Artifice: The Artful Dodger and Artificial Affinity

 

The idols speak deceit, diviners seek visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain.  Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd.  --Zechariah 10:2-3

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.  --Hebrews 5:14

Questions for your consideration:

• Why did God command us not to lie?
• Why did God command us not to steal?
• Why did God command us to be faithful?
• Why did God command us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength?

Let's come back to those questions later.  For now, I want to discuss a word that you may not use in normal conversation:  artifice.  It's a word that means "clever or cunning devices or expedients, especially as used to trick or deceive others; as in, 'artifice and outright fakery'."  Some synonyms include trickery, deceit, deception, guile, cunning, and chicanery.

This word "artifice" has a very negative connotation.

During this election season in the U.S., many of us have had our fill of artifice and deceit.  One candidate accuses the other of guile, and the other accuses the first of trickery.  Politics is built on deception--who you think tells the fewest lies gets your vote, but no one in her right mind would expect all promises made during a campaign to be kept.

Examples of artifice are abundant in life, not just in politics.  In Charles Dickens' classic book Oliver Twist, one of the characters is nicknamed "The Artful Dodger".  This character is a pickpocket, who is very good at what he does.  He is described as a child who acts like an adult.  What a sad commentary on the so-called mature people in Dickens' culture.  "The Artful" wore clothes that we much too big for him.  How many adults take on burdens that are too big for them to handle?  "Dodger" was said to seldom give in to childish urges.  We all know adults who never laugh, and are much too serious for their own good.  This character had great respect for his mentor Fagin, and brought to him all the spoils of his work.  Men always work for someone greater than themselves, and at the end will present their works to God, or to Satan--wanting praise and approval from one or the other.

None of us will openly admit to artifice in our lives.  We believe it should be shunned.  Banned.  Done away with.

Interestingly enough, there is another word derived from "artifice" that is embraced, loved, and held in high esteem.  That word is "Artificial."  Admit it:  We use artificial sweetener; we play on artificial turf; we have children by artificial insemination.  We hold back the seas with artificial beaches.  We decorate our homes with artificial flowers.  We extend our lives with artificial heart valves.  We run the race with artificial limbs.

Face it:  we not only tolerate the artificial--we sanction it.  The danger is when the artificial creeps into the spiritual.  There is nothing genuine about our national spirituality any more.  We have gone from a Christian nation to one that says, "it doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere," all the way to "what's true for you is not necessarily true for me."  I fear there are many that self-identify as Christians, but don't have the slightest idea of who Jesus is, or what He commanded of us.  "He who loves me will keep my commandments." (John 14:15).

These are the people about whom Jesus said, 'Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

When I was in counseling just before remarrying the wife who had divorced me a year earlier, my counselor would always encourage me to be genuine and authentic.  I confess I didn't know what he meant.  Now, more than ten years later, I am learning.  We need to put away the artificial.  We need to shun artifice in all its forms.

God created us to have fellowship with Himself.  We allowed sin to drive a wedge between us and Him.  He provided a way for us to receive forgiveness for sin, to restore fellowship with us again.  He gave us the capacity to be like Him.  Which brings us full circle to the questions posed at the beginning of this post.

Why did God command us not to lie?  Because He never lied to us.  He gave us the capacity to be truthful.  Why did God command us not to steal?  Because He has never stolen from us.  He gave us the capacity to be honest.  Why did God command us to be faithful?  Because He is faithful.  He has given us the capacity to be faithful, both to Him, and to others.  He created us all with the capacity for these things, even before we know Him.  Even people who do not know Him can tell the truth, can be honest, and not cheat on their wives.

Most important than any of those, however, is this: why did God command us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength?  Because that is how He loves us.  He has given us the capacity to love Him and to love one another.  This command is only possible by and through the Spirit of God within us.  We cannot possibly love anybody, least of all God, with all our heart, soul, mind and strength without His Holy Spirit within us.  When we give our whole heart to Him, however, He begins to re-create us in His image.  He begins to re-make us for His purpose.  He begins to re-work us for His good pleasure.  "Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2).

Trade in your artifice for the artifact that God created you to be.