Misplaced Trust
Posted on February 20, 2008
Filed Under Christian Growth, Weylan Deaver
by Weylan Deaver
In what do you trust? Many people and things vie for our confidence, and the Bible is replete with warnings about putting trust in the wrong place. There are specific things on which we are not to rely.
Idols
Judah’s king, Ahaz, put stock in idols because he thought they had helped Damascus beat him. “For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, “˜Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.’ But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel” (2 Chron 28:23 ESV). Isaiah prophesied, “They are turned back and utterly put to shame, who trust in carved idols, who say to metal images, “˜You are our gods’” (Is 42:17). And, speaking of idols, the Psalmist wrote, “Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them!” (Ps 135:18). Our society is not geared toward bowing to an image of stone or wood, though literal idols are still to be seen in many places of the world. But we can fashion our own custom idol out of other material. It may be a boat, a car, a house, a job. Anything that displaces God in our hearts becomes, in essence, an idol, and we may as well be bowing down in front of it.
Self
Solomon put it very succinctly. “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool”¦” (Prov 28:26). In Babylonian captivity, Ezekiel described Judah as having this fatal flaw. “But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his” (Eze 16:15). On one occasion, Jesus told a parable “”¦to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt” (Lk 18:9). And, who can forget the immortal words of Jeremiah? “I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps” (Jer 10:23). We are warned not to have too grandiose a picture of ourselves (Rom 12:3). We should be a confident people, but our confidence is through and due to the Lord (2 Cor 3:4). The humanist denies God and exalts self. The Christian exalts God and denies self (Mt 16:24).
Others
When he had reigned for thirty-nine years, King Asa had a severe disease in his feet. “Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians” (2 Chron 16:12). Of course, there is nothing wrong with seeing a doctor. However, to place confidence in a doctor while ignoring the One who made the doctor is foolish. The Psalmist contrasts the option of relying on others versus relying on God and says, “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation” (Ps 146:3). Events beyond our control may hinder the best of us from keeping his word. We may say a thing and sincerely mean it””yet find that we cannot live up to it or we may even forget it. God labors under no such impairment. Solomon asserted, “Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips” (Prov 25:19).
Nation
“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the LORD!…The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together” (Is 31:1,3). Nations rise and fall at God’s allowance and discretion (cf. Dan 4:25). It is most unwise for any people to put too much stock in their country’s perceived greatness or military prowess. America may have the military might to blow every other country to the moon, but, if God wants us defeated, He has no shortage of means to do just that. What this””and every other””country needs to do is focus first on the Lord and righteousness, then depend on His help in tough times. “The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength” (Ps 33:16). “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Ps 20:7). And, in a verse America desperately needs to take to heart, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov 14:34).
Money
“Whoever trusts in his riches will fall”¦” (Prov 11:28). How easy it is to trust in the dollar to see us through””especially if you’ve got several of them stashed away. Scripture has much to say about money: the acquiring of it, the spending of it, and our general attitude toward it. Paul instructed Timothy, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Tim 6:17). Money is powerless to get any man into heaven; but, it can be very persuasive in helping keep a man out of heaven. If you love money too much, then better to give it all away now and be rid of the temptation (cf. Lk 18:22). Otherwise, pray diligently for wisdom and the right attitude toward wealth. When the dollar begins to detract from your trust in God, then, at that point, you are too rich for your own good.
Lies
“This is your lot, the portion I have measured out to you, declares the LORD, because you have forgotten me and trusted in lies” (Jer 13:25). As it was Judah’s lot in Old Testament days, so it is the lot of most people today””they rely on a lie. Anything that contradicts a single point of the gospel of Christ is a lie. The devil has the confidence of most today, not because he earned the trust, but because of his deceptive lies of pleasure and prosperity outside of the truth. “Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thes 2:11,12). If a man rejects the truth, what alternative is there but that he embraces a lie? And that is what God allows to happen. But, confidence in a lie is always ill-placed.
Misplaced trust is not the ticket to spiritual growth and real happiness. If we are not to trust in all these things, then what is left as a proper object of our reliance? None could put it better than an inspired Solomon when he penned, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Prov 3:5,6).
RELATED POSTS:
How do we love God? Let us count the ways…
Fund created for Winkler children
Belief in Jesus Christ
Evolution: A Science Teacher’s Perspective
The most divisive trend among churches of Christ
Comments
Leave a Reply
Polls
What do you think of Quail Springs' decision to add intrumental music to the worship?
- I'm a member of the church of Christ, and the decision is wrong. (65%)
- I'm a member of the church of Christ, and the decision is no big deal. (16%)
- I'm not a member of the church of Christ, and the decision is no big deal. (10%)
- I'm not a member of the church of Christ, and the decision is wrong. (4%)
- I'm a member of the church of Christ, and I'm not sure. (3%)
- I'm not a member of the church of Christ, and I'm not sure. (0%)
Total Votes: 211
Loading ...-
