Judges 20. The second appendix: The Benjamite War; Final words on commitment to God.

Title: Judges 20. The second appendix: The Benjamite War; Final words on commitment to God.

 

We read in the scriptures last night that God has made us alive together with Christ. We were quite alive when this happened, and therefore it is a different kind of life. The mystery in this is as great as all the others in Christianity. God didn't give us angelic life or a higher form of human life. He gave us His own life - eternal life.

 

GAL 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

 

GAL 6:8 For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.

 

The analogy, so often used in the Bible, is agriculture.

 

If we sow to the Spirit, set our minds on the things of the Spirit, then we reap the harvest of eternal life.

 

He is not saying that we gain it, for we are made alive at salvation, but we reap from it.

 

By having eternal life, the life of God, we don't become God or little gods, but we are given the ability to love like Him, and to produce His fruit. The reality is that He produces the fruit through us if we will choose to set our minds on the things of the Spirit of God.

 

GAL 6:9 And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.

 

GAL 6:10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

 

Love God with all of you. Love your neighbor as yourself. What does it mean, "as yourself." It is the love that all of us have for what's best for ourselves. This can actually be godly.

 

It is quite detrimental to the spiritual life to get this one wrong and to think that one has to learn to love himself. All people love themselves and in most cases they desire the wrong things for themselves, convinced that they are the best things. So it is not the love of self that is wrong, but the understanding and faith in what is best for self. The ascetic realizes this, but chooses the wrong solution. Instead of acquiring the proper things that are best for self, they hate themselves and deny themselves of the things that are proper.

 

To love yourself independently from God is to be your own god. God shows us the way through Christ.

 

The best thing a Christian can do for himself is to become conformed to the image of Christ. He will experience the fruit of the Spirit. He will experience pure joy.

 

I would venture to say that every Christian, because of the divine seed that is in them, desires to be conformed to the image of Christ, but how many are willing to do what it takes to realize that end? Would you not agree with me that this is the best thing for them? What could be better to have than pure divine joy? All the tea in China couldn't buy it. Everyone who has ever lived is looking for it. And there is stands, yelling at us from the list of the fruit of the Spirit as #2, right behind agape love.

 

God's joy in our hearts, everywhere, anywhere, all the time, no matter what. You and I have to literally fight in our souls to hold on to it. It slips through the fingers of our minds so easily.

 

We are not to be the believer who gives some of himself to God and others and reserves some for himself.  

 

We find king Saul relating to Samuel that he had done the will of the Lord, when he had only done part of it. We find many of the first Christian Jews in the church trying to hang on to parts of the Mosaic Law. Every believer attempts to alter the plan and then convince himself that it is the true plan. We all learn that this cannot be done.

 

MAT 5:47 "And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more [perissos: exceedingly] than others [not in original]? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

 

"And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do exceedingly?"

 

MAT 5:48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

 

MAT 6:16 "And whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance in order to be seen fasting by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

 

MAT 6:17 "But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face

 

MAT 6:18 so that you may not be seen fasting by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you."

 

The fasting of the Christian is his self-denial in love and service of others. It is the law of Christ, and it is constant, day by day.  

 

Christ does not condemn fasting but tells us how it should be done. It is not compulsive but voluntary. It would include the proper sacrifice of anything for the benefit of another.

 

Sacrifice, or laying down one's life for another, would include denial of anything, including food, and only for a legitimate reason. As our Lord said, it should never be done for any approbation, to be seen by others, or even to admire yourself. It is the practice of self-control, which is a fruit of the Spirit, and so a key aspect to the Christian way of life.

 

Therefore, according to Christ's instruction, when we perform these spiritual functions we are not to look any different than if we were not sacrificing.

 

Self-control means that I don't always satisfy the appetite of the body, whatever form that appetite may take. Often in service of others there is a call to self-renunciation. The Holy Spirit doesn't force us. We must choose to deny ourselves and trust the Spirit to give us the power to carry it through.

 

As the fruit of the Spirit, we have self-control and also joy. A grudging self-control is not of the divine.

 

The attempt at discipline is not enough to accomplish it, as almost everyone has found out in their personal experience. Self-denial does not come natural to the flesh, and the attempt must be made based upon faith in the indwelling Spirit and in following Christ's example. We are to be aware from the word of God of the rebelliousness, constant pride, slothfulness, and self-indulgence of the flesh.

 

MAT 26:40 And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?

 

MAT 26:41 "Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

 

When we choose to deny ourselves, we must trust in God's power within us to accomplish it. If we are disciples we have His word in us and His Spirit in us and together they have more than enough power for us to see through to the end any self-denial that is according to the will of God. Trust is a humiliation of the flesh. As Paul stated, "I buffet my body and make it my slave." The flesh hates to be denied since it lusts for kingship.

 

We must be careful of the flesh, and we must know the schemes of the devil, who cunningly and deceivingly spreads lies that have the purpose of promoting the flesh to total power.

 

The flesh, hating to be denied or delayed anything, hides under a false impression of the word "liberty."

 

It tells us that it is free from all compulsions, and thus only in this is liberty, but liberty without the proper authority is always anarchy and not liberty at all. Our authority is the One who sits at the right hand of God until all are made a footstool for His feet. Our freedom consists in having the power to be like Him in our thinking and conduct as disciples. Such freedom sometimes demands self-sacrifice in love. So then, the disciple is free indeed, but freed from the flesh so that he may follow Christ, hence he is simultaneously Christ's slave. When "in Christ" a "free slave" is not a paradox.

 

The disciple is not to put on a gloomy face or look fatigued or agitated for the purpose of being seen as one who is really sacrificing.

 

If he does he has gotten his reward in full. When we fast, or pray, or serve, or lay down our lives we are to look and act as we do in times of rest and ease. We are to be in sacrificial service as we are when we're on vacation. For this to be true we must really be doing what we do in service of God and not in the care of being recognized by men.

 

The Christian is not called to be an ascetic, but at times of service he does have to practice asceticism by denying himself of something that he may normally partake of.

 

1CO 8:1 Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.

 

1CO 8:2 If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know;

 

1CO 8:3 but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.

 

The Corinthians had knowledge, probably from Paul teaching them when he was there in person, that they could properly eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols. Yet the Holy Spirit instructs them that knowledge alone is not always a reliable guide.

 

Have you ever met someone who had a lot of Bible knowledge and no love? They are always proud and unconcerned with others, especially those they deem to have less knowledge than them.

 

The doctrine is, that love to God and to each other is a better guide in determining what to do than mere knowledge.

 

This truth is so clear in the case of the Corinthians. They are shown to have a lot of knowledge, but Paul calls them carnal. They have knowledge, and they also have strife, contention, and jealousy. Love is the perfect bond of unity. This in no wise means that we ignore knowledge. We need it, but it must be mixed with love or it will cause evil division.  

 

1CO 8:2 If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know;

 

The context tells us that he speaks here of vain, conceited knowledge. Knowledge without love means that he has not yet known as he ought to know.

 

1CO 8:3 but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.

 

God knows all who are His (2TI 2:19), but this knowledge is conditioned on loving God, and so it must refer to a certain intimacy with God that not all Christians share.

 

1CO 8:4 Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one.

 

At the various temples in Corinth, sacrifices to the gods would be made and a portion of the meat would be given to the priest as well as the one who offered the animal. They could eat their portion or they could sell it, or some of it, at the marketplace. The shopper would not know the source of the meat, but he could ask the seller.

 

Many in the Corinthian church were well aware of this truth and they happily purchased and ate meat from the market that had been so sacrificed. But since Paul left, there had to be new converts who had not yet matured in this knowledge. Their conscience was weak, but because the Corinthians lacked love, they didn't care to even consider that their actions might hurt or hinder the growth of a new believer.

 

1CO 8:5 For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords,

 

1CO 8:6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

 

1CO 8:7 However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

 

1CO 8:8 But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat.

 

1CO 8:9 But take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.

 

1CO 8:10 For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols?

 

The various temples celebrated various feasts throughout the year. It's amazing that any Christian would attend them, but such was the celebrated freedom of the Corinthian Christian. Technically, it is not a sin for him to be there, and hence Paul doesn't condemn it, but as Paul said in chapter 6, all things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. Paul just said that there is no such thing as a false god, so as the meat would be ok to eat, the temple would be ok to eat in, for it is just a building. If the false god doesn’t exist then he doesn't indwell the temple. Yet, what message does it give to the pagan worshippers and to the new Christians when the Corinthian Christian attends the feast and greedily eats in the temple?  

 

1CO 8:11 For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died.

 

1CO 8:12 And thus, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.

 

The law of Christ is the law of love. We are to lay down our lives for the brethren.

 

1CO 8:13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, that I might not cause my brother to stumble.

 

This sacrifice of time or energy or wealth is done unto God first and foremost and then unto people, and if it is, we will not care whether we are recognized or thanked. Our reward is with our Father and, as we have seen, that reward is being able to actually live the life of a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not looking for the Father to give us anything else, though in His matchless grace He may, but just to walk in the image of Christ is the ultimate reward.

 

Our ultimate reward is life lived in the image of Christ. When, in complete dependence upon God, we choose to endure the suffering for His name's sake, then we receive our full inheritance.

 

ROM 8:15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"

 

ROM 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

 

ROM 8:17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.

 

The compound words: sunkleronomoi (co-heirs), sumpaschomen (co-sufferers), sundoxasthomen (co-glorified) naturally go together. All children are heirs of God, but not all the children suffer and endure with Christ.

 

All of the children are called to suffer for His name's sake, Php 1:29, but not all the children will endure such undeserved suffering. It should cause us to think intently when we see in this verse a dogmatic statement, all children are heirs of God, followed by a conditional statement, if indeed we suffer with Him. Verse 17 states that all the children are heirs, but it also suggests strongly that there is an inheritance that is a co-inheritance with Christ that only those who have suffered as Christ did will enjoy.

 

Since all believers are in union with Him, it would be odd that there would be two inheritances, one with the Father and one with the Son. It is more consistent to understand that there is a part of the inheritance of Christ that only those who have followed Him and therefore suffered with Him will enjoy. If we understand that the inheritance is not some kind of materialism per se, but a certain character, then this makes perfect sense.

 

No one who has not withstood with patience, courage, and faith the undeserved suffering that comes upon a man for the sake of Christ, can know or have the character of it.