If you've had occasion to feel sorry for yourself, you may have thought, "Oh, woe is me!" Maybe things really were as bad as they seemed to you, but sometimes, we have to admit that things are not as bad as we think they are.
But God's word does tell us about times when we should be concerned and when we are in situations that warrant serious consideration-- maybe even a change--if we want to be right in God's sight and spiritually strong. Consider some conditions where God has pronounced a woe on the one described:
The One Who Is Alone. (Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10) The wise writer, Solomon, told us, "Woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up." This followed a wise commentary regarding the fact that two are better than one, which concluded with this warning to the one who is alone. Within these words, we find some powerful lessons.
Throughout Israel's history, their success always depended on God being with them. Before they entered the Promised Land, God told Joshua, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Joshua 1:5), but He qualified the statement by saying that it would apply only when they kept the law--"then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." (v. 8) This warning soon became abundantly clear when they entered the land, attacked the small city of Ai, and were defeated. After the defeat, Joshua cried out in woe (7:7), but God said the defeat came because "Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them." (7:11) God went on to tell Joshua, "Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you." (v. 12) Quite simply, Ai was able to defeat Israel because God was not on Israel's side! The nation would later be destroyed because they abandoned God and He forsook them.
Just as Israel faced destruction without God, so man today faces destruction if he is outside [i.e., without] Christ. Paul described the man who struggles in vain to become truly righteous, but who is outside of Christ (Romans 7:15-25). The law brings knowledge of sin, but it provides no means of removing it! Although the person who realizes and admits his sin may seek to remedy his condition, he has not the means to do so! Is it any wonder that such a person would ultimately come to the conclusion: "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (v. 24) There was no way those who strove to live by the law could ever attain to the righteousness acceptable to God. No person could ever be justified by the works of the law (Galatians 3:11); all people are guilty (Romans 3:23); and we're all worthy of rightful punishment for our sins (Romans 6:23).
Paul reminded the Gentile Christians of their former condition-before they obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:11-13).
At that time, they were "without hope." What a sad condition it is to have no hope! And realizing the hope of which he spoke [the hope of heaven (Hebrews 10:23, 34-36)], what a pitiful state in which to be found! That hope was the promise of a resurrection, when all the saved who are in Christ will be raised to meet Him in the air and be with Him throughout eternity (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).
So it is now; we must ask ourselves where we stand--in or out of Christ? Every person who is outside of Christ will be lost; but those who are in Christ will have access to every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). If you are outside of Christ, now is the time to make the change. The one who finally realizes his own inability rejoices in his discovery that Christ has delivered him from his sin (Romans 7:25). Outside of Christ, there is no other source of salvation, for He alone is the way (Acts 4:12). Without Him, we are spiritually alone. Woe is me if I am not in Christ!
The One Who Seeks Advice, But Not From God. (Isaiah 30:1, 2; 31:1-3) Again, we should note Israel's historical record and recognize that every one of their defeats was because they did not seek the Lord's advice. King Saul was the first in a long line of disobedient kings who, instead of following or seeking God's ways, sought after the opinions of mere men or went with their own opinions (cf. 1Samuel 13:9-14; 15; 28:6-8; 1Chronicles 10:13).
- Saul acted on his own compulsion and disobeyed the Lord's will when, instead of waiting for Samuel, he offered the sacrifice.
- He disobeyed the Lord when he listened to the people and did not utterly destroy the Amalekites.
- When the Lord did not answer him before going into battle against the Philistines, he sought the advice of a medium.
For these sins, God took away Saul's kingdom. But he was certainly not alone in his foolishness.
Throughout Israel's history, time and again, they forsook God and followed after the false gods of the nations around them, or just the nations around them. At Mt. Carmel, they were forced to choose who they would serve, and when the false god's priests sought his advice, he was nowhere to be found (1 Kings 18:20-29)! He did not and could not deliver. When Israel sought protection from the armies of other nations (Isaiah 30:1-7), she demonstrated her lack of trust in God; He allowed His people to go into captivity (cf. Jeremiah 37:7-10; 39:1-10).
It is just as certain that today's people who seek spiritual success and salvation will be defeated as the Israelites were if they do not seek the Lord's counsel. It's no wonder the apostle Paul did not shun "to declare...the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27) to those to whom he preached?
A continuing problem among God's people and those who are seeking Him is that instead of searching to discover what God wants, they turn to the opinions and uninspired writings of other people. In the past, I have received advertisements that promoted a "40-day effort to find one's purpose in life," based on a book [The Purpose-Driven Life] by Rick Warren. In two seconds, I can tell you our purpose: "Fear God and keep His commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Far too many of our own brethren are running to these kinds of books for their sermons and using them in giving advice! Woe is me if I do not seek the words of the Creator and the Savior!
The Unworthy Shepherd. (Jeremiah 23:1; Ezekiel 34:1-11; Zechariah 11:17) Israel's downfall and her slide into idolatry and unfaithfulness was not without cause. Someone led them [or at least did not prevent their going] astray; and it was the very ones who were supposed to protect and lead them in the safe way-God's way. The people were to consult the priests regarding God's will (Malachi 2:7), and they were to strictly follow the judgments the priests pronounced because these judgments were the Lord's laws (Deuteronomy 17:10, 11). But it reached a point where the priests [the shepherds] looked out for only themselves and taught the people only when they received wages; and the prophets prophesied only if their pockets were filled. No longer were the watchmen concerned about the flock's welfare, but only for any gain they could secure for themselves (Isaiah 56:11; Micah 3:11).
Though we do no longer have spiritual shepherds who are responsible for watching for the souls of an entire nation, local churches do have shepherds whom God has charged with watching for the souls of the flock (cf. Hebrews 13:17). Paul charged the Ephesian elders to beware of wolves who would come in among the flock (Acts 20:28-30); we are in no less danger today.
A good shepherd recognizes the weak and does what he can to strengthen and protect them, but he also makes sure none slip away unnoticed. Souls are at stake, so woe is the unworthy shepherd, and woe to us if we are being led by them!
Brother Harper has reminded us of the very serious undertaking God expects and commands the elders to accomplish. Such work is of a spiritual nature and many times goes unnoticed by those in the local church. But make no mistake about it; God is keeping track of the elders' work. Peter wrote, "Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:2, 3) The church is God's heritage, and belongs to Him; elders are caretakers over what belongs to the Lord. He will deal very strongly with elders who seek to make the church their own disciples, instead of Christ's. Leading the flock into danger without giving warning will also bring God's wrath down on the elders. Elders must desire this type of work.
God put elders over His heritage to maintain a proper relationship between the church and God. The word that guides them contains the information needed to achieve the desired goals. Not only must elders be knowledgeable about God's word, they must also be able to convince and convict those who would oppose its teachings. How do elders accomplish this? Someone has said, "In order to lead the sheep you must smell like the sheep." Unless the elders truly know the flock, they will not perceive the dangers, and thus will not warn about impending error that may lead the flock away from the truth. How can leaders who don't know what the sheep are doing help to keep them from wandering? Men who accept the eldership are to be commended. Yet, their acceptance must be tempered with the understanding that they have an awesome responsibility to follow through with the work. God is watching and keeping notes on the work-from both directions. (KMG)