Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 10 October, 2021
“… walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us
an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” (Eph. 5:2)
Morning Service – 11:00 AM
Solomon: Israel’s Wisest King (8)
Adonijah’s Second Bid for the Crown [youtube]
Scripture Reading: I Kings 2:10-25
Text: I Kings 2:13-25
I. Adonijah’s Ungrateful Scheming
II. Bathsheba’s Naïve Intercession
III. Solomon’s Wise Justice
Psalms: 96:6-11; 149:5-9; 19:7-11; 75:3-10
Evening Service – 6:00 PM
Relying Upon My Almighty Father [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Philippians 4
Text: Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 9
I. To Provide Me With All Necessities
II. To Turn All Evils to My Advantage
Psalms: 66:1-7; 150:1-6; 55:20-23; 23:1-6
For CDs of the sermons and DVDs of the worship services, contact Stephen Murray
If you desire a pastoral visit, please contact Rev. Stewart or the elders
CPRC Website: www.cprc.co.uk • Live Webcast: www.cprc.co.uk/live-streaming
CPRC YouTube: www.youtube.com/cprcni
CPRC Facebook: www.facebook.com/CovenantPRC
Quotes to Consider
Alfred Edersheim on I Kings 2: “It seems that Adonijah, although obliged to submit to Solomon’s rule, had not given up all hope of his own ultimate accession. The scheme which he conceived for this purpose lacked, indeed, the courage of open rebellion, but was characterised by the cunning and trickery of a genuine Oriental intrigue. To marry any of the late king’s wives or concubines was considered in the East as publicly claiming his rights (2 Sam. 12:8; 16:21, 22). If such were done by a rival, it would be regarded as implying an insult to which not even the weakest monarch could submit without hopelessly degrading his authority in public opinion (2 Sam. 3:7). If Adonijah’s primary object was to lower Solomon in public estimate, and that in a manner which he could neither resist nor resent, no better scheme could have been devised than that of his application for the hand of Abishag. By combined flattery and parade of his suppose wrongs and injuries, he gained the queen-mother as unconscious accomplice and even instrument of his intrigue. Any scruples might be set aside by the plea, that there could be no wrong in his request, since, in the strict sense, Abishag had neither been the wife nor the concubine of David. To punish with death so cunning and mean an intrigue can scarcely be called excessive severity on the part of Solomon. It was rather a measure necessary, if tranquillity was to be preserved in the land, all the more that, by his own admission, Adonijah still entertained the opinion that rightfully the kingdom was his, and that ‘all Israel set their faces on him that he should reign’ (1 Kings 2:15).”
Philip Ryken: “This may seem like a small request [I Kings 2:17]. Adonijah was willing to give up the entire kingdom and even to acknowledge that Solomon’s kingship was God’s will. All he wanted was Abishag’s hand in marriage. But notice what a huge sense of entitlement Adonijah still had. He was angry that life had not met his expectations. ‘The kingdom was mine,’ he said, ‘and you know it!’ Even when he acknowledged Solomon’s kingship as the Lord’s doing, we can sense how bitterly he resented it. Adonijah wanted people to feel sorry for him and to give him a consolation prize. Solomon had already shown him mercy by sparing his life. But mercy was not enough for Adonijah. His whole request was based on the premise that he had something more coming to him. He had lost the kingdom—fair enough—but what was in it for him? He demanded some sort of compensation. How easy it is for us to take the same attitude when the disappointments of life get in the way of our plans for our kingdom! We suffer a financial setback, or a medical hardship, or a failed relationship. Then, rather than believing that the mercy of Jesus is enough for us and trusting our King to know what he is doing, we demand something to make up for what we have lost. ‘I deserve this,’ we say and then we take something for ourselves that God does not want us to have—some sinful pleasure, perhaps, or some shiny new product. Rather than letting go of what we want so that we can have what God wants to give us, we find a way to take what we want for ourselves” (King Solomon: The Temptations of Money, Sex, and Power, pp. 31-32).
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
A new CPRC address, telephone and e-mail list is on the back table. Please check your details, making corrections or additions, and put a tick by your name if all is correct.
Monday catechism classes:
5:00 PM: Jason & Sebastian (Juniors NT)
5:45 PM: Eleanora, Felicity, Hannah, Jorja, Penelope, Sammy, Somaya, Sophie & Yossef (Beginners OT, Book 2)
6:30 PM: Angelica, Bradley, Josh, Samuel & Taylor (Heidelberg, Book 1)
7:15 PM: Alex, Jacob & Nathan (Essentials)
The Council meets tomorrow evening at 8 PM at church.
Tuesday Bible study at 11 AM will meet to conclude our discussion on fruit in Paul’s epistles.
The Belgic Confession Class meets upstairs this Wednesday at 7:30 PM to consider the millennium in Revelation 20.
Membership Class: Thursday, 11 AM with the Goulds.
Ladies’ Discussion Group is meeting again this Friday at 10:30 AM at church. For more details, contact Susan or Marie.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. Bruinsma is entitled, “Abel’s More Excellent Sacrifice” (Heb. 11:4).
Plan to attend this year’s Reformation Day Lecture on Friday, 29 October, entitled “Fulgentius of Ruspe, the Sixth-Century N. African Church and God’s Saving Will.”
Offerings: General Fund: £2,086.90. Donations: £200 (England), £100 (Co. Down), £50 (C. R. News).
Translation Additions: 2 Polish, 1 Russian and 1 Spanish.
The Rare Beauty of an Obedient Ear (2)
Brian D. Dykstra
Proverbs 25:12: “As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.”
Now let’s go back to the examples of reproof that we quoted in full in the first instalment of this article (Dan. 4:27; I Kings 22:5-8; Gal. 2:11-14; Gen. 45:21-24).
Daniel reproved Nebuchadnezzar for his sins. The king had his own personal sins but he also held the extra responsibility of being king. He did not rule in a way which showed mercy to the poor. The reproof seemed to work, for a while. As the days passed with no evil coming upon him, the king grew careless and fell into sinful pride. A year later, Nebuchadnezzar boasted of the greatness of his power and glory. He suffered the punishment of living as an animal for a time. Nebuchadnezzar did not have an obedient ear. He had not turned from his sins.
Next we read about Ahab’s attitude toward the prophet Micaiah. Ahab hated Micaiah because Micaiah had evil things to say about Ahab. We know Ahab. He was evil and cared nothing about God’s law. Micaiah knew about Ahab’s evil works. Micaiah must have warned Ahab about it for he had “evil” things to say about Ahab. Ahab did not repent and confess either for the reproof fell upon disobedient ears.
Third, we have Paul’s reproof of Peter. Peter would eat with Gentiles, as long as there were no other Jews present. As soon as Jews were there, who thought Gentiles were unclean and one should not eat with them, Peter refused to eat with Gentiles since he feared what the Jews might think of him. Paul knew that the difference between the Jew and Gentile had been erased. The Gentiles should no longer be viewed as being unclean. Peter had sinned against the Gentile Christians by refusing to have fellowship with them. Paul reproved him for that.
This reproof fell on obedient ears. Peter’s first epistle is addressed to the “strangers” in the New Testament church (I Pet. 1:1). Peter encourages these early Gentile Christians to walk as God’s people on their earthly pilgrimage. Peter no longer views them as being unclean or second-class Christians.
We finally turn to Joseph and his brothers. Joseph experienced cruel treatment at the hands of his brothers. Joseph had just given more gifts to Benjamin than he had given to the others. Joseph did not want this to be the reason for the brothers to be jealous of Benjamin. He reproved his brothers for their envy when the told them not to fall out along the way. He doesn’t want his extra gifts to Benjamin to be the occasion for his brothers’ envy and getting even with Benjamin.
The brothers must have taken the reproof well. We do not read of any fighting against Benjamin or plotting against him to keep him in his place, and the Bible did not hesitate to tell of such sins in earlier chapters.
We have seen two times when reproof was ignored, Nebuchadnezzar and Ahab, and two times when the reproof was taken properly, Peter and Joseph’s brothers. The difference is whether or not the one reproved has an obedient ear.
How can we have an obedient ear? It is important to have one. Nebuchadnezzar and Ahab did not have obedient ears. They did not turn from their sins, nor did they repent. They experience the just judgment of God for the evil they have done. They heard reproof, but not having obedient ears, they continued on the way to spiritual death.
Peter and Joseph’s brothers had obedient ears. They heard reproof, but they repented and walked in the way of God’s law. They knew the great power of God’s forgiveness and now are in heaven.
Do God’s people have obedient ears because of their own work? Did God see that we were somehow better than others in the world, so He rewarded us with obedient ears? Was there some time in life when we had a choice to make? Did we declare to God that we were willing to receive His gift of obedient ears? Did we use our own wisdom? Did we see what happens to the wicked because they do not obey reproof, and then realize that choosing obedient ears is the far better option?
An obedient ear is a spiritual good. Anything good in us is not there because of ourselves. All the blessings we have are gifts from God, including an obedient ear. We are joined to Christ by the living bond of faith which is God’s gift to us. Christ took away and paid for our sins on the cross. He did not stop there. God then looks at the perfect obedience of Christ and imputes that perfect obedience to us. The sins which we committed are taken away and the perfect works of Christ are reckoned to us. Being made righteous in Christ, all the benefits of salvation are given to us, including an ear which is obedient to reproof.
The obedient ear is beautiful. Solomon compares it to a beautiful gold earring or ornament of fine gold. One reason it is so beautiful is because it is so rare. Because of our sinful nature, when someone reproves us, we don’t want to listen. We want to defend ourselves saying that we did nothing wrong. We might point out that others are far worse. We might answer the reprover harshly asking them what makes them think they are so much better than everybody else. We refuse to see that a fellow believer has authority over us.
God has renewed us and given us a new heart. We have the beginning of the new obedience. Part of that is taking reproof which is given to us out of love for God and ourselves. We won’t defend ourselves but we admit we have sinned. We won’t compare ourselves to others but we will recognize our own corruption. We will know the wise reprover isn’t saying that they are better than we are but they know they are sinners too, and want us to go with them to God’s throne of grace and ask for forgiveness.
The obedient ear is beautiful and valuable. Pray that God will give us such spiritual ears.
