Roots Of Rebellion

From My Perspective - - -

All of us have had moments where we personally demonstrated or experienced “rebellion”! A basic and workable definition of rebellion is: “…resistance to or defiance of any authority, control, or tradition…” We see this in a variety of places from the spiritual conflict in the unseen world; the family tensions in a home; to the political upheaval in the nations of men.

An amplification of spiritual rebellion can be seen in Isaiah 14:12-16 [NLT], “How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. For you said to yourself, 'I will ascend to heaven; I WILL set my throne above God's stars. I WILL preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I WILL climb to the highest heavens. I WILL be like the Most High.' But instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths. Everyone there will stare at you and ask, 'Can this be the one who shook the earth and the kingdoms of the world?”

The defining words are “I WILL” – it will be "MY WAY", etc. King Saul is a perfect example of the SELF-WILL and doing things his way. In I Samuel 15, King Saul is given a precise directive from the Lord to destroy all the Amalekites and all of their possessions. King Saul felt he had leeway for modification and he almost obeyed the directive. But then, he is confronted by the prophet Samuel who utters these words in verses 22-23, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination (witchcraft), and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.”

There is a connection made by the Lord between Rebellion and Witchcraft, and we need to see that connection as well. One of the trends that is occurring today, especially among young people, is their searching for something more meaningful and personal than traditional religion and its rituals. It’s not unusual to find some teenagers exploring Wicca, “A polytheistic Neo-Pagan nature religion inspired by various pre-Christian western European beliefs, whose central deity is a mother goddess and which includes the use of herbal magic and benign witchcraft.” Rather than “treasuring God’s Word in their hearts” and allowing that Word to be “a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their path”, they turn to Tarot: “A set of usually 78 playing cards including 22 cards depicting vices, virtues, and elemental forces, used in fortunetelling…” for their guidance and direction.

Fortunately, not too many have turned to witchcraft for their alternative – but – one is too many! We have ample illustrations and warnings to avoid such rebellion. One passage is Hebrews 3:15-19 [ESV], “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”

There are teens who have made some poor choices for their lives and who will no longer listen to parental or religious authority. As hopeless as their situation appears, one needs to persevere in faith, and pray: “Lord, my child is losing his/her way…I place him/her into Your hands. You are The Shepherd of and for all souls. Please find my child; guide him/her back onto the right path; turn him/her to Yourself. Keep me from worrying, or wavering in my faith. I give my child to You. Keep my child’s heart tender and sensitive to Your voice. Do what is right and best for my child. I thank You, in Jesus’ name…

Think about this with me - - -