Convenience

I want us to look at the way we like to bend God’s commands to fit our fancy as opposed to following them as God intended. Many times we want those commands to complement our way of life as opposed to shaping our lives to align them with God’s scheme of things.

I will fetch our first example from afar. I know some will wonder what I was thinking about when I chose it.

Remember Boaz and Ruth? What did the nearer kinsman redeemer do when he forfeited his responsibility about Ruth?

Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel. Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe. (Ruth 4: 7, 8)

Yet what was the command?

And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother. Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her; Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house. And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed. (Deuteronomy 25: 7 – 10)

Men had simply refused to face shame, especially the kind of shame God intended to keep someone’s name alive. Incidentally you remember another brother God killed because he used the condom of his day so that he does not impregnate his brother’s wife in Genesis 38 as he enjoyed sex with her.

They had decided to renegotiate that order to make it flow with the times.

But we do not only change the command to reduce its impact. Many times we do it to make it scarier to choose disobedience. That is how taboos are born. We think that by amplifying the order we will be able to overcome any enticement temptation may bring our way.

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:17)

Yet look at what Adam did with the command.

But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (Genesis 3:3)

The problem is that the enticement of the temptation grows more intense when we modify, even amplify it. And we know that the devil is the master of that game as he did with Eve.

What am I driving at? The Bible is complete the way God released it to us. Our bending the commandments to fit our situations is disastrous to our spiritual lives. This is because we could easily divert our focus from what God had intended to be able to accommodate our preferences. But even more dangerous is that we will open ourselves up to the enticements the evil one will bring as we have falsely understood God’s motive.

You see by Adam stretching God’s command to include touching the forbidden tree it became easier for the devil to convince Eve that God was not really concerned about their welfare or growth. As far as God’s command was concerned they could have climbed that tree and played with and on it. The only prohibition was eating from the tree, of course the fruit. Increasing the prohibition to include touching made it easier to fall into the enticement to eat, though indirectly.

I have told you that I have ministered with some products (men and women) of the East African revival of 1939/ 1949 who had to be extremely radical to be able to face the challenges of their times. The freedom struggle was one time they really went through a hard time, many having to die for their faith as there were things they could not do like the Quakers in the new world. And they were persecuted by both warring sides due to that. The Mau Mau killed them because they refused to take the oaths since that was the test for loyalty and the Bible forbid them. The colonialists (oppressors) persecuted them because they would not denounce their land or people.

But I want us to look at an incident to get clarity on our topic. We had with them organized a youth camp. On the last evening we had a question and answer session where the organizers, of whom I was one, the rest being those old men and women, responded to questions from the youth.

One old man made a statement that shook the forum. He said that he does not believe that a woman who plaits her hair will go to heaven. And I knew this old man from interacting with him for a long time for his sincerity and spirituality.

I am convinced that the statement had a history and was not just a killer of good looks. Knowing the times they believed I know that they did not just create that statement out of nowhere. There were realities in their times that equated plaited hair with hell or a journey there. It is the same thing when people talk about some kind of dress. We will just look for verses to justify the reality of our times which though it could be valid may not stretch beyond those times. But that does not absolve us for dressing anyhow. There clearly is inappropriate dress for saints according to the Bible. Have you not read this?

And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. (Proverbs 7:10)

And I see it all the way to the front pews of the church. And the pastors seem to enjoy looking at those dressers as it probably increases their ‘inspiration’. Why do I say so? You do not hear preachers rebuking those gates to immorality. You may even see them hugging them tenderly.

Stretching or squeezing the scriptures to fit our times or satisfy our theology defeats the purpose for which they were written. This is because they could very easily open floodgates of rebellion or irrelevance.

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Revelation 22: 18, 19)

God does not permit us to alter His words even for the benefit of His work. Doctoring scripture to win a convert is evil in God’s eyes as the said convert will have a false relationship with His authority, the authority vested in His word.

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1Corinthians 2:13)

Scripture should explain scripture. Using our creativity to make it more acceptable opens us to judgment as we are wont to stretch some truths too thin or add excess weight to others as our experience may dictate. Remember this?

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (Matthew 23:23)

And

 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. (Matthew 23: 24)

Incidentally that is what happens with our clever fortifications of the scriptures with our experience. We overlook the real issues and dwell on the cosmetic as happened to the Pharisees. In their best effort they ended up dwelling on the inconsequential.

That is why one of my greatest challenges and joys has been to connect people to their Bibles in all ways, from discipleship to the Bible reading plans to Audio Bibles and many other efforts in between. This is because there is no way someone can be misled by reading the Bible only. We are easily misled when we combine it with some other school of thought or theology, especially when we think that we cannot be able to understand the Bible on its own.

Sadly, that is how many pastors and teachers of the word lead their flock. They become the remote (though very present) interpreters of the Bible. They will many times dictate where the flock should be reading so that they may be on the same page. The actual reason is that they are blocking them from getting some other revelation from the Bible as they then will be more difficult to control. Even the Bible Studies are prepared for the same purpose, control.

That is how we slowly add our preferences to the Bible to make it support our theology or whatever fills our stomachs or egos. Then no one will be able to question us as we have protected their understanding of the Bible to our position.

Let us look at a couple of such misapplications.

… Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. (Psalm 105:15)

Do you realize that it is only the ones with expired anointing who resort to that quote? Compare David and Saul. Why did David refuse to touch Saul? And why did he never use anointing to argue against the persecution he was going through yet even Saul was cognizant of the fact of that anointing?

Saul’s anointing had expired and he knew it. He used the argument to run away from repentance.

Why did Jesus, the Anointed One, the source and focus of all anointing never once quote that verse? Why did He not resist being spat on and scourged and nailed on the cross?

Anointing is sufficient and does not need forerunners. Again not once do we see prophets in the Bible quoting that verse though they knew it better than we do. Yet they endured enough opposition, even death for walking in their anointing.

Let me repeat what I have said. Someone who uses that verse to defend his anointing is for the most part walking in an expired anointing and should get back to God for fresh anointing. But they quote it to run away from repentance since like Balaam they do not want to get rid of the rewards of that expired anointing.

And of course that statement was made by God not the anointed.

… believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. (2Chonicles 20:20)

This is not much different. But we need to remember that it was made by a king after a very unconventional prophecy about war. The prophet just issued the word and ‘left the scene’ since that is what he had been sent to do.

Again a prophet who must convince me to believe his prophecy is for the most part walking past his sell by date. In fact if I may be blunt I will call him a false prophet. No prophet blows his trumpet because no prophet carries his message.

A prophet is like a king’s herald and is therefore more concerned about the king’s message than his persona. If such a herald parades his CV more than dwelling on the message he carries anyone will be right if they called him an imposter. And this is what the bulk of these self important selfish prophets are.

Again look at the prophets in the Bible. None fought for recognition as a prophet. They were content giving God’s message as they received it. They did not look for or expect any favors. In fact many run away from them. Many did not even want to be called prophets because for them the message was greater than the herald.

A final thing I will mention is giving. If you must teach people how to give by asking them to give you or your structure (church or ministry) instead of asking them to be more responsive to God’s leading, if you do not exercise the generosity you expect from them, if you are not their example on issues of giving, then you are a comfortable fake.

You see, giving to you does not equal to giving to God unless you are so connected to God for the destination of the last coin. If they give to me as giving to God and there is a hungry person I do not know or there is a child who is out of school for lack of fees or there is a need I do not know, then I am a thief of God’s offering and not much different from Eli’s sons. And I am talking about the church and its leadership.

Why don’t we teach our people to listen to God concerning where they should give those offerings? Why do we teach about the tithe when we do not use it to do what the Bible meant it for? Why must they give to us all the time as if we are the only structure God has on earth? Why are we so scared of connecting our church members to each other so that they can more effectively meet needs one to the other instead of hoarding all the giving to a structure that has no spiritual life?

And like I always say I also require support as I minister, probably more than most of the other ministers. I do not have a salary or a support structure. But for me I find it more fulfilling receiving support from people God has prompted as I can then concentrate on what God wants me to do. When people ask how they should support me I will tell them to pray and ask God as opposed to giving them my own directives and needs (and of course I have needs). Though it is easier to whip up support through guilt or fancy reports, I find it scripturally sound to connect people to God for direction about giving, a giving that does not start or end with me as I am just a servant of the Most High.

Again I will state that my greatest joy is to see people who are so connected to God and His revelation that they can hear what God is telling them and doing it, from dressing to morals to giving. As a minister my role is to assist them make that connection, and not as a broker like many ministers seek to be. I want to fade out once that connection is made so that I do not create diversions or obstructions to the lively relationship once established.

Then God will be glorified by the ministry He has entrusted to me.