck stops at Jesus. The goal is the heed the words of the Lord. To learn to love Him so that we will joyfully do what He says. Not for a reward, but because we love Him and want to please Him. To bring Him joy. This is so important we have been given a structure by which we can encourage one another in Jesus and look to Jesus to see the Father. To keep Jesus in remembrance so that we never forget the BLESSING that God’s love is.