V I C TOR Y . . . . The
by Valdo P etter
T 'H e r e is a story of Napoleon’s drummer boy who was asked to beat a retreat during a severe battle in the Swiss Alps. He refused to do it. When asked why he dis obeyed, he replied, “ Sir, I do not know how to beat a retreat!” When his army went to war, they fought ex pecting to win. God instilled this same attitude into the Israelites’ hearts when they were walled up against the Red Sea with the Egyptian army closing in from behind. If there ever was an impossible situation, this was it. What did God tell Moses? He commanded Moses to “ speak unto the Children of Israel that they go forward.” God expect ed, and even, commanded, the people that they march straight into an insurmountable barrier and to expect a supernatural victory. These two stories illustrate my theme which is stated in I Cor. 10:13: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” This verse points to a level of Christian experience that very few Christians today know anything about, much less experience habitually. And yet, this very definite statement of potential spiritual victory was written to a group of Christians who lived in an environment com parable to the most sinful society of today. When this passage was penned by Paul to the Corinthians, the city of Corinth was synonymous with the most vile immorality and sexual sins. To “ Corinthianize” was proverbial for “playing the wanton.” Did God expect a standard of righteousness that was beyond their human capability? Certainly, in modem day phraseology, they were “ victims of their environ ment.” According to many versions of Christianity today, the Corinthians had good excuses for not trying to go against the norms of their society. Nevertheless, they had God’s promise that triumph over every temptation was their birthright. In the preceding verses, idolatry, lust, fornication, and a complaining spirit, are mentioned as examples of sins God expects them to abstain from. These are representative of the same allurements which entice
Christians today. The only difference is that they may take different forms in this twentieth century. If God stated what He expected of the Corinthian be lievers, certainly He would provide the power to live up to that standard. I maintain that God will supply the strength necessary for us today, too. Now then two questions arise. First, do we have any concrete examples of this victorious living in the Bible? Then, if we do, are these examples portrayals of ordinary people experiencing victory over sins which are common today? We shall look at two men who did not succumb to sins that are prevalent in America. Daniel will be our first case. He was a man of great administrative and diplomatic ability. He served in the courts and councils of some of the greatest monarchs the world has ever seen. He was very influential in the land of Babylon. In his personal life, Daniel triumphed over an obstacle that trips many men today. It is the compro mising of Christian principles under social pressure. This is a very subtle temptation and takes many forms. Its subtleness makes it all the more powerful. In our American society, it is the downfall of many Christians. Some modem psychologists go so far as to say that a man who consistently practices his religious convictions, when they conflict with the social norms of his community, will in all probability be a psychologically maladjusted indi vidual. In other words, you will have to compromise your Christian convictions if you want to be socially well adjusted. It equates blind conformity with good social adjustment. Daniel’s testimony upsets this theory, for he did not compromise, nor did he become socially maladjusted. (Although he may have caused some conflict.) He refused to eat food which had been offered to idols (some Bible scholars say). If he ate this food he would in the eyes of his associates, be sanctioning idol worship. He could have said, “ I will eat it anyway to avoid the stigma of being different.” But he put God first regard less of the cost. In the end, he won the respect of his contemporaries, and even the king! God honored his obedience. The second testimony is found in the life of Joseph.
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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