Chapter
11:
Ecclesiastes
7:29 (Moffatt)
God made the race of men upright, BUT MANY A CUNNING WILE HAVE THEY CONTRIVED.
Romans
2:12-13 (NKJV)
For as many have sinned without law will also
perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the
law. 13) for not the hearers
of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified.
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CHAPTER
11:
A Cognitive
Discussion of Law
How
long has it been since you have heard a major sermon concerning the statutes and
judgements of God in the Churches of God? There
is always a lot said in passing comments about the Ten Commandments and that is
good as far as it goes. As this
study has shown there are a few surprises when you seriously
look at all of the statutes and judgements God has recorded in His word.
When The
Spiritual Intent of the Law is taken into consideration, most people
in the Churches of God would probably test illiterate.
Since the major fragmentation of the church from about 1987, not much is
really said about the intricate parts of the law anymore.
That would hurt someone’s feelings because they might be exposed as
sexually immoral, at least by the standards recorded by Almighty God.
In the last ten years it is amazing to see how the churches have
deteriorated, under the leadership of numerous ministers clamoring for
recognition, to just a social function.
One
of my favorite translations is the Moffatt translation. This translation really has a way of bringing out points
which others miss. When we are
dealing with families there is law associated
with government within those individual families.
It is important to have a background of what the church has traditionally
taught concerning this government because laws and doctrines will only become
more diluted and watered-down as time progresses.
There can be no peace
within a family, the church, or nation without
laws. That is why it is important
to really know the laws and statutes in Exodus, Deuteronomy, and Leviticus.
It is even more important to have someone who will actually teach what
these laws say, rather than just give you a pat on the back.
That is why I chose the scriptures above.
They relate directly to the attitudes of young people as they decide for
themselves whether to follow God’s Way of
life, or choose to follow Satan’s Way
of Get.
The
title of this subhead is from a popular TV show in the 60s. Most young people today have never heard of this show, but it
was quite popular in my younger days. Young
people in those days were not nearly so anxious to throw away the bonds of
parental influence and had a really healthy respect for parents and older
people. Without living through
these times, a young person would be unable to realize the difference and how
shallow their respect for institutions and older people is compared to that
generation. But the essence of the
show can be summed up in God’s Word. For
many chapters now, evidence has been presented that, like it or not, God has
placed authority within the family.
That figure of authority is your father, pure and simple. It is just like the statutes in Leviticus 18.
They are pretty simple and hard to misunderstand.
What all young people have to do is choose to either obey or disobey
them. It is hard to justify excuses.
One of the best sources of information concerning this family
governmental structure is from an article mentioned earlier in this study, which
was official church teaching in 1986. In
the February 1986 Good
News magazine, Mr. George M. Kackos reviewed the traditional Church of
God teaching regarding this governmental system and authority.
The article addressing these issues is called You Can Have a Happy Family!
I recommended this article
earlier because it is so important to recognize the difference in what is taught
today as compared to what was taught even ten years ago.
A lot of basic doctrine has been thrown away.
Sometimes,
as hard as it is to realize, your father and mother may have to intervene
concerning your social life. This
social life may be affecting your entire family according to the laws of God.
If your social life is causing problems within your family,
your parents are derelict in their duty if they fail to step in and live up to
the responsibilities God has given them. The
most likely reason they will have to intervene is when your activities cross
into the realm of sexual immorality. Such
has it always been. If your father
and/or mother intervene, you had better pay attention.
Otherwise you will find yourself falling into a category of sinners who
are rebellious and just hearers of
the law. You can develop life
skills God will not be able to use in the Kingdom of God. It is just that serious.
Very seldom will you find parents who will directly intervene in your
choice of social life and even whom you desire to try
to date unless there is a good reason.
Most parents are mature enough to realize that all people and families
have their own unique peculiarities. But
if those peculiarities are reprobate, your father has the right, the authority,
and duty to say NO! You had better
understand that Almighty God will not override that decision.
Rather, He will support that decision.
If you do not believe this, show your case from the Bible.
That is what you will be judged by, not human reasoning.
Satan
broadcasts attitudes to all of our minds. Young
people are more susceptible most of the time than older people in the Churches
of God. I would like to quote from
the writings of an old pastor in a book called Mystery
of the Ages (p. 119): “He {Satan} put doubts in her (Eve} mind about
God’s veracity. He put a sense of
injustice and resentment within her. He
deceived her into believing God had been unfair––selfish.
He subtly injected vanity of mind. He
{Satan} misled her {Eve} into thinking it was right to take of the forbidden
fruit.”
In
a like manner, Satan will deceive young people into thinking they are not
adolescents anymore and can choose their own direction and whom they marry, even
if it will totally destroy their entire family.
They will be deceived into thinking their father has been
unfair––selfish. When God calls
people into his church, he expects them to make decisions that are best for the
church. Likewise, it is the duty of
family members to make decisions that are best
for their family.
If you make a decision that goes against family
government, you had better make sure you are firmly grounded in biblical
principles for doing so.
2
Corinthians 11:2-3 (NKJV)
For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy.
For I have betrothed you to one husband,
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3)
But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived
Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that
is in Christ.
Do
you see the similarity between 2 Corinthians 11:2-3 and the quote from Mystery of the Ages?
Here we find that common thread, the theme of deception and authority.
Paul makes the analogy of himself as a spiritual father, betrothing
church members to Christ through his efforts at teaching them.
Notice that he has the privilege of presenting them well trained, chaste
as he puts it. Like it or not, this giving
of a daughter in marriage is deeply ingrained in God’s ancient thought forms. Paul
pictures himself as having the duty and privilege of symbolically making this
presentation. This teaching comes
at the close of 2 Corinthians 10 where Paul confirms the reality of his
authority and crosses directly into Chapter 11 where he warns of false Apostles.
The teaching in 2 Corinthians 11:1-3 is a connecting link used to lead
into the teaching concerning false Apostles after establishing his authority in
the previous chapter. Understanding the privilege of giving a daughter in marriage is pivotal in understanding authority
in government.
Abraham
Did Not Know For Sure!
Sometimes
it is not always obvious from specific commands in one place in scripture what
we are supposed to do. Abraham is
an example of not knowing all of the answers at first.
Despite the fact he was one of a few who talked to The Eternal face to face,
he did not know all of the answers when confronted with a situation that seemed
to run contrary to what he thought he believed. Such is the experience of most young people today concerning dating,
betrothal, and marriage.
Not all commandments are spelled out.
Hebrews
11:6 (NKJV)
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must
believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder
of them that diligently seek Him
Without
faith it is impossible to please God. We
are to worship
God by, in, and through faith in what He
reveals—by, in, and through faith anchored in what He reveals. We are
to worship
Him by faith in His sovereignty. We
are to worship
Him by faith in His providence. We
are to worship
Him by faith in His faithfulness, and He gives us more
than enough evidence to enable us to grasp how
and where
these things are shown to us so that we can worship
Him in faith, if we will receive it.
That
last part is very important. Even
though The Eternal makes the evidence available so that our hopes
can really be solid, if we don’t
receive what He says, it does us no good.
The Israelites did not receive
what He said all the time they were in The Wilderness, and that is why He said
that they were stiff-necked.
Jeremiah
7:21-24 (NKJV)
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto
your sacrifices and eat flesh. 22)
For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought
them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. 23) But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, [obey My sayings] and I will be your God, and you
shall be my people: and walk you in all
the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
24) But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, [they
didn’t receive it] but walked in the counsels and in the imagination
of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
The
Israelites came up with their own ideas. They
invented, created, ways of worshipping God out of their own minds rather than turning back to God the
very things that He said to them.
Jeremiah 7:25-27 (KJV)
Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this
day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up
early and sending them. 26) Yet
they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck.
They did worse
than their fathers. 27) Therefore
you shall speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to you. You shall also call unto them; but they will not answer you
God
was on the job through His prophets continuously, and yet people have told me,
"Well, it is not clear to me that my family has any authority over me at all. I think I am free to do whatever I wish."
That is not what God says. That
is not His pattern. That is not His way. He does not hide His
way at
all. He makes His way readily available to all of His children by example and direct
commandment. This series of verses
encapsulates why Israel’s relationship with God was so stormy and divisive.
They did not give back to Him what He said to do.
Will we repeat their example in our relationship with our family and family
government? We are not condemned to
do so. We are free
though, to choose the same way that the Israelites decided to go.
Let’s
look back in the New Testament at a very vivid contrast to this.
Go to Romans 4:3, as Paul advances the case that he is making here in the
book of Romans. We will lead up to
it by reading verse 1.
Romans
4:1-3 (KJV)
What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, has
found? 2) For if Abraham were
justified by works, he has whereof to glory; but not before God.
3) For what says the scripture? Abraham
believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Now
unlike the progeny that developed out of Abraham, Abraham believed God.
He always put the emphasis on the Word of God, and that is what set him
apart. This is what motivated
him to obey God. He believed God,
not other men, nor even himself. Our
thinking is not always right. God’s
thinking and God’s word is always right.
The reason I say this about Abraham is that his belief in God, his
knowing God, his knowledge of God, brought all of his own imagination into
question as to whether it was really in harmony with God when he was tested
concerning Isaac. Turn your minds
back to Genesis 22. That is the
chapter where God tested Abraham by commanding Abraham, I want you to take your
son, your only son, and you are to go to Mount Moriah, and there you are to slay
him. You are to kill him.
You are to sacrifice him.
I
used those terms because God’s own word, the Sixth Commandment, says "YOU
SHALL NOT KILL." Now here was
God telling Abraham to kill his son. Talk
about an anomaly being created and his faith being put on the line!
This God, that Abraham thought he knew well had earlier instructed him
that he was not to offer his son in sacrifice to any idol, to any false god
whatsoever, because that was not in line with the nature of God.
Abraham understood this. Abraham’s
faith was really put to test when this God told him to slay his own son.
Don’t
think that Abraham’s own mind didn’t go through a bunch of mental gymnastics
trying to reconcile this anomaly between a God who says, "Do not
kill," and a God who tells you to go and kill your son.
I’m going through this because I want you to see in regard to dating
and betrothal
that what God provides for us is not always clear to us in terms of one simple
scripture or commandment, but God has His reasons for doing what He does. Was Abraham really free to change the circumstance that God
had provided him with if he was going to be faithful to that God? Of course not! Are
you free to choose your own standards of right and wrong concerning dating
and betrothal? Of course not! You
have to study God’s Word to have it revealed what He wants all young people to
do.
Can
you imagine the kind of mental gymnastics and stress that the command to
sacrifice Isaac surely would have put Abraham under? Can you imagine Abraham starting out to go to Mount Moriah,
but he was arguing with God a most of the way there? "God, how could you require this of me?"
I know that this is somewhat close to the truth, because Hebrews 11:17
tells us:
Hebrews
11:17 (KJV)
"By faith Abraham, when he was tried (referring to Genesis 22), offered up
Isaac: and he that received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18)
of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall your seed be called: 19) Accounting
that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from when also he
received him in a figure."
In
verse 19, that word accounting is a bookkeeping term. It means to add something up.
Abraham had to reason this thing through, gathering what he understood
from his experiences with God, his experiences about God, and what God had told
him previously. Abraham eventually
came to the conclusion that in order for God to continue to be God, and in order
for all of His promises to be kept, Isaac would have to be resurrected.
And so you know that he went all the way to the point where Isaac was on
the pile, ready to be slain, when God finally stepped in and provided a
sacrifice, and Abraham called Him "Yahweh-nicciy"—the God who
provides.
God
read Abraham’s mind, and He knew that in Abraham’s mind Isaac was as good as
dead. That is how far it went
before God actually intervened. Abraham
believed God even to the point where, even though he did not, I am sure, fully
understand why, he was still willing to kill, to sacrifice, the one who was to
receive the promises that had been given to him and to Sarah by means of a
miracle. The emphasis here is that
Abraham acted on the word of God. He
acted on what God said, and he was able to add it up because he understood the
faithfulness of God.
Now apply this truth to Romans 10:17. The Eternal spoke and Abraham received it of his hopes, and therefore he looked for city whose Builder and Maker is God. When it says, "He looked for a city," it means that he prepared himself to live there, because nobody who believes in God hopes in vain. Therefore he pleased God because he gave back to God in worship, in deference, exactly what God told him to do. We can reach a conclusion here. The question in life therefore is: WHOM do we believe? Combined with WHAT do we believe? It is not a question of sincerity, but the reality, the truth of what we believe, combined with its source. If you fail to believe your father and respect his position, how will you ever believe anything God says when things get tough? The reality is that most young people only believe and respect the authority of their parents when it is convenient to do so. When things get tough, they will develop resentment and go with other advice almost every time. Welcome to The Forlorn Hope.
Just
as Abraham did not have all of the answers immediately when commanded to
sacrifice Isaac, neither do young people when confronted with how to date
and become married, according to God. This
truth has not been taught recently. All
young people have is the model of the world to go by.
This is the way their parents appear to have met and gotten married.
In most cases, things go smoothly and young people can have most of the
input into whom they marry. BUT,
sometimes things go wrong, terribly wrong.
What then is your approach? This
is where it is absolutely necessary to understand God’s Will and what His word
really shows. Do you rely on human
reasoning? If so, you are not
attuned to God’s Will.
Usually
when things go terribly wrong, it is because you are proceeding in opposition to
the natural laws of God. It is very
hard to swim upstream and if you are in a reprobate relationship, you had better
be prepared to listen to reason, and more importantly respond according to
biblical standards if you really are in Christ’s Church.
How you respond is most crucial. So
far, this study has shown that parents have the authority to say NO.
The only real question you should have is: “Does God’s opinion and
laws really make a difference in my life?”
If they do, you need to have the faith to act on your belief in God and
respond to your parents if they make a decision.
Think about Isaac’s unquestioned and apparently blind obedience to his
father. Talk
about faith! Do you have even
ten percent of that kind of faith in your father or mother, or do you just love
and appreciate them when they give you all of the money you want and never say NO?
The latter is the way that most young people approach their parents.
Parents are just a convenient means of GET, GET, GET, GET!
If this is your attitude, you are truly a member of The Forlorn Hope.
Did
you know that the Old Testament contains parables? While not as numerous as the New Testament, parables in the
Old Testament are profound in their teaching.
My favorite Old Testament parable is The
Thistle
and the Cedar Tree.
2
Kings 14:9 (NKJV)
And Jehoash King of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying ‘Give
your daughter to my son as wife’; and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle.
This
parable was so important it was recorded again in 2 Chronicles 25:18.
If something is really important, God always includes it in His word more
than once. This parable concerns
the story of Amaziah, a young King of Judah becoming arrogant and cocky after
defeating Edom. He decided nothing could stand in his way or defeat him so he
demanded tribute from Jehoash who was King of Israel at that time.
You see, there was still a widely known principle about marriage.
It just seems that everyone knew that a daughter is a most prized
possession to a father. Likewise,
it should be evident by now that it is just
a known fact (a law) that the
father has the privilege of giving
the daughter in marriage or saying NO.
He does not have to submit to a bully or whiny children.
The King of Judah paid no heed to this parable and was defeated.
He caused a major defeat of his army and lost most of it.
This weakened Judah for many years.
God will intervene when he needs to.
Just taking a daughter or a
daughter running off is not proper
procedure and there will be consequences for those actions.
People in the Churches of God just need to understand that God has laws
and they need to be obeyed.
Ezra
and Nehemiah
There
is an interesting episode of the restoring of truth in the Books of Ezra and
Nehemiah. It involves a breach
of God’s Laws. Ezra returned to
Jerusalem to oversee the reconstruction of the temple.
There was a contingent of Jews there that had earlier returned from
Babylon.
Ezra 9:1-4
Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of
Israel, and the priests, and the Levites,
have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to
their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the
Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
2) For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their
sons: so that the holy seed have mingled
themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the
hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
3) And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and
plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonished.
4) Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of
the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried
away; and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice.
Notice
that Ezra was astonished. His mind
was totally blown away. All of the
rulers and Levites should have known not to intermarry with the Canaanites, but
no. Notice that the leaders were
guilty and they knew better. How
true this is. Recently, over the
last several decades we have all witnessed the self-professed leadership running
away from the faith once delivered to the saints.
Just as the leaders in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, the priests, the
ministers messed things up. They
compromised the truth. Ezra knew
the truth and the truth was in order for Israel to be holy, they were not to
intermarry with the Canaanites.
This
is the pattern of all heresy. The very
leaders who were entrusted were the first,
the foremost in the heresy
and apostasy.
Those who should have known better led the common laity astray.
Right here is a proof of the legitimacy of the racial purity of the
bloodline of Christ. Ezra is well
schooled and up until this fiasco he believes the bloodline is pure.
He got that idea from somewhere. The
genealogy of the Levites and Jews was kept meticulously to preserve their place
in the priesthood.
Yes,
the pure racial strain through the Tribe of Judah was in jeopardy.
Ezra knew it and understood the danger to the bloodline of the Messiah.
He knew the Messiah was to descend through the House of David.
This is why many of Jews missed the Messiah the first time he came.
The Pharisees had created an illusion that the bloodline of the House of
David had been tainted with gentile blood.
These are the same Pharisees that dictate postponements and when God’s
holy days are to be established.
Since
most of the ministry of the Churches of God have submitted to the authority of
the Pharisees, it is no wonder they view as doctrinally defunct, Mr.
Armstrong’s teachings concerning the bloodline of the Messiah. They openly reject Mystery
of the Ages just as much as the Tkachs did.
IF they had been living when Christ came the first time, they would
have missed him too. Even though he
did many mighty miracles, they would have led the laity astray and will in the
future when Christ returns. They
just think they will not be deceived.
Ezra 9:9-14
For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath
extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a
reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof,
and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
10) And now, O our God, what shall we say after this?
For we have forsaken thy
commandments, 11) Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets,
saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the
filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have
filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.
12) Now therefore give not
your daughters unto their sons, neither take
their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace
or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land,
and leave it for an inheritance to
your children for ever. 13) And
after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass,
seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and
hast given us such deliverance as this; 14) Should we again break thy
commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations?
Wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that
there should be no remnant nor escaping?
Ezra
knew the problem and he lay weeping before the house of God. The people had sinned and things looked hopeless.
Eventually some of the people began to gather around him to try to do
something about this mess. They
finally had a strong leader who would lead them correctly.
Ezra 10:1-4
Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself
down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very
great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.
2) And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered
and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have
taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope
in Israel concerning this thing. 3)
Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put
away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel
of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. 4) Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will
be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.
It
takes a lot of courage to do what is right and not just go along with things.
The people were badly outnumbered by the inhabitants of the land and had
many enemies. To put away their
pagan wives was tantamount to declaring a form of war.
Nevertheless, Ezra made the leaders swear an oath and they done what
needed to be done. They purified
the bloodlines and put away their pagan wives.
The magnitude of the infractions is recorded in Ezra 10:16-44.
There were a lot of leaders who had reached a consensus with the neighboring pagans. Notice in verse 3 above, the strange wives were put away according
to law.
It
is important to know the Laws of God. Law
or government is a basis for all proper social customs under God’s system.
The people knew the law and truly repented of breaking it.
They knew how to cleanse the system lawfully too.
The important thing to understand is that there is a Spiritual
Intent of the Laws of God.
Once this is understood, the laws concerning family
government and authority become much clearer.
Dating
and betrothal
come under God’s system of laws, regardless of what a misguided minister may
tell you.
Nehemiah 10:28-30
And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers,
the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto
the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every
one having knowledge, and having understanding; 29) They clave to their
brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse,
and into an oath,
to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to
observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and
his statutes; 30) And that we would not
give our daughters unto the people of the land, nor
take their daughters for our sons:
It
was no small task making these people clean up their act and purify their race.
It was no small task getting them to rid their lives of sinful
influences. Notice how Nehemiah had
to result to physically boxing a lot of people around just to get them to
wake-up. Things had been allowed to
go on a long time and it was almost too late to salvage the situation.
Nehemiah 13:23-25
In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of
Moab: 24) And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not
speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people.
25) And I contended with them, and cursed
them, and smote certain of them,
and plucked off their hair, and made
them swear by God, saying, Ye shall
not give your daughters unto their
sons, nor take their daughters unto
your sons, or for yourselves.
Notice
how the laws of God are still intact. They
have not changes one bit from the time the Israelites came out of Egypt.
One of the most ingrained principles of these laws is an understanding of
giving and taking daughters in
marriage. When someone says your
parents have no say in what you do concerning mates you had better wake-up.
If you want your marriage sanctified
in the eyes of Almighty God, you had better have them involved.
Nothing has changed concerning the Laws of God.
Psalms
45
What
then is the solution to the problem of teens and other young people wanting to date
extensively and become married in the Churches of God if they have overbearing,
inconsiderate, and prudish parents? How
can a young man override the authority of a young lady’s family
and become legitimately married to her? They
cannot take this matter to the church because it does not qualify in the first
place for church interference. Additionally,
with the hodgepodge of splinter groups running around and self-appointed
leaders, the question becomes who really does have authority.
The problem seems to still fall within God’s laws concerning family
government. If the laws of God stand and the father can say no, what
possible loophole exists to get around his authority?
There is a loophole as this study pointed out in the last chapter.
That loophole can be used by young people wishing to bypass traditional
laws and biblical principles in regard to respecting parents and their
respective families.
Psalm 45:10-11
(RSV) Hear, O
daughter, consider, and incline your ear; forget
your people and your father's house; 11) and the king will desire your
beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him.
Finally,
at long last, a scripture which commands a young lady to forget about her father
and her family
and concentrate upon her new lord and master.
What a breath of fresh air? Finally,
a scriptural basis for thumbing your nose at your family
and their authority over you. But
no, a little reading of the entire Psalm indicates something is being addressed
here that does not quite jibe with your wishes to override parental authority.
This scripture is referenced to Deuteronomy 21:13.
This is because Psalm 45: 9, 11-15 is talking about a daughter who is a
wife of servitude, not a lawful wife by race and sanctification
of parents.
Deuteronomy
21:10-14 (RSV) "When
you go forth to war against your enemies, and the LORD your God gives them into
your hands, and you take them captive, 11) and see among the captives a
beautiful woman, and you have desire for her and would take her for yourself as
wife, 12) then you shall bring her home to your house, and she
shall shave her head and pare her nails. 13) And she shall put off her
captive's garb, and shall remain in your house and bewail her father and her mother a full month; after that you may go
in to her, and be her husband, and she shall be your wife.
Notice
that after a war, when all of the inhabitants of a town or nation have been put
to the sword except beautiful young virgins, then sex slaves may be chosen.
They are to shave their heads and trim their fingernails so they will not
hurt or cut themselves while mourning their dead relatives and their lot in
life. Then, after thirty days, the
young women are to stop mourning and start having sex with their new masters
when their legal wives want a rest. There
is really no period of betrothal.
They also need to be getting on with the business of household servants
and being a slave to the queen mother.
As
disappointing as this is to rebellious youth in the Churches of God, all is not
lost if you are a young person wishing to call his own shots and still obey
God’s laws (Letter of the Law). All
you have to do is be dating
a minister’s son or daughter. Then
you can have your family
declared as rank heretics and apostosizers
by a kangaroo court in the splinter group of your choice.
You may then have your prospective mates’s family
and church splinter group declare war upon your natural family.
After your family
is put to the sword, you then have to shave your hair off and cut your nails
close if you are a daughter. Next,
you have to at least pretend some of the time you miss your family.
Then, after thirty days you will become the wife
of servitude to your prospective groom.
This is not really a lawful marriage that has been sanctified
by your parents, but you may proceed with sexual activity at this point.
The only drawback to this plan is that the civil authorities may not
agree with your splinter group’s declaration of war and killing of your family.
Additionally, the kangaroo court decision may not actually hold up to
biblical standards. You had better make sure the leaders of your group can
actually bind things in heaven. IF, just by chance Christ does not share your opinion and ideas to
rid the church of your family,
both you and the perpetrators of this act could be in a real HOT SPOT.
What
Kind of Person Are You Anyway?
When
I was growing up we had to always show respect for our parents and government
institutions. Many times I can
remember getting a lecture from my father.
Now my father was not called by God and had no knowledge of any such
thing as the True Church of God or Mr. Armstrong.
In fact, he considered all preachers to be crooks. Given the chicanery of the last 15 years in the splintering
of the Churches of God, it is not hard to see where he developed that idea.
My parents will not be in the first resurrection but they had principles
and respect for others and their country. Many
times I remember my father really grilling us when we had been involved with
others in questionable activities. He
would ask over and over and over again, “What
kind of person are you anyway?”
That question is appropriate when we consider the laws of God.
What kind of people are we in the Churches of God.
I would submit to you that we are not too good.
If the ministers do not teach the statutes anymore, how can the laity
grow?
If
you cannot respect your own parents, how can you possibly think you will ever
respect the God Family and its laws? The
answer of course, is you will not. It
is really important for young people to seriously examine their ideas within the
framework of biblical, not worldly standards.
It is all a matter of law. One
of the predominant ideas in our country involves people having free moral agency.
This is true only within the boundary prescribed by law.
I do not care what government or country you enter there are laws. If you step outside the boundaries defined by those laws you
will find yourself in trouble. Your
free moral agency
only goes as far as the law permits or as far as you can push the limits and
still not get caught. There is no
such thing as absolute free
moral agency.
You are limited within a boundary defined by how your activities affect
other people.
God
is a Family, not God has a Family
The
doctrine that God is a Family is the
singular most important doctrine ever restored to the Church of God.
It is foundational to understanding government.
Yet, paradoxically the ministers continue to move the laity away from
this understanding. Always, sooner
or later, a concept that God has a family
or is creating a family
creeps into doctrine. There is a
big difference. The God Family
operates on Royal laws. They always
have and they always will. Once you
loose sight of the phenomenal destiny you have, you will loose track of laws
governing family
life. This is the main reason, in
my opinion, that the focus on family
government has been removed from doctrinal positions within various splinter
groups. They have lost track of their ultimate destiny.
Once you understand this concept, you will be much slower to criticize
your family
when something comes up that you do not agree with.
It
is not hard to understand why the church no longer has the gift of miraculous
healing. Since 1968 a lot of
fundamental doctrines have been discarded.
Since 1986 even more truth and fundamental doctrines have been discarded.
The only way to enter the Royal Family, the God Family is to enter it
lawfully. If you will not enter it
lawfully, you will not enter it at all.
Conclusion
So
far this study has shown that law
constitutes the basis for entering the God Family.
Likewise, laws form a basis
for government within your personal family.
There is authority within your family.
Like it or not, there are laws that define how to approach dating
and betrothal.
Not once in the entire Bible has this study found any evidence of dating
or betrothal
as practiced in our modern society. So
far this study has focused on the word “GIVE.”
God’s way of life is a way of GIVE.
The word GIVE is used more times within the Bible than any other word.
A complete word search and study reveals some mighty important things
about giving.
When
we examine our lives and trials, Do we see God?
Do we see God as being actively involved in our lives?
Genesis is a book of origins. It
lays foundations for what follows in the rest of the Bible.
The very first chapter shows God actively creating a suitable environment
for people to live and prosper in. This
is not an accident but a deliberate design is involved.
Next we see God creating, instituting the first marriage and marriage as
an essential part of human life. Notice
that there is no record of dating.
Part of that institution of marriage involves the giving
of a daughter and a taking of a wife
for a son. This is simply the only
biblical record. The initial
impression we get is one of the God Family actively working––creating
humanity and a family.
In later books of the Bible a system of family
government and laws governing successful living is presented and abundant
evidence is recorded of the consequences of violating those laws.
Part
of God’s creative activity includes burdening individuals with difficult
trials that He will arrange and oversee. The
trials are always for the same purpose: to produce righteousness and glorify
God. The one being burdened always
has the ability to overcome the trials. Most
often the trials will come in dating
and betrothal
when young people are acting contrary to decisions of family
government and advice. Often the
trial will result because of the breaking of the laws of God.
More often than not, these laws will involve principles concerning sexual
immorality. The grief caused
hopefully produces repentance in the lives of the offenders.
2 Corinthians
7:8-10 (RSV)
For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it (though I did
regret it), for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while.
9) As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you
were grieved into repenting; for you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.
10) For godly grief produces a
repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly
grief produces death.
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