In Integrity of Heart...the Wayfarer 8/8/14

In Integrity of Heart
8/8/14

"And if thou wilt walk before me , as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according  to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:

Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.

But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye, or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: 

Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this thy house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:

And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the Lord done this unto this land and unto this house.?"

(1Kings 9:4-8)

Integrity of heart, and uprightness... both uncommon things to be found upon the face of the earth today; particularly in leaders among men; are requirements for the leadership of God's chosen people, just as they were as this passage was written when Solomon finished the building of the first temple, and established the throne that had been occupied by his father in perpetuity.

Men did not set forth those requirements, then, nor do they now.

The nations that surrounded Israel chose their kings in the usual manner, the rule of the strongest among them, the most able to convince others to follow them through whatever promises were made, and those who subjected them to the threat of the sword, the power of that sword wielded against them for any infraction of the wishes of those holding the power at that time.

Rules from the past held no meaning as each ruler made up their own, choosing the values  that would be followed in accordance with their own wishes, and deviations.

Nations rose, and fell, by the power of the sword and those commanding their usage for the purpose of subjecting peoples to the whims of those rulers.

Dynasties were built, great buildings erected, palaces decorated with the riches garnered from those subjected to taxation in all its various forms to include the robbery of the treasuries of subjected peoples suborned to the will of each new conquering power.

Civilization, or any semblance of civilization was overthrown to make way for the new and stronger powers that wielded that sword.

Endenturement and slavery were common practices as a means of controlling the conquered, forcing misery and abject forlornness among those affected by it as their own customs and values disappeared, replaced by the teachings of the conqueror.

God made a solemn promise to Solomon, albeit one that came with condition that the throne of David would never be abdicated or abandoned, but would be blessed and honored throughout time if those conditions were met.

The fulfillment of that promise was met by the Messaiah, Christ Jesus, who took that throne in perpetuity through the sacrifice made on the cross to which he was nailed by a people in rejection of that promise.

That promise remains fulfilled, remains in tact, despite that rejection, and has been expanded though that rejection to encompass all of mankind!

Integrity, defined by Webster's means:

 (1) Soundness;

 (2) Adherence to a code of values: utter sincerity, honesty and candor, and

 (3) Completeness.

Soundness, steadfastness of purpose, either of character or of policy is all but non-extant in a world where what is common is covertness, lies and deceptions, perpetrated on all, by any in power, whether that power be national, local, world wide or simply within the confines of the walls of the communities inhabited by men seeking only more of that power by any means possible for their own gain, without respect to its effects on others.

Adherence to a code of values requires that those values first exist within the souls of those professing to believe in them.

Sincerity requires truthfulness. Honesty requires truth as well, both in word and in deed.

 Candor requires the courage of conviction needed to stand behind what is said without surrender to the clamor that rises in opposition, or fear of consequence that might possibly result in loss of that power which is perceived as being held.

Completeness is a unity of those values, that requires that no portion of those values be altered be accepted if they truly exist!

In a world ruled only by lawyers and those eloquent speakers whose meanings are obfuscated purposely to give them credence when truth begins to be seen, there is no integrity in those leaders, or in the eloquent speakers whose actions deny any portion of the definition given by Webster... and more importantly as defined by the Final Authority that reads the hearts of those in power as well as hearing the words that have been spoken, leaving no "wiggle room" to deny actual meaning of either words or deeds.

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

(John 8:31 &32)

“I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

Jesus saith unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

Ye are of your father, the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar and the father of it.

And because I tell you the the truth, ye believe me not.

 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?

He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
(John 8:37-47)

Integrity requires the acknowledgement of God, His statutes, commandments, judgments, and adherence to them as well.

In a world seeking leadership, a world seeking peace, a world seeking prosperity, integrity is an absolute that is ignored by those seeking all those things.

The reason for that continued dismissal of integrity and its importance will be met with the promised result as was given Solomon, should departure from the requirements be given.

The reason will be the same as it was then:

"And then they shall answer, Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought forth their fathers  out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the Lord brought upon them all this evil."
(1Kings 9:9)

Continue on in complacence and apathy, worshipping the "gods" as given through the teachings of men, or heed the warnings given along with the promises made that cannot and will not fail!

Trust in the sword as wielded by those promoting those teachings and philosophies that stand in denial of that TRUTH, or accept that TRUTH that also comes wielding a sword as well!

Trust in the power of men or trust in the Absolute Power that is the only TRUE Power ever extant to begin with!

"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."
(Revelation 22:12 & 13)

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!

Amen and Amen!
the Wayfarer