sermonette: Are You a Victim?
Our Response to Victimization
John W. Ritenbaugh
Given 23-Aug-03; Sermon #627s; 18 minutes
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Any one of us can be unfairly victimized and we may be tempted to lay the blame at God's feet. The children of Israel swerved into that "victim" mindset only one week after their joyous liberation. Aaron, whose sons brought about their demise through foolishness, was instructed not to even think about complaining about God's decision or way of dealing with the problem. Both David and Job provided sterling examples for us responding to calamities and seemingly 'unfair' situations, keeping within the bounds of what is acceptable to God. It is God's desire to see how we respond to trials that we may deem unfair.
An event occurred in early June that touches a major issue under which we live our lives. Actually, this issue is something that we need to be very well aware of. If indeed we believe that God is sovereign. That God provides for us and that God is omniscient. In other words, that God sees all that is going on. He governs his creation, and he provides for his people. Now this particular event that I'm talking about occurred on a golf course during one of the big golf tournaments that men are a part of. And there was a golfer in strong contention to win, and he was accused of improving his lie. Now, what this meant was that somebody he put his ball into a position where it would be easier for him to hit. Uh, the next shot. Well, now the man did not actually move his ball. What he did do apparently inadvertently it was not something that he did consciously. But rather he just inadvertently the ball was sitting in deep grass and he took his club and he he just moved a couple pieces of grass away from the ball, apparently not thinking that in a tournament of that caliber that's illegal. Now what made it even more interesting was that that the marshal who was observing that particular group of golfers, and he was the marshal was like a policeman, and if he sees you doing anything wrong, he has the authority to penalize you. He did not catch what this golfer did, and so the golfer hit the ball, played out that hole, and went on. Now what happened then was really interesting. Because a viewer watching the tournament on television saw what the golfer did. Called up the golf officials at that tournament where the tournament was going to be held, reported what the golfer did. They then apparently looked at television tapes and they penalized the man 2 strokes. Now that may not sound like very much to you, but like I said a little bit earlier, this man was in strong contention to win. Those two strokes caused him to finish a little bit lower than he would have, and it cost him $150,000. Now I can give you a case that is even more interesting than that in terms of money. Those of you who may follow football around. You know, the professional level, the National Football League might know that the Carolina Panthers had a young man on their team named Julius Peppers, very highly rated, and apparently as they look at it, well worth the money that they are paying him. Well, Julius, about halfway through the season. Maybe it was a little over halfway through the season, a random drug test. On him by the National Football League officials caused him to be suspended for 4 games. Now what happened was it came out that he drank an over the counter sports drink that you can buy at any. Health food store. And to make matters even more interesting, the trainer on the football team actually recommended that he drink, drink, drink this stuff. Neither one of them was aware that there was a steroid in that called ephedra. And that is an illegal substance. So he did not know. Neither did the trainer. And When you do not play the game under those circumstances in the National Football League, they do not pay you. This young fellow is very highly paid. That fine just missing the games cost him over $1 million. Because he apparently innocently drank some phedra. OK, now what I'm driving at is this. Both of these men appear to have been Innocent victims. When I say innocent, that's qualified because they both did do something wrong, but neither apparently had the intent to do what was wrong. They got caught in doing what was wrong, and both of them suffered very large penalties for what they did. So How do we react to something like this? Because every one of us is subject to something of this nature, because life is not fair, and things of this nature do not seem to play any favorites, it doesn't seem seemingly care whether you are righteous or unrighteous, that you can become a victim of somebody else's sin or a victim of your own ignorance, never intending to sin, that you become a victim. How does God fit into this? That's important Because you and I can be victimized. Is God unfair? If he is sovereign, And he is provident And he is overlooking us. In a way that no human parent can. Would we ever accuse God of being unfair? Probably not. But it can show up in our attitude. It can show up in the way we deal with things and the way we react to a situation which we can easily judge as being unfair. I do not deserve this. This shouldn't happen to me. Now in Exodus 14th chapter. Exodus 14 Beginning in verse 10, it says, and when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them, and they were sore afraid, and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord, and they said unto Moses, Listen to this. Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt thus with us to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell you in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians, for it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness. Here they were Not even a week. Out of their slavery and they already feel like victims. They had been taken advantage of. They forgot of the good. That God had done from them in releasing them from their slavery. Mighty miracles they saw. For who knows how long of a period of time. And there was Moses claiming that God did this or God did that. And when they left Egypt, they did it with a high hand. They were jumping for joy. 6 days later. They're griping And accusing And sarcastic. Were there no graves in Egypt? You think that is not sarcasm? Yes, it is. Now there is another case that can begin to instruct us in. The reaction To seemingly unfair. Victimization When we fall Victim of somebody else's sin. Or maybe even somebody close to us does. I will not go through the whole thing, but in Leviticus, the 10th chapter, you know what happened there? Nav and Abai were struck dead by God. Because Of what they failed to do. Didn't carry out their responsibilities the way that they should have. Now, yes, they were victims, but they were dead. They could feel nothing. They could not react. That Aaron had the opportunity to react, and he could very easily feel I've been victimized here. Two of my sons are dead now. Don't you think, God, that that was a little bit heavy handed? To take them away in the blink of an eye. In verse 6 though, Moses is told, I mean, Moses tells Aaron. Moses said to Aaron and unto Eliezar and unto Ithamar, his sons, uncover not your heads, neither render your clothes, lest you die. Unless wrath come upon all the people, but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord has kindled, and you shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation lest you die, for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you, and they did according to the word of the Lord. Now it's good, important that you see and understand that the anointing oil is upon you too. It's the Holy Spirit. In Aaron's case, it was real oil that was poured on him. But Moses' instruction to them was, Don't you dare show any negative reaction to this. I do not want to see you crying. Apparently there was something they did to their hair whenever something like this occurred. He said, Don't do that. You just go on with life as though nothing happened. They were not to show any sign of disagreement. With what God did. This is very important to our well-being. And our well-being because if problems, even if we are victimized, are faced in the right attitude, the chances of overcoming the problem is incredibly increased. Because if we are down in our cups and sarcastic and accusative, Showing disagreement with God with what either God has designed or God has permitted to occur in our life. Do you think we are going to get any help from God to overcome that? Not until our attitude changes, because you see what we are doing is accusing Him. He is omniscient. He knows everything that's going on in your life, and nothing happens unless he either makes it happen or permits it to happen. And if he permits it, it is therefore. Given his approval that it occur, and we are calling him into account if we disagree. That's what was facing. Aaron here Well, Job had a very good Approach to this. Because as you know, he had some things come upon him. And even God said he was an upright man. In other words, God Job's sins were not the cause. Of what came upon him. Anyway, here in Job 2 and in verse 9. Uh, he says, then said his wife unto him, Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die. But he said unto her, You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. What shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil or calamity? In all this, did not Job sin with his lips. Now Job did not get everything right throughout the course of this trial that he had, but he was nonetheless. Kept himself within the bounds of what was acceptable to God. And it's a good approach for us to have. Both good and bad are going to come from the hand of God. We may as well. Be aware of that and accept it. The way of God is going to be difficult because we are going to be faced with trials that He wants us to go through, and one of these trials is that he wants to see how we are going to take it when something unfair happens to us. Now one final scripture. Because David is an outstanding example. Of someone in this case in II Samuel 16. And in verse 5 He said when King David came to Bahori, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimaia, the son of Giron, he came forth and cursed still as he came. And he cast stones at David and at all of the servants of King David and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left, and thus said Shimea when he cursed. Come out, come out, you bloody man, meaning David, you man of Bliol, you foolish man. The Lord has returned upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead you have reigned, and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom, your son. Behold, you are taken in your mischief because you are a bloody man. And then Abishei, who was David's nephew, said, Let me cut this dead dog's head off. The king said, What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because the Lord has said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say, why have you done so? David saw through. The immediate problem To the hand of the sovereign God. And he said, Let it be. David understood That if justice were really given to David, He's a dead man. Because shimmy I said it right. You're a man with bloody hands. David was a warrior. He took the lives of many people. Now God can forgive. That David understood. That if God permitted it, Then who was he to call God into account? There was something that was being worked out here that may have been beyond David's comprehension at the time. So he would just deal with it in a good attitude. So like David, we have to look beyond the immediate circumstances to far greater causes. And that is the things beyond the immediate are being worked out, and it may not become apparent for quite a long time before. Those things that are being worked out. are revealed. So we have to be patient even with God. And we have to know and experience. That his judgments are always right. It's not enough just to know that they are right intellectually. God wants to make sure that we understand by experience that His judgments are right. And the only way that we can do that sometimes is in a case like this where we experience victimization. And God permits it. So we may not see all that is working right away. But if we Take the right approach, we are going to see that in the end, it's going to both glorify God and it is going to play a role in creating us into the image of Jesus Christ.
JWR/aws/
Sermon Topics
The Gospel
