Throughout the course of history, the Roman Governor of Judea, Pontious Pilate. Has been repeatedly criticized and even condemned for doing the wrong thing. Which under the circumstances he knew to be immoral. But chose nevertheless to do what he did. Because at the time, he considered his course of action, to be politically expedient. Although he knew that Christ was innocent of all the false accusations being leveled against Him. He nevertheless ordered the execution of The Saviour, presumably to save himself, from the disguised and clearly implied charge of treason, being hurled at him by the Jews. From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.” John 19:12. (NKJV). This chapter of John’s Gospel clearly describes the fierce mortal struggle being waged within the soul of a ruler. Who above all else valued his position, status, title, and standing within the galaxy of the Roman Empire. Above all godly considerations such as mercy, truth, nobility of character, courage, and unselfishness. Although he initially resisted, ultimately he succumbed to the predator’s yearnings for self-preservation at all costs, and all else can be damned.
When Pilate, therefore, heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away. John 19:13-16 (NKJV). Knowing full well from prophetic study and experience. That this development was foretold thousands of years in advance. It would be only logical to conclude that Pontious Pilate was the perfect joker to fill this position. He was not Governor of Judea at that crucial moment in history, for nothing. He had been placed there by divine decree. Because he was supposed to do everything that he did.
“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep, before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.” Isaiah 53:8-9 (NKJV).
Although Pilate is the best-attested governor of Judaea, few sources regarding his rule have survived. Nothing is known about his life before he became governor of Judaea, and nothing is known about the circumstances that led to his appointment to the governorship. Coins that he minted have survived from Pilate’s governorship, as well as a single inscription, the so-called Pilate stone. The Jewish historian Josephus, the philosopher Philo of Alexandria and the Gospel of Luke all mention incidents of tension and violence between the Jewish population and Pilate’s administration. Many of these incidents involve Pilate acting in ways that offended the religious sensibilities of the Jews. The Christian Gospels, record, that Pilate ordered the crucifixion of Jesus at some point during his time in office; Josephus and the Roman historian Tacitus also record this information. According to Josephus, Pilate’s removal from office occurred because he violently suppressed an armed Samaritan movement at Mount Gerizim. He was sent back to Rome by the legate of Syria to answer for this incident before Tiberius, but the emperor died before Pilate arrived in Rome. Nothing is known about what happened to him after this event. On the basis of events that were documented by the second-century pagan philosopher Celsus and the Christian apologist, Origen. Most modern historians believe that Pilate simply retired after his dismissal.(PONTIUS PILATE: From Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia)
Another infamous character from sacred history who just didn’t seem to be able to do the right thing was King Saul. He was given his marching orders by Samuel the prophet, twice. In the first instance, he was required to simply go down to Gilgal and wait patiently for the arrival of God’s Messenger to come and offer sacrifice. But that very simple challenge was burdensome to the impatient and self-absorbed King. Who had not learned one of the most important lessons in life, to simply wait on The Lord? To permit The King of Kings to exercise His sovereignty. Because under all circumstances the only thing that can really happen is what God does. Nothing moves or changes without Him. It takes some people a lifetime to learn that all-important lesson. Unfortunately, it’s a lesson that some people never learn at all.
“As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattered from him. So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. And Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” 1 Samuel 13:7-14 (NKJV).
By divine decree, only the priests, the sons of Aaron, were permitted to offer sacrifices upon any Altar of Burnt Offering. Samuel was God’s appointed priest, by virtue of the rules governing the lives of priests, God would accept sacrifices from them exclusively. Because they were the divinely sanctioned leaders of worship. Saul’s intervention in this regard was an act of presumption and was appropriately rejected. Because it was sin upon sin. First, he failed to wait patiently for the arrival of God’s chosen instrument of salvation. Thereafter, he relegated the act of intercession delegated to be performed only by a priest, to himself.
“If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord. Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. He shall kill the bull before the Lord; and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. And he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and lay the wood in order on the fire. Then the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; but he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.” Leviticus 1:3-9 (NKJV).
The penitent sinner (regardless of the status of the worshipper), brought an animal to be sacrificed. He was authorized to confess his sins upon the head of the animal to be killed, skin it, divide it into several pieces to be conveniently placed on the Altar, and then wash it. The officiating priest did everything else. By his sacrilegious act, Saul rejected God’s great plan of Salvation and was thereafter rejected from being King.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
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