Timeless Truths. MVHS Baccalaureate Address. Put up or Shut up

Put up or Shut up

This phrase is usually heard as a part of a bet or brag challenge. It is sort of like "put your money where your mouth is."

Oh, excuse me! I mentioned money and three ushers got out offering plates. You guys can sit down again.

Anyway, does this statement have any other relevance? If it doesn't, this will be a short baccalaureate address.

Thank you. You are dismissed.

No, not really.

Actually, punctuation is the key to unlocking the mu1.tiple meanings of this phrase. Traditionally, we read, 

“Put up (COMMA) or shut up (EXCLAMATION POINT)!

However, we can find equal meaning if we punctuate like this: 
"Put up (QUESTION MARK) or shut up (QUESTION MARK)”

Let’s look at practical applications of this saying with both punctuations for our spiritual lives. There may be some other grammatical gymnastics as we go along.

We’ll start with an example from the Old Testament.

The Children of Israel conquered the Promised Land. After a several hundred years, they demanded a king to lead them. God, while not happy with their decision, granted their request, even though He wanted to be their only leader. 
Aside: God isn’t happy with many of our decisions, but He still lets us make them.

Saul was anointed the first king of Israel.

Because Saul disobeyed God's Laws while he was king, his family line ended when he died. The House of David became the ruling family.

First David and then Solomon, his son, ruled a powerful, prosperous Israel.

The death of Solomon brought a divided country. The Southern kingdom became Judah. It occasionally saw what the Bible calls a "good king.” The

Northern Kingdom, which kept the name Israel, never again had a good king." In fact, the Northern Kingdom got worse and worse.

One of the peaks of worseness was AHAB.

29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years.

30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria.

33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him. 

1 Kings 16: 29-33

Ahab was so bad that his entire family was wiped out before the next two kings completed their reigns.

Ahab is, however, only a bit player in the story, but you needed to understand something of him before being introduced to our hero, ELIJAH, a Prophet of God.

ELIJAH is first mentioned as he goes before Ahab with this message:

1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” I Kings 17: 1

You can imagine how popular that message made him around Ahab’s palace. 

Elijah hot-footing it out of Ahab's palace to hide in the countryside.

At God's direction, ELIJAH spent the next few years in hiding. First by a stream, later as a boarder in the house of a widow and her son. While living at the widow's, ELIJAH performs two miracles in God's name.

     1.    Wheat flour and oil last indefinitely even though looking into the bowl of flour and jar of oil only showed enough for "one last meal" every time they looked.

     2.   The widow's son dies and is revived by ELIJAH.

It’s obvious that God was with the Prophet.

In 1 Kings 17: 7-8a, ELIJAH meets one of the king's servants who is looking for water for what was left of the livestock after three years of drought.

7 As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?”

8“Yes,” he replied.

At ELIJAH’s direction, Obadiah tells Ahab that he has found Elijah. The king goes and meets with the prophet.

Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” I Kings 18:16b-17

At this point, ELIJAH says "Put up (COMMA) or shut up!"

The king summons all his heathen clergy members. 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah head for Mt Carmel. Hundreds of citizens of Israel join tag along to see what’s up.

On the top of the Mountain, they meet ELIJAH.

Elijah on the mountain with the people of Israel behind him.

21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

But the people said nothing.

22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the LORD’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by [sending] fire—he is God.” Then all the people said, “What you say is good.” 1 Kings 18:21-24

Tune in next Thursday at the same time for the exciting conclusion!

Arraugh! Not a CLIFFHANGER!

Yep

Next Timeless Truth: MVHS Baccalaureate Address: Put Up or Shut Up! The Finale

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