Knowing God Should Be Our Primary Desire

Posted on April 5, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by John-Mark Smith: https://www.pexels.com/photo/pink-pencil-on-open-bible-page-and-pink-272337/

Proverbs 2:1-5 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

What Value Do We Place On God’s Word?

Why are there so many who profess to be saved who seem to have no more knowledge of God than the lost or the damned atheist? Our text today explains this.

When you are saved, you are saved because you “received” the Gospel of salvation as true. The Gospel is a SEED that is sown on various ground. Jesus said:

Some SEED is RECEIVED by the way side (Matthew 13:19)
Other SEED is RECEIVED in stoney places (Matthew 13:20)
Yet other SEED is RECEIVED among thorns (Matthew 13:22)
But the SEED RECEIVED on GOOD GROUND (Matthew 13:23),

this is the SEED that brings forth the fruit of salvation. Some people harden their hearts to the Gospel of salvation. When Jesus came, the Bible says:

John 1:11-12 … He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

To RECEIVE Christ is to RECEIVE Him as He is – both Lord and Savior. When this occurs, the Holy Spirit of God comes into our lives and causes us to be BORN AGAIN. You must FIRST be BORN AGAIN before you can understand the things of God. Jesus said:

John 3:3 … Except a man be born again, he cannot SEE {Greek horaō, perceive with the mind, to know} the kingdom of God.

Illustrate: I was watching a woman the other day who was mocking Christianity, declaring that “Unless you follow the whole thing, shut the ___ up”. Her rant was against those who stand for conventional human sexuality, not progressivism (the LGBTQ+ platform so fashionable today). She quoted passages from the Old Testament that said you cannot eat bacon or shellfish, that cutting the sides of your hair is a sin, that trimming your beard is a sin, that wearing clothes made out of mixed fabrics is a sin, that planting two different types of seed in a field is sin, and so on. She declared that unless Christians did everything in both testaments, they needed to shut up about Gay and Trans behavior.

The reality is that the Bible is divided into OLD COVENANT (Old Testament) and NEW COVENANT (New Testament). Under the Old Covenant, God gave Israel a series of Laws. In Israel there were:

Ceremonial Laws, and
Civil Laws, as well as
Moral Laws

When you approach the Laws in the Old Covenant you need to realize that the Ceremonial Laws and Civil Laws only applied to Israel as a nation. However, the Moral Laws applied to everyone. These things are true today. As a retired Air Force Airman I travelled the world. As I moved from country to country I found out that each nation has Ceremonial and Civil Laws unique to that nation. For instance, in America we have Civil Laws like…

The First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The Second Amendment: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The are Civil Laws that protect my rights of free speech. But if you go to Muslim controlled countries like Egypt you will find you do NOT have free speech. If you speak against the Muslim Prophet Mohammad you will find yourself imprisoned 5 years. In India you can get 3 years imprisonment. In Afganistan, Iran, Nigera, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Somalia you can be executed for blasphemy. Civil Laws differ from nation to nation.

What about Ceremonial Law? Israel had unique Ceremonial Laws – and so does every nation in the world. In America many people get upset to see a flag burned, but in England they care little about the flag. In England to speak mocking the Crown will get you ostracized or beat up. America has no monarchy, so we revere the flag. In the Phillipines if you sit so as to expose the bottom of your feet, then you insult your host. In Japan and Korea you are expected to remove your shoes at the door before entering a home. In Muslim countries you are not allowed to drink alcoholic beverages.These are Ceremonial Laws and Traditions.

Moral Laws are the same from Country to Country!

In most countries murder, rape, incest, kidnapping, adultery are considered morally unacceptable.

Until recently, in America LGBTQ+ behavior was considered immoral and unacceptable. In much of Africa, the various Muslim countries (like Sudan and Egypt), Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, aberrant human sexuality is a criminal offense. Under the Obama and Biden administration LGBTQ+ behavior has become popularized in America, so much so that we celebrate the behavior in June, called “Pride Month”. This past Easter the White House announced that March 31st was International Transgender Day of Visibility.

The day that Christ’s resurrection was to be celebrated was supplanted by “A Proclamation On Transgender Day Of Visibility”. I am not surprised. The lost and the atheist (and I am certain the White House at this time is atheist) care nothing for God.

You must be born again!

Those Who Are Received The Gospel Have
Received The Spirit of God.
They In Turn Should Receive The Word of God.

Proverbs 2:1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

Word Study: The phrase “My son” shows us that God is addressing His Children. As His Children by faith and adoption (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 4:5-7; 1 Corinthians 2:12) we are called on to “receive” (Hebrew Qal Imperfect lāqaḥ, to lay hold on, to capture, to seize as valuable) God’s Word. God’s Word is valuable. It is to be cherished. What God has said in His Moral Laws stand forever, not just temporarily. We are to seize His Word as His gift to us. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 119:47-48 (NIV) I delight in your commands because I love them. I reach out for your commands, which I love, that I may meditate on your decrees ….

Psalm 119:119 (NIV) All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross; therefore, I love your statutes…

Psalm 119:127 (NIV) … I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold

When God tells us what is right, when He gives us a directive, it is for our benefit. God is much like the Parent who tells the child to don’t touch the hot stove, or stay out of the medicine cabinet. The Bible tells us that:

1 John 5:2-4 (ESV) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

God’s commandments – His moral imperatives – are “not burdensome”. They are given to us His people to protect us from evil and destruction. God will one day sort the wheat from the tares, the righteous by faith from the evil by faith. The TARES are weeds that look like wheat, but have no nutritional value and in fact are a bit poison. Jesus said:

Matthew 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Those who love the Lord will one day be in “Christ’s Barn”, that wonderful place called Heaven. But those who rejected His Word, who mock His moral imperatives, these shall find themselves in a place of burning:

Mark 9:47-48 … cast into hell fire: 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

A terrible place, a veritable “furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth”. (Matthew 13:42, 50).

The Word of God is not only to be RECEIVED, but we read:

Proverbs 2:1 My son, if thou wilt receive My Words, and hide my commandments with thee;

Word Study: The word translated “hide” is the Hebrew ṣāp̄an {pronounced tsaw-fan’} which means “to lay up as treasure, to store as valuable”. The Prophet Job in the midst of his torment said:

Job 23:12 I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.

In a certain Church I was at, our services started at 11 am. A fellow who was a member of the Church and a professing Christian would make it a point to get up from his seat promptly at noon – and walk out of the service. I asked him about this, especially when one Sunday he did this a soul came down the aisle to be save. His excuse? “I eat at 12:30 sharp. Period. So I leave at noon. Period.” The Bible has a word for someone like this.

Philippians 3:17-20 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. 18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 20 For our {citizenship} is in Heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Anyone who loves anything more than God’s Word may not be a Child of God. Christians are to:

1 Peter 2:2-3 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

We Are To Both HEAR And APPLY

Proverbs 2:2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

In order to be blessed we are to “INCLINE OUR EAR”. We must be attentive to what God is saying. We must put away our preconceptions, and get away from the noise of the world, and focus Spiritually on God’s Word. There are many passages of Scripture where the writer asks God to “incline Thine ear”:

Psalm 17:6 I have called upon Thee, for Thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.

Psalm 71:2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.

Psalm 102:2 Hide not Thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.

Isaiah 37:17 Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see:

As we want God to pay attention to us when we are in hurt, God wants us to pay attention to what He is saying in His Word. He does not want our argument, nor our disrespect. What God has to say is for our own good. It is best that we “INCLINE OUR EAR” to His Word – then apply what He has told us to do.

Do You Understand “Fear Of The Lord”?

Proverbs 2:3-5 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

The reason why so many know so little of God – even professing Christians – is because we do not seek knowledge of Him. We are saved by faith in Christ. But once saved, we need to pursue the Word of God and the will of God for our lives.

God here uses two phrases:

criest after knowledge
liftest up thy voice

To “criest after” (Hebrew qārā’, pronounced kaw-raw’) means “to call out to”. It was used of Isaac when God revealed Himself to him, saying:

Genesis 26:24-25 … I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake. 25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon (qārā’) the name of the LORD…

In all the times we have had Prayer Meeting at the Church, I’ve never heard anyone pray that God would give us a greater knowledge of His truths. But that’s what God wants us to do. He wants us to pursue His Word as valuable, as silver or gold, and prayerfully seek a deeper understanding of it. We are to “LIFT UP OUR VOICE”, to pray that God would open our eyes to His truths (Isaiah 40:9). Pastor David Platt – past President of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention – wrote:

“I think it makes a lot of sense based on this word from God to pray. God, right now we call out for insight. We raise our voice for understanding. Please give us understanding. Please give us insight, please give us your wisdom. Help us to live wisely today. God, we seek your wisdom like it’s silver. We search for it like it’s a hidden treasure. And yet we know, we know you’re a gracious God who dispenses wisdom, so we don’t ultimately have to try to find it here or there, because you give it to us.

So we seek what you give, we receive what you give, and as we receive it, we pray that you’d help us to grow in our understanding of the fear of you, and that we would find the knowledge of you. God, we pray that at the end of today, we would know you more than we do right now. And we pray that the end of tomorrow, we would know you more than we did at the start of tomorrow.

God, may our lives continually grow in the knowledge of you. And as we grow in the knowledge of you, fear of you, we pray that you would grant wisdom to us in every facet of our lives. And as we seek and receive your wisdom, we pray that it would increase our knowledge and fear of you. In Jesus’ name, we pray these things. Amen.”

Those who do not treasure God’s Word will know little of it. Let us pray that, as Christ’s Church, we would all treasure His Word. May God lead us to desire and know more of His Word, and to put it into practice daily. For the glory of Christ our Savior. Amen and Amen.

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Resurrection Necessary For Faith: 1 Corinthians 15

Posted on March 31, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Biola Visuals : https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-in-an-orange-sweatshirt-with-cropped-sleeves-looking-in-the-mirror-19916040/

1 Corinthians 15:12-17 Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ: whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

The Sadducees – the liberal crowd of Christ’s day – came into the Church teaching that “the dead rise not”. They did not believe in a life after this life. There are a lot of people like this in our world today. They live in the now, for they believe there is no afterlife. Some of these people will even say that Jesus was a great teacher and a wonderful leader of a moral revolution. But Jesus died, like all founders die. The Apostle tells us:

1 Corinthians 15:16-17 … if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

If Christ is not raised from the grave, then “your faith is vain”. The word “vain” is the Greek (mataia), which means “unreal, unproductive, ineffectual – without any standing in reality”. The fact that Jesus rose from the Grave is imperative to the Christian faith.

If Jesus Did Not Die And Rise Again,
He Is A Liar And a False Prophet

Throughout His ministry, Jesus was very clear that He was going to lay down His life for His people. We read in:

Mark 9:31 {Jesus} was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”

And again:

Matthew 16:21 (ESV) … Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

Matthew 20:18-19 (ESV) “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

Jesus had to die on the Cross of Calvary to make payment for the sins of man. We are told in our text today:

1 Corinthians 15:21-22 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

When Adam sinned against God by taking of the forbidden – putting himself in the place of God – he brought spiritual death on the entire world. That spiritual death was immediate. Though Adam would physically die at 930 years old (Genesis 5:5). But spiritual death – separation from God – came immediately in Adam, and on all his children. Adam’s act of hiding from God demonstrated his separation from the Lord (Genesis 3:8), as does his deflection of his sin by blaming it on his wife (Genesis 3:12). The Bible tells us that:

Romans 5:12 (ESV) … sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned …

The Bible says that all are “dead in trespasses and sin” (Ephesians 2:1) because of Adam. So God sent His Son to die on the Cross of Calvary for us. Jesus Christ is the “Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29-32). Jesus willingly laid down His life for us. Jesus said:

John 10:11, 14-15, 17-18 (ESV) … I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. … 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. … 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.

No one took Jesus’ life, but Jesus laid His life down for us. He stood in our place of punishment. He paid for Adam’s sin, for your sin, and for my sin. Jesus Christ died on the Cross of Calvary. He did not swoon – He died. Jesus told us:

Matthew 12:40 (ESV) … just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jesus died on that Cross, just as He said He would. And Jesus rose from the grave three days and nights later, just as He said He would. If He did not, He was a liar. Liars cannot pay for sins. Liars cannot be the Lamb of God. Jesus is not a Liar, He is the Lord of Life!

The Resurrection Of Christ Proved That
What Christ Did Was Acceptable To God

The day that Christ came into this world – God becoming perfect Man – the Angel told the Shepherds:

Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is CHRIST the LORD …

The word “CHRIST” or Christos means “The Messiah”. The Messiah is the “LORD”. He came into the world to “save HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS” (Matthew 1:21). How did Jesus save us? We are told in our context:

1 Corinthians 15:3 … Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

It was prophesied in the Scriptures that Christ – the Messiah – would die for our sins. The Prophet Isaiah (53:1-12) foretold that when the Messiah came He would be “despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows acquainted with grief … He would be PIERCED for OUR TRANSGRESSIONS … He would be CRUSHED for OUR INIQUITIES … upon Him was the PUNISHMENT that should have been ours … His WOUNDS would heal us”. The Prophet Daniel (9:24-26) foretold that “One will come to put and END TO SIN, and to COVER INIQUITY, to bring in RIGHTEOUSNESS … an ANOINTED ONE would come Who would be CUT OFF”. The Prophet Zechariah (13:7) said that “The Shepherd WOULD BE STRUCK and the sheep scattered”. And the Apostle Paul – quoting the teaching of Deuteronomy 21:23 said:

Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

Jesus proclaimed that He died for our sins. But how do we know that He was not just a deluded, misunderstood man? How do we know that He is the One and only Messiah?

Because of the Resurrection.

The Bible says in:

Romans 1:1-4 (ESV) Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

The Gospel is not just that Jesus died on the Cross – but that Jesus resurrected from the dead. There were many named “Jesus” who walked the earth when our Lord did. Pastor G. Campbell Morgan wrote:

“The angel came to Joseph and announced the name, “You shall call His name Jesus.” It was just an ordinary Jewish name, about as common in Judea as John is common to us. The name had not the significance that we understand today. It was a beautiful, Jewish boy’s name, a common name of the common people. … Jesus is a Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, meaning Savior. Other men have had that name. Many a mother called her boy Joshua in the hope that he would be a Savior and break oppression and set the people free. Now the angel said: Give that name to this Boy; “It is He that shall save His people from their sins. … They are “His people.” Give Him the name as one of His people; calling Him by the ordinary name of His people; He is coming to identification with them.”

How do we know that our Jesus is the right Jesus, the saving Jesus? Because He rose from the grave. Peter preached confidently on the Day of Pentecost:

Acts 2:24 (AP) … God raised Jesus up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it

This is why we are told:

1 Corinthians 15:17 … if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

We know that our Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior, the One Who covered our sins because God the Father raised Him from the dead. The Apostle explains the death and resurrection of Christ this way:

Romans 4:25 (NKJV) {the righteousness of God} shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.

Jesus was “DELIVERED UP BECAUSE OF OUR OFFENSES”, that is, He was lifted up on the Cross at Calvary to pay for our sins. But Jesus was “RAISED BECAUSE OF OUR JUSTIFICATION”. When God raise Christ from the dead, this was His clear declaration that GOD WAS SATISFIED with what Christ did. God accepted His payment for us. Because of Christ’s death, we are JUSTIFIED, made RIGHTEOUS BEFORE GOD when we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. Our sins were nailed to the Cross of Christ (Colossians 2:14) – and the resurrection proves that the Father received what Christ did for us.

The Resurrection Of Christ Assures Us That We Serve A Living Savior, And That He Watches Over Us

The Apostle tells us that:

1 Corinthians 15:4-8 {Jesus} was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

The day that Jesus died “HE WAS SEEN” as dead. The Centurion in charge of His execution saw Jesus die, and said:

Luke 23:47 … Certainly this WAS a righteous man ..

He had seen many executions, and he knew that Jesus was dead. The other soldiers in charge of His execution inspected Jesus. We read:

John 19:32-37 (NKJV) … the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”

Experts in execution saw Jesus was dead. He was removed from the Cross, wrapped for burial, and laid in a tomb. The tomb was sealed, and guards were placed on it’s seal. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Jesus was dead.

Then He was SEEN ALIVE three days and nights later.

Jesus was seen first by “Cephas”, which was Jesus’ name for Simon, the leader of the Apostles (John 1:42; 1 Corinthians 1:12; 9:5; Galatians 2:9). Then Jesus was see by “The Twelve”. It was after this that Judas Iscariot killed himself, realizing his part in crucifying the Lord of Glory (James 2:1). Then Jesus was seen of “five hundred brethren at once”, which proves that Jesus was not a figment of the imagination. Jesus then went to His stepbrother “James”, and after this went back to visit with the eleven remaining Apostles. Then Paul says “I SAW HIM”. Paul saw Jesus on the Damascus Road when the Lord knocked him down and got his attention.

We do not follow a dead Savior, but the Living God.

The Bible says:

Hebrews 7:25 (NKJV) {Jesus} because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

The day that you received Jesus as lord and Savior, He promised “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5) and “I will be with you till the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). Jesus could not be a Good Shepherd to His Sheep (that’s us) if He ceased being with us. He died, but He rose again so that He can always be with us. The Bible says:

Romans 8:34 (NKJV) Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Because Jesus Defeated Death,
We Need Not Fear Life Nor Death

1 Corinthians 15:20-26 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Jesus defeated spiritual death by making payment for our sins on Calvary. Jesus defeated physical death by rising from the Grave. We are told that Jesus is “the firstfruits of them that slept”. The “FIRSTFRUITS” is a technical term for the first crop harvested from the field. We who are Christians are told:

Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming

As Christ was resurrected from the grave and occupies a glorified body, every Christian shall one day receive a glorified body. We are promised in the Scripture:

Romans 8:11 (ESV) If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Death has no hold on the Christian. Jesus has defeated death and damnation. The body you have is NOT the body you will have in glory. In the latter part of this chapter, the Bible says:

1 Corinthians 15:36-44 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. 39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. 40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

The body you now have MUST DIE. The body you now have is flawed with the effects of Adam’s sin. You cannot enter Heaven with this mess you have right now. We are told:

1 Corinthians 15:50 … flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

There must be a change. There will be a change. Each and every person in this room will one day physically die. But if you are SPIRITUALLY alive in Christ, your soul will continue on to be with Jesus. And Jesus has promised that He will give you a glorified body wherein is no sickness or death, no disease nor sinfulness. Oh how I look forward to that day.

Do you know Jesus? Is He your Lord and Savior? If He is, then you are encouraged to keep on living your life for the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

That blessed day will come when you meet Jesus face to face. If you are not saved by faith in Him, your next stop – if you will reject Him – will be eternal damnation. Oh, how I pray you will give your lives to Him. May the Holy Spirit make this a reality today. Amen and Amen.

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Wisdom Our Helpmeet

Posted on March 31, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Alex Green: https://www.pexels.com/photo/smiling-asian-grandmother-teaching-little-granddaughter-to-cook-5693389/

Proverbs 1:20-23 Wisdom crieth without; SHE uttereth her voice in the streets: 21 SHE crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city SHE uttereth HER words, saying, 22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

What Is The Difference Between
WISDOM And KNOWLEDGE?

As we are studying our way through Proverbs, at this point God personifies WISDOM. Now let me explain this statement. First of all,

What is WISDOM?

Wisdom is the ability to put KNOWLEDGE into effective action. My Dictionary states:

“Wisdom and knowledge have quite a bit in common. Both words are primarily used as nouns that are related to learning. … The word knowledge is defined first as the “acquaintance with facts, truths or principles, as from study or investigation … Wisdom is defined as “the state of being wise,” which means “having the power of discernment and judging properly as to what is true or right: possessing discernment, judgment, or discretion.” … The primary difference between the two words is that wisdom involves a healthy dose of perspective and the ability to make sound judgments about a subject while knowledge is simply knowing. Anyone can become knowledgeable about a subject by reading, researching, and memorizing facts. It’s wisdom, however, that requires more understanding and the ability to determine which facts are relevant in certain situations. Wisdom takes knowledge and applies it with discernment based on experience, evaluation, and lessons learned.”

Let’s put this into a Biblical perspective. You can KNOW what is true, but not put it into action. Wisdom is the act of putting God’s Truth into ACTION. Jesus preached His “Sermon on the Mount”, and it was recorded in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. In this Sermon Jesus told us what God expects us to DO if we are His followers. As Jesus closed the Sermon we read:

Matthew 7:28-29 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: 29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

The SCRIBES had knowledge. They knew all about the Bible, and were astounding in how much Scripture they memorized. But Jesus was different. He told His audience just before closing the Sermon:

Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Who is the “wise man”? The person who HEARS what Jesus said, but DOES what He said. The Scribe will HEAR the Word, but not DO it. He is not wise. The wise person both heeds and does what God said, regardless as to temptation to do otherwise.

Wisom is to HEAR and DO, to APPLY.
What do we mean by “Wisdom Is Personified”?

As God describes Wisdom, in our text He describes Wisdom as SHE and HER.

Proverbs 1:20-21 Wisdom crieth without; SHE uttereth her voice in the streets: 21 SHE crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city SHE uttereth HER words, saying,

Word Study: Why does God describe WISDOM (Hebrew ḥāḵmôṯ, (pronounced khok-moth’) as a woman? It goes back to Solomon’s request as well as Creation itself. When Solomon first became King of Israel, he prayed and asked God to give him WISDOM to perform his duties. God answered that prayer, and the Bible says:

1 Kings 4:29-31 (NKJV) God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men …

When Solomon was made King, he realized that though he possessed the power, he didn’t know what to do. So Solomon cried out to God. The Bible says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God” (James 1:5, NKJV). God is the Source of Wisdom. When Solomon realized he lacked, he cried out to God and God gave him a helper.

In the Creation story, the Bible says that God made Adam first. The Bible says “Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed” (Genesis 2:8, NKJV). God put Adam (like Solomon) in control of His Kingdom. Then God said:

Genesis 2:18 … It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

The woman was made to help the man. God personifies wisdom as a woman, because wisdom was given to Solomon to help him do his duty. Wisdom is personified THREE TIMES in Proverbs as a woman:

Today’s text
Proverbs 8:1-36
Proverbs 9:1-12

Just as Adam could not do what God wanted him to do in the Garden, we cannot do what God wants us to do without that “helper” called WISDOM.

The merely KNOW something doesn’t do us any good. We need to put what we know into practice. We need to DO what God says. Wisdom will not mislead us, but will stay true to God’s Word.

Proverbs 1:20 Wisdom crieth WITHOUT… (ḥûṣ; pronounced khoots; OUTSIDE)

God’s Wisdom is not like the false wisdom of this world. I was watching a sitcom the other day when an actor said, “We’re all just random atome, an accident in the universe”. That’s stupid. If we’re all accidents, then there is no such thing as morality. It’s survival of the fittest, and to kill or be killed is right. That’s stupid. It’s like the idiocy that says “We no longer need to have MEN’S sports and WOMEN’S sports – let’s just let them all play together. It doesn’t matter, because GENDER IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT”. That is the idiocy of human wisdom. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 1:19-21 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

Man’s wisdom is not wise, but foolish, and leads to damage and damnation. God’s wisdom leads to salvation and peace. “We {Christians} speak WISDOM among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought” (1 Corinthians 2:6). “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.” (1 Corinthians 3:19).

God’s Wisdom cries WITHOUT the world. It does not blend with the foolishness, but is light in the midst of darkness. Like Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, it requires that we turn from the flesh and toward the Spirit of God.

Proverbs 1:20-21 … she UTTERETH {nāṯan, pronounced naw-than’} her voice in the streets: 21 She CRIETH {qārā’, pronounced kaw-raw’} in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,

Wisdom {nāṯan, pronounced naw-than’} is not hidden, but CLEARLY REPRESENTS herself. God has not hidden the truth from us, but just as He SET (nāṯan) the stars in the sky (Genesis 1:17) and GAVE US (nāṯan) plants that nutricious (Genesis 1:29), God has freely given the world His truths through Christ and His Bible. Wisdom “CRIETH {qārā’, pronounced kaw-raw’}” or CALLS OUT to whosoever will hear. God has not hidden truth from us. Whether in the fields, or in the city. God has proclaimed His truth through faithful messengers over the years.

Wisdom Is Specific In Her Direction.
Will You Hear, Or Deflect?

Proverbs 1:21-22 …. she uttereth {Qal Imperfect of ‘āmar, pronounced aw-mar’, meaning “to speak from the heart”} her words, saying, 22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

Wisdom addresses and rebukes three types of people now.

Word Study: The SIMPLE Ones – First, there are the “simple ones”, the Hebrew pᵊṯî (pronounced peth-ee’) which means “the foolish, the naive or silly”. These are those who have rejected the Word of God. We read in:

Psalm 19:7 (NKJV) The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

God’s Word “MAKES WISE THE SIMPLE, the pᵊṯî (pronounced peth-ee’)”. Those who are foolish or naive or silly can very well shorten their lives. The Bible says:

Psalm 116:6 (NKJV) The Lord preserves the SIMPLE ; I was brought low, and He saved me.

In order to go from SIMPLE to WISE, the heart must be willing to receive the Word of God. The Scripture says:

Psalm 119:130 (NKJV) The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

Proverbs 1:22 …. the scorners delight in their scorning

Word Study: The ARROGANT or BOASTFUL –: The second type of rejector of wisdom is the “SCORNERS” (the Hebrew lûṣ {pronounced loots}), which means “those who are arrogant and boastful. Those who KNOW they’re RIGHT, and reject the Word of God.” The Bible says:

Psalm 1:1-2 (NKJV) Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

Those who despise the Law of God will openly mock what He has said – and those who follow Him. The evil want us to compromise the faith of Christ. The Psalmist was often tempted, saying:

Psalm 119:51 (NKJV) The PROUD have me in great derision, Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.

The PROUD, the ARROGANT, the “SCORNERS” (the Hebrew lûṣ {pronounced loots}) often find a nesting place in the Church of God. The Apostle Paul was attacked by such people who compared him to other teachers (see 1 Corinthians 1:12-13). They often found fault with Paul rather than hearing the truth he preached and applying it to their lives. The Apostle confronted this by his resolve to focus on not himself and his flesh, but on Christ. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 2:1-4 (NKJV) And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Paul could have lowered himself to where the Corinthians were and attacked back, but instead he was determined to focus not on the flesh but on Jesus.

Word Study: The FOOLISH or SILLY – The third type of rejector of Wisdom is those determined not to know. This is the Hebrew kᵊsîl {pronounced kes-eel’}, which means “those who are silly, dullards, senseless ones”. This word is used in these Scriptures:

Psalm 92:5-6 (NKJV) O Lord, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep. 6 A senseless man does not know, Nor does a fool understand this.

The Book of Proverbs talks more about the SENSELESS SILLY PERSON than they do others. By count, in Proverbs:

The SILLY or SENSELESS kᵊsîl {pronounced kes-eel’} is 49x
The SCORNERS or ARROGANT lûṣ {pronounced loots} is 18x
The SIMPLE or NAIVE pᵊṯî (pronounced peth-ee’) is 15x

Pastor Cole Newton wrote:

“… fools are destroyed by their complacency. This is a terrifying image. While the simple were killed because they turned toward sin, fools are destroyed by doing nothing. … This is a great warning against “Christians” who refuse to take sin and the things of God seriously. Twice Jeremiah warns the people of Judah against prophets and priests who heal “the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace” (6:14, 8:11). These religious leaders refused to take the sin of Judah seriously. They spoke of peace while God was crying out for His people to repent. We must take care that we do not allow a similar complacency to sweep us away. The path to damnation is open wide for those who refuse to let God’s word call them to action.”

God cannot bless those who reject His Word and His Wisdom. God says to all that the solution to life is to REPENT and TURN to the Word of God.

Proverbs 1:23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

It is only through repentance and turning to the Word of God that the Lord will “pour out my Spirit unto you”. This is a reference to the filling of the Holy Spirit. God gave us the Holy Spirit to “guide the believer into all truth” (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit that we receive as a part of our salvation is given by Jesus to “teach us all things, and bring all things to our remembrance that Jesus said to us” (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit of God “searches everything, even the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10-13).

We must abide in the truth of God’s Word if we expect an anointing from God (1 John 2:20, 27). We cannot pick and choose what we will heed. We must heed the whole council of God, the whole Word of God. We must rely entirely on the Word of God.

If we reject God’s Word, will God bless us? No. God will tell us in His Word and through His Spirit what He wants us to do. But if we reject Him and His Word, God says:

Proverbs 1:24-27 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

When you reject the counsel of God, reject His Word, then God takes the attitude of “you made your bed – now lie in it”. Rather than build on the Rock that is Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4) you decided to go the way of the world. The Bible says:

Galatians 6:7-9 (NKJV) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Had those Wisdom addressed heeded the Word that was spoken, they would have been blessed. But they would not hear. So God said, “If that’s what you want – then here you go”. When calamity comes, God will laugh. “He that sits in the Heavens shall LAUGH: the LORD shall have them in derision” (Psalm 2:4).

Proverbs 1:28-31 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: 30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

People ask the question, “How can a ‘Loving God’ allow the evil we see active in this world?” It is because “they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord”. God told them what to do, but they pooh poohed God. They “would {have} none of my counsel. When God rebuked them, like calcitrant children they rejected Him. “they despised all my reproof”. Jesus spoke of this in His preaching. He came to save the Jewish people, but they rejected Him. The Chief Priests and Scribes hated Him, and the Pharisees and Sadducees plotted against Him. In time, God turned away.

Luke 14:21-26 (NKJV) Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ ” 25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

God calls us to an all or nothing proposition. If we want His blessing then, like Solomon, we need to turn to Him for wisdom. We end with these words:

Proverbs 1:32-33 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

May God open your eyes, and touch your hearts with His Word. Amen and Amen.

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Holy, Not Hardened, Hearts: Hebrews 3:7-19

Posted on March 24, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Monstera Production: https://www.pexels.com/photo/crispy-toast-bread-with-cut-hearts-5874704/

Hebrews 3:7-12 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

All of the Scripture is God Breathed, God inspired, God spoken. The Apostle said in:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God {the believer} may be complete, equipped for every good work.

We know that all Scripture – this Bible we cherish – is theopneustos, God breathed out. It is the very Word of God. We know that the text we study every week is written by “holy men of God who SPOKE AS THEY WERE MOVED BY THE HOLY GHOST” (2 Peter 1:21). We know this. But here today as we read our text we see the words:

Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith…

The Bible here makes it a POINT that what is being said comes from the Holy Spirit of God. This isn’t something David Buffaloe is saying. This is something God is saying. It starts with “Wherefore”. This refers back to what we studied last week. We saw a comparison between The House of Moses and The House of Christ. Both Houses are led by faithful men. But the House of Christ is SUPERIOR to the House of Moses, because Jesus is superior to Moses. The House of Moses was built by those who had faith in God, and was a shadow of the coming House of Christ. Those on the House of Moses were servants of the Most High God. But those in the House of Christ are sons and daughters of the Most High God, because Jesus Himself is the Son of God. Moses was not the Son of God, but looked forward to the coming of the Son of God. Last week we ended with this verse:

Hebrews 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Though The House Of Christ Is Superior To The Shadow Of The House Of Moses, We Learn And Grow By Studying The House Of Moses

This is why verse 7 starts with the word:

Hebrews 3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith …

There are lessons to be learned from the House of Moses that relate to the Christian way of life. Where did the House of Moses come from? Egypt. The lost world. A world filled with false gods and goddesses. The House of Moses, which is Israel, was enslaved by Egypt, enslaved by false gods, by sin, by the world. In the same way every person who is now a Christian – in the House of Christ – was at one time enslaved by the world, by Egypt. No one starts out in this life saved. I have shown you repeatedly that the Scripture says:

Romans 3:23 … all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God …

How does a lost person come to Christ? Consider Israel. When was Israel saved from Egypt? When Israel was at ease in Egypt, they did not cry out to God. But when …

Exodus 1:13-14 (ESV) … {Egypt} ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

When life became horrible for Israel, it was then that Israel called out to God. Their hearts were softened and their arrogance broken because of Egypt, because of the lost world. It was at this point that God raised up a redeemer in Moses. He told Moses:

Exodus 3:7-8 (ESV) Then the Lord said {to Moses}, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey

God calls His people out of Egypt, out of the world. He said, “come out from among them, and be ye separate” (2 Corinthians 6:17). God said “Be HOLY, for I am HOLY” (1 Peter 1:16).

Israel could not be a part of Egypt. God’s people cannot be one with the world. God told His people to take a Lamb without spot or blemish, kill it, and put its blood on your Home, on your life (Exodus 12:13-28). God said:

“When I see the Blood,
When I see the Blood,
When I see the Blood,
I will pass, I will pass over you!”

Where the Blood was not, death came. The Blood of the Lamb was a shadow of the Blood of Christ, the “Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:36). The Blood of the Lamb covered the House of Moses so that death would not come. The Blood of Christ covers the House of Christ so that death cannot take us. The Blood of the Lamb redeemed the House of Moses from Egypt. The Blood of Christ redeems the House of Christ from the lost world.

1 Peter 1:18-21 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain {way of life} received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

The day after Israel applied the Blood of the Lamb, Israel left Egypt praising God for His deliverance. Israel was saved from Egypt …. BUT

Would Israel Rely On God Or On Themselves?

When Israel left Egypt, they went straight to the Promised Land, and lived happily ever after. The end. Let’s go home.

No, that’s not true. Israel is a shadow of the Church, a picture of the Christian way of life. The Holy Spirit is telling us this, because the Spirit says:

Hebrews 3:7-9 … To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

God here applies the shadow of Israel leaving Egypt to the House of Christ, the Church. He tells us as Christians, “Harden not your hearts”. The Holy Spirit is not talking to unbelievers here, but to Christians. Faith and belief come from the heart. Not that pump in your chest, but that part of your soul the Bible calls the heart. It is the heart that God saves. King David cried out:

Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV) Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

If left to itself, the Bible says:

Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the LORD search the heart …

Our Lord Jesus said:

Matthew 15:19 … out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

God calls us to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” (Mark 12:30). How can we do that if our hearts so corrupt? We must REPENT and turn to God in faith. Salvation comes when we turn from sin and toward the Savior. We stop our love affair with Egypt, and cry out to God to save us.

Every person who has ever been saved has become fed up with Egypt. They cry out to God to save them, refocusing their heart on the Lord.

How are we saved? Again I refer to Scripture:

Romans 10:9-11 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

It was not the PHYSICAL blood of the Lamb that saved israel. It was that ISRAEL BELIEVED GOD AND DID AS HE SAID. They trusted God with all their heart. They believed on the blood of the Lamb. How is a Christian saved? The PHYSICAL Blood of Christ has long been shed, but that PHYSICAL Blood does not save you. The day that Christ died on Calvary there were soldiers all about who trampled on the Blood of Christ:

Hebrews 10:29 {they trod} under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant … an unholy thing …

Preach This: On the day that Jesus died on Calvary, the soldiers that beat Him with whips had His Blood scattered all over their clothing and faces. The soldiers who drove the spikes into His hands and feet had it spurt out upon them. When they raised the Cross and dropped it into the socket of the earth, the Blood of Jesus flowed down and spattered the ground like crimson rain. Those who mocked Christ, standing at the foot of the Cross, trod His Blood underfoot.

Not one of those unbelievers were saved by the Blood.

It was FAITH IN GOD that saved Israel from Egypt. Faith does what God says. Faith believes the Lord. Faith killed the lamb, and spinkled its blood. Faith looks to Calvary, and believes in Christ as both Lord and Savior. Faith believes His Blood was shed for ME.

When Israel was saved from Egypt, they left Egypt and headed toward the Promised Land. Then God began to test them. If you are saved, you will be tested.

God could have taken Israel directly into the Promised Land. But He didn’t. When you get saved, God wants you to be HOLY. Let me define HOLINESS. To be HOLY, is to put God first. To be HOLY, is to obey God. To be HOLY, is to love God above all else. To be HOLY, is to trust God no matter what the world throws at you.

As soon as Israel left Egypt, it wasn’t long before Egypt came to drag Israel back into its mess. When you walk with God, all that is evil will plot and plan to draw you back into it’s mess. The Bible says:

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

If the devil can’t keep you from being saved, he will do everything he can to draw you back into his world. Egypt started chasing Israel, just like the devil will chase a Christian. If he can’t keep you from being saved, the devil will try to get you to:

TOLERATE evil
COMPROMISE your faith
BLEND with the darkness

God doesn’t want you to do that. What does God do? What did God do with Israel? God led Israel to a place where they were trapped. They were trapped in Egypt, but God saved them when Israel trusted God and did as He said. So God leads Israel to the Red Sea. In front of Israel is TOO MUCH WATER. They’re trapped. What will Israel do? What did Israel do?

Exodus 14:11-12 (ESV) {Israel} said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Israel was praising Moses, their redeemer, for leading them out of Egypt. But now Israel is in an impossible situation. They do not cry out to God, but instead cry against God and the salvation He gave them. They are not loving God Who saved them, but cursing God for taking them out of Egypt.

Moses told Israel,

Exodus 14:13-14 (ESV) … “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Don’t worry. Don’t fear. You are in an impossible situation. God got you out of an impossible situation before, He will do it again. Praise Him! Love Him with all your heart. Call out to Him for salvation. God will save His people.

And God did.
Israel crossed the Red Sea unharmed,
And Egypt was destroyed!

After this event, you would think that Israel would have learned. Did they? God back to our text:

Hebrews 3:8-9 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years.

No. Israel didn’t learn from the Red Sea crossing. God parted the waters and saved them, while destroying the enemy. Israel hardened their hearts. God brought Israel into the wilderness of Shur, to a place called Marah (Exodus 15:22-25). Here the water was bitter, undrinkable. Israel went from TOO MUCH water, to BITTER water. Would they call on God? No.

Israel grumbled.

After God made the water drinkable, He told Israel:

Exodus 15: 26 (ESV) … “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”

God told Israel, “Open your hearts to Me. Stop hardening your hearts. Repent. Call on Me, as you did when you were in Egypt. Trust Me and obey Me, for I am your Healer.”

The Law of Moses was not given unto Exodus 20. God is not telling Israel to follow the Law. He is telling Israel to FOLLOW HIM, to LOVE HIM, to OBEY HIM.

Would Israel listen? Again, what does our text say?

Hebrews 3:8-9 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years.

Word Study: The word translated “provocation” is the Greek parapikrasmos (pronounced par-ap-ik-ras-mos’), which means “to provoke or irritate”. Let me illustrate PROVOKED. I have here a dog toy, a squeek. How would you like to hear it? What if you were talking, each time you tried to say something I SQUEEKED this little toy. This is what Israel was doing with God. Israel was poking the Lord. God saved them from TOO MUCH water. God saved them from BITTER water. They STILL wouldn’t trust God or rely on God.

Israel could draw near to God, and BE HOLY, or they could draw near to Self and BE HARDENED. The Christian and the Church can draw near to God and BE HOLY, or we can draw near to Self and BE HARDENED. What’s your choice?

The story continues. Israel next comes to Rephidem, later called Meribah. God brought them to a place where there was NO WATER.

TOO MUCH water.
TOO BITTER water. Now,
NO water.

Will Israel trust God? He’s saved them over and over again. Our God is faithful:

1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

If there is NO WATER, and God saved us from TOO MUCH water and the BITTER water, will He not now provide? But Israel refused to be holy. Israel kept drawing toward SELF. Israel kept going back to Egypt in their hearts. Israel had an identity crisis.

Church, Do You Have An Identity Crisis?
Do You Belong To Jesus, Or Yourself?

Israel TEMPTED God, PROVED God, and SAW GOD’S WORKS for 40 years. But Israel would not draw near to God. Israel wanted to be saved from Egypt, and wanted to inherit the Promised Land, but didn’t care about God. What does the Holy Spirit tell us?

Hebrews 3:10-12 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

What kept Israel out of the Promised Land? Israel. Not God, but Israel. Their hearts were hardened. They kept “departing from the living God”. Think about that phrase, “the living God”. Why do you think the Holy Spirit calls the God of Scripture “the living God”? It is because the Source of all life is God. Jesus said:

John 5:26 (RSV) … as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself …

Life is in God. Not just future, Heavenly life, but ALL LIFE is in God. When we are saved, God calls us to walk with Him, to trust Him no matter what might occur. Our focus is God. God is self existent (Exodus 3:14). The Psalmist said of God:

Psalm 36:9 (CEV) The life-giving fountain belongs to You {o God}, and Your light gives light to each of us.

Israel was saved from Egypt by believing of God. We are saved from Egypt – this world – by believing on Christ. But you cannot shake hands with the devil and walk with the Lord. You cannot be salt and light, while abiding in darkness. Salvation is a surrender to God.

We Encourage One Another To Avoid Sin And Embrace The Savior

Hebrews 3:12-16 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort {parakaleō, to call alongside, to encourage} one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

We are not to compromise with the darkness, but are to ENCOURAGE one another DAILY – while it is today – to walk with God. We are not to harden our hearts. If you harden your heart, you rob yourselves of the blessings that God wants to bless you with.

Our God is able. Our God is able!

Hebrews 3:16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.

Some provoked God – but “NOT ALL”. The children of those who left Egypt did not provoke God. The children would grow up, and enter the Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb never provoked God, but trusted God, and encouraged the people to enter the Promised Land. But Israel wouldn’t. They were SELF focused, and not God focused. So they died in the wilderness.

Hebrews 3:17-19 But with whom was {God} grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom sware He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

What a horrible thing it is to HARDEN the heart. A hardened heart cost Pharaoh his life. A hardened heart caused the first generation of Israel to lose the blessings of salvation. How horrible the hardened heart is! It provokes God.

Beloved, if you belong to Christ by faith, open your heart to Him. Repent of any sin in your life, and run to Him. Trust Him, and live in love toward God and your fellow man. But if you do not know Christ as Savior and Lord, I pray that today would be the day you would receive Him as He is. Turn from self, and toward the Savior.

The kingdom of God is at hand. What will you do? Holy, or hardened? The choice is yours.

May God touch your hearts with His Word. Amen and Amen.

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Do Not Join With Sinners: Proverbs 1:8-19

Posted on March 22, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Maruxa Lomoljo Koren: https://www.pexels.com/photo/red-neon-light-signage-3887574/

Proverbs 1:8-9 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 9 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

Parents are supposed to teach their children righteousness. Righteousness defined is, Biblically, “To adhere to the standard that God has set”. The Bible says in:

Isaiah 33:22 For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us.

God created the Laws of Gravity, Motion, Energy Conservation – the Laws that make life on Planet Earth possible. This same God “loves righteousness and justice” (Psalm 33:5, ESV). His righteousness is like the mighty mountains, and His justice like the ocean depths (Psalm 36:6, NLT). Christ paid the penalty for the believer on the Cross of Calvary. Everyone who believes in Christ has been given imputed righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) we who are saved by the Grace of God are drawn to live practical righteousness:

1 Peter 2:24 (ESV) He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

The Christian is drawn by God to “seek first His Kingdom and His RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Matthew 6:33). We are to “flee sin, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). The Christian parent is to teach their children righteousness, whether that child is saved or not. The righteous instruction of the parents is:

be an ornament of grace unto thy head

Word Study: The word translated “GRACE” is the Hebrew ḥēn (pronounced khane). This refers to Divine Favor and Blessing. The first use of ḥēn in Scripture is with the Prophet Noah:

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found GRACE (ḥēn) in the eyes of the LORD.

When God looked at the evil of the world, He cursed it, and decided to destroy it. But Noah found GRACE because he sought and honored the righteousness of God. Noah did not EARN grace, but FOUND grace in God. Noah turned away from the evil of his day and positioned himself to find grace. Noah heeded the Word of God, not the word of man.

The child who listens to righteous instruction from their parents will find grace unto thy head. When I read this, I think about children wearing bike helmets when riding. The helmet protects their head, the seat of the human soul, in the event of a fall. Grace around your head protects your soul. This is why the Bible tells us:

Ephesians 6:11 (NKJV) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

And as the Apostle describes the armor of God, what is the HELMET that is on the head? It is “the helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6:17), that which protects the soul.

Parents are to teach their children righteousness as God defines it in the Bible. No righteousness = No Grace.

Illustrate: I was watching an episode of CSI the other day, the one where a little girl on a bike was run over with a car, killing her. As they investigated, they traced the car back to an elderly black man who said he ran over the child. They searched further, and it turned out that it was the elderly man’s grandson who was driving the car. When the child was hit – a black child – the grandfather convinced his grandson to run away and to lie to the police. Had the young man contacted the police, and stayed at the scene of the accident, more than likely the young man would have been given probation. It was just an accident. But hiding the act, and lying to authorities, compounded the problem. When sentenced, the elderly grandfather begged to serve the grandson’s time. Though Jesus died for our sins, we cannot pay the penalty for another. Had the grandfather taught his grandson righteousness, they both would have been better off in the long run. Running away and hiding, both showed a poor view of the value of that child’s life. The grandson went to jail. In my opinion, the grandfather should have served along with him.

You say that this is but a drama, but it plays out in our criminal justice system every day. Children who are not taught righteousness and respect for life grow up to do horrendous things.

The First Lesson Of Solomon: Avoid Those Who Love Sin

Proverbs 1:10-14 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. 11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: 12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: 13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: 14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

Word Study: The word translated “sinners” is the Hebrew ḥaṭṭā’, which means “those exposed to condemnation, of criminal intent, one accounted guilty”. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23; 5:12). King Solomon wrote, “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). There are none born of humanity outside of Christ who does not fail God, and at times sin. It doesn’t matter who it is. The Apostle wrote:

Romans 3:9 (ESV) … both Jews and Greeks, are under sin …

and in Romans 11:32 (ESV) … God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

In one sense we are all sinners. The Hebrew ḥaṭṭā’ (pronounced khat-taw’) does not refer to the universal nature of sin, but of people who deliberately seek out and rejoice in sin. The first time this word is used in the Bible is in:

Genesis 13:13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners {ḥaṭṭā’} before the LORD exceedingly.

These are people who rejoice in their evil. You see them daily on television, saying “just follow your heart” or “you do you”. The Bible prescribes a different way of life. In the Bible, the great commandment is to “love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength”. The second great commandment is “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:38-40). Our Lord Jesus said that these two commandments are the string that holds up the entirety of “the Law and the Prophets”, the Holy Bible.

When a person embraces their brokenness, declaring it to be right and God sent rather than a thing to be repented of, then they step into the pig trough of sin.

Though All Sin, We Do Not Embrace Nor Normalize Sin

Those who embrace sin wants everyone to celebrate the evil and elevate the evil. Those who embrace sin create a rainbow flagged month where everyone should say that the lifestyle is normal. Those who embrace sin look the other way when theft occurs, saying “It is racist to stop the thief, or to expect responsible behavior from all citizens”.

When people pursue brokenness as normal, it is not long before they become MORE broken.

Proverbs 1:11-12If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: 12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit…

The one who loves and pursues sin “LAY WAIT FOR BLOOD”. They have no respect for life unless it is their own life. Other translations of this text state:

Proverbs 1:11 (NKJV) If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;

Proverbs 1:11 (ESV) If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason;

Proverbs 1:11 (NASB-20) If they say, “Come with us, Let’s lie in wait for blood, Let’s ambush the innocent without cause;

Word Study: The Sinner, the ḥaṭṭā’ (pronounced khat-taw’) has no respect for life. Told that a fetus has blood about the 16th day from conception, and by the 20th day the heart pumps red blood cells through the blood vessels, the Sinner says “So what? It’s my body, and I’ll do what I want to do with that fetus”. They have no love for God nor man. They delight in shedding blood, just as long as

Proverbs 1:13-14We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: 14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

The “SINNER” values stuff and self more than the life of others

Word Study: They want “precious substance”, yāqār hôn, that which is rare and valuable like gold or silver. They do not cherish God’s Word, but cherish the rocks and metals that God made, considering them greatly to be treasured. They say, “let us all have one purse”, that is, you help us rob others of their valuables, and we’ll do like the pirates did – we’ll divide the spoil evenly. Jesus warned us:

Luke 12:15-21 (ESV) “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

God is the Source of life. I do not know of one millionaire or billionaire who, on the last day of their lives, would not give all they had for just a little more time. The stuff that the Sinner entices us with will one day be left behind.

It is better to be RICH TOWARD GOD. He is the Source of Life. Those who are RICH TOWARD GOD, who have received Christ by faith and live according to the Kingdom Principles, these will live forever!

Proverbs 1:15-16 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: 16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

Jesus said “I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE” (John 14:6). To walk “in the way with them” is to court death – for the “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). When Adam and Eve took just one bite of the forbidden, they thought it would be innocent. But their eyes were opened, and they died spiritually. It wasn’t long before their son Cain murdered Abel (Genesis 4:8). It all started with just one bite.

Death Starts With One Bite

I like to think of Judas Iscariot. Here was a man that Jesus hand picked to be an Apostle. Jesus loved Judas. When Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, Jesus said “Friend, do what you have come to do” (Matthew 26:50). Jesus called Judas to follow Him, and Judas did follow Jesus when many others abandoned Him (John 6:53). Along with the other eleven, Judas left everything to follow Jesus (Matthew 19:27). Judas was not a monster. But Judas had a flaw that he did not repent.

Judas loved money.

Just before Jesus was brought to trial, a woman with an Alabaster Box of very precious ointment (Matthew 26:7) came and anointed Jesus with the ointment as He ate dinner at Simon the Leper’s home. The Bible tells us that Judas asked, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” (John 12:5). Judas didn’t care about the poor, but was the Treasurer for the disciples and carried the purse. Judas starting pilfering money from that moneybag (John 12:6) – probably just a little at a time. But over time he became accustomed to getting money from that bag. I’m sure Jesus knew he was doing this – but Jesus loved him anyway.

When Judas said what he did, Jesus said “Why are you troubling this woman. She is doing a good thing, for she is preparing my body for my burial” (Matthew 26:10-13). “When the Gospel is preached, remember what she did”. What happened next?

Judas wanted to sell the Alabaster Box for three hundred denarii – about 300 days labor for a blue collar worker.

When he was rebuked, the Bible says:

Matthew 26:14-15 (ESV) … Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.

One commentary notes:

“In the Hebrew culture, thirty pieces of silver was not a lot of money. In fact, it was the exact price paid to the master of a slave if and when his slave was gored by an ox (Exodus 21:32). In order to compensate for a slave’s death and burial, it was written into law that 30 pieces of silver would account for the cost. … When Judas Iscariot bargained with the leaders of Israel for the betrayal of Jesus, he asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him to you?” The leaders then counted out a mere “thirty pieces of silver,” (Matthew 26:15). They considered the cost of Jesus’ death to be that of a slave.”

As close as I can tell, 30 pieces of silver is worth about a hundred denarii, or a hundred days wages (A denarius is one day’s wage: Matthew 20:2). Judas valued Jesus’ life at one third of that Alabaster Box of ointment, or the price of a common slave.

Sin Shortens Your Life

Proverbs 1:17-19 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. 18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. 19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

What the sinner does, eventually comes back on them. We are told “they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives”. After Judas saw Jesus hanging on that Cross – an innocent Man suffering and dying for thirty pieces of silver – the Bible says that it was then that Judas had second thoughts.

Matthew 27:3-5 (ESV) … {Judas} changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.

Judas did NOT repent. He did NOT go to God and seek forgiveness. Instead, Judas punished himself by committing suicide. He lived by his own hand, and died by his own hand. How said it is, for Numbers 32:23 tells us, “be SURE YOUR SIN WILL FIND YOU OUT”. Judas died in his sins, unrepentant, and is probably in hell today. Ancient English Austinian Mystic Walter Hilton wrote in his book “Toward A Perfect Love”:

“Stop and think how Christ loved Judas, who was both his mortal enemy and a sinful dog. How good Christ was to him, how benign, how courteous, how humble toward him whom he knew to be damnable. He chose him for his apostle and sent him to preach with the other apostles. He gave him power to work miracles. He showed to him the same good cheer in word and deed. He shared with him his precious Body, and preached to him in the same manner as he did to the other apostles. He did not condemn him openly; nor did he abuse him or despise him, nor even speak evil of him (and yet even if he had done all of that, it would simply have been to tell the truth!)”.

We do not bless the Sinner when we help them justify their sin. We bless the Sinner by bidding them repent, and walk with Christ. In time, those who pursue sin will reap the death that comes with it. We who love the Lord should warn the Sinner, remembering that though Jesus often sat and ate with sinners, Jesus never justified their sins as righteousness.

That is like saying cancer is normal growth. It is not, and never will be. Sin must not be condoned, nor celebrated, nor courted. We who are wise will reject what God has called sin. We will walk in love, putting God first, and treating others with love and respect.

May God touch your hearts with His Word. Amen and Amen.

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The House Of Christ: Hebrews 3:1-6

Posted on March 17, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Finn Semmer: https://www.pexels.com/photo/travel-20590867/

Hebrews 3:1-6 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; {2} Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses [was faithful] in all his house. {3} For this [man] was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath built the house hath more honor than the house. {4} For every house is built by some [man]; but he that built all things [is] God. {5} And Moses verily [was] faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; {6} But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Internal Erosion Of The Church

The reason that the Book of Hebrews was written was because the devil began to try and erode the Church from the inside. As people came to know Christ as Lord and Savior, being “born again” into the Kingdom of God, the Church began to grow. Satan attacked the Church externally, but this only made it stronger. So Satan infiltrated the Church. He put on a suit and tie, and joined the local Churches. Through the Pharisees he began to teach that – in order to be saved – the Christian had to return to the “shadows” of the Law.

Males had to be circumcised.
The Church must keep the Feasts.
Every believer must continue in the animal sacrifices.
The priesthood would continue with a few select men.
Christ is our Savior, the Law our Lord.

In congregations where this didn’t work, the Devil came in the guise of the liberal Sadducees. He came teaching:

Most of the Bible is to be disregarded.
Since Christ paid for sin, we are free to sin.
God has no standard for us other than our satisfaction.
Christ is our Savior, but not our Lord.

The Devil brought POLITICS into the Church through the Herodians. He brought PERMISSIVENESS through the Sadducees. He brought the yoke of PONTIFICAL PRECEPTS through the Pharisees. Through it all, his intent is that we take our eyes off of Jesus.

Let Us Compare Jesus To Moses

Hebrews 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Word Study: We are told to “CONSIDER” Jesus. This is the Greek katanoéō, {pronounced kat-an-o-eh’-o}, which means “focus your mind on the standard of”. In chapter one, we were shown that Christ is the Son of God, made lower than the angels to bring us salvation. We were shown that Jesus is in fact Eternal God in the flesh, who hates sin just as much as the Father does. We are shown that Jesus changed once when He became flesh, but Jesus never changes, for He is eternal. Jesus, Who was made lower than the angels for our sake, has always been greater than the angels.

In chapter two we learned that the Father offers a great salvation through Jesus Christ alone. God proved Christ is Messiah by signs and wonders, by miracles and supernatural giftings of the Holy Spirit. We saw that Jesus is Lord, and the High Priest of His Church. We saw that His Church is comprised of those who are “His brethren”, those who are “born again” by faith in Him.

Now as we come into Chapter Three we see a comparison between Jesus and Moses. In verse 2:

Hebrews 3:2 Who {Jesus} was faithful to Him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

Both Jesus and Moses were equally faithful to what the Father called them to do. However, Jesus is greater than Moses:

Hebrews 3:3 For this Man {Jesus} was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who hath builded the house hath more honor than the house.

Jesus has more glory than Moses. Now, why is the Bible comparing Jesus with Moses? Because the Pharisees often attacked Jesus for violating the Law of Moses. They claimed that Jesus was

Matthew 12:2 [AP] {allowing} Your disciples to DO WHAT IS UNLAWFUL on the Sabbath …

They attempted to stone Jesus to death “for BLASPHEMY, because You Jesus are no more than a Man, but You make Yourself God” (John 10:33, AP).

Jesus IS a Man, but He is NOT a Man as Moses is a Man. Though both Jesus and Moses are equally faithful, we have learned that Jesus is both fully Man and fully God.

Hebrews 3:4 For every house is builded by some man…

Why is Jesus superior to Moses? Because Jesus is THE SON, but Moses is THE SERVANT.

Word Study: The Bible is now going to compare two “Houses”. We’re all familiar with the word “House”. The word “House” is the Greek oikos (pronounced oy’-kos), which means “The Family, the place one dwells, the House”. We’re told that “every house is builded by some man”. Let me say this while I’m thinking it:

There are HUMAN houses, and there is a DIVINE house.

Human houses are built by men and women. A human house is where you live. If you built that house, you have authority in that house. If I go to Tony and Jane’s house, they decide what rooms are used for what. They decide when to eat, what they’re going to eat, how they’re going to cook it. When they raised children, they determined when the children would go place, where they attended school, and so on. If you are in their “house” you are under their authority.

Hebrews 3:4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.

Though men build the “house”, GOD builds ALL THINGS. God built the men that built the “house”. God provides the materials that make the “house”. The “house” is the place you live and have authority. It is not a hotel, but a house. When Sherry and I go to see our grandchildren, we stay at my son’s house. We’re comfortable there – of a sort. But we’re not at our house. If I need a drinking glass, I look in his cabinet to get one – but it doesn’t feel right. We stay in the room that the owner of the “house” puts us in.

Moses Built The House As A SERVANT

Moses was raised up by God to lead His Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land of Canaan. Egypt was a land of bondage, dominated by false gods and huge tombstones called pyramids. The Lord did not want His Israel to stay bound in a land of death and destruction, slavery and destitution. God wanted to raise His people up. He wanted to save whoever would follow Him and lead them from death and unto life.

Where did Moses come from? Israel was enslaved by Egypt, a fulfillment of a prophecy God gave to Abraham, the Father of faith:

Genesis 15:13-14 … your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

Moses was the son of Jochebed, a Hebrew, the wife of Amram. They were living in slavery, and the child was supposed to be drowned in the Nile river. His sister Miriam put her brother in a basket, and floated him down the Nile. He was discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter, who named him “Moses” (mōšê, pronounced mo-sheh’), meaning “drawn out of the water”. (Exodus 2:10). Though Moses was a slave, he was raised in the household of the King, the child of the princess.

Moses was not born into the House of Pharaoh, but was adopted by the princess. Moses was born into the House of Israel. Appearing to be royalty, he was a slave.

Hebrews 3:5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant (therapōn, a God called servant), for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;

Raised in the House of Pharaoh, when Moses discovered he was actually a Hebrew, he killed a Egyptian Taskmaster (Exodus 2:12). Moses broke the Law of Egypt, but he also broke the Law of God. God told us all:

Genesis 9:6 (ESV) Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

Moses knew his action was both unlawful and sinful, for he tried to hide the man he murdered in the sand. But Moses was seen, and he fled into the wilderness for forty years. Marrying and raising a family, Moses shepherded the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. As Moses “led his flock to the west side of the wilderness of Midian, near Horeb the Mountain of God”. It was at Horeb, also called Mount Sinai, that God called Moses to serve Him from a burning bush (Exodus 3:6). As God called this man’s name, He said:

“I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”

But God did not say to Moses, “I am YOUR God”. Moses was a lost man. He was a fugitive from justice, a murderer. But God in Grace called Moses to salvation and to service. Moses was to go to Israel, to free Israel from the House of Pharaoh. Moses’ struggled with God’s call, saying:

Exodus 4:10 “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent”
Exodus 4:13 “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”

Moses was not worthy – but God never calls the worthy. Moses could not serve God in Midian. He had to go to Egypt for God. Israel could not glorify God, nor be His House, while it was part of the House of Pharaoh. Israel had to follow Moses out of Egypt. God tells His people:

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (ESV) Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

The House of Moses was to leave the House of Pharaoh. The House of Moses would bind with the House of God. God built Israel as His House, and Moses was faithful as a servant in his house.

Through the House of Moses, God brought forth the Law of God. He brought forth the Feasts and the Ceremonies, the Sacrifices and the Priesthood. Moses was faithful in building that House:

Hebrews 3:5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;

Moses wrote the first Five Books of Scripture, called the Books of the Law or Torah. What Moses wrote, he faithfully wrote. God said of Moses in:

Numbers 12:6-8 (ESV) … If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord.

God spoke to Moses face to face, mouth to mouth, clearly. Moses was faithful IN ALL GOD’S HOUSE. Saved by Grace, and ex-murderer, Moses was faithful to what God called him to do. But that which was given to Moses was “a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after”. The House of Moses introduced the coming House of Christ. When our Lord Jesus spoke of Moses to the Pharisees, He said:

John 5:45-47 (ESV) Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?

When God established the House of Moses, it was an introduction to a greater House, the House of Christ. We are later told in Hebrews 10:1, “the LAW WAS BUT A SHADOW of the GOOD THINGS TO COME”. The animal sacrifices were a shadow that foretold the death of Christ on the Cross for our sins. The Feasts were a shadow of the joy we who know Christ have in our hearts every day. The Priesthood was a shadow of the Priesthood of the Believer, where Christ is our High Priest, and we all have access to God.

Jesus Is Building His House As A SON

Hebrews 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Moses was a SERVANT over his house, over God’s House. He was a faithful servant, but Moses is just like us all:

“There is none righteous, no, not one. “ (Romans 3:10).

Not me. Not you. Not Moses. Not Paul the Apostle, nor Peter. No naturally born human is born flawless and without sin. But Jesus IS A SON OVER HIS OWN HOUSE. Not a servant, but a Son.

Moses the faithful servant was a SINNER, but Jesus is SINLESS. Pastor Nick Batzig wrote:

“Job declared that man is “abominable and corrupt,” one who “drinks injustice like water” (Job 15:16). Solomon acknowledged, “there is no one who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46). The apostle John warned, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” and “make Him a liar” (1 John 1:8, 10). The apostle Paul summed it all up when he said, “none is righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10). Yet, when the Son of God took to Himself a human nature, a sinless man entered into time and space.”

The Scripture says that Jesus is our High Priest,

Hebrews 7:26 (ESV) … holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

Moses was flawed with sin, but Jesus COULD NOT BE a sinner. Under the House of Moses, animals were frequently sacrificed to cover or “atone for” sin. But in the House of Christ Jesus HIMSELF, as a LAMB WITHOUT SPOT OR BLEMISH (1 Peter 1:19) paid for our sins. Whereas under the House of Moses people took lambs to the Priests to be sacrificed, under the House of Christ the Father sent the Son to be judged in our place.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) For our sake {the Father} made {Jesus} to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, and Moses came calling Israel to be part of his house. Moses was called by Grace, and knew his work foreshadowed that which Christ would do. Jesus calls to everyone who will hear:

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. {29} Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. {30} For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Jesus calls us into His House. But we are not called as SERVANTS, but as SONS. Go back to the beginning:

Hebrews 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Word Study: If you have been saved by faith in Christ – if you have heard His call and answered Him by faith – then you are “holy brethren”.

People misunderstand the word “HOLY”, the Greek hágios, {pronounced hag’-ee-os}, means “sacred, set apart for God’s Kingdom, consecrated – a saint”. Every believer in Christ has been “born again of the Spirit” (John 3:7). Because Christ paid the penalty of your sin, His righteousness is imputed to you. You are “made the righteousness of God” because of Jesus. You are to live within the House of Christ, devoted to Him. He is a Son, but you are sons of God because of Jesus! We as members of Christ’s House are to be:

Philippians 2:15 … blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

We who were bound to the House of Satan have been freed from sin and death by Jesus. The Scripture says:

1 John 3:1-2 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Moses was a servant. Jesus is a Son. And He, the Son of God, made us sons of God. We are …

1 Peter 1:23 … Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.

We as God’s people do not live in Egypt, in the world, subject to its whims and foolishness. We are dead to sins so that we can live in the House of Christ.

1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

By His Blood we who believe have been set free. His Blood, poured out on Calvary, satisfied the eternal offenses that stood between us and God – blessed be the Name of the Lord forever! We are told that:

John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

It is God’s desire that all might be saved. Yet whether you are saved or not depends on whether you believe on Him or not. The Scripture goes on to say:

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Though the Bible tells us that Christ Jesus came to this earth to suffer and die for sinners, the Bible is also careful to tell us that we must believe in Him and Him alone or we remain condemned. The saved do not have a hope so salvation, we have a know so salvation Just as Israel followed God out of Egypt, we who believe follow God out of this world. We repent of our sins, turning away from the ways we used to go. We follow Jesus, believing in Him, trusting Him, loving what He loved and hating what He hates.

The Christian Way of life begins by surrendering to Him in Whom is all life.

All to Jesus, I surrender,
All to Him I freely give,
I will ever love and trust Him,
In HIS PRESENCE daily live!

Hebrews 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

We are

partakers of the heavenly calling

Word Study: “partakers” is the Greek metochos (pronounced met’-okh-os), which means “partners together with God”. We are “holy partners”, set apart to glorify God. If you are saved, you belong to the House of Christ. If you are going to succeed and win this land for God, then you will only do so as a partner with the House of Christ. Listen Beloved: your success or failure as a local Church is conditioned on whether or not you heed the One Who leads you. Look at verse 6:

Hebrews 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Did you notice that? Whose House are we – we are the House of Christ – IF WE HOLD FAST. What do we hold fast? The confidence and rejoicing of the hope.

The House of Christ is designed by God to triumph in this land by leading others to Jesus. We are called to take the land for God. But we must continue to follow the One Whose House this is. Israel refused to follow Moses – God’s representative – and though Israel was saved from Egypt she died wailing in the desert. Too many professing Christians believe that they can ignore the Lord now that they have been saved. How foolish is such a concept! Israel was saved to serve the Lord Who rescued them. You are saved so that you can serve the Living God!

God is able. Follow Him. Look unto Jesus. He is our Apostle, our Lord, as well as our High Priest. Consider Him, and do as He tells you. If you do not know Him as Savior and Lord, turn to Jesus this very day. Enter His House, and obey His Word. May God touch your hearts with His Word. May God the Holy Spirit pierce the hardened heart. Amen. Amen and Amen.

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The Fear Of The Lord: Proverbs 1:1-7

Posted on March 15, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Sebastian Arie Voortman: https://www.pexels.com/photo/body-of-water-during-golden-hour-189349/

Proverbs 1:1-7 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; 2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; 4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. 5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: 6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Introduction To Proverbs

We’re starting our study through the Book of Proverbs. The Book starts with:

Proverbs 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel …

Word Study: First of all, what is a “Proverb”? The word “Proverb” is the Hebrew māšāl (pronounced maw-shawl’) which means “a parable, a concise or forceful observation that contains a general truth”. Some of our modern proverbs would be like:

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
A penny saved is a penny earned.
Actions speak louder than words.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
You can’t unring a bell.
Many hands make light work.
Strike while the iron is hot.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
Life is just a bowl of cherries. With it you get the pits.

These are all man-made proverbs. The proverbs found in the Book of Proverbs are GOD MADE proverbs. Though the Book starts with:

The proverbs of Solomon

Solomon himself had a God-given wisdom.

When he was first called by God to lead Israel as King, Solomon honored God by offering a thousand sacrifices on the altar (1 Kings 3:4). That night, God came to Solomon in a dream. God asked Solomon:

Whatever you ask Me for, I will give it to you.

God gave Solomon a blank check. If God gave you a blank check, what would you ask for? I’d be tempted to ask for immeasurable riches, or fame, or immense power. There was a song years ago that said “Everybody wants to rule the world”. What would Solomon ask for? Solomon told God:

1 Kings 3:7-9 (ESV) … O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?

Solomon did not ask for riches or fame, but for the wisdom to serve His God as King of Israel. Solomon showed fear of the Lord.

Our Lord Jesus told us:

Matthew 6:31-33 (NKJV) … do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Fear of the Lord is to put God first, to glorify Him first. Fear of the Lord is to listen to and DO as God says. Proverbs teaches fear of the Lord.

God said “Put Me first. Put My concerns and My Kingdom and My glory FIRST, not last. If you do this, then I will take care of your physical needs”. This is fear of the Lord. This is what Solomon did. As David’s son, he was next in line by birth to be King. But Solomon did not see his kingship as a birthright, but a privilege. As he prayerfully looked over what his calling entailed, Solomon realized he was incapable of ruling Israel in a way that would glorify God. So Solomon asked God to give him wisdom to do what he was called to do.

And God complied.

God said (1 Kings 3:11-13, ESV) “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise (ḥāḵām, pronounced khaw-kawm’, skilful, shrewd, learned, cunning, wily) and discerning (bîn, pronounced bene, understanding, prudent, that which perceives) mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.”

In short, God made Solomon’s mind the most wise, the most thoughtful, the most able of any other person who lived on the face of the earth. Solomon had a supernatural wisdom. The Bible says:

1 Kings 4:29-34 (ESV) … God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, 30 so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. 33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. 34 And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.

When you exercise fear of the Lord, God will give you a long and blessed life.

God told Solomon:

(1 Kings 3:14, ESV) And IF you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.

If Solomon walked with God, the Author of Life, then God would give Solomon a long life. The Bible says that “The wages of sin is DEATH” (Romans 6:23). God gave Solomon immeasurable wisdom – but it was up to Solomon to follow the wisdom that God gave him, or else pay the consequences.

The Proverbs of Solomon are God given

Some of the Proverbs in this Book were written by Solomon during his lifetime. After Solomon died, chapters 25-29 were added by the scribes of King Hezekiah 254 years later:

Proverbs 25:1 These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out (ʿāṯaq, transcribed).

These were proverbs known to have been said by Solomon, but for whatever reason were not added to the text of Scripture until then. However, not all of the Proverbs are from Solomon. One chapter of Proverbs – chapter 30 is the Proverbs of Agur.

Proverbs 30:1 (KJV) The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal …

We know little about Agur other than what is read in the Proverb. One commentary notes:

“Agur was writing “to Ithiel and Ucal” (NAS); these men could have been disciples or friends of Agur, although some Bibles translate the meaning of the two names with the assumption that they do not refer to actual people. Most commentators believe Agur lived in the same era as Solomon.”

The last chapter of proverbs was written by King Lemuel:

Proverbs 31:1 The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

We know little about King Lemuel, though his name means “devoted to God”. My commentary notes:

“… we know that Lemuel was a king, he had a wise mother, and he wrote some poetry. Many commentators have surmised that Lemuel is actually King Solomon—in which case the mother would be Bathsheba. It could be that Lemuel was a pet name for Solomon, used by his mother in tender address, and that Solomon wrote down her advice in the manner she would have expressed it. Another theory is that Lemuel is actually King Hezekiah. A third theory is that Lemuel and his mother are fictional characters created by Solomon as a picture of an ideal king and queen mother.”

All of the Proverbs were considered the Word of God by the Jews, who were keepers of the Scripture. My Jewish Commentary notes:

“The Book of Proverbs is the second book in the Ketuvim (or Writings), the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). The full Hebrew title is Mishlei Shlomo, or The Proverbs of Solomon, a reference to King Solomon, who, according to Jewish tradition, is the author of Mishlei. … Proverbs offers statements about how to conduct one’s life wisely. While the book does not offer a systematic presentation of specific doctrinal principles, Israelite or otherwise, Proverbs does convey a clear view of reward and punishment connected directly to God. Chapter 1, verse 7 sets the tone: “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.””

Fear Of The Lord Defined In Proverbs

The phrase “The Fear of the Lord” is mention fourteen times in the Book of Proverbs. That’s amazing, because the phrase is only found sixteen times in the rest of the Bible.

The Book of Proverbs is therefore focused on teaching us how important it is to fear God, and what it means to fear God. Because Solomon feared God, and put a priority on glorifying Him in all that he did as King, God gave Solomon riches and worldwide fame. Solomon put God first, so God made Solomon first.

Fear of the Lord is to respect and honor God ABOVE YOURSELF.

Proverbs 1:2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; 4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

Let’s break this down:

To know wisdom and instruction

It is not enough to “know wisdom”. You can KNOW (Hebrew yāḏaʿ) WISDOM (Hebrew ḥāḵmâ, pronounced khok-maw’), but you also have to have with that knowledge “instruction”, the Hebrew mûsār (pronounced moo-sawr’) meaning “chastisement, discipline, correction”. You can know the right thing to do, but not do it – and it doesn’t benefit you at all. Wisdom is when God tells you the direction to take – then physically disciplines or corrects you when you don’t take the way prescribed. The Prophet Job said:

Job 5:17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening – mûsār (pronounced moo-sawr’) of the Almighty:

Illustrate: I heard a preacher just this week refer to a Jerry Clower story he heard. He said Jerry came in after a long day in the field, sat on his front porch, and tried to relax. About that time his neighbor’s hound dog began to wail. The dog wailed and wailed, over and over, and Jerry got upset. He got up from his porch, walked to his neighbor’s farm, and asked him “Why don’t you do something about that dog wailing? He about to drive me crazy”. The neighbor said, “He’s wailing because where he’s sitting on the porch, there’s a nail poking up, and the nail is poking him. When he gets tired of being poked, he’ll get up and move to another place.”

A lot of people are like that old hound dog. God tells them where a nail is poking up, and warns them against sitting on it. They sit anyway.

They hear the warning – the wisdom of God – but reject the leading and discipline of God. Then they moan and moan, suffering more and more, until they repent and get up and move away from what God forbade. When you do what God says do, this is to RECEIVE it – mentioned in the next verse.

Proverbs 1:3 To RECEIVE the INSTRUCTION mûsār (pronounced moo-sawr’) of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

You RECEIVE THE DISCIPLINE of God when you hear what He says and, in respect for God Who knows best, DO what God says. Wisdom not received is useless. When Jesus came through Samaria, the Samaritans rejected Christ:

Luke 9:53 … they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.

They knew Who Jesus was, but refused to RECEIVE Him as Lord and Savior. Many people know Who Jesus is, and will one day end up in hell. Why? Because of that word RECEIVE. The Bible says:

John 1:11-12 {Jesus} came unto His own, and His own {the Jews} received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

To RECEIVE – a technical term in Soteriology (the study of Salvation) – is to not just hear but to SURRENDER to, to acquiesce, to agree with and live by.

The step brother of Christ wrote:

James 1:21-25 (ESV) put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

A lot of people know what the Bible says, but have no fear of God. They do not DO what God says. To DO is to RECEIVE, to RECEIVE is to DO. The Christian not only HEARS, but DOES what God says. To hear and not DO, not RECEIVE, is to waste your time. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV) Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

You can have wisdom, but do nothing with it, and it will not do you any good at all. As we come to these Proverbs, God expects action from what we hear.

Proverbs 1:5-6 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain (Hebrew qānâ, pronounced kaw-naw’, means “to make one’s own, to possess as owner”) unto wise counsels: 6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

Those who would be wise like Solomon are encouraged to LISTEN and then APPLY what is heard to their lives. Solomon warns that what we will read as we go through Proverbs will not necessarily be pleasant. This is one of the problems with American Consumer Christianity.

If it is PLEASING, if it AFFIRMS me, then I will absorb it. But if it is DARK, unpleasant, something I don’t want to do, I will reject it. This is NOT fear of the Lord.

the words of the wise, and their dark sayings

Word Study: The phrase “dark sayings” is the Hebrew ḥîḏâ (pronounced khee-daw’), which means “perplexing or difficult questions, riddles”. Some of the Proverbs may be uncomfortable. Some of the Proverbs may hurt our feelings. However, regardless as to whether the Proverb gives you a “Joel Osteen Happiness” or bring “John MacArthur Heaviness”, we must, if we would be wise, ask ourselves …

What does God want me to do with this information?
How can I put this at work in my life?

The Proverbs are not given to entertain, but to make us more like Christ, more like children of God. We will put His Word into action in our lives.

There Are Two General Types Of People: Those Who FEAR The Lord, And Those Who Are FOOLS

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

God’s children want to glorify God in their lives. We want to magnify Jesus. But “fools” hear the Word of God, but refuse to put it into practice. Who are “fools”? They are generally the lost, the people destined to go to hell for all eternity, for they will not repent and turn. The word “fool” is the Hebrew ĕvîl (pronounced ev-eel’), and is used in Scripture for those who care nothing for God. We are told:

Proverbs 14:9 FOOLS {ĕvîl (pronounced ev-eel’)} make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favor.

Proverbs 12:15 The way of a FOOL {ĕvîl (pronounced ev-eel’)} is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

The “FOOL” {ĕvîl (pronounced ev-eel’)}) rejects the concept of sin, and choose his or her own way above the directive of God. This type of fool may not be as bad as the “FOOL (nāḇāl, pronounced naw-bawl’) who has said in his heart, ‘there is NO GOD’ (Psalm 14:1; Psaalm 53:1). But whether nāḇāl or ĕvîl, neither person honors God in their lives. Both type of “fool” has chosen glory of self over glory to God.

They are treading a dangerous path. You are treading a dangerous path if you are not hearing and RECEIVING what God has said in His Word. May God move you to do so this very day. Amen and Amen.

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The Danger Of Drifting And Not Walking With Jesus: Hebrews 2:1-4

Posted on March 10, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by James Wheeler: https://www.pexels.com/photo/foot-prints-in-gray-sand-1522285/

Hebrews 2:1-4 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. 2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; 3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

Opening: I often order items through companies like Amazon or Walmart, because I can’t find what I want locally. It saves a lot of gas and running around, especially when I’m looking for something like an “UHB to Ethernet Adapter”. I may have to pay shipping, but I can find exactly what I want and have it delivered. Most of the time. There are times when what I ordered is late coming in, and I get a little nervous if it was delivered to the wrong address. Thank goodness that the UPS Driver always takes a picture of what he delivered when he delivered it, so I can find it.

If you weren’t at Church when I presented this, you can’t see the confusing, blurred, indecipherable image that UPS sent to my email. Take my word for it, I couldn’t tell (ane neither could you) where the package was delivered, nor even if it was dropped off on Planet Earth.

Are You Walking With Purpose Or Are You Drifting?

Word Study: In Chapter One the Lord emphasizes that Jesus is God’s only Christ, the Only Messiah. As we enter Chapter Two the Word of God uses the word THEREFORE, which is two words in the Greek dia touto, a prepositional phrase which means “on account of this”.

Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

In Chapter One of Hebrews we were given no commands, but God put the spotlight on Jesus. God told us:

God spoke to humanity through His Son (vs 1-2)
God’s Son created and upholds all things (vs 2-3)
God’s Son is greater than the Angels (vs 5-7)
God’s Son is God, enthroned in Heaven (vs 8-9)
God’s Son never changes but is eternal (vs 10-12)

God’s Son sits on the right hand of the Father (13)

As God’s Son Jesus is the center of all power and prestige with the Father, dia touto – “on account of this” we are told:

Hebrews 2:1 … we ought TO GIVE THE MORE EARNEST HEED to the things we have heard …

We are given our first command in Hebrews. As all that was said in Chapter One established Jesus as the center of God we are called to FOCUS on what was said … continue reading:

Hebrews 2:1 … lest at any time we should let them slip.

Word Study:The words “let them slip” is the Greek pararrhyéō, {pronounced par-ar-hroo-eh’-o}, a NAUTICAL term which means “to flow past, to glide by you, to drift away”. Most of the other translations use “drift away” (NKJV, NIV, ESV, CSB, NASB 95 & 20, LSB, NET, RSV, ASV, NLT, AMP). Again, this is a nautical term. It’s only used here in the New Testament, but is used in ancient literature for what happens when someone doesn’t properly tie up their boat.

I love watching these Discovery Channel shows about people who live in harsh climates like Alaska. In one show a man had come in with his large fishing boat, but he neglected to properly tie it to the dock. A storm came that night, and the boat was taken by the wind and the current. The next day he came out to find his boat was gone. He had a smaller bass boat that he took out, trying to find his fishing boat. When he found it it was wrecked, up on the shore. It was badly damaged, and would end up costing him thousands of dollars to repair it to make it sea worthy once more.

How does your boat get adrift? How does your life drift and find itself destroyed in the storms of this world? How did you get to that point?

You failed to tie your line to a proper anchor. You tethered yourself to the wrong thing, or failed to tether yourself to the right anchor.

The Bible tells us in Hebrews 6:19-20, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf..”

The place we need to be tied to – the anchor of our soul – MUST be JESUS. The devil and the world is CONSTANTLY seeking to get us to tie ourselves to the wrong anchor. For instance, one thing I often hear is,

“Follow your HEART”

This is foolish. If the anchor of your soul is your heart, you have anchored yourself to a crumbling structure. The Bible says

Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV) The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

What did Jesus say about the HEART? He told us that the source of all that is evil is the unregenerate heart. Jesus said:

Mark 7:21-22 … from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.

The heart is not a good thing to anchor to. Jesus told us to anchor our hearts to God. He said in Matthew 22:37, “Love the Lord your God WITH ALL YOUR HEART”. The Bible says:

Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

We are to anchor ourselves to God, to Jesus Christ, not to our hearts. Our confidence must be outside of our feelings and desires. Jeremiah 17:7 says, “Blessed is the one who TRUSTS IN THE LORD, WHOSE CONFIDENCE IS IN HIM”. God knows what’s best for us in every situation. Tie the boat of your life not to your heart, not to your feelings, but to what God has said and has done. Give your heart to Jesus. Trust only in Him. He can keep your life anchored.

Another foolishness to anchor to is false truth. I often hear people say today,

“Live your OWN TRUTH”

Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson is the father of this philosophy. He said, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment”. This is why people are trying to re-envision pronouns and human sexuality. God never said to “Live your own truth”. Jesus said:

John 17:17 … God’s WORD (the Bible) IS TRUTH

Ever since Adam ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, we as humans have tried to establish what WE think as truth. To this, Jesus says NO! Jesus said:

John 14:6 (ESV) … I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

“Jesus is the POWER of God and the WISDOM of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). We as believers WALK with Jesus. He is the WAY, the Path that God would have us walk. We define right and wrong by Jesus. Jesus is THE TRUTH. He is not A TRUTH, but THE TRUTH. Finally, Jesus is THE LIFE. This is how God wants His Children to live. We live as Jesus says. When we define our own truth, we are adrift, hopelessly carried by the currents of this life.

Illustration: Many years ago Napoleon’s Army was marching through a desert. As the way got harder and the water ran out, at one point a soldier thought he saw a lake in front of them. Yelling “water”, he started running toward it, but after a few minutes it became apparent it was just a mirage. As Pastor George Truett once said, “Human life without God is, at best, a mirage”. We must be anchored in Christ.

How Shall We Escape …

Hebrews 2:2-3 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; 3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?…

Jesus is the only Anchor that is sure and steadfast. Now the Scripture asks us all a very good question. I love the questions of the Scripture, as they make us all think. The first question in the Bible was made by God. He asked it of Adam and Eve, but He asks us the same question today:

Genesis 3:9 … Where ARE you?

Other great questions:

Job 14:14 … if a person die, shall he live again?

Job 25:4 … Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean thing? How can he who is born of woman be pure?

Acts 16:30 … What must I do to be saved?

Matthew 16:26 … What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?
What will a person give in return for his soul?

Before God asks us this Great Question, He states:

For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward

God gave His Old Testament WORD, the Scripture, “by angels”. The Word that God gave was steadfast and true. The Bible tells us in:

Jude 5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

We are told “every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense”. God made promises, and directed His Old Testament believers to trust Him, to anchor their hope on Him. When Israel refused to do this – though God had saved them – when they disobeyed they “received a just recompense”. God did right by His people, and God kept His Word. But Israel drifted. They tied their faith to the wrong thing. They tied their lives to the wrong anchor. They did not obey the Lord, and “received a just recompense”. The Bible says:

Hebrews 11:6 … without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Israel refused to follow God when God said. That generation of Israel died out in the wilderness, wandering about for forty years. Why? Because God said to go. To live tethered to Him. The questions we need to be asking ourselves AS CHRIST’S CHURCH is:

Are we listening to Jesus?
Are we here worshiping Jesus?
Is our motivation to glorify Jesus?
Are we pleasing our God?
Where are our lives anchored?

God gave Israel a great salvation, then Israel began to drift away from God. Every time things got tough, Israel murmured against God. They said:

Exodus 16:3 … Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

They drifted, because they were not tied to Jesus, but to Egypt. They were tied to their old life, their old ways. In the end, they lost all blessing. In the end, they lost the Promised Land. Pastor John Piper said:

“The life of this world is not a lake. It is a river. It is flowing downward to destruction. If you do not listen earnestly to Jesus … you will go backward. You will float by… {you will drift}”

The early Church grew by leaps and bounds because it tethered itself not to the world, but to Jesus and His Teachings. The Bible says:

Acts 2:42 (NKJV) {the Church} CONTINUED STEADFASTLY in the Apostle’s doctrine …

Acts 2:44 (NKJV) Now ALL WHO BELIEVED WERE TOGETHER, and had all things in common …

Acts 2:47 (NKJV) … PRAISING God

The Church and the Christian was firmly anchored to Jesus Christ. Focused on loving and serving God the Son, the Church enjoyed the promise of God:

Psalm 121:1-3 (NKJV) I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.

The Christian is a Christian indeed, born again of God’s Spirit, when he or she ties their hope and trust entirely to Christ.

Pastor Sam Storms wrote:

“One of the unmistakable signs that you are a true Child of God, born again and justified by faith … is that if you are drifting, you won’t continue in it for long … You will sense a desire to turn your eyes and ears and hearts back upon Jesus, and be attentive and devoted to Who He is and what He says and all that He has done”

It is as Jesus said – “you shall know them by their fruit” (Matthew 7:16), and “by this shall all know you are My disciples, that you love one another” (John 13:35).

God Has Offered Us A GREAT Salvation. What Will You Do With It?

Hebrews 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?…

There is NO ESCAPE if we neglect the great salvation God offers to us through Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 3:1 … consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Hebrews 12:2 … Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith

If we neglect Jesus, the alternative is not good. If we anchor ourselves on ourselves and not Christ, we have no escape from the judgment of God. But if we cast ourselves on Christ, it is a GREAT Salvation for GREAT sinners. Salvation in Christ is great because IT IS ABLE.

Hebrews 7:24-25 (NKJV) But {Jesus}, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Illustrate: Jesus saves to the uttermost. Who? “Those who come to God through Him”. There is a beautiful picture that illustrates this in the Old Testament in 2 Kings 7. The Syrian Army has encamped outside of the Gates of Samaria, and four lepers are at the gates of the city. The lepers are starving to death. The lepers begin to discuss their predicament:

2 Kings 7:3-4 (NKJV) … “Why are we sitting here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die.”

The lepers were in a hopeless and helpless situation. They could sit there till they died – for the city was in famine – or they could go to the Syrian Camp. They got up, went to the camp, and found that God had already defeated the Syrians. They went into the camp, and ate and drank – and carried away silver and gold and clothing – all by the Grace of God. They were not blessed because of their abilities, but because of God’s Grace.

Beloved, why do you sit there until you die? God has defeated the enemy, Satan and Death. He has given us a GREAT SALVATION. Why do you sit there until you die. You are leprous with sin. You are GREAT SINNERS. Jesus is a GREAT SAVIOR. The Apostles preached:

Acts 16:31 … BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ, and YOU WILL BE SAVED, you and your household ..

Untie yourself from any anchor but Christ and His Word. Tie yourselves to Him. Trust fully in what He has said. Jesus is able.

Jesus is not only ABLE to Save, He is AVAILABLE to Save.

Jesus did not come to this earth to save those who believe themselves righteous, but SINNERS. As “There are NONE RIGHTEOUS, no, NOT ONE” and “ALL have sinned, and FALL SHORT of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10, 23) God makes salvation available to all. But Beloved, YOU MUST CONFESS YOURSELF A SINNER (1 John 1:9). Confessing yourself a sinner, YOU MUST REPENT. You cannot be saved if your faith is tied to a godless anchor. As the Apostle Paul preached in Athens at the altar of the unknown god:

Acts 17:29-31 … (ESV) we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.

God is ABLE to save a person. Salvation is AVAILABLE to whosoever will. But God commands that we “repent”, knowing that there is a judgment day coming. No one will escape that judgment day if they neglect this GREAT SALVATION offered through Jesus Christ. God hates sin. But He has covered sin by the Blood of Christ. He offers complete salvation by the resurrection of Christ. He offers continuing salvation through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The Unanswerable Question

Hebrews 2:3-4 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

There will come a day when we will all stand before God. We will give an account for our lives. When you stand before Him, and have neglected this Great Salvation offered in Christ, what will you say? A certain Welsh minister closed with this:

“Friends, I have a question to ask. I cannot answer it. You cannot answer it. If an angel from heaven were here, he could not answer it. And if a devil from hell was here, he could not answer it. The question is this?

How shall we escape is we neglect so great salvation?”

There is no escape but Christ. There is no anchor but Christ. There is no Way to live but Christ. The parameters to get into Heaven is PERFECTION. We ourselves are imperfect, but Jesus is perfect. We will all be judged before God one day. If we are imperfect, we will go to hell. But God has given us GREAT SINNERS a GREAT SALVATION in Christ. When we repent, and give our lives to Him, He stands in our place of judgment. There is no escape from damnation apart from faith in Christ Jesus. Then from the point of salvation:

TRUTH is what God says is true.
SIN is what God says is sin.
FAMILY is whatever God says is family.
SALVATION is whatever God says salvation is.
HEAVEN is whatever God says Heaven is.
HELL is whatever God says hell is.
GOD is the sole Definer and Determiner of all truth.
GOD is the highest Arbitrator of all truth.
GOD is the Judge of all that is true and what is not true.
And GOD will judge us by our relationship to JESUS CHRIST.
(taken from a sermon by Dr. Steven J. Lawson)

May God move on your hearts today. Do not sit there until you die. Choose to give yourselves to Jesus Christ by faith, and trust in Him for both temporal and eternal life. Holy Spirit, make it so. Amen and Amen.

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The Tenth Commandment: You Shall Not Covet

Posted on March 8, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Michael Steinberg: https://www.pexels.com/photo/gold-bars-366551/

The last nine weeks we have studied a commandment a week. Tonight we come to the Tenth and final of the Ten Commandments:

Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not COVET thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.

When God gave the Tenth Commandment, He was very specific. The believer is not to “covet” (Hebrew ḥāmaḏ, pronounced khaw-mad’) that which God has given to another. God said:

“You shall not DESIRE your neighbor’s WIFE (or husband)”

This leads to adultery.

“You shall not DESIRE your neighbor’s employees”

This harms another’s business.

“You shall not DESIRE your neighbors vehicles”

Appreciate the tractor or car God has given you.

“You shall not DESIRE anything of your neighbors”

This leads to theft.

It is not wrong to desire. God created us with desire – but we are to desire the proper thing.

We Are To Desire – And Cherish – What God Has Given Us

God created us with desires. When God created the Garden in Eden the Bible says:

Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is PLEASANT (TO BE COVETED, Hebrew ḥāmaḏ, pronounced khaw-mad’) to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Word Study: God made things PLEASANT, ḥāmaḏ, right after He made man (Genesis 2:7). God made us with desires, then built a Garden to put us in that would satisfy our desires. Humans are called to cherish what God gave us – but not what God forbade us. To cherish the wrong thing is to commit IDOLATRY, as we are told in:

Ephesians 5:5 (ESV) For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

What led to the first sin, the sin that caused the fall of humanity? It was when Adam and Eve, LISTENING TO THE DEVIL, began to ḥāmaḏ or COVET that which God said was forbidden. The Bible says:

Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be DESIRED (COVET, Hebrew ḥāmaḏ, pronounced khaw-mad’) to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Coveting leads to sinful behavior. James warned the Christian:

James 4:1-4 (ESV) What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Coveting anything other than the GLORY OF GOD leads to war and infighting. If we will seek God with our desires, wanting what He wants us to have, then we would be blessed. Israel never fully settled the Promised Land because they never put God first. Whereas Jesus told His Church to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33), God told His Old Testament Israel to put Him first. If Israel would covet God’s glory first, then God promised:

Exodus 34:24 … I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man DESIRE (COVET, Hebrew ḥāmaḏ, pronounced khaw-mad’) thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.

God said “Covet ME first. Desire only what I GIVE you. If you do so, I will protect what is yours. If not, you will lose your blessings”.

Why did the first generation of Israel lose the blessings of Canaan, dying over 40 years in the wilderness? It was because they were never satisfied with what God gave them. They never thanked God for the blessings of His salvation. Anytime the life they were living got slightly uncomfortable, they began to moan, and to accuse their leadership and God Himself of hating them. When God sent the twelve spies into the Promised Land, they came out knowing it was “a land of milk and honey” (Exodus 3:5, 8) just as God promised them. Yet they complained because there were giants in the land. They complained that when God saved them, that He brought them out of Egypt, out of a land of milk and honey (Numbers 16:13-14). Israel did not count their blessings, but began to curse God and the leadership.

Exodus 17:3 … the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

They continued down this pathway until they brought the wrath of God on themselves. The Bible says:

Numbers 14:2-4, 27-38 (ESV) all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” … {God replies} …. 27 I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. 28 Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: 29 your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, 30 not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected. 32 But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’ 35 I, the LORD, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.” 36 And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land— 37 the men who brought up a bad report of the land—died by plague before the LORD. 38 Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive.

God Is Serious About His People Controlling Their Desires

The first generation of Israel died in the wilderness because of coveting, which is idolatrousness. When God sent the second generation of Israel into the land, God told His people that when they went into the Land of Canaan, they were to never bring the cursed thing into their homes. What was “the CURSED thing?” It was the idols of the Canaanites.

The Canaanite false gods were created from stone or wood, and adorned with gold, silver, and precious stones. When Israel conquered a city they were to DESTROY, not covet the CURSED THINGS, but utterly destroy them.

God warned in Deuteronomy 7:25-26 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not DESIRE (COVET, Hebrew ḥāmaḏ, pronounced khaw-mad’) the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God. 26 Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.

The “cursed thing” was anything that you COVETED above your love for God and His glory. The “CURSED THING” is an idol hidden among the people of God. Once Israel settled the Promised Land, if any city of Israel departed from loving God, and started COVETING anything more than God, then the Lord said:

Deuteronomy 13:15-17 Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword. 16 And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again. 17 And there shall cleave naught of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers;

As the second generation of Israel moved into the Promised Land, led by Joshua and loving God, they defeated every enemy they came against. Israel coveted only God, and His glory.

Then Israel came to the City of Ai (pronounced EYE).

Unknown to Joshua and Israel as a nation, a man named Achan was with Israel as they marched around Jericho. He was there when the walls fell down (Joshua 6:20), and witnessed the salvation of Rahab and her family from the rubble. God knocked the walls of Jericho down. God gave Israel the victory. Their next stop was Ai (pronounced EYE). Jericho was an armed and walled city, impenetrable according to those who knew. Ai was, in comparison, a tent city. It wasn’t much of a challenge. When Joshua decided to attack Ai, he just sent three thousand (3000) men (Joshua 7:4). This was going to be a cakewalk. But it WASN’T.

Israel was easily repelled at Ai. When Joshua attacked Jericho, an armed fortress, he lost no one. At Ai, Joshua lost 36 men. Joshua fell down before the Lord, and began to pray:

Joshua 7:7-9 … Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! 8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

How did God answer Joshua? God told Joshua, “STOP PRAYING!”

Joshua 7:10-11 … Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 11 Israel hath sinned …

Quit praying. Quit crying out to Me. You have ALL sinned against Me. How did Joshua sin? Before Joshua attacked Ai, he didn’t pray and seek God’s counsel.

Joshua sent spies out, and presumed upon God. God was not being glorified. Joshua was over confident, and arrogant. Then when told “we don’t need the whole army”, Joshua sent just 3000 men without consulting God. Pastor Dave Miller writes:

“Where did this presumption come from? What had Israel done to defeat Jericho? One thing. One thing only. They obeyed. When God said march, they marched. And the walls came a-tumblin’ down. It was not Joshua’s leadership or Israel’s military prowess that won the battle. It was God’s power. But now, Israel was taking credit for what God had done. “A mighty army like ours, having just defeated Jericho, will find little challenge against Ai.” … Remember this: In the power of God, no enemy is too big. Greater is he that is in you… But in the power of self, no enemy is too small.”

Before Joshua could pray, he needed to REPENT. Israel needed to REPENT. God will hear our prayers, but will not bless us until we REPENT. Had Joshua sought God before Ai, then God would have told him sin is in the camp. God now tells Joshua:

Joshua 7:11-12 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. 12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

Joshua coveted and took the glory of God, presuming on God. He sinned. Israel presumed on God by attacking Ai without God’s blessing. They sinned. A citizen named Achan stole idolatrous items, and his them in his family’s tent. Achan sinned. When confronted, Achan confessed:

Joshua 7:20-21 … Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: 21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

The 200 shekels of silver is worth $52.97. The gold of 50 shekels weight is about 550 grams, or 19.4 ounces. This would be about $38,712 today. What Achan took was under $40,000 in value today – a year’s wages for a middle class worker. It cost him his life. It cost him his family. It cost him everything. God is serious about coveting what He has not given us. We need to run from it!

Love God – Don’t Be Like Satan

Christians are to be like Jesus, not like Satan. The Bible tells us that Satan is the original coveter. The Prophet said:

Isaiah 14:12-14 (NKJV) “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’

Satan – the fallen Angel originally named Lucifer or the Shining One – made five “I WILL” statements. He coveted Heaven, seeking to enter it as his own. Satan coveted the worship of the angels, to elevate himself high above his brethren. Satan wanted to rule the earth. But most importantly, Satan wanted to depose God, and assume the Throne of Heaven for himself.

Though Satan deceived Eve, and has stolen dominion of the world from Adam, he only led a third of the angels of Heaven in revolt against God. Satan could not assume God’s Throne, though he tried.

Christians, we should covet – but only the things that God wants us to covet. The Apostle tells us to “COVET earnestly the BEST GIFTS” (1 Corinthians 12:31), to “COVET the Kingdom of God”(Matthew 6:33). We are to trust God with our desires. I end with these words:

1 Timothy 6:7-8 (ESV) for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 (ESV) But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Greed and covetousness keeps us from the blessings God wants us to have. Let us be grateful for what the Lord has given us. Remember that “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35). May God bless the reading and preaching of His Word. Amen.

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The Ninth Commandment: Do Not Bear False Witness – Exodus 20:16

Posted on March 3, 2024 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Rodrigo Santos: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-holding-lighted-oil-lamp-1585584/

We’ve been working our way through the Ten Commandments. We’ve found out that the Ten Commandments are not just for the Old Testament, but that they apply today.

The FIRST Commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3), before the God of Scripture, was quoted by Jesus in

Matthew 4:10 (ESV) … You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve …

The SECOND Commandment, “You shall not make an idol to bow down to it” (Exodus 20:4-6) is found in:

1 John 5:21 (ESV) Little children, keep yourselves from idols …

The THIRD Commandment, “Do not take the name of God in vain” (Exodus 20:7) is in:

1 Timothy 6:1 (ESV) … the Name of God and the teaching may not be reviled

We found every commandment but ONE, the FOURTH Commandment, repeated in the New Testament. As Christians we realize some still keep the Sabbath, whereas others celebrate Christ on FIRST DAY, the day He rose from the grave. We are told in Romans 14:5-6 that we are not to judge one another on what day we celebrate the Lord. The Sabbath was a shadow (Colossians 2:16-17) that was fulfilled in Christ’s first coming.

As long as the believer sets one day aside to worship the Lord our God, whether Saturday or Sunday, we have fulfilled the FOURTH Commandment.

The first FOUR Commandments deal with our relationship with God, but the next SIX deal with our relationship to our fellow man. We are to honor our parents (5th Commandment, Exodus 20:12). We are not to murder (6th Commandment, Exodus 20:13). We are not to violate the sanctity of marriage (7th Commandment, Exodus 20:14). We are not to steal (8th Commandment, Exodus 20:15). Tonight we come to the NINTH Commandment:

Exodus 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

The Commandment Does NOT Say You Shall NOT LIE

The Ninth Commandment is often mis-stated as “You shall not lie”. That’s not what it says. It says, “You shall not lie ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBOR”. The Ninth Commandment is to humanity as the Third Commandment is to God. In the Third Commandment we are told:

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain
(Exodus 20:7)

One commentary notes:

“In the Old Testament, bringing dishonor on God’s name was done by failing to perform an oath or vow taken in His name (Leviticus 19:12). The man who used God’s name to legitimize his oath, and then broke his promise, would indicate his lack of reverence for God as well as a lack of fear of His holy retribution. It was essentially the same as denying God’s existence. … There is a larger sense in which people today take the Lord’s name in vain. Those who name the name of Christ, who pray in His name, and who take His name as part of their identity, but who deliberately and continually disobey His commands, are taking His name in vain. Jesus Christ has been given the name above all names, at which every knee shall bow (Philippians 2:9-10), and when we take the name “Christian” upon ourselves, we must do so with an understanding of all that signifies. If we profess to be Christians, but act, think, and speak in a worldly or profane manner, we take His name in vain. When we misrepresent Christ, either intentionally or through ignorance of the Christian faith as proclaimed in Scripture, we take the Lord’s name in vain.”

We take God’s Name in vain when we misrepresent Him. When we misrepresent our neighbor, bearing false witness against them, then we have violated the Ninth Commandment.

Though some say “Thou shalt not lie” is the Ninth Commandment, it is really “Thou shalt not lie ABOUT ANOTHER HUMAN”.

Though the Ninth Commandment does not say “Thou shalt not lie”, the Bible is very clear that we as Christians are to “speak the Truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). We are to be truth tellers, just as our God is. The Bible says in:

Proverbs 6:16-19 (ESV) There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, 19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

God hates “a lying tongue” as well as “a false witness who breathes out lies”. God says:

Proverbs 12:22 (ESV) Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.

Proverbs 13:5 (ESV) … The righteous hates falsehood …

And God’s standard within the Church is:

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

The lying tongue is a mark of the lost person. The WOKE crowd lies when it looks at a man, and say’s “that’s a woman”. No, that’s a lie. The WOKE crowd says “men can have babies”. No, that’s a lie. The WOKE crowd says “marriage is two consenting adults, regardless of their biological sex”. No, that’s a lie. The WOKE crowd says “sex is a cultural construct. You can determine your sex by how you feel.” No, this is a lie.

Lies belong to the lost, because the father of lies is Satan. Jesus told the Pharisees – who often slandered Him – that:

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

The Devil, that fallen Angel called Lucifer and Satan, is “a liar and the father of lies”. It is Satan that first lied in the Garden of Eden, telling Adam and Eve:

“If you eat of the forbidden tree, YOU WILL NOT SURELY DIE. God knows that the day you eat of this tree, your eyes will be opened, AND YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD HIMSELF, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5, AP)

Adam ignored the truth that God spoke (The Sum of Your Word is TRUTH, O Lord, and EVERY ONE of Your RIGHTEOUS RULES ENDURES FOREVER – Psalm 119:160) and listened to Satan. Doing so, he plunged the world and his progeny into spiritual death. Since Adam brought sin into the world “and DEATH BY SIN” (Romans 5:12-21) humans have played with the truth to their detriment. The HEART OF THE WOKE MOVEMENT is found in Paul’s description in:

Romans 1:24-28 (ESV) Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

They “exchanged the truth about God for a lie”. They rejected God’s Bible, His clear teachings. They rejected the Messiah, refusing to repent and turn to Him in faith. Lies belong to the lost. The Bible says to the Christian:

Colossians 3:9 (ESV) Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices

and again:

Psalm 58:3 (ESV) The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

Those who are saved by faith in Christ should NOT lie. Who will be not in Heaven, but cast into the Lake of Fire on judgment day? The Bible says:

Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

God does not condone lying – and particularly does not want you lying about your neighbor.

The Ninth Commandment Says You Shall Not Lie ABOUT Your Neighbor

Exodus 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

When in American Law you make a false statement and present it as a fact about someone, you can damage someone’s reputation. The person you hurt can bring a defamation lawsuit. One commentary notes:

“Libel is an untrue defamatory statement that is made in writing. Slander is an untrue defamatory statement that is spoken orally. The difference between defamation and slander is that a defamatory statement can be made in any medium. It could be in a blog comment or spoken in a speech or said on television. Libelous acts only occur when a statement is made in writing (digital statements count as writing) and slanderous statements are only made orally.”

Among God’s Old Testament believers the Lord had a simple method for dealing with false witnesses. We are told in:

Deuteronomy 19:15-21 (ESV) “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. 16 If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, 17 then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. 18 The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, 19 then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. 20 And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. 21 Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

The often misquoted “Eye For An Eye And Tooth For A Tooth” was not about vengeance, but about false witnesses. If someone committed a crime in Israel, and it went before the Ruling Council or the Priests, if a false witness was discovered “then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst”. In short, the false witness got the EXACT PUNISHMENT that would have went toward the accused. If the accused was going to die, the false witness would die. If the accused was in danger of losing property, the false witness would lose the same amount of property. God said, “Do not pit them … life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot”. God made an example of the false witness, and purged evil out of Israel.

“A true witness delivers souls, But a deceitful witness speaks lies” (Proverbs 14:25).

“A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who speaks lies shall perish” (Proverbs 19:9).

God does not want us as believers telling falsehoods about those around us. If we do not know the truth, we should not “speculate” or “postulate”, but hush. What we say about others matters. There is never a time when bearing false witness against another will be blessed by God.

Are There Any Times When Lying Is Permissible?

There is never a time when we can legitimately bear false witness about a neighbor, but it is permissible to speak a lie when saving lives. For instance, in Exodus 1 Pharaoh commands that the Hebrew mid-wives:

Exodus 1:16 (AP) … if it is a son {being born}, kill him, but if it is a daughter {being born} let her live …

When the mid-wives didn’t do this and the Pharaoh asked why, they lied. They said “the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them”. God honored the mid-wives for NOT killing the baby boys, though God did not address the lie. Later in Israel’s history when Joshua sent spies into the land of Canaan, the King of Jericho …

Joshua 2:3-7 (ESV) … sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” 6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. 7 So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.

Rahab purposefully lied to the King of Jericho in order to save the lives of the spies. Though the Bible does not address her clear lie, it commends Rahab for protecting the lives of the spies:

Hebrews 11:30-31 (ESV) By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

James 2:24-25 (ESV) You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

Rahab feared God, and protected the lives of God’s spies. She knew where the spies were hidden, and told the soldiers who hunted for them that they had left the city whereas they were hiding on Rahab’s rooftop. She lied to save lives. Rahab was honored for her faith, and is actually in the lineage of Christ (Matthew 1:5).

Lying to save others lives may be necessary, but be aware there is no where in Scripture where God praises a lie. We need to understand that our God is the God of Truth. Jesus said in John 8:32, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” If you tell a lie, you have to remember the lie you told, or else you’ll be tripped up in time. During World War II Corrie Ten Boom as part of the Dutch Resistance helped hide Jews from Nazi soldiers, knowing that these people would be murdered if found. When discovered, Corrie and her family were put in concentration camps. Her entire family died to save the lives of innocent people.

I want to end with this note from one commentary:

“Our goal should never be to wiggle our way around the truth or search for an ethical loophole. When the psalmist describes the person who is privileged to “sojourn” in God’s tent and to “dwell” on his holy hill (Ps. 15:1–5), among the qualities cited is speaking “truth” in his heart, refusing to “slander with his tongue,” and being the sort of person “who swears to his own hurt and does not change.” “He who does these things,” David insists, “shall never be moved.”

May God touch your hearts with His Word. Amen.

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