What Bugs God – Part II

I would like to continue with more principles from the lesson series, “What Bugs God?” that I recently came across from my time in Northwest Indiana, as mentioned, that I began sharing in Part I. We discovered firstly that ‘passivism about the Kingdom of God’ really bothers Him, but we should rather have ‘determination and initiative-taking behavior’ which pleases Him. Secondly, we learned that ‘quarrelling’ bugs God. He is the Prince of Peace and looks for us to be peacemakers as well. Thirdly, ‘unfruitfulness and barrenness’ not only bugs God, but they are displeasing to Him. All living creatures were made to procreate and reproduce both physically and spiritually. This is the only way to perpetuate His kingdom. Being stagnant and happy with the status quo is not his style. Fourthly and finally, we discussed how that ‘division’ is not acceptable to God. Everything we do should be done with decency and in order, and most importantly, in unity. If you think this is elementary, you would be quite right; however, if everyone already had all of these principles under their belt and were complying with them, as seen in scripture, we would not have to keep teaching about them repeatedly, yet this is not the case. Living for the Lord is a journey that we are all on, not a destination to which we have already arrived at yet.

Jesus thought the concept of childlike faith important enough that it is repeated in three of the gospels. Matthew 18:2-5 says, “And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receives me.” Mark 10:13-16 references the event, “And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.” And Luke 18:15-17 tells it this way, “And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.”  We must stay humble and never outgrow the simple lessons we can learn from His word and life itself daily.

We will begin this article with the fifth thing that bugs God, which is ‘wavering,’ while persistence and determination pleases him! Wavering shows doubt which is a lack of faith while persistence shows that there is faith present. All we need is faith as a ‘grain of mustard seed,’ which if you did not know, is about the size of the head of an old fashioned straight pin. In Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.” This is repeated in Luke 11. Hebrews 10:23 admonishes us, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised).” James 1:5-8 tells us, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers, is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

Let us look at one of the most annoying insects to most people, or should I say to me anyway, the common fly. There are over one hundred thousand species of dipterans, which manifest as types of flies, yet it only takes one single fly to drive us crazy. The female can lay over two thousand eggs in their short lives averaging around twenty-one days, and they only take ten days to hatch. The fly only has two wings, while most flying insects have four, yet they can fly in any direction. They have 360 degree vision, thanks to the thousands of tiny lenses on their eyes called ommatidia. When they land on our lunch, unbeknown to us, they vomit so that the acids can break down the food for them to be able to suck it up. Quite gross if you ask me, even more so now that I have this tidbit of knowledge. Only the female flies drink blood, such as the horse fly. Good to know!

They have hairy sticky feet, which makes them second only to the bee as productive pollinators, which is amazing for the environment. Yet on the other side of the coin, they can carry over six hundred types of bacteria and they carry more pathogens in the city than in rural areas. This means they can transmit diseases, some of which are leprosy, yaws, stomach ulcers, dysentery, cholera, and typhoid fever. This is all quite terrifying, yet we all know that flies are one of the most annoyingly persistent creatures on the planet. They will not leave you, or your food alone and will spend the entirety of their short lives bugging you, and laying eggs, to make sure the vicious cycle continues. They are persistent and determined!

In Mark 10:46-52 we see the kind of persistent faith that Jesus responds to. “And they came to Jericho: and as Jesus went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, what wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus in the way.”

In Luke 11:5-8 Jesus gives this example, “And he said unto them, which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needs.” Jesus also tells those around him a parable in Luke 18:1-7, “And he spoke a parable…Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bears long with them? Yea.”  We can demonstrate our faith through our persistence and not be full of doubt, be ineffective, double minded, or unstable.

The sixth thing that bugs God, and yes, he literally despises, is rebellion, but he loves submission and obedience to His word, His will, and to His commandments. Proverbs 17:11 says, “An evil man seeks only rebellion: therefore, a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.”  Rebellion does not only bug God, but he will not tolerate it. Rebellion is a direct choice and decision someone makes to do something directly contrary to what they have been told to do. 1 Peter 5:5-7 gives us sound teaching on this also, “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resists the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you.” God wants us to humble ourselves and be submissive to Him and to one another.

Let us take a quick look at the caterpillar. Simple you might think, yet they are the larval stage of what will become a beautiful butterfly or moth. Though they have six eyes on each side of their heads, they cannot see images. They also have three pairs of legs on the thorax, and they have what are known as flesh prolegs on their abdomen as well. They have strong upper jaws and short antennae, and breathe through tracheae, which are small opening on the sides of their bodies. They have about six times the muscles that a human has, coming in at around four thousand, and some can even kill humans. The main job of a caterpillar is to eat. It must eat all the nutrients in its first stage of life to get through its complete metamorphosis. Caterpillars can also be referred to as silkworms because they produce silk. They become highly creative when it comes to self-defense because they are very vulnerable being on the lower end of the food chain. To avoid being eaten by birds they will disguise themselves as bird droppings, and they can also mimic twigs and markings of leaves and bark. Others use the opposite strategy, to advertise their toxicity they will make themselves visible with bright colors and ‘eyespots.’ They also have a stink gland located behind their heads that give off a smelly osmeterium that assists in their quest for longevity of life.

Rebellion comes into play when people think they are either on the low end of the totem pole, or the bottom of the food chain, or they begin to think they have a higher position than they should. This leads them to begin to try to do things their own way. They do not regard the authority that is in their lives. This was the case with Saul who literally held the highest position of the land. He was the King; however, this does not supersede the position of the Almighty God. Twice Saul thought he had a better idea than God. On the first occasion that he rebelled against the command of the Lord he had just won a battle, however, because of his boasting, the Philistines were coming for him vigorously.

1 Samuel 13:5-14 tells us, “And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven. When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits. And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.”

“And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. And it came to pass that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. And Samuel said, what hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.”

“And Samuel said to Saul, thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now, would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.”  Sacrifices were the job given to priest to do, and Saul knew this. Though he was King, had overstepped his bounds.

On another occasion he was instructed to kill all the Amalekites and destroy all living things when he went out to battle against them; however, 1 Samuel 15:8-23 states,“And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.”

God was not pleased though Samuel tried to plead for mercy on Saul’s behalf. It continues, “Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, it repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night. And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.” Saul then tries to justify what he had done by saying it was for the Lord. “And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord. And Samuel said, what meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, they have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”

“Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said to him, “Say on.” And Samuel said, “When you were little in thine own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel? And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, “Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.”  Wherefore then did thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?”   When Saul was called out on his disobedience and rebellion, he tried to blame the people. “And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.” Samuel then gives him a scathing rebuke. “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” The spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and he became a very miserable person. God wants obedience and submission from us, pure and simple, even when you might think that you have a better idea. Hebrews 13:17 tells us, “Obey them that have rule over you, submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls…”

So, to recap in closing, the principles we covered in this article are that we must remember to be persistent and determined like Bartimaeus; thereby showing our faith and receiving our miracle. Not double minded and wavering, being persuaded by every wind of doctrine that comes our way. Also, we must be obedient and submitted unto the Lord and our fellow believers; thereby, not falling into the trap of rebellion as King Saul did, which is equated by God as witchcraft. It shows a foul spirit which is not of God. We must always endeavor to weed out the things that bug God and seek to please Him daily. The opinions of men are just that, but the commandments of the Lord are not negotiable. Psalm 19:7-10 puts it eloquently, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” No matter what others do or thinks, our goal and desire should be, to one day hear the Master say to us, “Well done my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy Lord!”