Dear…
‘Samuel said to Saul, “you have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord.’
1 Samuel 13:13
The beginning of King Saul’s fall from grace started very early in his reign, when he lost patience waiting for the Prophet Samuel to turn up at the appointed time, and decided to take matters into his own hand. Saul’s justification then was that the situation demanded an immediate response and that circumstances justified his not following God’s command to the letter.
‘But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your fathers.’
1 Samuel 12:15
In the light of continued fiscal ill-discipline by major Western debtor countries, physical gold has increasingly taken center stage in the hearts, mind and pockets of many. It was reported that just in May alone, the thrifty Germans and their closest counterparts, the Austrians bought more gold in that month than for any other period. And just a couple of days back, a 100 kg Maple Leaf gold coin was sold for quite a few zeros in US$ terms(not too sure if this is a harbinger of a short term peak in the gold prices?)
Physical gold is something very close to my heart. In the late 1970s, I actually went to the OUB Bank(no longer in existence), to buy some paper gold, as part of my investment plan for my hope for first $1mio strategy. But was rejected by virtue of being underage and truth is I was probably too small a customer, with less than a couple of thousand dollars to my name. I had a more successful second attempt back in the late 1980s, buying both physical and paper gold. But it took me two decades of wandering in the wilderness to be finally right about gold. Doesn’t add much luster to my reputation as a savvy investor, which thankfully I am not, for man plans, God directs.
And if some might recall, gold(at US$750/oz) was the thought God placed in my heart back in year 2008, at the rudimentary stages of the subprime crisis(see Running the race #35 Refiner’s fire at following link http://hieang. blogspot. com/2009/ 03/running- race-35-refiners -fire-20mar09. html ). I did buy some physical gold, no doubt a very, very minute fraction of the tons sitting in Fort Knox(where the US government keeps their gold), but it finally gave me peace of heart, much as I was reluctant to want to obey the Holy Spirit’s three nights worth of prompting, that deep impression upon my heart to buy administratively cumbersome and less efficient physical gold(not paper nor Exchange traded gold funds, nor listed gold stocks). At today’s prices(US$1250/ oz) and present bullishness for the yellow metal, with the wisdom of hindsight, I wished I had bought a lot more gold.
‘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 Israel for ever. 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.’
1 Samuel 13:13-14
Fools’ gold I am not after. King Midas I am not aspiring to. But our good Lord has since this little episode of buying physical gold, impressed upon me the need to obey, much as it might seem illogical. But more importantly, the gold that God wants us to invest our all, is gold as refined by Him. That is, our very being, like gold put through the refiner’s fire, that we will come out purified and sanctified, made ready for His work on Earth and for His return. This is the gold that God truly wants all of us to focus on, and this is the gold that will hold steady, much as the sinful world will waver as the world will shake even more.
What about oil, the devil’s brew? Maybe a better name for oil would be “black gold.” It is interesting that most of the world’s known oil reserves are either in less than friendly terrain(as in offshore wells), or in politically challenging countries in the Middle East/Africa and Central Asia.
Israel survived and succeeded very well as a nation in the midst of plentiful oil in its surrounding neighborhood, yet has neither a drop worth shouting about on its own soil. And despite all the oil in their largess, its’ much bigger hostile neighbors have till now not been able to run the much despised Israelites(at least in the eyes’ of its half brothers, the Arabs) off the land.
Crude oil is the addiction of the world. We cannot live without crude oil, for it lubricates our world. Bio-fuel seems like a viable alternative, but till now, it has fallen short of its hype. And not forgetting the damage to our environment as seen in the haze in South East Asia, with the advent of commercial palm oil production, a recent phenomenon of the 1990s in Indonesia. And the haze will no doubt get worse, with Indonesia’s professed desire to be the food basket of the world, or more like bio-fuel supplier of the world. As it is, it seems that the more remote parts of Eastern Indonesia, that is, Irian Jaya(the Indonesian half of Papua New Guinea), virgin jungles are starting to be stripped to be made ready for palm oil plantations.
“Crude oil, or black gold” is the word the Spirit of God deeply impressed upon my heart these couple of days. What does the Lord want to share with us all? Till now, I am not sure, but the words “covenant” and “control” are two terms that He has left with me.
Truth or fiction, some political analysts believed that the World War 2 hero and post war American President, General Dwight Eisenhower made a secret pact(in the 1950s) with the House of Saud, the present ruling family of Saudi Arabia. In exchange for American support of their Sovereignty in Saudi Arabia, the flow of oil to the increasingly thirsty USA was guaranteed. Fact or fiction, only God knows, but fact remains that the energy guzzling superhighways first envisaged in the World Expo in Chicago in 1933 became a reality in 1950s USA. Without Saudi oil, such great growth in energy dependent consumerism in USA would be that much more difficult to sustain, as evidenced by the long queues at the gas station in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, and the subsequent Arab oil embargo led by the key lynchpin of OPEC, Saudi Arabia.
Was oil or more like the control of oil supplies the real reason for both father and son team of Bush for sending America, twice over to war in Iraq rather than all the beating around the bush excuses that they have parlayed? I am not Michael Moore(of the film Fahrenheit 9/11 fame), so let me not attempt to create a conspiracy theory, for it is beyond my faculties.
But truth of the matter is that oil is the opium of the world, and like all good addicts, nothing else matters as long as we get that fix, even if it means losing control of our sense of values.
Oil helps the world to move along. What about us, the individual? What makes us tick?
‘And the Lord answered me and said, ”Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry.....the just shall live by his faith.’
Habakkuk 2:2-4
Interestingly, having just wolfed down a peanut cake for afternoon tea, compliments of my kind hearted colleague who knew of my yearning for comfort food, during our lunch today, and she made the extra effort to procure one for me, this verse in Habakkuk 2:2-4 was the spiritual food I read right after. Interestingly, Habakkuk seems to mirror the same message shared about the 99% man, that is, King Saul who obeyed but not fully(in 1 Samuel). I did not look for this verse, but God brought me here and I believe for good reason.
'What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?"
Job 2:10
I have no idea where the price of oil is heading, though my guess will be that it will be very much higher eventually, as the Iranian and Turks muck around with regional politics in the powder keg that is Middle East.
But that is another story. Let me just end by saying that almost to a tee, most of us are less than 100% in our willingness to obey God’s clear commands. For those who actively seek a relationship with God, your hearts like mine, might be certain, as the Spirit of God impresses upon us His will, but often, our minds start to question and the self deceiving us move to center stage.
'Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God,…..'
Jeremiah 42:6
Patience is the word that underlines my journey with God this year. Patience is what God has deeply impressed upon my heart throughout this year. Patience is what I often do not exhibit in my journey with God, but thankfully, by His grace, I have not degenerated to being a patient or more like victim of my own follies.
'Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.'
Revelation 3:10
Did the Saudis truly have a covenant with the Americans? I am not sure, but fact remains that Saudi oil was a key stabilizer for oil prices, an important ingredient to ensure global economic stability, much as American hegemony has ensured a relatively more stable world. But are we seeing the negative ramifications of this longstanding relationship from the depths of resentment as expressed by extremists like the Saudi Osama Bin Laden, as well as the general populace in the Middle East in the belief that only the privileged benefited from this alliance?
‘With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles..’
2 Chronicles 32:8
As Christians, we have entered into the New Covenant with God, when we believed. God will and has provided. But what about us? Are we truly willing to follow with our all, His leading? Are we all in breach of this Covenant and are seeing the ramifications of our disobedience, no difference from the sinful King Saul?
As I close, let me share some thoughts from an article literally “fresh from the oven” that I read last night, in the just received quarterly magazine of my church. The author, a retired local preacher challenges the reader to move beyond the popular notion of “a purpose driven life” to one of “a cross driven life.” For those who seek to follow Christ, to be like Him, we want to know God’s will for us and how can we live to honor Him in every way. That desire is good, but what about the execution? On this, like many, I have often fallen short, for am I truly able to trust the Holy Spirit’s leading 100% in total obedience or am I like King Saul, who lost patience, when circumstances seem to point otherwise?
“To live to Christ, and to die is gain(Philippians 1:21),” this is what Apostle Paul exhorts all believers. Like Christ in Gethsemane, before His sacrifice, are we, despite our natural instincts of self survival, be willing to truly let go and obey God’s will?
‘..O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.’
Matthew 26:29
I am, but my heart often resists. Only with the grace of God’s Spirit can I be able to translate willingness into reality. Faith comes from God, to ensure we will adhere to God’s command and honor our part of the covenant with Him. But faith can only be received if we, the recipient are willing to come unto God’s presence always.
Will you be willing to enter the crucible of fire for continued refinement by the Hands of our beloved Father?
Boldness is not about asking God for His blessings that we want, much as some have preached. It is not about mouthing out loud our faith, when our hearts are in reality closed to Him.
Boldness is knowing that God has forgiven us through the resurrected Christ, that God has not just make clean our once sinful self, but that He wants to transform us in His likeness. Boldness is about us willingly responding as His Spirit leads, often crossing the chasm of the unknown, with our eyes closed, our hearts certain, trusting that the God we know is Sovereign, He is faithful and honors His covenant with us, that He is in control, much as we are not.
‘Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside You. My flesh and my heart fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.’
Psalm 73:25-26
Rgds and God Blesses
Eng Hieang
30th June 2010
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