____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ March 16, 1997 ____________________________________________________ The Bitterness of Shimei by Steve Wallace Most have had to deal with the problem of bitterness at some time in their lives. You may have encountered it in another person or perhaps you were tempted to become bitter towards someone else. Bitterness generally does not exist by itself for long. Rather it leads to other sins. It is corruptive in nature. The problems that it causes in churches and relations between brethren in general are many. David faced a bitter person at least once in his life. When he was fleeing Jerusalem in the face of Absalom's rebellion, a man named Shimei came out to curse him. The example of Shimei's bitterness helps us see both how one might be tempted to become bitter and the fruits of such bitterness. 2 Samuel 16:5-13 And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came. And he cast stones at David and at all 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 Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial: The Lord hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned: and the Lord hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and, behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man...And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hillside over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust. His Bitterness 1. Based on false premises. According to Shimei, David's suffering came upon him because ``the Lord hath returned upon him all the blood of the house of Saul'' (v. 8). The idea behind blood returning upon someone is that of one's bearing guilt and suffering consequences of murdering someone (cf. Matt. 27:25; Acts 5:28). Whether Shimei was implying that David had something to do with the death of Saul or someone of Saul's house, the Bible shows that his charges were false (1 Sam. 24:1-22; 26:1-25; 2 Sam. 4:1-12; 9:1-13). Shimei's bitterness against David was groundless! But is this not the case with bitter brethren today? They imagine insults or slights. In the event that bitterness is based on an actual occurrence, it often is the result of a deed that a brother either did out of concern for the bitter one's soul or a wrong of which he has repented and for which he has asked forgiveness (James 5:19-20; Matt. 18:21-35). Even when it is based on something that actually happened, bitterness is always wrong. There is no good reason to be bitter (Eph. 4:31-32). 2. Nurtured for years! A study of the book of 2 Samuel shows that Saul had been dead for at least twenty years at this point in the history of Israel! What a terrible comment this is on the heart of one of God's people! Instead of filling himself with worthy thoughts he has utterly polluted himself with sinful ones! (Phil. 4:8) Bitterness is to be ``put away,'' not nurtured (Eph. 4:31). 3. Rejoiced at another's misfortune. David and all the people with him were weeping as they fled from Absalom's forces (2 Sam. 15:30). The perverseness of bitterness is so clear at this point: The Bible shows the Christian's responsibilities to brethren who suffer (Rom. 12:13-15; 2 Tim. 1:16-18). Bitter people like Shimei have neither room in their heart for nor the inclination towards doing good to the objects of their bitterness, which brings us to our last point. 4. Sets a terrible example. The picture of Shimei publicly cursing David and throwing stones at him shows the shameless conduct that can result in those who harbor bitterness. The results of years of private seething ferments and, finally, when a convenient excuse is found, boils over in a torrent of abusive language or perhaps even physical harm. Thus it can come to pass that not only the bitter person and his enemy are affected, but rather ``many be defiled'' (Heb. 12:15). Conclusion Shimei would later ask forgiveness of his sin against David (2 Sam. 19:16-23). If you have been guilty of harboring bitterness, pray to God that he will forgive you this sin (Acts 8:22). From this brief look at this sin, I believe that we can all see that it is of the devil and needs to be treated as such. -- Via Guardian of Truth, March 6, 1997 ___________________________________________ Ups and Downs by Sam Binkley, Jr. Most of us have our ups and downs in life. There are certain things that contribute to these emotional feelings. Almost without exception our feelings are up when things are going well with us: the money is there to pay the bills when they become due, our health is generally good, all members of the family are doing what they should to help things run smoothly, and other things which contribute to our well being. On the other hand, when things are not going so well, we can get down and everyone around us is aware of it. There are natural and normal reactions to these conditions. It would be unthinkable for all of us to be on the upbeat all the time. Neither are we always down and out. There are things we can do which will help us deal with life's situations in a way that will not interfere with our relationship with our Creator. The Christian is admonished to ``cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you'' (1 Pet. 5:7). And, ``Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God'' (Phil. 4:6). These principles applied will help us in life, but there are specific problems to which we must decide just how to apply them. The way we apply them to our selves will make a difference in the way we feel and the way we react. Family members can help if all will communicate their feelings, and then show our concern for one another. It takes all parties to make it work. If one has had some experience during the day that was unpleasant or physically painful and the others indicate their sympathy that will lift us up. On the other hand if there is no sympathy shown that just adds to the frustration and depressed feeling. Prayer to God at the beginning of the day will give us strength and the confidence that things will work out if we put our trust in him. He was able to deliver the three Hebrews out of the fiery furnace (Dan. 3) and Daniel out of the lion's den (Dan. 6). He is also able to help us in time of need. When things are going well we need to realize that not everyone is experiencing the same feeling at that time. We just might need to observe this and do what we can to help them overcome their difficult time. One of the reasons we do not do this as we ought is that we are so absorbed in our own feelings that we fail to see that others have needs which we can supply. Look at the example of Jesus when he was on the cross. He was concerned about those who were responsible for his crucifixion and prayed that they might be forgiven. He also made provisions for John to take care of Mary (Luke 23:34; John 19:26-27). -- Via Guardian of Truth, March 6, 1997 ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES John Hendrix's father, as mentioned in last week's News & Notes as having been terminally ill, passed away March 6. We offer our sympathy to the family, relatives, and friends. Steve Willis reports on his father Cecil's surgery as ``looking pretty normal,'' as one doctor put it. Cecil is still in the recuperating stage, and it will be a few months before he can resume his preaching. Let us continue to keep him in our prayers. I heard recently from Craig and Kathy Oney (brother and sister-in-law to Debbie Frazier). Kathy expresses that ``after nearly 3 weeks since the operation I am still in pain but gaining strength daily,'' and her husband mentions that ``she will have to wear the [body] cast from three to four months.'' She also says, ``I take great comfort in knowing that strangers have been praying for me from all regions of the country'' and extends her gratitude. If you live in our area and need a ride to church, just let us know. Would you like to have a free Bible course mailed to you? If so, write or call. Bible film slides are also available for home-study use with a couple of us from church; or if you would like to get together to simply discuss the Scriptures, we can also make arrangements for that as well. Greetings to each of you this day who are visiting with us. We are glad you are here. Please come again -- and soon! Don't forget to "take time to be holy." True holiness is necessary and something we must work at (Heb. 12:14). ___________________________________________ Jesus' Death by Wayne S. Walker What if you were arrested for simply telling people the truth, run through a ``kangaroo court,'' and put to death in a most shameful manner? This might happen in some countries on earth today. We are fortunate that such is not the case here. But it is exactly what happened to Christ. Most are familiar with the facts of His death -- the betrayal and arrest in the garden, the illegal trials in which His judgment was taken away, and the actual crucifixion with its mistreatment, pain, ridicule, and miracles (Matthew 27:26-54). Then after this, He was buried and three days later rose again. But in this article we want to see what applications can be made to us of Jesus' death. The nature of His death was not an accident but something that was planned even before the foundation of the world (I Peter 1:18-20). But at the same time, it was also not a suicide because, while He gladly submitted to the Father's will, it was not something that He simply willed on Himself (Matthew 26:39). It was not the death of a criminal, because He was a just man (Acts 7:52). Nor was it merely the death of a martyr but a sacrificial, atoning death -- He died for us (Romans 5:8). The importance of Jesus' death is seen in the fact that it was prophesied throughout the Old Testament. Most notably, Isaiah predicted the death of the suffering servant (Isaiah 53:7-9). Even Jesus Himself made promises regarding His upcoming death (Matthew 16:21, 17:22-23). The death of Christ is emphasized throughout the New Testament as one of the foundation facts underlying the gospel of salvation (I Corinthians 15:1-4). And on the first day of every week, Christians are to remember His death by partaking of the Lord's supper (Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 11:23-26). The purpose of His death makes it important. His death makes possible our salvation from sin because He shed His blood ``for many for the remission of sins'' (Matthew 26:28). And since the church is the body of those who are saved, His death was necessary to purchase the church (Acts 2:47; 20:28). Therefore, by His death, Jesus gives us a new life by reconciling us to God (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). And also through His death He established and validated the new covenant by which all these blessings are made available to us (Hebrews 10:9-10). Our attitude towards Jesus' death always involves actions -- some feel emotional about it, others proclaim what they would have done if they were there. But this is not enough. Our true attitude is determined by how we respond and react to it as demanded by Scripture. The Bible talks about those who ``crucify again for themselves the Son of God'' (Hebrews 6:6). If we do not obey the gospel and live for Jesus, we are crucifying Him spiritually just as those in the first century crucified Him physically. But we can benefit from Jesus' death and be saved from our sins by being baptized into His death that we might be raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4). -- Via Search For Truth, February 1997 ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@wwd.net Gospel Observer Homepage: http://www.wwd.net/user/tedwards/go ________________________________________