For many years now, perhaps a lot longer than we think there have been prominent people. Way back towards the beginning of the human race after sin entered the world and the population expanded there came prominent people. Right now I'm thinking of Nimrod. Now in current times in America we use that word as derogatory slang. In the Bible Nimrod was found here--the great grandson of Noah-
Gen 10:8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
Gen 10:9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
Nimrod was a mighty hunter, a mighty one in the earth- a prominent person. And when it states *before* the LORD, some have taken that to imply put in front of the LORD.
What happened to this mighty hunter Nimrod, this prominent person?
Gen 10:9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
Gen 10:10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Gen 10:11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,
Gen 10:12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.
He had a KINGDOM.
Was this an acceptable and good kingdom in the eyes of God?
Gen 11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
Gen 11:5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
Gen 11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
Gen 11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
Gen 11:8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
Gen 11:9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
Obviously it was not acceptable in the eyes of God. We have human kind taking PRIDE in themselves and their creations, in fact they desired to make a tower that would reach incredible heights- a show of their power. The LORD saw this and knew it was wrong, they were following a prominent PERSON not GOD. They wanted to make a NAME for themselves, not God. The glory they wanted was for themselves, not God. Their hearts were directed inward to selfish pursuits not outward towards God.
From then onward prominent people with a bent towards selfish aims and desires have gone on under the hand of Satan to rule the many kingdoms of the world. The people were not content to have God's judges and prophets but wanted a KING, a prominent person to lead them. Remember this...
1Sa 8:1 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
1Sa 8:2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.
1Sa 8:3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
1Sa 8:4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
1Sa 8:5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
1Sa 8:6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.
1Sa 8:7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
1Sa 8:8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
1Sa 8:9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
1Sa 8:10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.
1Sa 8:11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
1Sa 8:12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
1Sa 8:13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
1Sa 8:14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
1Sa 8:15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
1Sa 8:16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
1Sa 8:17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
1Sa 8:18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.
1Sa 8:19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;
1Sa 8:20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
1Sa 8:21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.
1Sa 8:22 And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king...
They REJECTED GOD that He would NOT reign over them! They separated themselves from God's will. And God explained what would happen, how a king would take so much from them and give little in return. They wanted a PROMINENT PERSON to rule over them as the prominent people were ruling over other non-God fearing kingdoms.
Prominent people, the rulers of the worldly kingdoms, Satan's kingdoms. People looking to people, not God.We KNOW they are Satan's kingdoms--
Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
ALL the kingdoms of the world and their glory was shown to Jesus by Satan and Satan made Jesus an offer- he would GIVE all the kingdoms and their glory to Jesus if Jesus would fall down and worship him.
Satan OWNED the worldly kingdoms they were HIS to give away.
Has anything taken the kingdoms from Satan over the many years since he offered them to Jesus? No. They still belong to Him. And people look to people, more so the prominent people to guide their lives, to give them direction. We set certain people on pedestals- politicians, actors, sports figures, philanthropists, musicians, authors, religious figures and then we teach our children to fall in step and idolize them. So many people attach their affections to prominent people and try to emulate them after a fashion. No, they might not try to be singers, or actors, etc but they'll start to believe in the causes these people represent. They'll start to be wild if their prominent person shows a tendency for the wild life. They'll even do good deeds if their prominent person does them. When our sights are set on PEOPLE, they are NOT SET ON GOD, this is TRUTH. We even often times choose people not so prominent in the world, but prominent in our own circles of friends and family and do the same thing, we look to them rather than to God. We want their approval of our life and our life choices before we want God's. We reason within ourselves that it's normal because we are REALLY living with these people and God is more of an idea than a real force in our lives. We are deceived!
Shouldn't God be more real to us than any other, because without the reality of God there would be no us, no others to put before Him. We need to recognize that God created us, each of us exists because He created us. And no other we love can create as God created and creates. We HAVE a Creator! We need to live in the truth that it is! As we honor a mother and father as our birth parents we exceedingly more need to honor our Creator who created all of human kind. And how do we reveal our honor to God, truly, how?
Joh_14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
We CAN reveal our love for God in more than just our words and thoughts. We can reveal our love by OBEYING Him. Not because obeying Him will gain us salvation, but because we LOVE Him and desire to honor Him.
Seriously, there is one VERY special commandment among the moral ten -
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
The SABBATH commandment was brought into existence to remind us of our created status, and in reminding us of our created status we are reminded of our CREATOR and we HONOR Him when we honor the Sabbath commandment. A commandment to bring HONOR to our Creator, how could this commandment ever be done away with? Who is our CREATOR?
Eph_3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ
God, created all things by who? JESUS CHRIST. God with God!
Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
And we should no longer keep the fourth commandment, why? Did Jesus cease being our Creator upon saving us? NO, NEVER! We NEED the constant REMINDER of our CREATION!
God FIRST in all things, let this be true for us. With God first all other things are in their proper LESS prominent place.
God FIRST. Please Father, You first. In the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ our LORD, our SAVIOR!
Amen!
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