The Journey 291
Read: Numbers 22: 1-35
We all are committed in one way or the other. Committed to our job, to our faith, to our family and so on. We may show an extra commitment with regards to our family or friends and may be ready to pay a price for that commitment. But in our professional career we may often compromise in our commitment when we realize that we may loose certain benefits and luxuries in life, if we stick to our commitment. This week Indian newspaper were talking about a brave, committed IAS officer from the state of Haryana. The concerned officer is Ashok Khemka who joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1993. He is now in the news because he has been shunted out of his post of Director General, consolidation of holding and land records, where he joined only three months back. It is presumed that he has been shunted out because he blew the lid of several dubious land transactions by famous people who had strong political connections. Being transferred and that too while remaining in charge for less than three months is not something new for this dynamic IAS officer. His career records show from the time he joined IAS, in the last 19 years, he has been transferred 43 times. Official records show that Khemka who is basically a computer engineer, held eight post in various department for less than a month, while only once could he work for one year and ten months in a particular post. What a mockery of the Administrative System, a system that controls the whole functioning of a nation. Transferring an IAS officer is the prerogative of State Government, but in case of Khemka, State of Haryana, the politicians in India, has made a mockery of the laws that govern the system. According to IAS rules, a particular officer has to remain in a particular post for a minimum of two years, but in case of Khemka this rule has never been applied and the concerned authorities tend to hide behind the so called rule that “transfers are the prerogative of state government”. With his latest transfer, Khemka has sought an explanation and in the latest news, it seems he seems to be satisfied with the explanation given by the government for his transfer. Whether there is justification in transferring Khemka or not is not the real issue, the real issue is that there are still people like Khemka who is ready to take on corrupt politicians and be committed, show honesty and integrity in their professional and personal life even if it cost them everything. This is also a paradigm in our Christian life. Today I believe there are many Christian leaders who have diluted the true message of the gospel and converted Christian living more in terms of its benefits both financially and materialistically rather than focusing on the cost and the price one has to pay to live as a true believer, as a true follower of Christ.
We are meditating on the theme “Transformed Living” and the portion that we shall use for our meditation is from Numbers 22: 1-35. This portion is about man named Balaam who is ready to compromise on his faith, and how an animal that he possess teaches him not to rebel against God. The whole context of this incident is that the children of Israel had pitched their tent on the plains of Moab and when the Balak the King of Moabites saw Israelites pitching tents in Moab he became afraid because he knew how Israelites had destroyed Amorites. As Israel was a blessed and a chosen nation by God, Balak decided that the only way to counteract the Israelites is not to fight them but bring curse on them so that they do no harm to them. But Balak did not know that God had commanded Israelites not to attack the Moabites [ Duet 2:9]. Thus for this dubious plan he seeks the help of Balaam and he sent his elders to convince Balaam to curse Israel in return for material and financial favours. Balaam knows that Israelites were God’s chosen ones hence he seeks the will of God in this matter and he is told by God that he should be part of sinister plan of Balak. Balaam conveys God’s will to Balak but Balak is not ready to give up and he once aging tries to manipulate Balaam with more gifts and this make Balaam to compromise on God’s divine will and makes plan to act against God’s will. God is angry with Balaam but that does not concern him and he moves forward in his plan. It is then his ass rebels and refuses to move forward seeing the angel of the Lord in their path. Balaam beats the ass, when the animal refuses to move forward and deviates from the path. Balaam goes down so low in his life and that finally God had to convict Balaam of his foolishness. Here is man who compromises on his faith, while the animal tries to restrain in his compromise. How low have we fell in our Christian living just as Balaam fell in order to achieve material and financial gain or are we ready to stand for our faith and our values, ready to pay a price for that. An officer like Khemka could do that, what about us?
Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla
We all are committed in one way or the other. Committed to our job, to our faith, to our family and so on. We may show an extra commitment with regards to our family or friends and may be ready to pay a price for that commitment. But in our professional career we may often compromise in our commitment when we realize that we may loose certain benefits and luxuries in life, if we stick to our commitment. This week Indian newspaper were talking about a brave, committed IAS officer from the state of Haryana. The concerned officer is Ashok Khemka who joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1993. He is now in the news because he has been shunted out of his post of Director General, consolidation of holding and land records, where he joined only three months back. It is presumed that he has been shunted out because he blew the lid of several dubious land transactions by famous people who had strong political connections. Being transferred and that too while remaining in charge for less than three months is not something new for this dynamic IAS officer. His career records show from the time he joined IAS, in the last 19 years, he has been transferred 43 times. Official records show that Khemka who is basically a computer engineer, held eight post in various department for less than a month, while only once could he work for one year and ten months in a particular post. What a mockery of the Administrative System, a system that controls the whole functioning of a nation. Transferring an IAS officer is the prerogative of State Government, but in case of Khemka, State of Haryana, the politicians in India, has made a mockery of the laws that govern the system. According to IAS rules, a particular officer has to remain in a particular post for a minimum of two years, but in case of Khemka this rule has never been applied and the concerned authorities tend to hide behind the so called rule that “transfers are the prerogative of state government”. With his latest transfer, Khemka has sought an explanation and in the latest news, it seems he seems to be satisfied with the explanation given by the government for his transfer. Whether there is justification in transferring Khemka or not is not the real issue, the real issue is that there are still people like Khemka who is ready to take on corrupt politicians and be committed, show honesty and integrity in their professional and personal life even if it cost them everything. This is also a paradigm in our Christian life. Today I believe there are many Christian leaders who have diluted the true message of the gospel and converted Christian living more in terms of its benefits both financially and materialistically rather than focusing on the cost and the price one has to pay to live as a true believer, as a true follower of Christ.
We are meditating on the theme “Transformed Living” and the portion that we shall use for our meditation is from Numbers 22: 1-35. This portion is about man named Balaam who is ready to compromise on his faith, and how an animal that he possess teaches him not to rebel against God. The whole context of this incident is that the children of Israel had pitched their tent on the plains of Moab and when the Balak the King of Moabites saw Israelites pitching tents in Moab he became afraid because he knew how Israelites had destroyed Amorites. As Israel was a blessed and a chosen nation by God, Balak decided that the only way to counteract the Israelites is not to fight them but bring curse on them so that they do no harm to them. But Balak did not know that God had commanded Israelites not to attack the Moabites [ Duet 2:9]. Thus for this dubious plan he seeks the help of Balaam and he sent his elders to convince Balaam to curse Israel in return for material and financial favours. Balaam knows that Israelites were God’s chosen ones hence he seeks the will of God in this matter and he is told by God that he should be part of sinister plan of Balak. Balaam conveys God’s will to Balak but Balak is not ready to give up and he once aging tries to manipulate Balaam with more gifts and this make Balaam to compromise on God’s divine will and makes plan to act against God’s will. God is angry with Balaam but that does not concern him and he moves forward in his plan. It is then his ass rebels and refuses to move forward seeing the angel of the Lord in their path. Balaam beats the ass, when the animal refuses to move forward and deviates from the path. Balaam goes down so low in his life and that finally God had to convict Balaam of his foolishness. Here is man who compromises on his faith, while the animal tries to restrain in his compromise. How low have we fell in our Christian living just as Balaam fell in order to achieve material and financial gain or are we ready to stand for our faith and our values, ready to pay a price for that. An officer like Khemka could do that, what about us?
Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla