Knee-Mail: “Matthias’ Choice”
Knee-Mail: “Matthias’ Choice”
From: Kent Hovind
Sent: December 7, 2009
To: Matthias
Subject: Decision Making
First Read: Acts 1: 23-26 – “And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”
KH: Well, Lord, I’ve got a decision to make. Which one should I choose?
GOD: Oh Son! You’ve got it all wrong! Let’s go for a walk. Matthias can help you see the problem. There he is Son. Talk with him and listen carefully to his answers (1 Corinthians 10: 6, 11).
KH: OK, Lord…Excuse me sir. May I talk with you for a moment?
MA: Sure. Now how can I help you?
KH: Well, I’ve got a decision to make and God told me to talk with you. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?
MA: Sure. I’m Matthias. I was a follower of John the Baptist years ago until he pointed out the Messiah at the River Jordan. Then I followed Jesus for the next three and a half years (Acts 1:21-22).
KH: I didn’t see your name in the list of disciples in any gospel.
MA: I wasn’t one of the twelve disciples but great multitudes always followed Jesus (Matthew 5:1; 8:1, 18; 9:8, 33, 36; 11:7; 12:15; 13:2; 14:22; 15:30; 19:2; 21:9). I was with him and saw it all. After His resurrection, I went with that group of 120 to Jerusalem to wait and pray for the Holy Spirit like He told us to do. It was during that ten day wait that we made the big mistake.
KH: What mistake was that?
MA: It was simple really. Looking back, I can see it clearly, but at the time, it seemed like the right thing to do.
KH: Lots of mistakes are like that! What was yours?
MA: It wasn’t just mine. The whole group of us failed to see the proper way to make a decision.
KH: What happened?
MA: Well, Peter got the bright idea that we needed to replace Judas because he had killed himself (Acts 1:13-22).
KH: How did he die? One place says he hung himself (Matthew 27:5) and another says that he fell down and split open (Acts 1:18). Is there a contradiction?
MA: No. He did hang himself but the rope broke and he fell down and broke open. Both are true. Anyway, once Peter told us about needing to pick a new disciple, which Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8 seemed to confirm, we all thought it was a great idea. So, we set some reasonable qualifications (Acts 1:21-22) and selected two (v. 23) who met the qualifications. Then we prayed, cast lots, and I was chosen (v. 24-26).
KH: Sounds like a good way to know God’s will in the matter.
MA: No! No! No! Don’t you see the problem?
KH: What problem?
MA: The whole thing was backwards. Look at this carefully. Peter made the decision before any of us had the Holy Spirit to guide us. He came a few days later (Acts 2). Secondly, we set the qualifications without the Holy Spirit’s leadership or guidance. Thirdly, we selected two men that met our pre-determined qualifications and then, fourthly, prayed for God to guide the casting of the lot! Duh! How is God supposed to get into that mess?
KH: I see what you mean! You did have it all backwards.
MA: Yes! First we should have waited for the Holy Spirit like Jesus told us to do. It’s dangerous to go off making big decisions without His leadership.
That’s for sure! King Saul did that several times (1 Samual 15; 18:10; 19:1; 22:7-19) and King Amaziah, though he was a good man in many ways, did not ask God to guide him (2 Kings 14:8) and it cost lots of people their lives! Even Joshua forgot to ask God a few times (Joshua 7; 9). Nearly every person listed in God’s Word has done that a time or two.
KH: I know and we sure did that day! God didn’t want any of us to be the twelfth apostle. He wanted Paul, who got saved later (Romans 1:1). There was no way we could have known that in those days. We should have waited like Jesus told us to do. Peter’s bright idea sounded so good but it was all wrong. I can see it now. God hadn’t chosen me. I’m never mentioned again in scripture.
KH: Thanks, Matthias. I see it too. First you should decide if you need to decide. Then pray for God to guide before you narrow it down to only two that you think would be good. I’ve seen people here make that same type of mistake. First they decide they need a new car. Then they set the qualifications like four-door, automatic, AC and V-8. Then they narrow it down to a Cadillac or a Lincoln and then flip a coin. Duh! It’s going to be heads or tails! It’s crazy when you think about it.
MA: What’s a car?
KH: Never mind. That would take a while to explain. Let’s just say I think I got the answer to my question. Thanks.
MA: You are most welcome.
GOD: Well Son, let’s go home. Did you get it?
KH: Yes, Lord. Please guide me to know if I even need to decide at this time or just wait.
GOD: Now that’s a prayer I enjoy hearing! Go walk a few laps, Son. I’ve got everything under control. I’ve got your back.
*For more on decision making see Don’t Swing At the First Pitch.
