The Pun
The Prayer
One of my favorite board games is the ancient Chinese game of 'Go'. I like it because I usually win. The tendency of beginners is to play for complete and total dominance, as in other games like Risk. This never plays out well (at lest for my opponents!) In 'Go', the farther a person tries to expand their territory, the weaker it's defenses become and the more likely all will be lost. The secret to 'Go' is being contented with gaining only a little more territory than the opponent while abandoning the ambition of taking the entire board.
I know good strategy in 'Go'. I forget it for my own life at times.
One hundred and fifty years after a God-ordained split of the Kingdom of Israel, King Amaziah figuratively played the game wrong. After a victory over the Edomites blessed by the Lord, he desired what the Lord himself had no intention of giving: a repossession of the northern Kingdom. Even the king of Israel, Amaziah's enemy, warned him it was a foolish idea:
“You have indeed struck down Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Be content with your glory, and stay at home, for why should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?”” (2 Kings 14:10)
Amaziah attacked anyway and not only lost the battle but also left the Temple open to plunder.
I am limited. There are things God never meant for me to possess. This morning, I struggle with that. I wanted to have the energy and money to justify going to a coffee shop to write this. I have a to-do list that, if completed, somehow represents what my settled world might look like. There are ministry works I wish I could accomplish. Yet there is no way my health and mental faculties will allow for it. Or even if I did somehow, I realize that I am at risk of jeopardizing the Holy Things of life in the pursuit: Time for prayer, alertness against temptation, blessed moments with family, and on and on.
God has given me a glory, though limited, in my body, influence, and circumstances. It is mine to protect it, not to expand it. I cannot risk the Temple in order to expand the kingdom in ways God never intended.