"Kick Against the Pricks"

 "The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine." (John 18:19 KJV)

  ""Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer me. "Will you discredit my justice and condemn me just to prove you are right? Are you as strong as God? Can you thunder with a voice like his? All right, put on your glory and splendor, your honor and majesty. Give vent to your anger. Let it overflow against the proud. Humiliate the proud with a glance; walk on the wicked where they stand. Bury them in dust. Imprison them in the world of the dead. Then even I would praise you, for your own strength would save you."" (Job 40:7-14 NLT)

 This might now be the loudest point to make, but I believe it might be the deepest, to stimulate your thoughts, and to maybe help to understand Who it is that is in control! There are only a few areas of the Bible where God will ask us to prove ourselves or to test Him; most of the time, it is man, or woman, that will ask God to prove something that He might say, or to prove their ability to do what He tells them to do. 

 With this simple verse, we can understand what might be that defining moment between those that are called, and those that are destined to hell. No, this is not a lesson on the proof of Calvinism; if it ends with an "ism" then it usually does not agree with the true nature of God! However, we do not control our own destiny; nor can we have any control or ability to save ourselves! 

 I know this might sound indifferent to some, based upon our ability to make choices; but we are what we are by the choices we make! But God! He is the One that makes the connection! He is the One who comes into our stupid and foolish life, and makes Himself known; otherwise, we would have no clue or desire to listen to or hear His voice. 

 In Matthew Henry's commentary of this verse, he shows the high priest, not accusing Jesus, but he urges Jesus to accuse Himself. This might not seem all that important, but it is the same type of trickery that Satan used, first in the garden with Eve, who failed, and then in the wilderness with Jesus, Who did not fail!  

 As I was in the shower yesterday, I thought about that closing verse yesterday, and wondered if it really even connected to this verse, or if it was just my imagination. Then I saw something that seemed to show the connection: The response! Did Annas really what to know anything about Jesus? No! He wanted to know what He was up to and whether or not His followers and His teachings were a threat! 

 What kind of man doesn't want to know the true identity of the one he is accusing? The man that has really no desire to know! "I don't care who you are, to me you are a threat!" Same basic principle; same basic desire! The best illustration I can give for this term, "kick against the pricks," is when the owner of an oxen might be herding his ox into a certain direction, but the ox will not go; so, the owner uses a cattle prod to correct it, but the ox kicks back against him. 

 Ultimately, God is in control! When He prods us, we should do what He says, not kick back! Those that don't care Who it is that is speaking, or prodding, are the ones that are destined for hell...

"These false teachers are like unthinking animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed. They scoff at things they do not understand, and like animals, they will be destroyed." (2 Peter 2:12 NLT)