Daily Manna from Heaven

By Dr. Harlod Sala

“When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.” -2 Samuel 11:26-27

“There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him,” wrote Solomon 3,000 years ago. Numbers three and four on that list of character disorders which the Bible calls sins are “hands that shed innocent blood,” and “a heart that devises wicked schemes.”

I have no way of knowing whether Solomon thought of the circumstances of his own family, especially involving his own father and mother, but he well could have. His father was David; his mother, Bathsheba. “In the spring, at the time when kings go to war,” begins 2 Samuel 11:1, David stayed at home. One evening when he was on the rooftop of his palace, he saw a beautiful woman bathing–the woman who eventually became Solomon’s mother. Do you remember the story how David took Bathsheba and slept with her? After all, he was the king, and he was not accustomed to having anyone deny him.

But then when Bathsheba became pregnant as the result of this adulterous affair, David’s conscience began to deeply trouble him. Bathsheba was married to another man, and a good man, at that. For David to take Bathsheba as his wife, Uriah had to be destroyed, and it had to appear to be a grave accident. Without taking time to recount the details which I would encourage you to read for yourself, if ever a man devised a wicked scheme and shed innocent blood, it was David who was responsible, completely and fully for the death of Uriah, the rightful husband of Bathsheba.

Just a minute, you may be thinking. Is this not the one who took a sling shot and in the name of the Lord, went against Goliath? Is this not the one who wrote, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…” (Psalm 23:1, KJV). And, of course, the answer to all these questions is yes.

Should you take the time to ponder the six things which God hates and look at the life of David, you will find an example of almost every one in David’s life. He was proud and arrogant. He lied. His hands shed innocent blood. His heart devised the wicked scheme to put Uriah in the forefront of the battle, then order the troops to pull out leaving him exposed to the enemy. His feet rushed to do evil, and he deliberately hurt the woman who became the object of his lust.

Though Solomon did not mention his father’s adulterous affair with his mother, he undoubtedly thought of the consequences which followed his wrongdoing: the death of his half-brother who was the love child of David and Bathsheba, the public humiliation which came as the result of his sin and the ongoing conflicts which resulted in his personal, immediate family because of what David did.

But–and this is the point that I want you to get–there is forgiveness and healing for our wrongdoing, no matter what it may be. As the Psalmist–perhaps David himself–wrote, “If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared” (Psalm 130:4). David paid a price for his wrongdoing–a substantial one, yet in repentance he poured out his heart before God and asked for God to restore the joy of his salvation (see Psalm 51).

Friend, if you see yourself in these six things which God hates, do what David did. Confess your wrongdoing, forsake it, and find God’s strength to overcome your human weakness. This is what grace is about.

*“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”*

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When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful” Genesis 26:7

Rebekah lived in a polygamous society where the women were chattel and beautiful women were commodities to be purchased at the cost of gold or blood. Isaac, her husband, knew this all too well; so when he was asked, “Who is this woman?” he lied out of fear, saying, “She is my sister!” And why not? Who keeps faith with the enemy?

A generation before, his father, Abraham, had essentially done the same thing to try to protect his mother. You can read about both incidents in the book of Genesis. This issue of lying to protect someone when the very act of dishonesty only endangers relationships all the more is not new. The incidents which I related took place almost 5,000 years ago, yet the issue is as relevant as your wife’s most recent visit with her neighbor or best friend.

Take, for example, the woman who was involved in an affair, and thinking she had to tell someone, told her best friend, making her promise not to mention a word of this to anyone, including her husband. After her husband had lunch with the husband of his wife’s best friend, he commented to his wife, “Something’s wrong. I don’t know what it is. Do you?’ Caught between loyalty to her friend and her husband, she lied, “No, I have no idea.” It was the first time she had ever consciously lied to the man she loved. She hoped the whole issue would go away. It didn’t. One lie led to another. She became part of the conspiracy, and she felt as guilty as if she herself were involved in the affair.

Finally, the whole situation became public, and when it did, her part was confessed with tears and remorse. Was she protecting her friend? No, she would tell you, she was betraying her own husband out of misplaced loyalty. “Don’t ever tell me anything I have to lie about,” she now tells her friends.

The truth about lies in marriage is that they just don’t work. No relationship is more intimate, more personal, and more complete than is marriage, and though one person thinks he or she is sparing the other, the fact is he or she is violating the very fabric of a relationship and is undoing the trust that was woven over a period of many months, perhaps many years.

“The truth hurts,” people sometimes tell me in trying to explain why they chose the path of deception. “Of course, it hurts!” I agree, but the consequences of deception and eventual discovery hurt far, far more. What is unconfessed which may involve only one or two others eventually becomes public news, and the pain and shame only multiply.

When Abraham and then a generation later his son Isaac lied, thinking they were protecting the women they loved, they learned through painful experiences that God’s protection, care and forgiveness bring the least suffering to themselves and to others who are caught in the deceit trap.

In this current series, I’ve been focusing on a fascinating passage found in the book of Proverbs where the writer records six things which God hates, even seven which are detestable to Him. Lying is the second in that list. Whether it is a friendship, or the workplace, or the intimate relationship you have with your mate, absolute and complete honesty is the only ingredient that will produce growth and stability.

Interestingly enough, looking at the list of character flaws which God hates, then matching them with some of the great men and women of the Bible, I have to say with the Psalmist, “The Lord remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14).

** “The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”**

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Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?” Acts 5:3

The practice of dishonesty is the second taboo on God’s list of what He detests (See Proverbs 6:16-19). While God loves the sinner, He certainly dislikes some of his habits. Question: On a scale of 1-10, how honest are you? Would you say you are honest all of the time? Most of the time? Part of the time? Or whenever it suits your purpose?

If the truth were known, says a researcher, a lot of people are lying about telling the truth. Could he possibly be right? Have we become so self-serving that we feel little if any obligation to tell the truth, especially when we are saving someone’s feelings, or more importantly, our own reputation or face?

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do you, on occasion, copy software illegally?
2. Do you sometimes not tell all the truth to your husband or wife?
3. Do you ever take home supplies from the office? A few pens, a bit of left-over materials, an occasional tool–even if you intend to bring them back though you know you never will.
4. When you return home from a trip, do you ever find yourself forgetting (on purpose) to declare some overseas purchases when you get to Customs?
5. Do you make personal phone calls from work?
6. Do you occasionally fudge on your taxes or forget to declare income which you are quite certain cannot be traced?

A Gallup survey indicated that 69% of all people admitted to practicing some form of dishonesty. The vast majority of all those questioned admitted to lying, yet all researchers say that when it comes to admitting cheating–whether on your employer or your husband or wife–we all tend to see ourselves as better than we really are.

No wonder Proverbs 16:2 says, “All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD.” Has lying become so common that we excuse it as being part of our humanness? Put another way, if religious convictions produce honesty in men and women, it’s time for a revival of old-fashioned beliefs and practices. When someone is caught in a lie, we tend to excuse it as “misinformation.” God, however, still calls it what it is–a lie.

Three thousand years ago, Solomon cataloged some of the human foibles and failures which God, in particular, doesn’t happen to excuse. The first in this infamous list of wrongdoing is pride. The second is “a lying tongue.” Why does God put this so close to the top of the list of habits which He literally despises? Let me put the question another way: Upon what is trust based in your own family? Honesty, telling the unvarnished truth– the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, as you affirm under oath when you go to court–is the very fabric of relationships.

Once you know that someone can look you in the eye and lie to you, you are never certain whether he or she means it when he says, “I love you,” or “You are the only one in my life.”

From God’s perspective, there is no such thing as a white lie. Either you are telling the truth, or you are lying. A man who is faithful to his wife 97% of the time is still an unfaithful husband. Likewise telling the truth most of the time will never satisfy the demands of a growing relationship.

A final thought: God never laid down guidelines for living, including the call to honesty, because He wanted to make you miserable or to inhibit your pleasure. He says that telling the truth is important because it is the only way relationships can survive. It always has been; it always will be. Think about it.

**“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”**

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By: Dr. Harold Sala

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” -Proverbs 16:18

The Bible leaves no question about where God stands in relationship to what He loves and what He hates. And furthermore, He makes it clear that He expects His people to incorporate His view in their personal lives. “There are six things the LORD hates,” wrote Solomon in the book of Proverbs, and the first to be mentioned is pride. A lot of things could have been at the top of the list, yet arrogance and pride are especially distasteful to our heavenly Father. Why? Why not put drunkenness or infidelity at the top of that list? Why not drug use, or wars which tear families and nations apart?

Could it be that pride is so distasteful to the Almighty because. as perhaps no other sin, pride is taking credit for something that someone else has really done, and usually God is that Someone. Have you ever noticed that in the English word pride the middle letter is the vertical pronoun, I?

I’m thinking of the tale which comes from Aesop’s Fables where a frog wants to go to a warmer climate and avoid the cold and snow of winter so he convinces two geese to hold a stick in their mouths as they fly south and he in turn grasps the stick firmly in his jaw and sets sail with the geese for the warmth of a sunnier climate. The journey goes quite well until a farmer looks up and sees the frog being carried by the two large geese who have the stick in their beaks. “My, what a marvelous picture of cooperation,” remarks the farmer out loud. I wonder who was smart enough to think that up.” Upon hearing the comments, the frog immediately responded, “I did!” But in doing so, he turned loose of his stick and fell to the earth. Proverbs says that “pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). In the frog’s case, it was a long fall.

Two passages in the Old Testament speak of the fall of Satan, who at one time was an archangel in the presence of the Almighty. Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 both tell of the pride which led to his downfall. Satan said, “…I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God… I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13,14). But God allows no competition.
No individual makes it to the top on his own, and the person whose heart is lifted with pride takes credit for what he or she does not deserve. One of the strange things about this malady is that those who are most infected with it recognize it the least. Someone said that pride comes in three styles: pride of race, pride of face, and pride of grace. The first, pride of race, deals with the feeling of genetic superiority, something we are not born with but quickly acquire from our parents and peers.

The second kind of pride deals with arrogance, or the feeling that you are more beautiful, more intelligent, or more handsome than the other person–something which afflicts both men and women alike.

The third kind of pride–pride of grace–is the mistaken belief that you are more spiritual than others. This kind of pride has a lot of variations–the belief that Baptists are right and Presbyterians are wrong and vice versa, the belief that all others are wrong and you are surely right.

Of one thing we are sure: God hates pride–perhaps more than any of these other flaws of character. Scripture is right: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). No wonder God hates it so much!

**“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”**

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There are six things the LORD hates,” he wrote, “seven that are detestable to him” (Proverbs 6:16).

When you have poor credit, banks usually refuse to loan you money; however, one loan company advertises that they will make loans when others turn you away because “you are human.” Interesting–is it not–how often we overlook irresponsibility because “we are just human.” How inconsiderate of banks not to loan money when you have a past record of failing to pay your debts!

Centuries ago, Solomon reflected on the failure of humanity when he wrote that God hates some things more than others: “Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers” (Proverbs 6:17-19).

What man hates and what God hates are not always the same. We hate to lose; God hates it when men win through dishonesty. We love to be included; God hates it when men are indiscriminately and prejudicially turned away. We strive to save face even though we bend the truth to make others look bad; God hates it when people are dishonest.

Solomon said God not only hates these seven negative qualities of human behavior, he says they are detestable to Him, and the Hebrew word is a strong one. Found some sixty times in the Bible, mostly in Old Testament passages, the word was applied to situations which were pretty reprehensible–offering your children in human sacrifice, changing the landmarks between you and your neighbor’s land, and issues involving gross sexual practices.

But in this passage, Solomon specifies seven evils which destroy the fabric of society and humanity. Frankly, I’ve read this list several hundred times, but until recently I’ve never given it much thought or study. Taking time to reflect on it, I noticed that some things such as murder, adultery, theft and war don’t make this list. It isn’t that these things are not repugnant to the Lord; they are! In the very passage which I quoted, Solomon warns against adultery. He asks, “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife…” (Proverbs 6:27-29). Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba, knew firsthand the pain and heartache which follow adulterous relationships. But in this passage, he focuses on our thinking which leads to wrongdoing.

These seven sins catalog flaws of character more than behavior. Pride, dishonesty, deceit, and perjury eventually lead to overt wrongdoing. Almost every sin begins with a thought, but when your thinking becomes warped you justify your wrongdoing. “He who conceals his sins,” says Proverbs 28:13, “does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

For a few brief moments, let those seven flaws of character be a checklist, and ask if your life measures up to their standard.

1. “Haughty eyes,” or “a proud look” as another translation puts it.
2. “A lying tongue” or trouble telling the truth.
3. Hands that shed innocent blood.
4. “A heart that devises wicked schemes”–conspiring against someone.
5. “Feet that are quick to rush into evil.”
6. “A false witness who pours out lies.”
7. “A man who stirs up dissension among brothers.”

A closing thought: If God has His payday someday, then it would be a very good idea to find out what He loves and hates and go with the winner. That makes sense in any language.

**“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”**

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“I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” -Jeremiah 32:27

When Larry Krunsinski left the hospital after a stay of almost one year, he went home to a woman he couldn’t remember marrying but a woman who cared so deeply for him that he literally fell in love with her twice.

Here’s what happened. Larry was involved in a near fatal automobile crash that left him more dead than alive. When he arrived at the hospital, a priest gave him last rites, quite certain that he wouldn’t pull through. Nonetheless, doctors went to work and patched up his body. They knew that his brain was also injured but they were uncertain how the trauma would affect his memory. Doctors didn’t know if he would make it, but his wife did. She sat by his side day and night, and prayed, and prayed, and prayed.

Ten days later, Larry opened his eyes for the first time, and stared at the woman he had married three years before, but nothing clicked. She was an absolute stranger to him. Brain injuries are often hard to fathom. Larry could remember his parents, even her parents, college friends, and things from the past. But, for whatever reason, he could not remember their three years of married life, nor anything about her past.

They showed him pictures, and nothing clicked. They talked about the past, saying over and over, “Don’t you remember….” or “Remember when we…” But it just didn’t come to him.

During the long months of waiting, she never gave up. Then one day as she said, “I love you,” he looked into her eyes and said, “I love you, too!” That’s when they knew they had a future. She said, “I think he fell in love with me all over again!” And that is the kind of an ending that I would like to attach to the biographies of a lot of couples who have fallen out of love with each other.

“Can this marriage be saved?” headlines the tabloids as it tells of a marriage torn apart by strife or by adultery. I, for one, am convinced that most people give up on a marriage long before it is dead and buried. In pain and hurt they refuse to forgive, they refuse to even communicate, and something which is damaged but could be restored is trashed and discarded.

Long ago, God addressed the issue of our first love growing cold. The context was that of a church which over a period of 30 to 40 years had lost their first love for the Lord. But the formula which God gave them to restore love is exactly what is needed when the fire goes out in a marriage.

Guideline #1: Remember. When someone such as Larry Krunsinski suffers from amnesia, friends show the individual pictures of the past. “Remember this?” they ask. Taking inventory, remembering how you met, remembering your first date, your first kiss, walking down the aisle, remembering your first child and the joy that came to you is good medicine for a loveless marriage.

Guideline #2: Repent. That means change your attitude. Give up the hostility, the “holier than thou” mindset which makes you the innocent victim. Forget who is wrong and strive to make a wrong right.

Guideline #3: Return and do your first works. Can you fall in love again with some who has fallen out of love with you? It can happen, gradually, the same way it happened the first time.

A final thought: Never forget that no one can stop you from loving him or her. Loving is your decision–a liberating one that sets you free from the hatred and guilt of a broken heart. It’s the way to freedom and healing.

**“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”**

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CAN THIS MARRIAGE BE SAVED?

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. I will build you up again, O Virgin Israel.” Jeremiah 31:3-4

Can you relate to the following? A husband and a wife come together in marriage and celebrate their love. Nine months later a son is born. They name him Jezreel but call him Jesse for short. Don’t think that children always bring you closer together. In many cases children put stress on a marriage, and that’s what happened with this couple. The husband was preoccupied with his work and he and his wife began to drift.

Eventually a second child was born–a little girl with dark eyes and the features of her mother. But things are no better. Relationships are strained, communication is difficult, and intimacy is gone.
Then what the husband had suspected in his darkest moments becomes evident. His wife is seeing another man. He’s sure this time because she is pregnant and he is not the father of the child.

Now, he faces the most difficult decision of his life. Should he tell her, “Get out; you have betrayed my trust, you have darkened my name, you are not fit to be my wife”? He thought about it, that’s for sure; but instead, for whatever reasons, he chose to stand by her. And though it was not easy, he decided to be a father to the unborn child whom he called “Lo-Ammi,” which in Hebrew literally means, “Not mine!”

After the baby comes, the wife, Gomer, is gone more and more. Some nights she doesn’t come home at all. Can you imagine how Hosea must have felt, answering the tough questions? As the older children knelt to say their prayers at night they asked, “Daddy, where’s Mommy? When is she coming home?”

The story which I have just related is as current as the tabloid on the newsstand, or the soap opera on television, but actually it took place 2600 years ago. You can read about it in the Old Testament book of Hosea.

Broken homes, broken promises, and broken hearts are not new. They are as old as human nature itself. If Hosea and Gomer were alive today we might well describe their marriage as one suffering from burn-out, a new term to describe an old problem.

Marriage burnout is a condition which exists when a marriage suffers from stress, busyness, and wrong priorities. In chess when you are confronted with a stalemate, you just can’t move, but in marriage when you have a stale-mate, you are in big trouble. Burnout is a prelude to the devastating consequences of a broken home and a broken heart.

When the fire goes out of romance, can anything be done? In the story which I related, Hosea kept his marriage together by a gargantuan effort on his part to reconcile and to bend in humility.

Long ago, God gave the Ephesians a formula to restore their love for him. The same three words apply to a marriage which has grown cold and mechanical just the same. Those three words are 1. REMEMBER. 2. REPENT. And 3. RETURN. Why not first repent, then remember and return? When our love grows cold and our hearts grow hard, we need to remember to let our emotions remind us of what things used to be and what they can be again.

Repenting means changing our minds, doing an about-face, overcoming the stubbornness which contributed to the problem, and finally returning to the way we once lived.

**“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted.  Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited.  Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”**

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