...
and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and
the
little ones, of every city, we left none to remain
Deuteronomy
2:34
The
Lord is a total God
Ruthless
is another way of putting it. Furthermore, the Lord desires His
followers to be
total
too, to the utmost, as partial obedience is
disobedience. Bearing in mind, there is no sentiment or
squeamishness with the God of Israel:
Deuteronomy
13:15. "Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with
the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly"
Half
measures or alternate measures (even with good intentions) has no place
in the kingdom of God, as Hebrews
12:4 declares ... "Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving
against sin."
Remember, the Lord's command to King Saul in 1 Sam.
15:3: "Now go and smite
Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but
slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and
ass."
I
am fully aware that this may shock many readers to the
nature of God, due to not understanding that why God is a good God, he
is also a severe God. I am also aware than some will be angry at
the verse I have incorporated. One must remember these are from
the inspired scriptures and for us living in the grace period to be
reminded of God's hatred for sin and rebellion and how the Old
Testament scriptures can relate to us metaphorically. The God who
changes not is still merciful to those who are
contrite and remorseful of their sin and rebellion against Him, while
He is contrary towards those who are forward and stubborn towards
Him:
2
Sam. 22: 25-28. "Therefore the LORD hath recompensed me according
to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.
With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright
man thou wilt shew thyself upright. With the pure thou wilt shew
thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself
unsavoury. And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine
eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down."
This
is why we need to understand that the severity of God
was displayed in the Old Testament under Moses, while His goodness is
displayed through sending His only begotten Son in the New Testament,
in order to take our punishment upon Himself with His extended
pardon. This is our blessed hope and also the hope of the whole
world.
However, this does not
rule out who God is nor does it change God's nature which is
immutable. He changes not and will be the same to His enemies as
He was to those under the Old Covenant, when the day of grace runs out
soon. In the meantime, the good news is, the Lord has granted us
ALL space to
repent in order to turn to Him on the acknowledgement of what Jesus
accomplished for us at Calvary. At the end of the day, God
commands ALL men to repent and be obedient to Him. Yes, it is as
simple as that!
Getting back to Saul
... was he obedient? Only partially! And partial
obedience is not good
enough in God's eyes. Saul destroyed 'utterly' only "every thing
that was vile and refuse", but not that which was good (verse 9).
Therefore, the Lord destroyed Saul. His obedience was not utterly
ruthless to the end. Even if he had been into religious sacrifice
and ceremony, doing what was "proper", "decent", and "fitting";
and
going through all the "lovely" outward motions; he was obviously not
into
obedience. With God His ways are total:
Matthew
10:22 ... "but he that endureth to the end shall be
saved."
Here's
an OT command:
1 Samuel
4:9. "Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines,
that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you:
quit
yourselves like men, and fight."
The meaning of the word "quit" here is nothing to do with
abandonment, or turning
away,
but the complete opposite, needless to say. It means ... to
go all the way, utterly to the end. Here's the equivalent NT
command:
1 Corinthians
16:13. "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be
strong."
In this
day and age, just prior to the Lord's Day, who is into watching (not TV
and movies that is, but what
to
avoid)? Who is into standing fast in the faith (not
'making
a stand' for a "worthy" crusade, or any parties agenda, but for the
truth
of God's word)? Who is into being strong ... in character
that
is (not vanity wise, macho, or defending your ego)? Who is into
going
all the way (that means crucifying your affections, not just your
lusts)?
Also,
where are the men today (irrespective of how hard or soft their nature
is) who make decisions not based on opportunism, expedience, ambition
or because
they are
wimpish,
but on God's clear commandments?
It's
so easy to destroy that which is deemed "vile and refuse", but to
destroy
that which is good is another matter. However, what if the Lord
commands
it? Could the true men of God please stand up? Who will
courageously
follow through, right to the bitter end. Detesting what is showy,
slick,
prestigious, sacramental, and man-pleasing.
The
good, the bad, and the ugly (cross)
God is
not partial when it comes to bad or good. His approval is not
based
on what maybe right or wrong, sincere or insincere, sacred or secular,
gentlemanly or crude, appealing or revolting, moral or immoral; but on
those who embrace His redemption plan. Proof?:
Matthew
22:10. "So those servants went out into the highways, and
gathered
together all as many as they found, both bad and
good:
and the wedding was furnished with guests."
When
a net is cast into the sea it is very possible that we reap
the bad as well as the good
together.
Please note how the wedding was furnished with an assortment of guests
... some respectable and others detestable. As mere man we
would take
what was good and throw out the bad. We esteem and
celebrate
what is looked upon as good and appropriate. However, with God He
chooses not on merit, credentials, or depending on how good and devoted
something is; but narrows it down to those who would choose to come
through
His bloodied sacrifice. Everything else is vanity of vanities,
striving
after the wind, and reserved for the fire. Irrespective of
whether it is deemed good or bad.
Who are
those who are welcome to the wedding (verses
11-14) by the way?
Only those who have heeded God's code of dress (irrespective of
good or bad, or how we see it, or how groomed and smart we appear or do
not appear).
That's the difference between receiving God's covering of righteousness
... Christ, or receiving our own respectable facade ...
good deeds, going to church, doing charity and making donations.
God's covering is nothing outside of the cross in other words.
Immensely narrow, irrefutably
simple,
and consequently unavoidable ... for God's acceptance!
Good
beliefs, good intentions, good ideas, and a good church, are not good
enough.
They could be deemed, at worst ... as filthy rags. At best
... as wood, hay, and stubble.
Here
are some important questions:
What
if what you called "church" was not really church in the scriptural
sense?
What if, at the end of the day, the "institution" you attended
faithfully
and supported financially, was nothing to do with the Lord in the first
place? What if your idea of serving God was only a figment of the
imagination, or based unwittingly on tradition and human creed?
What
if your zeal and enthusiasm for the Lord was nothing more than
religiously
"going with the flow" and only "feeeeling right" because of the status
quo? Where making reference to God, the gospel, and the Bible,
were
only a guise or a reference point of your respectability or religious
prestige? Proverbs makes this point:
"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end
thereof are the ways of death."
Just
how far does God go with His commandments? If worship in spirit
and
in truth was nothing to do with limitations of time and boundary, and
human
reasoning after all, in what position would the religionist be
found?
If God has ordained His place, where His name is to be established
only,
would there be any tolerance for the place man had decided to set
outside
His word, when it came to His name? Then how far do we really
have
to go (metaphorically speaking that is)? Answer ...
Philippians 3:3:
"For we are the circumcision, which worship God in
the
spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the
flesh."
Did
you get that ... having "no confidence
in the flesh"!! That's scripture speaking for itself and I am
only the messenger.
You can shoot the messenger by the way, but you cannot get rid of the
truth! God will settle for nothing less ... that no flesh
shall glory in
His presence! It does not matter how good or bad we are.
Outside of Christ we are lost any way ... the good, the bad, the
ugly and the beautiful. The word says, even " the plowing of the
wicked, is sin." Therefore, it does not matter how much we are
doing the right things, minding our own business, even being a good and
faithful citizen, if we are outside of Christ we are heading for hell
anyway. Christ is the issue and nothing else. The issue is
what we do with Jesus!
Counting
as dung?
We may
have had enough of the current departure of the faith which was once
delivered
unto the saints, and all the rubbish which is being dished up in "the
name
of Renewal" and so-called "taking the Church into the Third
Millennium".
We may be eager to serve the Lord, fired-up and zealous to make a stand
against all the modern trash which is besetting itself against
everything
we have valued good and dear, counted heaven ordained, and as our
spiritual
birthright. However, firstly, remember how easy it was for Saul
to
trash "every thing that was vile and refuse" but embrace that which was
good.
Secondly,
and most importantly, how does our innermost thoughts and motives fair,
in God's sight, on why we maybe so bent on defending our doctrinal
patch
to the full, which can be nothing but tradition or religious dogma,
explaining away the need for grace, or creating a "beautiful"
alternative? Are we prepared to deal with it ruthlessly, every
inch
of the way, giving it a full comparison against the plumb line of God's
word, and not our obstinate formalism, or "fundamental", or
"evangelical",
or "pentecostal", entrenched religious lifestyle? Because,
platitude,
sentiment, convention, and custom, can be so emotionally charged and
confused
with what is truly Holy Ghost conviction, to what is just religious
upbringing, intertwined with nostalgia. Meaning, one can
genuinely be on a lost
cause/spiritual
crusade from day one, and not benefiting Christ's kingdom one iota.
Then,
and only then, can we deal with what is blatantly apostate. Sure
scripture says to note them, mark them, and reprove them, who are
walking
disorderly or leading others astray. Meaning, if a teacher is
blatantly
pushing heresy and continually refusing correction, then it is our
responsibility
not to be passive, but to scripturally "mark them". That is
...
pin point the person by name along with the error they are
propagating in order to protect others.
Basically, to make yourself clear verbally, or in writing, that you do
not
endorse
that person due to their error in deliberately leading the Lord's flock
astray. Which is usually those whose eyes are set on fame or
fortune,
or control, and not the other soul's well being. Which the Lord sees as
serious
stuff, by the way! This way, you are not in league, or complicity,
or condoning the wolf (disguised as a lamb) by your neutrality.
Getting
side-tracked?
So if
you have been clear and responsive to mark, or reprove a heretic,
then you have been faithful in making the point clear, and from then on
it should be business as usual. However, if you are fixed on
pushing
this point beyond the call of duty (so to speak); like the obsession of
going after this person, waging a private war, campaigning an ongoing
exposé
against him, and making it part of your "Ministry"; then you
are missing
the mark a thousand miles, and hindering the call of the great
commission.
Not forgetting to mention ... quenching the holy Spirit.
Jesus
never went after anyone. He just exposed the religious hypocrites
of His time when He came across them. That's those who were
gatecrashing
or hindering others from the kingdom, or those who were trying to
slither
their way over the wall. He was not on a "moral" crusade, but
going
about His Fathers business, ushering in His kingdom of light. The
trouble occurs when one chooses to walk in the light as devil and
man
will do all he can to thwart this person. The great thing about
light
...
it not only exposes darkness, but it extinguishes it! You know
...
cancels it out! However, false light is another thing.
That's
why we need the light of scripture to show us the way, and not a human
mediator.
You've
heard it before ... 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 Satan
is the chief mastermind behind these false servants of righteousness
then
surely he should be the one we are warfaring against? Not mere
man! Moreover, remember, "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending
with the
devil
he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a
railing
accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee."
Just
the same way we are not to go after the Devil also (as he is a defeated
foe
anyway, on grounds of the cross). Although, going after the
spider
instead of clearing away the cobweb, appears to be a more sensible
thing
to do. However, we don't go looking for spiders ... nor
serpents
or scorpions for that matter. If we are pressing on, without
short-cutting
the cross, will we come across these things anyway, as we have an enemy
who is out to hinder. This is
inevitable. However, Jesus did reassure us (Luke 10:19) that we are to crush them under our
feet, "and nothing shall by any means
hurt you".
Didn't
Jesus say the gates of hell will not even prevail against His
church?
The apparent end time remnant who appear as "terrible as an army with
banners"! Who are accused of turning the world upside down!
Therefore,
it's
not a matter of "being on a mission", or "supporting a crusade", but
pressing on, and getting
focused
on our true goal, not all the accumulating endtime rubbish which is so
prevalent around about us. This includes a multitude of
"visions",
"prophesies", and some "dreams" thrown in. With such outlandish
things being made public, or into new doctrine, by so-called "servants
of the Lord"! How people love having
their ears tickled! Do I have to go into detail here?
Hopefully,
I make myself clear on heretics and heresy! But I couldn't care
less
about Pat Robertson, Oral Roberts, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland,
Kenneth Hagin, Rodney Howard-Browne, A.A. Allen, William Branham, Paul
Yongi Cho, John Arnott, Morris Cerullo, Paul Cain, Billy Graham, Paul
Crouch,
James Dobson, Chuck Colson, James White, Ellen White, Tommy Hicks,
Norman
Vincent-Peale,
Witness Lee, Kathryn Kuhlman, Rick Joyner, and so on, and so on, and so
(phew!!) on! Or just about every president of the US of A, who
say
or make out they are born again, including George Bush. The Lord
will take care of those whom He will. If we have been faithful in
marking and reproving, we cannot be held accountable. If the
heretic
insists on misleading others, he will be severely judged on his
endeavours
as his followers will be judged on theirs.
However,
just as the poor will always be with us, so will the deceivers and the
deceived (2 Timothy 3: 13-15)! How does it go? ... "but as
for me and my house, we will serve the LORD"! Despite the obvious
and what's been predicted! Even predestined! We can be so
busy
exposing and going after the deceivers neglecting the responsibility of
our own house (that's not the institution down the road, by the way -
but
literally 'our house'!). Is it really in order? Biblically
to a tee?
Building
a substitute (the popular way)?
Now let's
get back to the issue ... "going all the way!" Who is prepared
to?
Who is prepared to do it God's way, and not their own? And
understand
that
the enemy was within all the time, and not without! Remember what
will happen to wood, hay, and stubble? And to every tree that
does
not bear fruit? And to what is good as well as vile? Better
to take the axe and cut down the trees
not bearing fruit, reserved for the fire, than to have them cut down
later
by the Lord. Better to prune back now, than have the
Lord to do this later. Better to have the false light exposed in our
own
life, than take pot-shots at the darkness "out there". It may
impress
our flock, congregation, subscribers, parish, sponsors, or "spiritual"
constituency,
but it will not impress the Lord. Why defend something we may
feel
is close enough to the authentic, but it was not the Lord's in the
first
place? Can new wine fill old structures? Can new patches
fix
old garments? God is not in the patching-up business. And
I'm
not just meaning gold teeth or gold fillings either! Old garments
are reserved for the fire! The Lord is not into "renewal", but
making
all
things new!
They
couldn't let go of the old temple. Jesus already had said it's
days
were numbered. How many can't let go of their temple, their
spiritually
furnished house, their church, when it's days are already
numbered?
How many can't get out of the habit, break the cycle, of leaving the
obvious
apostasy behind? How many try and avoid it, by duplicating the
reason
for it's appearance in the first place, thinking improvement will
justify
it's existence? Many can't see the very thing they are fighting
against,
has crept into their own denomination through the loophole of what they
couldn't,
or wouldn't, let go of in the first place. Such as "middle
of the road" tradition, or the clever and marketable methods of
man! If giving men
titles
is unbiblical, then chuck it! If advertising your fellowship is
nothing
to do with the kingdom of God, then give it the heave-ho
treatment!
If building sanctuaries out of brick and mortar is not New Testament,
then
don't even think about it! We could go on and on! But let's
get back to the beginning, where it all started; Genesis 11:4:
They
built their own city with a temple towards heaven. Then they gave
it a
name, "lest (they) be scattered abroad"! "Surely the LORD is
in this place?"
Nope! He destroyed it! Utterly! Which is
the word used
umpteen
times throughout the Old Testament by the God who changeth not!
To
conclude this thesis, basically the gospel is simple and so is the
faith we have been called to. As 2 Cor. 1:12 shows that we serve
Him in simplicity and godly sincerity. Therefore, we should be
just as equally on guard against 'add ons' to the faith as we should be
with them who come peddling false doctrines. If it is Jesus PLUS,
or additional revelation, or extra biblical commentary, be ruthless to
the core and purge it out of your life. As the word says, "The
LORD preserveth the simple". As it also says, "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?" You can't be wise for the
world and wise for the Lord at the same time. It sounds like the
only way we can attain the perfect (Christ's free gift) is by utterly destroying not only "every thing
that was vile and refuse", in our life, but "that which was
(considered) good" in the eyes of man.
Remembering
the words of Jesus ... "when he had found one pearl of great
price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."
