EASY ANSWERS
Absalom said moreover, "Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a suit or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice." 2 Sam. 15:4, R.S.V.
Seasoned administrators have become painfully aware of a certain kind of employee that seems to be sprinkled through most organizations in just enough quantities to keep the administrators humble. These certain employees are very popular with the rest of the staff because they always have a more favorable suggestion about how things should be done than the sometimes austere policies of the administration. They are skilled at second-guessing every high-level decision, clearly presenting their own ideas are better, and easier to live with, than those that come from the top.
Absalom used the same method while sitting at the front gate of his father's palace. He "stole the hearts of the men of Israel" (2 Sam. 15:6, R.S.V.). Those who do not bear final accountability for the management of a business or a nation, who do not see all the factors that have to be taken into account when making a tough decision, can always suggest an easier, less painful way of solving a problem. And people who are far from the desk where "the buck stops" quickly fall prey to these easy answers.
It is possible that administrators could have a special empathy with God as He faces some of the perplexities in solving the problems of the great controversy. Imagine Satan standing, as it were, on the front steps of Planet Earth, offering a sympathetic ear to all who come with a cause. "You're right!" he would say. "If I had been in charge, I wouldn't have been so hard on Achan and his kids. I could have found an easier way to clean things up a bit without sending the Flood. I could have stopped Hitler before the Holocaust. I wouldn't be quite so strict as those Ten Commandments. I'd be a lot more generous with the entrance list for heaven."
He could steal the hearts of all who are looking for easy answers, for Satan is running a popularity contest, while God is seeking to teach the truth to stubborn rebels. Satan can promise us anything, regardless of whether he can ever deliver, while God is cautious lest we become presumptuous of His goodness. Satan offered easy answers and quick solutions to Adam and Eve, and he "stole their hearts" from God. You'd think that we would have learned by now.
Absalom said moreover, "Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a suit or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice." 2 Sam. 15:4, R.S.V.
Seasoned administrators have become painfully aware of a certain kind of employee that seems to be sprinkled through most organizations in just enough quantities to keep the administrators humble. These certain employees are very popular with the rest of the staff because they always have a more favorable suggestion about how things should be done than the sometimes austere policies of the administration. They are skilled at second-guessing every high-level decision, clearly presenting their own ideas are better, and easier to live with, than those that come from the top.
Absalom used the same method while sitting at the front gate of his father's palace. He "stole the hearts of the men of Israel" (2 Sam. 15:6, R.S.V.). Those who do not bear final accountability for the management of a business or a nation, who do not see all the factors that have to be taken into account when making a tough decision, can always suggest an easier, less painful way of solving a problem. And people who are far from the desk where "the buck stops" quickly fall prey to these easy answers.
It is possible that administrators could have a special empathy with God as He faces some of the perplexities in solving the problems of the great controversy. Imagine Satan standing, as it were, on the front steps of Planet Earth, offering a sympathetic ear to all who come with a cause. "You're right!" he would say. "If I had been in charge, I wouldn't have been so hard on Achan and his kids. I could have found an easier way to clean things up a bit without sending the Flood. I could have stopped Hitler before the Holocaust. I wouldn't be quite so strict as those Ten Commandments. I'd be a lot more generous with the entrance list for heaven."
He could steal the hearts of all who are looking for easy answers, for Satan is running a popularity contest, while God is seeking to teach the truth to stubborn rebels. Satan can promise us anything, regardless of whether he can ever deliver, while God is cautious lest we become presumptuous of His goodness. Satan offered easy answers and quick solutions to Adam and Eve, and he "stole their hearts" from God. You'd think that we would have learned by now.
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