When I Was on Probation

But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them . . . 1 Kings 9:6-7

When incarcerated, those who’re offered early release on probation, promise that they’ll follow their probationary rules. And I think that most of them mean it. They don’t want to be in jail, and they truly intend to follow the rules. But our jails are brimming with those who’ve violated their probation. It’s not that the rules weren’t clear. Don’t do drugs. Don’t engage in crime. Comply with your probation officer. So, when I see someone back in jail, after having promised to follow the rules, I want to shake my head. Sigh. You knew the rules. What happened? Why risk it all?

I’ve been there though. I wasn’t incarcerated, but I was once on a type of probation with the state medical board. In a previous attempt to get sober, I was allowed to keep my medical license as long as I remained drug-free, complied with drug testing, and jumped through various hoops. I knew the rules, and I knew the consequences of breaking the rules. Still, I lived as if the rules didn’t apply to me and I convinced myself I could get away with it. And I did . . . for a while. When my rule-breaking finally caught up with me, those around me shook their collective heads. You knew the rules. What happened? Why risk it all?

God, I imagine, must experience similar frustration with his people. In today’s passage, at the dedication of the temple, he clearly laid out the rules for King Solomon and the Israelites. If you follow me, I will bless you and you will prosper. If you don’t follow me, you will cause your own destruction. God clearly laid out the rules for his people, and I’m sure they promised to obey God for the rest of their days. Their memories were short however, as the Israelites went on to repeatedly turn from God.

This has been my life. I’ve known right and wrong. I’ve known the consequences of drug use. Yet, like those guys sitting in jail for probation violations, I broke the rules. Recovery now, means learning to think things through. As I’ve grown weary of painful consequences, I’ve learned that God made the rules to protect me from myself. If I desire life, joy, and peace, I must follow his rules. God made the world, and he is in charge. If I want the life for which I was created, I must daily follow his way, not mine.