I'm Going to Allow This

My favorite courtroom scenes are when someone does something unconventional and the judge says "I'm going to allow this." This often builds up to a joke involving people brawling or setting stuff on fire and the judge calmly repeating "I'm going to allow this." I mention this because it's how I feel right now.

I could explain, but I'd rather keep the fun going by adding more confusion. Did you know God didn't directly ask Solomon to build the temple? I've been reading I Kings, and He doesn't say a whole lot of anything for the first few chapters of the book. It stirs the pot a little more when you read about the forced laborers the king used to help build. I console myself by thinking if he mistreated them God would have condemned it, but let's face it, he used forced labor. The temple project wasn't exactly a Habitat for Humanity.

In the midst of all this I asked, did God even say he wanted a temple? At least in I Kings, he didn't. He doesn't speak up until the middle of building, and then basically says, "Yeah, I can use this building. Just keep my statutes and you'll be fine." In so many words, "I'm going to allow this."

My argument here is that if whips were cracking, that sort of thing definitely goes against His commands, so it would have stopped at that point. And if the forced labor was somehow humane, no worries. But whatever the case, God knows how to pick His battles. Don't cross the line.

This relates to me because that's where my wife and I are right now. We've thought and prayed about where to go, how and where to worship, etc. and whatever choice we make we've felt the tension of "was that right?" Should either one of us teach at a fairly well-to-do Christian school when there's so much need for people who care in the inner cities and third world countries? Should we go to a big church when they waste money on frivolous things like power points and golden hymnals? (No, I don't believe there is such a thing as hymnals made of gold and yes, my criticisms of church spending if unchecked could get that ridiculous.) Should I teach ESL in the US when I could teach it overseas? What if I'm being disobedient and didn't know it?

Sometimes I think we (humans) hate simple answers more than no answers at all. We throw these questions back at God (who's to say Solomon didn't ask? The author doesn't state it outright) and He comes back at us with "Worship me." Can I worship Him by doing what He has gifted me to do wherever it is needed? Yes. Provided He doesn't warn me about some secret crack house going on where I'm applying or something of that nature, I'd say we're good. Every workplace needs people who are there to glorify Him. Every church, local and so on, needs the same. There is that place where you do something absurd because you know not doing it would be disobedience. Then there are those moments where the vital parts are in place, and after that you take a step forward and God says "I'm going to allow this." Make sure your heart follows His, and then enjoy the ride. I'm looking forward to it.