The Ministry of the Prodigal

For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (Romans 11:29)

Many times we look at the prodigal as spiritually useless. But that is looking at God as one who is dependent on our commitment. The truth of the fact is that is that God is not limited to our compliance. He remains God irrespective of my response. Remember this?

And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. (Luke 19:40)

If He can use stones, would it be inconceivable if He used rebels to further His purpose? Would it not be stretching our imagination to expect God to be at a loss if we decided to stop obeying Him?

For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. (Revelation 17:17)

We see even the devil and his demonic alliances being aligned to God’s purposes and word even in their rebellion against Him.

We will look at a few instances where people walked in direct opposition to what God had revealed. We will then look at what that rebellion was able to accomplish in the purposes of God. We will see that many times God is able to reach a lot further than my rebellion.

But we will also see the collateral damage that many times will accompany the prodigal. Many times it is the one thing that will be the witness he offers. But even more important is to help us realize that we are the losers when we choose the prodigal route. Many times it is the prodigal who has the most to lose any time he goes against an order God gave him.

Jonah is sent but takes a ship in the opposite direction. Then God steps in to deal with His rebel. The sailors decide that they will not kill an ‘innocent’ person and so protect him. God releases His power on the hapless fellows until they decide that ‘killing’ was the only way out of their dilemma. But by then they had lost the purpose of their journey as they lost their luggage since they threw it aboard to lighten the ship to avoid having to ‘kill’ the prophet. Then the miracle happens. An unusual peace comes after they throw Jonah to the sea. This leads to their conversion. Now who was their witness? The prodigal of course.

So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. (Jonah 1:15, 16)

Jonah’s is a positive story because he repented and decided to obey his initial order. But he then looked rotten from the fish’s stomach acids due to the three days he was imprisoned there.

Elimelech decides to follow greener pastures when the house of bread (Bethlehem) suffers from a famine, contrary to God’s revelation. Why did he die? Chances are mostly due to that disobedience.

His sons, now rudderless, also decide to go even farther from God’s revelation by marrying beauties from Moab, a tribe that was excluded from Israel more or less forever. Probably that was the reason they also died, leaving three widows in a foreign land.

I think Naomi realized that the loss she was suffering was the product of that rebellion. That is the reason she wanted nothing more to remind her of Moab. Interestingly, their discordant lives had been able to impact the girls, one of them completely. Ruth had converted from the Moabite way of life, even religion. She left her culture, her people and her gods to align herself with the God of the prodigal family.

What happens to the family? They simply disappear. But Ruth gets grafted into Israel.

In short the prodigal nature of Elimelech was used of God to fish for an ardent follower of the God that family had disobeyed in their going to Moab. Who was the loser? Elimelech is, since he disappears from the annals of Israel and serves only as a reference point. God never loses a thing. He just changes His game plan, using whoever is available. But one thing was certain; there was pain all around.

Eli the priest and judge fails to take responsibility for the ministry of his sons. Does God panic? Of course not. He just starts something fresh.

And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever. (1Samuel 2:35)

But He judges Eli and his family most severely. Read the previous verses to see the extent of that judgment.

So Solomon let Abiathar be priest no longer, so that he might make the word of the Lord come true which he said about the sons of Eli in Shiloh. (1Kings 2:27)

Eli’s family therefore loses the priesthood. We even see eighty five of them being killed at one time by the zeal of another prodigal, Saul. But God does not lose a priest. He is able to get even better. Samuel was a prophet, priest and judge. He is the person closest to Moses the man of God yet it was in a season God’s voice had almost disappeared from Israel. Again it is clear who the loser is.

Samson plays around with his anointing by breaking all the requirements of his nazirite calling. He touches corpses and even eats from them. He visits prostitutes but worst of it he seems unable to keep his feet from the enemy beauties, the clearest indication that he was not interested in the God he knew he was created to serve.

God still uses him somehow because that was the reason he formed him anyway. He goes overboard and abuses the anointing by exposing it to the enemy in the ‘bed of love’. Then God leaves him to his devices.

But then he repents and rededicates his life to God to at least avenge his eyes. He is then able to kill more enemies than he had previously killed in the whole duration of his prodigal ministry. He is even able to kill most, probably all the leaders of the Philistines.

Again who loses? Samson does, as he dies in the process of his greatest triumph. Unlike other judges he does not leave any offspring as is usual with people who meddle long with sin.

Saul decided that he was too important even for God to overlook. He therefore does one act of disobedience after another, probably reasoning that the anointing he had received was too serious for God to overlook. Of course God rejects him as king and anoints another.

When God fails to move as powerfully as He did due to that rebellion and a small boy rescues his kingdom, he becomes very grateful. But this lad is connected to the God he had slighted and begins to be a living rebuke to his rebellion. Since he is not willing to change, he starts looking at this young soldier with envy, fearing that he could overthrow his kingdom as he enjoyed not only the favor of the people but was especially really connected to God.

The therefore starts looking for ways of dealing with this threat to his kingsdom. This causes David to flee his madness. And this is the pressure that God uses to mould David into the kind of king we admire to date.

Did God lose? Of course not. He just went to the drawing board and brought something even better than Saul could have accomplished. But He used Saul all the same, though not in the way He had planned originally.

But Saul lost dreadfully. Again he loses all his posterity due to his rebellion though he accomplishes God’s purposes all the same.

The Bible is replete with example after another of God’s servants who strayed from their callings in disobedience being the ultimate losers yet being used to further God’s purposes all the same.

I heard of this testimony of a man who backslid after getting to know God a little more than most and eventually got into drunkenness. What is interesting is that he would really preach when he was completely drunk to an extent that some drunkards got saved due to that fractured witness.

I have written elsewhere that at one time I was quarrelling God, asking whether He did not have standards. And why so? We were involved with an outreach and some of the most effective evangelists (if numbers were the gauge) were people who were a shame to the course of Christ. Some were living in open sin, and unashamedly. God responded with a verse.

Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it. (Jeremiah 1:12)

In effect God was saying that it is the proclamation of His word that brings His power around. The fact that His power is present does not indicate God’s favor in the least, a thing that confuses most people. Again remember this verse?

Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. (Philippians 1:15 – 18)

We serve a God who is not dependent on our aligning to His will to accomplish His purposes. We need to remember that He did not need anything to create everything we see. This in effect means that everything in existence is subject to His Lordship.

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (Colossians 1:16, 17)

Our lack of obedience has no effect at all on His purpose for His creation. The only thing it can accomplish is cutting us from His purpose for us. It can be equated with stealing a few coins from a millionaire or government. Truth is they will never feel the impact of that theft yet you will waste in jail for the same apart from losing your reputation.

This post is therefore to let us know that God is never deflated by our disobedience. He will of course be grieved but nothing will be done on His purposes. In fact our disobedience may paint His purposes even clearer as people are able to see God in greater clarity as He deals with His disobedient servant.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7: 21 – 23)

These are prodigals who are accomplishing much for the kingdom that has rejected them. The fact that they are doing all this is no excuse for their disobedience. Being and doing all that does not indicate a positive relationship with the divine. Imagine God confessing that He never knew them, even people who appeared really connected to Him to the point of hearing His voice?

Where am I in all this mix? Where are you? Am I accomplishing God’s purposes in rebellion? Am I walking in the revelation that God has released to me or am I following the works that are following my preaching/ ministry? Am I following the support that I seem to attract to my ministry as opposed to the revelation that directs me to the precise thing/ activity God wants me to be involved in? Am I excited about the numbers that are sold out to my agenda as opposed to the singleness of purpose the clarity of my call engenders?

Would I like Elijah continue ministering even when I am the only one remaining and when all are interested in my death? Would I like John the Baptist minister even when I know it could result in my violent death? Would I like Amos and Elisha close shop to pursue a dangerous and unpromising commission? Would I like the Lord go to the cross willingly yet knowing all that it entails?