Judges 20. The second appendix: The Benjamite War; the law of Christ is the law of love.

Title: Judges 20. The second appendix: The Benjamite War; the law of Christ is the law of love.

 

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 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.

 

1CO 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ.

 

1CO 3:2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able,

 

1CO 3:3 for you are still fleshly [sarkikos: having the nature of flesh, sensual, controlled by animal appetites]. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?

 

The opposite of being controlled by animal appetites is self-control as a fruit of the Spirit. Love is the beginning.

 

GAL 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

 

They have knowledge, Paul spent a year and a half there teaching them (the longest he ever stayed at a church), 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 8:1 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;

 

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.

 

This shows us that knowledge without application of grace, love, compassion, humility, obedience, etc. means that a person doesn’t know anything.

 

Very smart people have done great harm to others and to the church. Knowledge without love is like power without compassion or authority without humility.

 

1CO 13:1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

 

1CO 13:2 And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

 

1CO 13:3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

 

1CO 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

 

1CO 13:5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

 

1CO 13:6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

 

1CO 13:7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

 

1CO 13:8 Love never fails [is eternal];

 

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.

 

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

 

It is clear in several passages that when God says you are known by Him, it means you are saved.

 

2TI 2:19

Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness."

 

GAL 4:8-9

However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things,

 

However, this passage is different. This knowledge by God is conditioned on the believer loving Him. It must refer to a certain intimacy of relationship.

 

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 had knowledge but 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.