The Art (and Evil) of Compromise
Politics, it has been said, is the art of compromise. The word art in this
instance is very important, for compromise can be a very subtle, nuanced action
on the part of the person doing it. A good politician is someone who can get the
people to concede points, to compromise positions, and often not even realize
that they are doing just that. In this context, then, there is no doubt that
Satan is the best politician around.
All through the Bible, we find examples of this evil—the evil of compromise. Not
that every compromise is evil, of course not. In a certain sense, life itself is
a kind of compromise. Instead, compromise becomes another manifestation of human
evil and corruption when those who should know better fall away from the truth
that God has given them.
For example... (your own).
Read 1 Kings 11:1–13. What happened here? How did this happen? What was it about
Solomon that made his actions here so bad? How did this apostasy impact worship,
faith, and the whole religious system of Israel? Also, and most important, what
lessons can we draw for ourselves today from this episode and the whole question
of compromise?
Perhaps the most revealing phrase in this block of texts is the statement that
it was "when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other
gods" (1 Kings 11:4). In other words, it did not happen overnight. The faithful,
dedicated, and godly man revealed in the Bible did not suddenly, out of nowhere,
turn away from the Lord. Instead, the change happened bit by bit, over time; a
little compromise here, a little there, each step taking him farther and farther
from where he should have been until he was doing something that the Solomon of
his earlier years no doubt would have been horrified to see.
Look, too, at what his compromises did to worship in Israel. They had a negative
impact that would last for generations and beyond.
Every now and then you hear stories about people who left the Seventh-day
Adventist church years ago, severed ties with it completely, and then came back,
only to be shocked by some of the changes that they saw in areas such as
theology, standards, and worship. Though that might not be bad in every case, it
might very well be bad in some. How can we know the difference?
http://www.ssnet.org/qrtrly/eng/11c/less08.html
Politics and Compromise in the Endtime Church
I have read this week's lesson and was amazed to discover how closely it applies to my church today. I don't know about your church, but looking back ten or 20 years back I see a lot of change. Is all change bad? What are the creeping compromises that have made the Adventist church more like Solomon in his last days, or Jeroboam (his successor in the northern kingdom Israel) who is mentioned over and over in I Kings and II Kings as the king "who caused Israel to sin"?
Let me list a few:
1. Drums in church (som churches have real round banging drums, others have syncopated sounds in keyboards, but drums all the same)
2. Politics and campaigns for church positions. I like the way this week's lesson links politics with compromise (Satan becomes a super politician, lol! I never thought about it this way before)
3. Lack of love (it has waxed colder and colder)
4. Secular music (just change the words and you're good to go, at the top of your shrilliest voice)
5. Sabbath keeping (if you're in time for the sermon, you're ok)
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