Transformers – Tragico Throwitallawaymotron
October 22-28, 2007
Day One Ancestral Blessings
My children all have an allergy to the antibiotic Sulfa; they got that from me. They all have certain difficulties caused by seasonal allergies; they also got that from me. I could go on and on pointing out the many traits that they have inherited me, but for the sake of my children I will spare them the embarrassment. My oldest son, Caleb, one time said, “Thanks dad, for passing us all the bad stuff!” All I could say was, “You are welcome.” There was not much I could say since many of the things I have passed on are completely out of my control.
There are some areas, however, where I have the ability to manage and control what I pass on to them. I can attempt to pass on proper diet by managing what I eat (or allowing my wife to manage what I eat). I can attempt to pass on proper study habits by sitting down with them in the evenings and doing homework (or at least attempting to look like I know how to do the homework). I can attempt to lead them in a solid walk with God by walking with Christ myself.
Solomon had a dad who attempted to pass on the right stuff. His dad, David, was far from perfect, but he did all he could to make up for his imperfection (his sin) and set the proper example. His example included how to live, how to relate, how to lead, and how to worship God. Remember from last week how David responded when he was confronted with his own sin.
Remember how he chose to follow God even though he knew his life was going to include living with the consequences of his sin.
One of the last accounts in regard to David is seen in II Samuel 24:18-24. What do you see about David in this story?
What does it tell you about the type of example his father set for Solomon?
What types of examples have been set for you throughout your life?
How have you allowed those examples to positively or negatively impact and influence you?
Day Two Foundational Assurances
While I know it will shock you to find this out, I was not always the most pleasant child for my parents to raise. It will probably shock you even more to reveal that I was often not that pleasant of a sibling to live with. My sisters still take great joy in telling and retelling (especially if my children are present) the stories of the agony I put them through as we were growing up together. One story that seems to be repeated most any time that we are all together is the “soft pedal” story. I was Gilligan’s Island fanatic, or actually any television show that came on after school and allowed me to lay on the couch and do nothing, including thinking. It was not always Gilligan’s Island, it could have been The Electric Company, The Brady Bunch, or even The Little Rascals. It could even be a show that did not begin with “The” but the names of those shows escape me right now. Anyway, my sisters had this bad habit of practicing their piano, and often times they would be practicing it during one of my all important television viewing times. Even though the piano was in a different room than the television, it still disturbed the finer details of how the professor was planning the final escape from the island or the fact that it was the plumber and that he had come to fix the sink (if you have any clue what that means then you watched way too much television along with me). So, I had negotiated the “Soft Pedal” treaty, requiring that the soft pedal be pushed down during these inconvenient piano practice sessions. Even though the soft pedal did little it provided me with some comfort knowing that my sisters were suffering somewhat while I was suffering through their practice time. Although I fail to remember this, my sisters claim that when they would be practicing I would crawl around the corner to watch and make sure that they were indeed keeping the contractual obligations of the “Soft Pedal Treaty”. Usually they were not and so a certain amount of yelling and fighting ensued….a treaty has to be enforced somehow.
Siblings fight. Siblings fight for space, for rights, for stuff, sometimes even for attention. Siblings’ fighting is nothing new. Read in I Kings 1-2 about the fighting that took place between two of David’s sons, Solomon and Adonijah. What took place in this fighting?
How did father David respond to this fighting?
Why did David take this action?
David’s actions, in regard to Solomon, were an assurance of a promise that had been made. How did Solomon then have to act in regard to his brother Adonijah when he continued to not heed the instructions of father David?
How do you think the actions of David gave Solomon the assurance to take the actions he had to take with his brother?
How has God used others to give you an assurance that you have been able to stand on as you follow God?
Day Three Fatherly Instructions
My dad taught me to drive. When I was at the age to learn to drive I was enrolled in a Drivers’ Education class which was offered in the school, but it was my dad who taught me to drive. He would take me out to the seldom traveled on roads at North Base and teach me to drive. While many others gave me good instruction, including my Drivers’ Ed teacher, in the end it was my dad who truly taught me to drive. One of the lessons that he taught me was in regard to knowing how to interpret the times to do certain things. One of these lessons came at 5:00 a.m. one week day. My mom had just gotten home that week from having major surgery and had been forbidden from driving for a couple of weeks. I still had my learner’s permit and was excited by the prospect of being the main driver while dad was at work each day (with mom in the passenger seat). This was until one morning, at 5:00, when my dad woke me up informing me that he needed me to drive him to the hospital. He needed to go the Emergency Room and did not feel like he could successfully make the drive. We got in the car, I nervously turned on the key, and off we carefully went. I was observing all the traffic rules and regulations just as he had taught me. I will never forget as we sat at the stoplight at Flood and Robinson heading east toward the hospital when he, in pain with a kidney stone, turned to me and said, “You know, when you are in an emergency situation, and no other cars are on the road, you can go ahead and run the stoplight.” This was amazing information to me and has stuck with me ever since.
There are times we learn things that really stick with us. There are times that we receive information from key people that we never forget. I remembered my dad’s teaching when Andrea’s water broke when we were pregnant with our first child Caleb. As we drove in the middle of the night, in the pouring rain to the hospital in north Oklahoma City, I remembered that there were some laws that it would be O.K. to fudge on in this particular situation.
Key people teach us key information.
What was the key information that Solomon’s dad, David, taught him just prior to David’s death (I Kings 2:1-4)?
How is this key teaching to you?
How are you doing in your following of this information?
What do you need to do to improve your adherence to these vital teachings?
Day Four Doing It Right
One of my children and I, go round and round over the definition of “clean up your room.” I will constantly ask this child to clean up their room, even giving specific instructions regarding certain signs of a clean room, and we still will end up with a room that I don’t define as clean when this particular child will have no earthly clue why I can’t just “let it go.” I will point out dirty socks on the floor which this child sees as minor factors. I will point out stacks of books and papers scattered around the side of the bed on the floor, this is explained as a filing system for homework. While I seem to know what I expect, this child seems to have no real concern to coming to the same enlightenment regarding the “clean room” request.
Solomon was a much different child to his Father, God. He wanted to understand and follow and in I Kings 3 we see his request to have understanding. Look at his request along with God’s response, what took place?
How did God bless Solomon?
Why did God bless Solomon?
Day Five Heartless Head
My oldest son Caleb began playing summer baseball when he was in Kindergarten. It appeared that he loved the game and he was fairly good at the sport. Andrea and I enjoyed the fact that he played because our time at the baseball fields was the highlight of our social lives. Mid season in the summer of 2006 I began to notice that Caleb’s enthusiasm was waning. I would have to push and shove to get him to practices and he seemed to have no excitement about playing the actual games. I finally asked him what was going on and he told me, “I don’t really like playing baseball dad.”
I was shocked as I asked, “When did this happen, you have always loved playing baseball!”
“Not really,” he responded, “I just kept playing because I knew that you and mom enjoyed coming out to the fields.”
I reminded him that we had four other children playing and that we no longer even had the opportunity to socialize as we spent most of our field time running between fields. That was his last season.
His heart was not in it. He knew how to play, he followed his coaches’ instruction, but his heart was not there. He did not necessarily want to be on the field and therefore his performance became less and less effective over the years.
Solomon had this problem. He had a mind to follow God, he had grown up with an example of a Dad who followed God, but his heart was never truly in passionately following God. In I Kings 3:3 we see that David was still making sacrifices in the “high places” like so many of the people. This meant he was using the altars built to and used for false Gods. This showed that he had not completely surrendered his heart to the one true God, he still held on to the false gods. Not having your heart in it keeps us from totally surrendering to anything, this was Solomon’s problem.
Read I Kings 11:1-13 and see how Solomon’s lack of heart for God ultimately doomed him.
Is your commitment to God one that fully involves your heart and your head?