Category: Reflections Articles
Articles printed in the weekly bulletin of the West Side church of Christ
The Start of Summer
(Click here to view the Baldo cartoon to which this post refers)
(To those who are unable to view the cartoon, or if the link ceases working, the cartoon consists of four frames. The first three frames show Baldo’s little sister talking about how she had been looking at bugs and insects, and saying that you can learn a lot by staring at nature’s beautiful creatures. She then asks Baldo, who is dressed in his swim trunks with a towel over his shoulder, where he is going. In the last frame, Baldo puts on his cool sunglasses, and says, “I’m heading to the public swimming pool, to work on my doctorate!”)
On June 21st, summer officially began. Of course, the hot weather has been around for some time now, and as is the case every year, is the reason why many drop any pretensions of modesty in the name of comfort and fashion.
The world embraces immodest dress, and as seen in the cartoon above, does not hesitate to glory in lasciviousness. In this, the world seems more able to see the nature of immodest dress: “For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light” (Luke 16:8).
Young ladies, please understand that young Baldo in the cartoon above is not the only young man who seeks a doctorate from staring at the female form. The cartoon was written because of its obvious truth. No Christian lady should ever be guilty of parading herself in front of the leering men. “In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.” (1 Timothy 2:9-10).
“Get Behind Me, Satan!”
In the fourth chapter of Luke’s gospel we have recorded the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. None other than the devil himself (vs. 2) took the opportunity of Jesus’ fast in the wilderness to put stumbling blocks before the Son of God.
The second temptation placed before the Lord, to reject the work of redemption for the glory of the world’s kingdoms, brought this response from Jesus, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve” (vs. 8).
Worship to Baal
Baal, or Ba’al was the principal male god of the Canaanites. Actually, the term Baal means “Lord” in the Hebrew language, and was used in the Old Testament in reference to many different gods, including Jehovah.
In fact, in the days of Hosea the worship of idols had become so prolific that God equated the unfaithfulness of Israel with whoredom.
It Depends on How You Interpret It
In about 512 B.C., as Darius I of Persia led his armies north of the Black Sea, the Scythians sent him a message comprised of a mouse, a frog, a bird, and five arrows. Darius summoned his captains. “Our victory is assured,” he announced. “These arrows signify that the Scythians will lay down their arms; the mouse means the land of the Scythians will be surrendered to us; the frog means that their rivers and lakes will also be ours; and the Scythian army will fly like a bird from our forces.”
But an adviser to Darius said, “The Scythians mean by these things that unless you turn into birds and fly away, or into frogs and hide in the waters, or into mice and burrow for safety in the ground, you will all be slain by the Scythian archers.” Darius took counsel and decided that the second was the right interpretation, and beat a retreat!
Today in the Word, January 1992, p.22.
It does matter how you interpret scripture. There is the true interpretation of a passage, and then there are other interpretations which men assert to their own peril. We can know the truth, but we must set aside our own preconceptions, and let the word of God say what it says! “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).
“You Can’t Take It Literally and be Happy”
At the height of her fame as the other woman in the Ivana and Donald Trump breakup, Marla Maples spoke of her religious roots. She believed in the Bible, she told interviewers, then added the disclaimer, “but you can’t always take [it] literally and be happy.”
Chuck Colson
The Body, p. 124
Certainly an honestly stated sentiment, and one that is fairly typical of our day. You can’t take the Bible literally and be happy, because the Bible condemns your ungodliness! Too many, when faced with the choice of either ceasing their sin, or rejecting the Bible, choose to reject the Bible. “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13).
Internet Pornography
The viewing of pornography, in the past, necessitated a bit of moxie on the part of the viewer. If one wanted to look at a magazine or other materials, he had to go to an “adult” establishment, or lay a magazine on the counter of the local convenience store, and risk being seen by someone he knew.
Of course, if a man was profane, this did not deter him. However, the danger of being “found out” precluded some Christians who might otherwise have been tempted to sin in this manner.
An Exegesis of 1 Corinthians 7:10-11
In the first verse of 1 Corinthians 7, the apostle Paul began a discussion of questions asked him by the Corinthian Christians. “Now concerning the things of which you wrote me…” While the Corinthians no doubt had an exact knowledge of those questions, we do not. It is important that we deal carefully with the text of this chapter. The exegesis is a difficult one, and brethren have struggled with the passage for many years.
After discussing some general principles concerning the sexual aspect and obligations of marriage in the first seven verses, the apostle answered certain questions concerning special groups in verses 8-16. First, the unmarried, in verses 8 and 9 were given the advice to remain unmarried during the “present distress” (cf. vs. 26), unless their passion precluded such a celibate state.
An Exegesis of Luke 18:28-30
This section of scripture in Luke 18 recounts a conversation recorded by the physician between Jesus and his disciples. The exchange is also recorded by Matthew (chapter 19), and Mark (chapter 10).
The conversation immediately followed Jesus’ encounter with the rich young man desiring to know, “what shall I do to inherit eternal life” (vs. 18). When Jesus revealed his covetousness (putting his riches before service to God), the young man went away sorrowful. Jesus told his disciples that it was extremely difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven, but “the things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (vs. 27). What is obviously established in this teaching is that nothing can come before God in our lives. This elicited a response from Peter contained in the text under consideration:
“Cruci-Fixin’s”
Muslims throughout the world are outraged at a set of cartoons published by a Danish newspaper (and later republished by a Norwegian paper), which depict the “prophet” Muhammad. As a general rule, the Muslim belief states that no images of Muhammad, or any other prophet, should be made. This is to help avoid idolatry. However, they were further outraged by the fact that Muhammad was demeaned in several of the cartoons; including one that showed Muhammad with a bomb for a turban. This outrage has ranged from silent discontent to the firebombing of Scandinavian embassies.
An Exegesis of Matthew 19:1-9
The first nine verses of Matthew 19 make up as disputed a passage of scripture as any in our time. It is interesting to note that the conversation contained in the passage, a discourse between Jesus and some Pharisees who sought to “test” him, was likewise an outgrowth of great dispute among the Jews of that day.
There were two major schools of thought concerning divorce in the first century. One group, following the teaching of a rabbi named Hillel, contended that the law, (Deuteronomy 24:1-4), allowed a man to divorce his wife for any offense at all. The other main group, led by the teaching of a rabbi named Shammai, maintained (as reported by Albert Barnes in his commentary, page 194) “divorce was unlawful except in case of adultery.”
The Pharisees knew that whichever position Jesus took would bring objections from the “other” group. So, they asked Jesus, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” (vs. 3).
An Exegesis of Matthew 5:31-32
The fifth through the seventh chapters of Matthew provide a record of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” in Galilee, early on in His ministry.
Jesus spoke on numerous subjects, establishing His will for mankind. Again and again He said, “I say unto you.” As such, His teaching on these matters is to be studied carefully.
After discussing the sins of adultery and lust, Jesus taught, “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery” (5:31-32). In this passage, Jesus preempted the teaching of the law in establishing his own will.
Strong Drink
“Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise”
~ Proverbs 20:1
We live in a time where social drinking is considered acceptable by the worldly, and is even championed by some in the Lord’s church. There has been much said and written about the words used for wine in both the Hebrew and Greek language, but I have read little about the phrase “strong drink” found several times in the Old Testament, and once (with regard to John the Baptist) in the New Testament, in Luke (1:15).
The Hebrew word shekar, is found 24 times in the Old Testament (according to Strong’s Concordance), and is translated “strong drink” (22 times), “strong wine” (1 time), and “drunkards” (1 time). The word is defined by Genesius in his Hebrew Dictionary as “strong drink, intoxicating liquor, whether wine or intoxicating liquor like wine made from barley, or distilled from honey or dates.” Strong defines the term as “an intoxicant; i.e. intensely alcoholic liquor.
The root from which the term shekar derives, (shakar), means “to become tipsy; to be filled with drink abundantly; to become drunk” (Strong’s); and it shares it’s root with Hebrew terms shikkerown, the name of a town in Palestine which literally means drunkenness, and shikkarown, translated drunkenness.
The “Shall Nots” Of John
One of the primary motivations to become a Christian is the reception of myriad spiritual blessings when one has that relationship with God and His Son. We speak of the hope of eternal life, the forgiveness of sins, the peace which passes understanding, the fellowship of God’s people, and heaven, the place of eternal rest and happiness.
While such positive motivations lead us to obedience to the gospel, and zeal in the Christian walk, there are other equally valid reasons to be a child of God. Some of these could be grouped into the category of “What We Escape” because of our faith. Notice a few of these things, as found in the gospel of John.
Lógos
I recently came across an article written by Spiros Zodhiates, editor of Pulpit Magazine, and a well known Greek scholar. The title of the article was Logos: Logic Incarnate. Following is the first paragraph of the article:
Ever since the Fall, man’s limited perspective has been at odds with God’s omniscient intelligence. At the beginning of his Gospel, John introduces us to the Word (ho Lógos) who was with God and was God (John 1:1). Lógos not only means “word” but also denotes logic and intelligence. In a nutshell, the goal of logic is to arrive at a definite conclusion based on a starting premise of idea. Because God is not only logical but logic itself, His thought patterns would undoubtedly make the most sense when applied to any situation.
December 2005, Pulpit Helps, page 5
Interestingly, there is another Greek word, dialogismós, which is used a number of times in the New Testament to refer to the thoughts or logic of men. Though the word literally means, “consideration, reasoning or thought” (Strong’s), it often refers to a human logic that is at odds with the Lógos. Notice the following scriptures:
Congregational Goals
The new year is upon us, and it is a good time to establish some resolutions and goals for this congregation as we enter the year 2006.
While I know that such resolutions are somewhat arbitrary, given that there is nothing special in the date of January 1st itself, nevertheless it is as good a time as any to evaluate our progress in the work of our Lord, and to encourage in each of us a more zealous effort in the future.
In the past year we have had several long time members move away for retirement or to begin working with other congregations. While we are proud, for example, of the preaching efforts of brother Kris Braddock, his and Courtney’s association with the brethren here is missed, as are all who have left our number and moved to other places.
