A Supernatural Heart

Our youngest threw a clump of weeds into the pile, sprinkling me with soil in the process. It was the most he'd done in the past fifteen minutes. I'm gonna take these cutters back to the car, he offered. I sighed and gave him the go-ahead. For the first hour, he'd worked hard at this project, but he was fading fast; his half-hearted efforts were, in some ways, making the work go more slowly. His walk to the car would do us both some good.  

In 1 Kings 2, Solomon, newly appointed king over Israel begins to clean house, taking care of unfinished business from his father's reign. He even has his half-brother, Adonijah killed! See, Adonijah had made himself a threat to the throne (1 Kings 1) when King David, was alive. With David gone and Solomon sort of still learning the ropes, Adonijah decides to make another pass at royalty. He goes to Solomon's mother --Who can refuse dear old Mom? --and not so subtly tries to shame her into admitting he was robbed of his title and that she had something to do with it. He wants one of David's concubines. Sadly, women were like currency in those days, and having one of a legendary king's concubines --his father's, no less --was like having the throne itself. Could there be a more entertaining way of taking the throne? But Bathsheba was loyal to Solomon and Solomon was savvy. Adonijah was not about to settle down and quietly accept his half-brother's reign. Something had to be done. 

Not Solomon's only act of retribution. There was another guy, Shimei. He had wrongfully cursed King David, and when David's men wanted to put a stop to it right there and then, David wouldn't allow it. Later, Shimei apologized and David continued to show him mercy. So, why Solomon? Why now? Well, it seems Shimei, like Adonijah, never really gave his heart to the idea of serving anyone besides himself. David had vowed not to kill him, but insolence must be addressed. Solomon achieved that by placing Shimei on "house arrest." When Shimei chose retrieving his slaves over compliance, Solomon was forced to employ the agreed upon consequence, death. Adonijah, it seems, was merely biding his time until he could safely (he thought) make his move. Shimei was toeing the line until that grew tedious and the idea of losing something in addition to his freedom became intolerable. Neither was committed to serving a king, particularly a king with whom they did not agree. Divided loyalty and half-hearted service can, at best, make the job an uphill battle; at worst, it can lead to a loss of life. Full disclosure: I don't always agree with our President. I didn't always agree with my boss. I don't always agree with law enforcement. I don't always agree with my husband. And I don't always agree with Jesus. Service to a king, obedience even in the face of disagreement is typically not in accordance with our nature. So, what is a citizen of the Kingdom of God to do?! 

Praise God, we have a glorious advantage not had by those of old: the indwelling of the Holy Spirit! As we participate in our relationship with Jesus, talking to Him, reading the Scriptures, obeying, fellowshipping with other believers, faithfully enduring difficulties, the Holy Spirit ministers to us; supplying all we need and transforming our nature in ways we cannot do by our own efforts. Our cooperation with the Holy Spirit's work unites our heart and brings our desires, our thoughts, and our behavior into alignment with God's plan for His Kingdom. Not half-heartedness --integrity! A supernatural standard for a supernatural Kingdom that can only be achieved by supernatural Power. It is the grace of God that we need to become people of integrity, serving even when we want to be king, obeying even when the things important to us are at stake.

We've got a couple more service projects scheduled for the summer. Maybe our young son will work hard; maybe he'll be more interested in exploring a new environment. But it is my prayer that, no matter his choice, my response to it will be one of a Kingdom citizen, patient, loving, and demonstrating to him the character of the King I serve. With whole-heartedness and integrity.