Wisdom is found in Paul’s statement to the Christians in Galatia: “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man” (Gal. 1:10-11). The consequence of pleasing men is that God is no longer the focus of what you do in your life. When people are pleased, the world is pleased. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus Christ did not please every person He came across! Several times, Jesus upset others because they were not pleasing God (John 2:13-22, 5:1-18, 8:48-59). Our Lord taught His disciples that the world would hate them for His name’s sake (John 15:18-19).

            Balaam is a great example of what can happen when a person decides to please men rather than God. Balak, king of the Moabites, sent messengers to Balaam requesting that he come and curse the children of Israel. God spoke to Balaam and told him not to go with these princes of Moab. Balaam sent the messengers away, but more returned and Balaam showed a desire to go with them. The Lord had already given Balaam His answer, but He gave Balaam the free-will to decide for himself what he would do (Num. 22:9-21). God was not pleased with Balaam’s decision. The angel of the Lord was sent to kill Balaam for his treachery against God (Num. 22:22-23). Balaam decided to please men rather than our Lord. When Saul decided to overstep his authority as king of Israel and sacrifice on behalf of his army, he was pleasing men. Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin; priests came from the tribe of Levi and were the only people who could make sacrifices on behalf of God’s people! Saul had a lapse in judgment when his desire to please men outweighed his desire to please God (1 Sam. 13:8-12). The punishment for such a transgression was the kingdom departed from Saul’s family (1 Sam. 13:13-14). When one recalls the punishment brought against Nadab and Abihu, which was similar to Saul’s sinful action (Lev. 10:1-2), God showed mercy to Saul that day! King Saul learned a lesson of the consequences of being a people-pleaser. We should learn from the mistakes of those who came before us so that we do not repeat them.

            The decision is simple for a Christian. One must serve God rather than man throughout the longevity of their lives (Acts 5:29)! The Lord requires complete service to Him and His kingdom; anything less in unacceptable. Three different men came to Jesus Christ and showed a desire to be in His service. All three times Jesus told them to count the cost of being His disciples (Luke 9:57-62). Matthew is the shining example of what one should do when Christ beckons someone into His service. He was called by Christ and Matthew immediately followed Him (Matt. 9:9). When one realizes that Christ suffered death on a cross for him, it should motivate him to serve Jesus with the remainder of his life (Gal. 2:20)!

            God has always asked man to love Him with all of his heart, soul, and mind (Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:36-37). Many of the Jewish rulers believed Jesus to be the Christ, but because they loved the praise of men more; they rejected Him (John 12:35-43). Pleasing men will only last a short season, but pleasing God shall last for eternity.

-Brandon Foresha