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Sunday school from February 18th, 2018
Let's pray Lord Jesus again as we open up your word and study your commandment. Your word is a lamp to our feet a light to our path and that in your commandments There's true life and freedom. We ask Lord that you would again reveal through your spirit what your word means here that we may be embrace it and that our lives Reflecting the penitence that you have given us in Christ would bear fruit in good works and love towards neighbor and others.
We ask this in Jesus name. Amen. So we're gonna finish up our look at the seventh commandment you will not steal consider some of the further implications of it and have a brief conversation about How is the church to understand its Obligation to pay its pastors and never once have you heard me say so me a thousand dollars seed offering and God will make you rich.
Well, we're gonna talk about this because when we look at what the scriptures say regarding the governing commandment Regarding paying pastors. It's a scream if I were to just ask you off the top of your head when scripture talks about Paying pastors.
What's the commandment and everyone goes? Well, it has something to do with tithing and if you thought that the answer is wrong. No Christians by the way are not Obligated by the Mosaic Covenants tithe the Mosaic Covenants tithe is technically a civil Law in the Mosaic Covenant in regards to it's like a tax.
It's a tax. You basically levy to all of the people within Israel for the maintenance and upkeep of the temple and things like that. So technically it that's more akin to paying your taxes. But when it comes to paying, you know paying pastors for preaching the gospel.
The scriptures do something so funny I just love it and it's not what you would expect but we'll talk about that in just a minute Leaving up picking up where we left off. We talked about this just briefly last week.
Let me remake the point. That scripture as far as keeping the seventh commandment Requires us to earn a living for ourselves and save a little bit for others and we are to especially Take care of those who are financially poor that they need to benefit from our Charitable and grateful use of what God has given to us.
Matthew 5 42 great verse says give to the one who begs From from you and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. Give to the one who begs do not refuse from the one who would borrow first. John chapter 3 verse 17 if you want to write this down says if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need Yet closes his heart against him.
How does God's love abide in him? The question itself is evident what the answer would be. How can you say? So if if the Lord has blessed you financially if you truly have Benefited through your vocation and that you can pay for your needs you can you have a very nice bank account of retirement savings set up and You see somebody who is in need and you basically say to the fellow Well, we'll be praying for you.
Hope that God answers your prayer. How on earth can you say that the love of God is in you? God has blessed you in a very real sense in that case for you to be a blessing to others and Keep in mind we mentioned this last week and that is is that when you lend to the poor?
God says you are lending to him. He will pay you back even if the fellow you are lending to cannot so we see that taking care of the needs of the poor is a Vital part of our good works towards others.
Hebrews 13 16 says it this way do not Neglect to do good and to share what you have for such Sacrifices. Listen to this are pleasing to God. Do not think for a second that you can sit there and go. Ah, so the way I can become saved is by giving to the needy.
No, that's to hold your good works up as the thing that's going to sheath the Sword of God in his wrath and that's not going to sheath God's wrath at the sword. What sheaths God's sword is Christ and him crucified for your sins.
The reason why you care for the needy you care for the poor is because you are Saved and then it's important for us to realize that scripture teaches us that our good works are Pleasing to God. They are so that text makes it very clear.
Now for the fun part the real fun part open up your Bibles to 1st Corinthians chapter 9. We're going to have an extended conversation About how we as Christians are to understand what we are to do in relation to Paying a pastor.
This is just so fun because I have so much freedom here. It's not even funny chapter 9. 1st Corinthians chapter 9 the Apostle Paul if you pay attention to his argument here. And you know his history the Apostle Paul was a fellow who literally planted churches on his own dime.
He when he would get into a town that he was gonna preach the gospel and be there for a bit of time. He would go to work in what was known as the Agora the marketplace and he was a tent maker. So his specialty was camping supplies, maybe not that kind of tent, but you get the idea.
So he was the early first century version of an REI outfitter kind of guy. See he would make tents and the money that he made at making tents. He had a trade. He would then parlay that to take care of his own needs so that when he preached the gospel He never took an offering for himself.
If they would if there were offerings their offerings were for those who were in need Christians who needed famine relief and things like that but that being the case the Apostle Paul is the exception not the rule and so Paul here has this wonderful freedom to talk about then when it comes to the seventh commandment as Christians, how are we to view the responsibility that God has laid on a Christian congregation to pay a pastor?
So let's take a look and we're gonna note the tithe is not invoked. It is not it's absolutely inappropriate. So am I not free Paul says am I not an apostle have I not seen our Lord? The answer to all these questions is yes.
He's free. Yes. He's an Apostle. Yes, he's seen Jesus and are not you my workmanship in the Lord?
Yeah.
The Church of Corinth truly is if to others I am NOT an apostle. Well, at least I am to you for you are the seal of my apostleship. This is my defense to those who would examine me. Do we not have the right to eat and to drink?
Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife as do the other? Apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas a little bit of a note here. I Say this a little bit tongue-in-cheek the first Pope had a wife.
If you believe that Peter was the first Pope important to note he was not celibate and that he and his wife Traveled together in the ministry that they were doing in their apostolic ministry as well as the brothers of the Lord.
So the other Apostles they were all married fellows. The Apostle Paul is one of these guys who stands out. He was not married. And then he says or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living.
Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Answer, I don't know anybody who does that. Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? I don't know any fellow who does that either or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk.
Do I say these things on human authority?
No.
Does not the law or you can say Torah say the same. Now watch. Here's the commandment that applies now. Paul writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is going to go into the Old Testament. Grab a commandment and make that commandment the one now in the new covenant that applies to pastors.
It is great. Ready. Here it is.
Verse 9. It is written in the law of Moses. You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.
Boom.
That's right.
Sitting going. What?
Don't muzzle the ox when he's treading out the grain. In other words Your pastor is a beast of burden.
No joke.
Remember one of the reasons why the uniform includes a slave shackle is to remind you I'm here as your slave. Now the Apostle Paul reaches into the grab bag of the Old Testament and says not only is your pastor your slave He's an ox.
He might even smell like one. It's the best thing ever think of it this way your pastor is your Beast of burden. That being the case if any of you have ever owned a beast of burden You do need to take care of the physical needs of your beasts of burden.
The stalls need to be cleaned. Yay. If you want to come clean my toilets come let me know.
I.
I'm joking about that part, but they need to be fed. Your beast of burden will not last very long if you don't feed it. That's the idea. So notice that the tithe is not invoked. That's not appropriate because as Christians we give as We are led by the Lord to give not under compulsion.
Then the idea is this in the Mosaic Covenant the tithe is held up as a rigid standard. You are obligated to meet but we as Christians go all the way back then to Abraham. To Abraham. After he conquered the the kings who had taken lot captive, you know and had taken the kings of Sodom Gamorrah captive.
He.
Voluntarily out of his own heart gave 10 of the spoils to Melchizedek. He didn't do that under compulsion he did it by faith. So the idea then is this is that the command that we're going to see here regarding the pastors is this?
God Wills and this is what we have to understand. God wills that those who preach the gospel Will make their living by the gospel. The Apostle Paul is a standout. So then that is that being the case your pastor being your ox.
Great way to think about him. You have to make sure that his needs are cared for. That's the idea. You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain. Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not speak certainly for our sake.
It was written for our sake because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher. Thresh in hope of sharing in the crop if we have sown spiritual things among you. Is it too much if we reap material things from you.
Now a little bit of a note here one of the common heresies that is being kicked around on so-called Christian television. I have to say so-called nowadays because Christian television is like anything but Christian but over and again the expectation that these televangelists put on people is that it's your job to sow money into my ministry.
Bah humbug. You're gonna know that what Paul says it's the job of the pastors and the evangelists to sow God's Word and spiritual things into your life and from that then they reap back a part of the benefit so that they can feed and clothe themselves and their family.
And. Since Paul has invoked the fact that Peter has a wife. The other Apostles have wives and in the days before there's birth control. You have to assume that there's also children being tagged along for these things that the expectation is.
Is that? Their needs are being provided for. You got it. You don't muzzle the ox while it's treading out the grain. So nevertheless, so if others have rifle claim on you, do we not even have more nevertheless?
We have not made use of this right the Apostle Paul never made use of it. We endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food?
From the temple those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings in the same way the Lord Commanded and that's an important phrase the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living from the gospel that's the will of God and.
And understand this there are people who listen to these Sunday school lessons outside of the walls of Kongsvinger. So this is not just for Kongsvinger in this sense I have seen over my lifetime that there are congregations who think that it is a pious thing To pay their pastors so poorly that the pastors wives and their children.
They can't even afford secondhand clothes. They have to go to third hand and these are kids then who can't afford braces who can't afford car insurance they're driving around in 20 30 year old cars and They think that it's some kind of a holy and pious thing.
To basically keep their pastors in abject poverty. This is a sin. This is an absolute sin and a travesty. God wills. This is a command of the Lord that those who preach the gospel are to make their living from the gospel.
So when a church considers, what are they to pay their pastor? The answer has to be. What is it that my pastor is going to need. Is he does he have a wife? Does he have small children. Have they had braces yet?
How are they going to afford college? What about insurance and a home and things like this now? I'm not saying you need to pay him so that he can afford a Maserati.
But it would be wise for you to pay him in such a manner that he could afford a nice Ford family SUV. Or maybe even a Toyota that's a little bit more reliable. I'm a Toyota guy myself. His kids need to have braces because those teeth don't straighten themselves out.
I'm pretty sure crooked teeth are just a way to bankrupt parents. He needs health insurance for his family. They need clothes. They need food. They need all of these things. And what you pay him needs to be able to meet all of those needs and Your pastor needs to be able to put aside a little bit of money every month so that over the long haul at some point He can actually retire.
I know the expectation is that we're all just going to hang on to the pulpit until we fall over dead. But that's not a reasonable Expectation so the command you are to follow is do not muzzle the ox. And so the question that you have to ask yourselves in these conversations.
Are we muzzling our ox? That's the right question to ask and make sure that you're not.
You know the Mormons brag yet somehow they're among the wealthiest people in Utah. Where do they get that saying that you shouldn't pay?
Yeah, they say well the Mormon Mormonism is a cult this is this is the religion that believes the ultimate end of man is for you to become a god and Everything in their religion is designed in order for you to attain and earn the right to become a deity.
And so for them to sit there and say well we brag about the fact that we don't pay our clergy. Have you ever been to a Mormon stake and listen to what goes on there? I? Mean is it's a pooling of abject ignorance.
Well, no wonder you guys don't pay him because the guy doesn't know what he's doing. Yeah, but yeah, but he's got money somehow. Yeah now I will say this there's one thing that the Mormons do very well that we as Christians ought to pay attention to and that is is that if you are a Mormon and.
Your.
Your family or you have hit those skids financially. They will take care of their own. And they do a really really good job at that. I mean the Mormon social services or their version of welfare is Unbelievable and their network of how they care for each other is commendable.
Unfortunately their motivation for this is so that they can become a god. Not out of true love for neighbor, by the way, if you're doing your good works so that you can earn brownie points from God. They're no longer good works.
You're not doing your good works for your neighbors sake. You're doing it so that you can get an extra lane in your swimming pool when you get to the new earth. That means you're doing it for yourself.
So they're they're totally motivated by if I do these charitable works. Then that's another feather in my cap and I'm one step closer to be coming a god. That's not a good work.
Right, yeah.
Yeah, I mean if you quit Mormonism the day before you die, well, you'll you won't become a deity. I've got news for you. None of us will ever become a deity. God makes it very clear that was there a God before me.
No, will there be any after me? No, the Old Testament is clear on this. Oh, yes.
Yes.
It Yeah.
Yeah, in fact if you are non-mormon living in Utah certain parts of Utah, you're gonna have a tough time surviving. You're not going to get the business. You need to be able to support yourself because they almost exclusively do business with each other.
All right.
Any questions about what God wills regarding pastors last bit then as we look at the seventh commandment and then we'll do a little mini study on a Different topic as we get ready to steer into the eighth commandment about not bearing false witness and that is is that one of the ways and this is what we have to keep this in mind one of the ways in which we Keep the seventh commandment.
You will not steal is by good land management. You sit in there going. Think of it. What's that story? What was that Aaron Brockovich story? Remember the whole Aaron Brockovich story? There were people because of corporate.
You know illegal dumping of waste materials there were people who were getting cancer and dying. That is a breaking of the seventh commandment. Also the commandment you shall not murder. So the idea then is that we are stewards of the earth think back to Genesis.
God Created man put him in the Garden of Eden to tend to it that God Wills that this creation be managed by us who were made in the image of God which requires us to use our land and our resources responsibly and.
You know those of you who are farmers or who've done farming, you know. Exactly how important this is because you mismanage your land. You're gonna ruin a piece of property for a long time to come and it won't have the ability to produce crops.
So this includes taking care of the water making sure that you're rotating your crops properly. Making sure that you're not dumping waste materials in a way that will you know? Downstream cause problems for other people.
All of this is taken then into consideration. So the you don't sit there and say well, this is my property. I can do whatever I want. I own this land the Christian never thinks that way. Christian says yes.
This is my property. But how is this decision that I'm gonna make in the use of this land? Going to impact my neighbors and the people in the community. You have to take all that into consideration. Texts on this Genesis 2 15.
The Lord took the man put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to keep it. Deuteronomy 22 6 if you come across a bird's nest. This is a fun one come across a bird's nest in a tree or on the ground.
With young ones or eggs and the mother is still sitting on the young ones or the eggs. You shall not take the mother with the young you shall not take the mother with the young which then talks about not only My property then but how do we manage nature?
Which is one of the reasons why it's important that we not over fish and things like that. So the fish can reproduce years ago I was up in Alaska and I was with my biological father and he took us fishing and I was bummed because I wasn't catching fish.
We were out right near the breakwater out of the you know. He lives in Sitka, Alaska and right where the ocean meets kind of where the the waters are protected by the inland passage right there you go down to go about two three hundred feet the halibut are down there and so we were out on a boat and my dad put a jig on.
My.
Line. It was like hundred and twenty pound test. Halibut are big and then you just supposed to just drop this thing. Let it hit the bottom and once it hits the bottom you're supposed to pull it up. Let it settle.
Pull it up. Let it settle. So you're doing this a lot. Of course, my brother catches a fish.
But.
No sooner was I done complaining. When you know, I pulled it up and all of a sudden boom. Right, it's like this like. And then the then literally the fishing line starts running and it's going.
Dad dad dad.
He's like what?
You know, so there I am trying to he said just let it run let it run let it run let it run and I mean the fishing pole is just bent down right and it it kept running and it got to the end and he had tied It off and literally it's like I'm in a fight at this point to not go into the water.
It's like what am I supposed to do it? It just goes boink boink then boom and it broke right at the broke, right? Isn't it? And my dad's all you didn't want to see that fish. What do you mean I didn't want to see that fish he's all yeah.
That would have been a halibut the size of a barn door. Yeah, how big is that? Oh, that would have been a 300 pound halibut. 300 pound halibut. Yeah, it says even if you had gotten it to the surface, we would have had to let it go.
Why? Well, that's a mating female. Oh I thought I thought I had hooked on to a Russian sub, but okay. But the idea so that was an example of like one of my first introductions to proper management of the resources.
So had I figured out how to land such a thing, which never would have happened. You you can't keep it. It has to go back because in order for the halibut population to keep going on that is. That's the mother you got to let her live so that there'll be more halibut in the years to come.
And that's all part of keeping the seventh commandment. You shall not steal means not killing large 300 pound barn door halibut. So just that's all part of the idea. That being the case we finished up our study of The seventh commandment now before we get into the eighth commandment eighth commandment.
You shall not bear false Witness or give false testimony Against your neighbor now just the way that commandment is phrased. We know that it has something to do with lying and slander, but bearing false witness or giving false testimony against your neighbor immediately is going to recall to mind the idea of Some legal proceedings that you may in your lifetime be called to participate in.
Have any of you ever run across a Christian who is squeamish about having to go to court? Put their hand on a Bible and Raise the right hand and say I swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
So help me God. Have any of you ever run into that? It's common. It's a common issue. Are we as Christians permitted to take oaths? Especially oaths like that oaths in a judicial sense and let me show you the texts that are invoked.
That do create some confusion on this matter for instance Matthew 5 33 34 33 through 37. These are the words of Christ. Again, you have heard it was said to those of old. You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord which you have sworn.
But I say to you do not take an oath at all. Either by heaven for it is the throne of God or by earth for it is the foot. It is his footstool or by Jerusalem for it is the city of the great King and do not take an oath by your head.
For you cannot make one hair white or black. Oh, I would beg to differ. Just talk to my daughter-in-law. I've talked to Rhianne. Let what you say simply be yes or no anything more than this comes from evil.
There it is. That means when you go to court, you can't put your hand on the Bible and swear. Is that is that what that means? No, it doesn't mean that you know immediately. There's a problem, but you don't know what the problem is.
The question comes down to What kind of oath swearing is Christ actually going after and as we take a look at the fuller? Revelation of Scripture will begin to see it. So remember in the sermon today in the sermon today I was preaching on the Genesis 22 text in order to help really us get us to understand Genesis 22.
I took us into first Chronicles 21 and second Chronicles 3. Let me ask you had any of you ever been able to connect dots like that before? Have you ever seen those dots connected in that way? No, but once you have the all the dots connected you can't unsee it.
You can see how all of those texts actually all work together because they're dealing with the same place. They're dealing with the same place and the theological significance of what's going to take place there.
So the idea then is is that in isolation? It's very easy to believe that Christ is saying we can't take any oaths of any kind. What I find fascinating is that that person who generally makes that argument will only key in on.
Well the type of oath-taking that you do when you are in a court none of them ever seem to object to the oath-taking that happens when you stand before God and the pastor says Do you take this man to be your lawful wedded husband?
I?
Do.
Do you take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife? You and I'll kiss the bride. That's an oath by the way. No one ever objects to that. It's like you know no one ever stands up says wait a second. We can't do this.
We're Christians. What are you guys thinking? Nobody does that so clearly we're gonna have to take a look at what? Actually is Going on that that Christ is getting at and when we take a look the full of Revelation.
We'll see it now by the way the cross reference to Matthew 533 is James 5 12 But above all my brothers do not swear. Either by heaven or by earth or by anything or any other oath let your yes be yes. Or you know be no so that you may not fall under condemnation.
That's kind of interesting so that you may not fall under condemnation. Let me ask you this is it a sin to make an oath or to swear. Is It on its face evil evil like the sense of Committing adultery is evil.
No. How do we know this let me show you some text Hebrews 6 13 when God made a promise to Abraham? Since he had no one greater by whom to swear He swore by himself saying surely I will bless you and multiply you.
Can God sin. No, if God swears and God makes oaths. Which by the way is the whole point of covenants if you think about it if God swears and God makes oaths. Then oaths in and of themselves are not evil.
Otherwise God would never do such a thing. So we see here in Hebrews 6 13 a clear text that said God swears that God takes an oath. Let me give you something else to consider. This one's a little tougher to tease out.
But I'll help you see it in the Greek so you'll kind of get this. When Jesus is on trial in the gospel of Matthew chapter 26 It says Jesus remained silent and the high priest said to him and listen to these words.
I Adjure you by the Living God to tell us if you are the Christ the Son of God and You're sitting there going. All right, there's a word there. I don't know what it means. What does it mean to adjure somebody?
By the Living God. Just to make things muddier. Let's take a look at the Greek because y 'all know a little Greek. I know a little heat. It's about this tall. So I adjure you. Here's our word. Our word is Exorchizo.
Let's take a look in our Greek lexicon. The second definition is the one that we're going to pay attention to to adjure means to put somebody under oath. To warrant the truth of what is said to put under oath.
So Jesus is on trial granted. It's an illegal trial, but the high priest acting in his office. Illegally says I put you under oath Jesus by the Living God. Tell us the truth. Are you the Christ or not?
Did Jesus go? Whoa. Whoa, you can't put me under an oath. Those are evil. That's not what he says. Now. It's a little tough to see it in the English. It's a lot clearer in the Greek but watch his response.
You have said so you have said so and if you know ancient Roman jurisprudence. That by Jesus saying you have said so he is agreeing to being put under oath. He's not objecting. He's saying okay. So he has been put under oath.
Jesus has consented to it and then he says. You have said so but I tell you from now on. You will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven. What's the response of the high priest after this?
He tore his robes. I mean, I've added some context. I got to back up into this just a little bit. So the high priest tore his robes. He has uttered blasphemy so note I. The high priest put you Jesus under oath by the Living God.
Are you the Messiah or not? Jesus says you've said so which means yep. I'm under oath and I agree. I am the Son of God. I am the Messiah and even more. He now adds to the statement. Even more you're gonna see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of glory seated at the right hand of the father.
At this point the high priest loses it tears his robes thinks that he's finally got what's necessary to nail Jesus to the cross. He's uttered blasphemy and he did so under oath. You see it so Jesus consented to being put under an oath when he was on trial.
We will continue. Every time I shorten or lengthen the context it gets a little bit interesting. Three times the Apostle Paul in his epistles and by the way an epistle is not the wife of an apostle. I want to make sure you know that three times in his epistles he references an oath.
2nd Corinthians 123. But I call God to witness against me. It was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. That's oath talk notice. He's writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 1 9 for God is my witness. Whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his son that without ceasing I mention you again.
Oath-talk.
He's taking an oath by God as his witness that he's telling the truth Galatians 1 20 in what I am writing to you before God. I do not lie. So he's again Invoking God as his witness swearing oath talk that he's not lying.
So now we're beginning to see it clearly in Matthew 533. Jesus is not forbidding all Oathing. Is that a word? All oaths. He's not forbidding that. But there's a particular type of oath that he is specifically getting it now.
I don't know if you've ever worked for or maybe this has even been you somebody who has impulsively made a stupid oath. So there you are you're having an argument with the fellow and you're saying no really the moon is not made out of green cheese.
I swear, it's not. No, come on. I know for a fact it is my great-grandpa said it's made out of green cheese. And it tastes great on a salad. No, really it doesn't. Well if the moon isn't made out of green cheese.
I'll eat my hat. That's kind of the gist of where we're going. And by the way, it's not made out of green cheese.
It's blue cheese.
That's the idea let me give you a couple of examples in Scripture and then I'll come back to the first Timothy text. First Timothy text will help us out a little bit here in Judges chapter 11 if you want to take a look at that story with me.
We see the story of one of the judges of Israel whose name was Jephthah. In fact, I think I want to read this out properly. We haven't done a study on the book of Judges, but this is a Interesting story and it's very tragic.
Extremely tragic. And this will get us into the heart of the type of oathing that we are forbidden to Engage in by God again. Oh things probably not a word, but you get the idea now. Jephthah judges. 11 -1.
Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was the father of Jephthah. Fascinating that God is going to use a fellow who's the son of a prostitute to literally save Israel.
Gilead's wife also bore him sons and when his wife's sons grew up They drove Jephthah out and said to him you shall not have an inheritance in our father's house for you are the son of another.
Woman.
That's putting it kindly then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Taub and worthless fellows collected around Jephthah and went out with him after a time the Ammonites made war against Israel and When the Ammonites made war against Israel the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Taub and They said to Jephthah come and be our leader that we may fight against the Ammonites, but Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead Did you not hate me and drive me out of my father's house?
Why have you come to me now when you are in distress and the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah? That is why we have turned to you now that you may go with us and fight against the Ammonites and be our head over the inhabitants of Gilead.
Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead if you bring me home again to fight against the Ammonites and the Lord gives them over to Me I will be your head. And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah Yahweh will be witnessed between us if we do not do as you say so no oath is invoked here.
God is being called to witness on the agreement the little covenant that they've put together here. So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead. People made him head and leader over them and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah.
Then Jephthah sent Messengers to the king of the Ammonites and said what do you have against me that you've come to me to fight against my land? And the king of the Ammonites answered the messengers of Jephthah Because Israel on coming up from Egypt took away my land From the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan and now therefore restore it peaceably.
So these guys are basically claiming that the Israelites stole their land. Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites and said to him thus says Jephthah Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites.
But when they came up from Egypt Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea came to Kadesh. Israel then sent messengers to the king of Edom saying please let us pass through your land. But the king of Edom would not listen and they sent also to the king of Moab.
But he would not consent so Israel remained at Kadesh then they journeyed through the wilderness went around the land of Edom to the land of Moab and arrived to the east side of the Land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon.
But they did not enter the territory of Moab for the Arnon was a boundary of Moab. So, you know a little bit of a turf war here. There's two different histories. Being running running around the Ammonites have one history.
Israel has the other history. Israel's history is correct. The Ammonites are not speaking the truth. Israel then sent messengers to Sihon the king of the Amorites king of Heshbon and Israel and said to them Please let us pass through your land to our country, but Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory.
So Sihon gathered all his people together and encamped at Jehoz and fought with Israel and Yahweh the God of Israel. Gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel and they defeated them so Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites who inhabited that country and they took possession of all the Territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
So then Yahweh the God of Israel dispossessed the M Amorites from before his people. So they're basically saying God did this to you not us and and you and are you to take possession of them? Will you not possess what came off your God gives you to possess?
Oh, that's some good trash talk right there. Just got to say that's some just really good trash talk. Because Jeff is saying we trust in Yahweh who happens to be the only God there is and if you want good.
Since it was Yahweh who gave us this land. If you want good talk to Shemosh let him give you something good good trash talk cuz Shemosh. The lights are on nobody's home and the phone has been disconnected.
So if you try to call Shemosh you'll get these words. Do do do we're sorry. The God that you are trying to reach is no longer in service or it's not. Yeah, please try again later. Good trash talk. Just you just love it.
I always find it funny that That God's instruments in the Old Testament they show no respect for false gods. None, will you not possess what Shemosh your God gives you to possess and all that the Lord Yahweh our God has dispossessed before us.
We will possess. Now are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor the king of Moab? Did he ever contend against Israel or did he ever go to war with them? While Israel lived in Heshbon and in villages in the aurora and its villages and in all the cities that are on the banks.
So they aren't on 300 years. Why did you not deliver them within that time? I therefore have not sinned against you and you do me wrong by making war on me. Yahweh the judge decide this day between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon.
But the king of the Ammonites did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he sent to him so far. It seems like a pretty straightforward story. Straightforward story of God as we see the pattern in Israel at this time during the time of the judges before there was a king.
They sin. God hands them over to an afflictor and then God raises up a judge and the judge then works salvation for Israel and Releases them or frees them from their oppressors and then the cycle begins again.
Yeah, it's just kind of a fascinating thing. But so far this is pretty straightforward. So then the spirit of Yahweh was upon Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh passed on the Mizpah of Gilead and from Mizpah of Gilead He passed on to the Ammonites and Jephthah made a vow to Yahweh and said and this is a rash vow.
If you will give the Ammonites into my hand. Then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace. From the Ammonites shall be the Lord's and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
That is the type of vow that Jesus is Talking against and you'll see why. So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them. Yahweh gave them into his hand and he struck them from our Aurora to the neighborhood of Minith 20 cities and as far as Abel Karamim with a great blow.
So the Ammonites were subdued before the people of Israel. Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah and Behold his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child.
Besides her he had neither son nor daughter and as soon as he saw her he tore his clothes and said alas my daughter you have brought me very low and You have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to Yahweh and I cannot take back my vow.
And she said to him my father You have opened your mouth to Yahweh do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth. Now that Yahweh has avenged you on your enemies on the Ammonites. So she said to her father let this thing be done to me.
Leave me alone for two months that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity I and my companions. So he said go. And then he sent her away for two months and she departed she and her companions and they wept for her Virginity on the mountains and at the end of the two months she returned to her father who did with her according to his vow.
That he had made. She had never known a man. And it became a custom in Israel that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the Daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year that is The type of vow.
That.
Scripture and Christ is forbidding that rash in the moment. Foolish vow. You'll note.
Judicial vows made in a court hearing are made within the institution of government which God has established and these are for the purpose of Securing the truth from somebody. A Vow like this is foolish and there is no warrant for such a thing.
These are the types of vows that Christ is getting at. If you remember your Old Testament when we work through first Samuel if you remember there was an occasion in first Samuel 14 where Saul They were fighting the Philistines and Saul said if anybody eats any food right now then a curse will be upon him and he will be and he will die.
And Who was it that didn't know that his father had made such a vow? It was Jonathan his own son and he ended up eating honey and Saul was ready to put him to death. But if you remember before that battle it was Jonathan and his armor better bearer who had started that whole battle in the first place and the Lord had given Philistines into the hands of Jonathan and his armor bearer and the people of Israel.
The army stood up and said no it would be Wrong for you to put Jonathan to death and that was a rash stupid vow. That's what scripture forbids. Yeah, that's again that's the kind of thing that scripture also forbids.
So there you are you've been drafted into the military. The Artillery shells are flying overhead and the battle is raging. The small arms fire is going off. Your buddy in the and the foxhole just took a hit and he's on the ground bleeding and crying out.
And in the midst of it you say God if you get me out of this, I promise I'll become a Lutheran pastor. No, that's not what you're supposed to do. Okay, you know you're not supposed to bargain with God in these ways, you know instead know this that God knows your trouble and he is there for you and So you can call on him, but you don't need to bargain with him all of God's mercies and gifts.
He gives freely out of fatherly love for you when we pray our Father who art in heaven. We must key it on those words father. God is our father and he will not withhold from you any good thing. Even if that means you're going to die in battle that does not mean that God the Father does not have fatherly love for you.
We must keep that in mind. So we as Christians we don't need a bargain with God. We call out to God in our time of trouble knowing that our Heavenly Father hears our prayers. Let me show you one last verse and we'll end there for today.
I'll show you this other one. This is a little bit of minutiae but in important ways that we also can be certain of the type of swearing that is forbidden by Scripture and This is found in 1st Timothy chapter 1.
Let me add a little bit of context to this though 1st Timothy chapter 1 specifically, let me Grab the whole context of that particular paragraph and then we'll key in on a particular word. That will really help us 1st.
Timothy 1 8. We know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully.
That's a great. That's great.
Tack text just just pause there for a second. We'll do a little say law here. Think about that. How many people use God's law on lawfully? Too many and we Intuitively are prone to misusing God's law and using it unlawfully.
Primary way in which God's law is used on lawfully if you are good and keep the rules you will go to heaven. That is an unlawful use of God's law we are not saved by works. So that's prime example of you know using God's law Unlawfully, so we know that God's law is good if one uses it lawfully.
So understand this the law is not laid down for the just or the righteous. But for the lawless for the disobedient for the ungodly the sinners to the unholy the profane for those who strike their fathers and mothers fourth commandment breakers for murderers the sexually immoral men who practice Homosexuality enslavers liars and here we go.
There's your word perjurers. Each and every one of us were born in the dominion of darkness and Christ has set us free from these. He's forgiven us and set us free and the law the purpose of the law is to show you your sin and your need for a Savior, but here's the word I want to key in on Epi or choice and that's the plural form of it epi or cos is your singular and listen to the word?
This is what's meaning. To it epi or cos is to falseness in oath taking those who are false in their oath taking. So the law is laid down for those who don't keep their oaths. For the perjurers and so you'll note then the expectation is that you keep your oaths that you Speak the truth when you put your hand on the Bible and say I promise to tell the whole truth and nothing But the truth so help me God.
So now you see it kind of coming full circle then on this. What Christ is going after it in? Bad oathing again, I don't think that's a word but it kind of makes the point bad oathing is these spur-of-the-moment oaths invoking God or heaven and stuff like that and It's disastrous it's absolutely disastrous.
Jeffta.
Yeah, why carry through. So in Scripture, we have two examples both of them involving children of the men making the oath. On the one hand He follows through with his oath. But the problem is in following through with his oath.
He's now breaking another commandment. He's breaking the commandment. You will not murder and. So we see this in a situation like that when there are oaths given. There's kind of a hierarchy to it. And if the keeping of the oath requires you to kill somebody You don't keep it.
And so and we would then point to the second example and that's in 1st Samuel 14 where Jonathan doesn't die Despite the hasty oath of his father. Where and and so the idea then is is that it is good that Jonathan was permitted to live so in a situation like that.
You don't kill a person. You know and God that's not a virtue and Jeffta is not held up as an example for us to follow instead his story is tragic and literally is a warning to us of making these types of oaths and yet.
Over and over and over again throughout human history people have made these exact kinds of oaths. You've probably seen somebody do something like this or you yourself in haste have done something similar.
And we are not to do this that is forbidden. Christ says no don't do it.
Yeah, that's a good point. Yeah, so he's blaming his daughter. You've made me sad it should have been. Oh I was foolish.
Yeah Yeah.
The cat, you know, I mean I can understand that if you have an ornery cat, please cat come out first, okay. But it wasn't the cat. I.
Don't know.
Big it was his mother-in-law. Oh Yeah, well to speculate that way would cause us to break the Eighth Commandment so we'll talk about that more next week.
