The first in an expository teaching/preaching series through the book of Hebrews!
Author: Lee A. Robinson
C.
Scrumptious Hair, Little Face
Charming Smile, “Finding” Grace.
Strong Arms, Muscle Body
Expert Finder, Organizing Hobby
Middlest One, Lots of Fun
Great to Tickle, Crack-up Giggle
Hard Worker, Often Servant
Great Helper, Very Observant
Thorough Organizer, Detail Master
Adventurous Spirit, Story Broadcaster
People-Pleaser, Tender Heart
Adorable Voice, Pretty Smart
Unique Name, Loves Big Shoes
Early Morning Alarm-Clock Snooze
Becoming a Lady, Turned Eleven
Beloved Daughter, Gift From Heaven
Remember Abraham
There are two ways you can go about getting what you want. One way is through the flesh and the other by the power of God; one way of making it happen is through works, or effort, the other way is through faith; one way is through patience, the other through grabbing ahold of it right now. Which way are you choosing?
To one degree or another God allows us to choose which path we’ll follow . We get to choose, but then we have to live with the consequences that God allows. Abraham’s destiny was to become a father; not just any father, but a patriarch: a father of nations; not just any nation or nations, but that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed. There was a lot hanging in the balance if Abraham didn’t have a son. But this is squarely where the problem was- Sarah was barren, Abraham had given her no children, and now they were well stricken in years (beyond the age of having babies). When the promise first came, perhaps there was the possibility that they could have still had a baby through the natural means of conception, but as time went on- year after year – the reality became more clear, “We cannot have a baby.”
“What are you going to do Abraham? You know God’s calling. You know your destiny. You’ve seen proof of God being with you. But central to your calling is this baby, and there is no sign of a baby.”
Unfortunately, Abraham decided to attempt to take the matter into his own hands. “If Sarah won’t conceive then I’ll make it happen through Haggar, my servant.” And wallah, it worked! Well, actually there was produced a “fake” son. Ishmael was real, of course, and special, made in God’s image, and was blessed by God, but by “fake” I mean, that in regards to God’s will for Abraham to have a son, Ishmael was not the son that was the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham. It may have looked like it at first, to Abraham, and to others, but God knew all along- “Abe, this is the work of your own hands, not mine. This has nothing to do with my Word to you.”
And what is the result of us trying to make God’s will happen through our own efforts? Struggle, problems, anger, confusion. This child gave Abraham personal problems, marital problems, problems with his children. Eventually Abraham had to send Haggar and Ishmael out of the home! It caused division, the loss of loved ones, the breaking up of a home. And in the future it caused great problems between the descendants of Ishamel and Isaac, all the way down to this very day with conflict between Israel and the Arab nations.
When we try to force God’s will – NOW – we make a mess of problems, and we don’t actually accomplish what God has placed into our hearts. God plants seeds in our hearts, which are meant to germinate, be cultivated, take root, grow, become strong, and eventually blossom and bear fruit. His Word will not return void. His will is meant to be accomplished, but in His own time, and in His own way. Maybe God has called you to get married, but you are still single, and getting older. Don’t take it into your own hands. Stay away from pornography; don’t date unbelievers, don’t even consider it. Do not settle for less than God’s best. It will cause you perpetual problems, just like it did with Abraham. Wait upon God, with patience, and his will, will come to pass. Even if you are convinced that the situation is impossible- It is settled in your heart, “There are absolutely no options here.” Don’t give up!
Romans 4:17-21 says about Abraham, “(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, “So shall thy seed be.” And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, HE WAS ABLE also to perform.” (emphasis mine)
It was not possible for Abraham to have a child. Yet he did. It was the sheer power of God. The same God who called light to come out of darkness called for life and conception in Sarah’s womb. This is the same God who conceived in the virgin Mary the Son of God. And this is the same God which we believe in and follow today.
Perhaps God has called you to some kind of ministry or mission for him, but it has not yet materialized. And time is running out, you’re getting older. You may not even be able to articulate what it is that God has placed into your heart! But you know that something is there. Remember Abraham. Be a son of Faith. Believe. Trust God to make it happen in His time and in His way. Of course, if there is sin in your life, focus on getting rid of it; if there are character flaws, focus on sharpening them up. Focus on knowing God, worshiping him, and making him known to others in the current state that you are in in life. Waiting on God doesn’t mean sitting down doing nothing, but rather has the idea of being a waiter. Attend to God, please him, do what you are able to do right now as you serve him, and patiently wait for him to bring you the promotion you are seeking for.
I’ve often reflected on why God planted the seeds of promise in Abrham’s heart when he did. I believe it was 25 years or so from the time Abraham received the promise that he would have a son to the time that it actually happened. Why did God do this? Didn’t it cause impatience in Abraham and cause him to take actions into his own hands? No. We cannot hold God responsible for dropping what he put into our hands. God knew that Abraham was able to handle the burden, but Abraham failed to be a perfect steward of it.
Thank God for his mercy, that although Abraham was not perfect, he did not discard Abraham as his chosen vessel when he messed up with Hagar. God could see the depths of Abraham. He knew that he was faithful, and that he would persevere in the end to trust God to make His Word of promise come alive.
Back to my comment earlier about us being able to choose whether we will take the short, east route, or whether we will defer to the long, whindy, uncertain route. The choice is yours. We can choose to sell our birthright (God’s special calling) for a bowl of beans (temporary pleasure), or we can Remember Abraham and follow in his footsteps of taking the long, but the right route. Often God’s perfect will is a lifelong pursuit. David got to the throne, eventually, but as the anointed king he was shut out of the nation, hunted, defamed and lied about. But the time finally came when the nation confessed, “We always knew that God had chosen you.” (my paraphrase) Moses trained for 40 years in Egypt as a prince, then another 40 years in the desert as a shepherd (how about that combination!). Do you ever think Moses said to himself in the wilderness, “What am I doing out here!” Then at 80 he began to see God’s promises come to fruition. Can you imagine the struggle that went on inside the breast of Jesus as he saw corruption in his day? How many times I’m sure he was tempted to stand up, rebuke everyone and take over the whole nation? Yet, he was quiet, until it was his time. He waited patiently, perfectly on the Father.
There is a time for everything. Right now it is time for you to faithfully do what you can. There is more, yes, there is more, but let it grow. Let God make it bud. And may God bless you with patience and endurance for the journey.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Romans 8:24-27 “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
Will Heaven Be Boring?
Can you think of any people that you just love to be around? It seems like time flies and you wish you could just be with them forever? It may be someone whose humor hits the spot with you, or someone who is so kind and understanding, or someone you simply adore? When we are with that person, it is not the setting or situation that makes it special – the person makes it special, and your relationship with them. It is not the things you possess, the activities you are doing, or the food you are eating that draws you in, but rather the person is all you need. It is enough to observe how they interact with the world around them, with you. Simply watching them is worth living.
It seems as though most times, when heaven is thought about or discussed, there is more attention given to the setting rather than to the Person who we will be with. There will be no sin, no sorrow, no pain; streets of gold; the tree of life; the river of life. Yes, but all of those things are simply accessories, they are additions to the real thing – being with God. People say, “Heaven sounds boring – floating around on clouds for all eternity!?” That is not at all what Heaven is, but the main point is missed – Heaven is being with God! And being with God means that will will be in uninterrupted, unending fellowship with a Perfect Being of Love. No person on earth can truly satisfy us, especially forever. Everyone at some point either gets boring or frustrating, but God never will.
Can you imagine the jokes that God will tell? We have experienced on the earth some pretty deep humor in our relationship with God. He knows how to reach deep into the depths to tickle our soul. What kind of laughter will be produced in us in the presence of an infinitely wise, good, and all-knowing God! And that added to the fact that there will be the utter absence of uncleanness and pride – those types of things that kill joy. You that belly laugh we all get when we crack up? It is surreal. Will we laugh like that for a thousand years?
Can you imagine watching God at work or play? Have you ever watched in awe at a person working their craft? I have always been floored by how some artists draw or paint. Can you imagine watching God draw something? I’m sure there would be pin drop silence, and all of heaven with jaws dropped, amazed at his handiwork on a canvas. Have you ever watched a man with wonder doing some kind of task that requires great power? I remember staring at a video one time watching a man do what seemed like endless amounts of a variety of pull-ups, just thinking, “Man that is some strength right there.” Can you imagine what kind of works of power we will get to watch God perform? How about watching God bowling with planets as pins? Can you imagine the rumble of that strike!? Can you imagine being in the crowd of saints and angels cheering?
Can you imagine hearing God sing or play an instrument? I absolutely love music. I get it. I love to just sit and close my eyes, contemplate and muse over music. It really strikes a chord with me for some reason :). There are times when I am just in awe over the beauty and inspiration of some pieces, it can be truly and deeply satisfying. But what will these be in comparison to God as composer? To experience him singing or playing? Our hearts will burst! We will be elevated straight up into the air. We will be totally floored. Can you imagine the standing ovations? Recitals lasting for a thousand years, each piece better than the one before, but the first was absolutely divinely magnificent?!
We could go on and on about how wonderful it will be to watch God (we will one day). But then we could talk about things that hit home a little more. Can you imagine God doting on you? My wife sometimes just stares at me. Sometimes it can be a little embarrassing, but it is precious, because she is adoring me (at least I think that’s what she’s doing). Try to ponder God’s face, staring at you with a gentle smile and soft countenance, looking deep into your soul, non-verbally communicating to you, “You are mine, forever. I love you, forever. We are together, forever.” How could that be boring? More like thrilling and completely satisfying. What will His hugs be like? What will it be like to make plans together with God? There is much about my life right now that is an adventure- and a part of me wishes I had a thousand years to be able to do in this earth all that is in my heart, so I cannot imagine how interesting and thought provoking it will be to adventure with God in an unveiled state.
What will it be like to be taught by God? Any true Born-Again Christian has experienced a supernatural relationship with the Bible. There have been times when we just sat back in fear mingled with joy saying, “This Book is alive!” But can you imagine His lectures in Person (no zoom meetings in heaven)? Lectures on any topic not just theology, but also physics, art, or communication? We will be learning, right? If Jesus as a man learned, then of course there will be learning and growing in Heaven. Can you imagine how profound those “aha” moments will be? “Whaat?”
So, in answer to the question – No, Heaven will not be boring. It will never be stale, dull, uneventful, colorless, repetitive, flat or mundane. Each moment will overflow with inexpressible peace, joy, happiness, wonder, amazement, passion and super-abundant glory. And none of this is ultimately derived from the places or things that will be in Heaven, but rather from GOD Himself. O for that day to come!
Do you have a loved one that has died? Imagine the glory they are in right now.
Is life today feeling more like death? Hope in God. He is good, and will bring you to His Paradise in due time. This too shall pass. We are going on from glory to glory. And draw near to God. If Heaven is bliss because of God, not the setting, then recognize that you already have God. Our understanding is yet imperfect, but focus on who He is today, what He is saying and doing, and you’re guaranteed to find much more pleasure and joy than focusing on yourself or the things of this world.
If you don’t know Christ as your Savior – today is the day to secure your future with Him.
There is only one thing that would keep us out of Heaven, and keep us from enjoying Him forever. That one thing is sin. It is not a lack of religion or good deeds that keeps people away from God, but rather the presence of something unpleasant and repulsive to God – sin. God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If you want to be united with God today and for all eternity, you must be forgiven and cleansed of your sins. And this is all that needs to happen. Thankfully, God, in His love, gave His Son Jesus Christ to suffer and die for your sins on the cross. Jesus rose from the dead, ascended back to Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, as a Mediator or Advocate before God, our ultimate Judge. God has promised that if we acknowledge our sinfulness and trust in Christ’s offering for our sins, that He will forever forgive all of our sins, even our future ones. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord Jesus shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13) Call upon Him today, right now, and I’ll look forward to seeing you in glory!
And Lead Yourself Not Into Temptation
Living the Lord’s Prayer, Part 6
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:13)
This is a great prayer, and I’m sure underused by most. I have a feeling the prayer more often raised to God is, “Father, help me to overcome sin,” which is a necessary prayer as well, but how many times do you think we could have avoided sinning, if only we had asked God to not permit the temptation to come? We can and should overcome temptation by the power of God, but many times we don’t. In most or many cases if we can avoid the temptation we avoid the sin. A walk of prudence is a tremendous addition to a walk of valor. If we are praying and asking God to not lead us into temptation, wouldn’t it be a good idea that we lead ourselves not into temptation? In this article I want to highlight some Scriptures that speak about the necessity and wisdom of building protective walls around our lives, and to give some practical advice on things we can do to avoid temptations…
The Devil Don’t Sleep
“Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.” (Proverbs 4:14-16)
Satan and his minions live to cause others to die. They feed on trickery and revel in causing people to sin. It is their entertainment and meaning in life – they are fishers of men, to steal, kill and to destroy. It is difficult to comprehend that there are beings that are pure evil, but so is the case. Wicked men don’t sleep until they have done mischief, but evil spirits don’t need to sleep or eat, nor do they have the distractions of worldly cares. Sin is eager to get you and the flesh wants to be satisfied. “The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” We are no match for evil powers.
We are in a desperate need for God’s protection on our lives and for wisdom in our walk. If you are the kind of person that thinks you’re all set then you are deceived: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” Pride precedes a fall.
The more we trust ourselves the more danger we are in. Proverbs 14:16 says, “A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.” “One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.” -esv
We are never instructed in Scripture to trust ourselves. In fact, the opposite is true: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-7)
Fishermen tailor their bait for their catch. Devils customize their temptations for the souls they are responsible for. Demons have been around a while, they know man. They know who, what, when, where, and how to lay that trap for you to fall into. Thankfully the Bible says that we do not have to be ignorant of Satan’s devices (2 Corinthians 2:11). If he strategizes to lay out traps for us, we must counter strategize to avoid them. It would be better to avoid having to walk through a minefield than to successfully tip toe through one. Therefore, this above verse tells us to not even go near the road where we know wickedness is happening: “avoid it, pass not by, turn from it, and pass away.” All of these phrases are saying the same thing and repeated for emphasis.
The Necessity of Walls.
What fortress does not have walls around it? If there is something of value, Evil is going to want to find a way to defile it. There is power in purity and holiness, and it must be guarded. If you have security, why have walls then? A valiant army on the ground perhaps can ward off most foes, but how much more of an upper hand does that same force have on top of a massive impenetrable wall?
To overcome the Evil One we must have on the whole armor of God, but a part of being strong in the Lord is by staying in the castle. We cannot be foolish by tempting the Lord. There are appropriate times to leave the city and engage in battle, but it must be the right time and the right circumstances.
Do you have walls up? Walls don’t make you pure. Don’t get that mixed up either. But we are better off with strong, defined walls.
Unhealthy Doctrine
The Bible speaks a lot about sound doctrine. The word underlying “sound” means “healthy.” Sound doctrine is teaching that produces godliness. Unsound doctrine is teaching that leads people into sin rather than away from it. One of these destructive doctrines is Anti-nomianism (against-law). What they say is that in Christ there is no law, “We are not under the law, but under grace.” It is true that we are not under the Mosaic Law any more, and we are free from the constraints of man made traditions, and that our righteousness comes through faith alone in Christ. But, what it does NOT mean is that there is any justification for us to sin, or to put ourselves into places for temptation to sin. Consider the following verses…
“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh…” (Galatians 5:13) Jude warned about teachers who come in secretively, who “turn the grace of God into licentiousness.” (Jude 1:4) “As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness…” (1 Peter 2:16) Each of these scriptures are saying, “Yes, you have liberty, but do not…never, ever…in any way, shape or form, think that this means you can sin.” We have been liberated from sin, not liberated to sin. Jesus is our Master. The Holy Spirit is our Lord. We are obligated to obey him and to be holy as he is holy. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1-2) So be very careful about teachers who highly emphasize the freedom in Christ, while minimizing our obligation to obey Christ. In following Christ faithfully there is liberty, but there is also prudence. We are not to fear man, but we should fear sinning against God and marring his reputation.
Biblical Basis for Bulwarks
Proverbs 22:3
A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
A prudent person considers carefully what could happen down the road based on their course of action, and plans accordingly. They are aware of the evils that are determined to make them fall. They recognize that there are dangers…real dangers. They are not proud and just say, “Ah! Whatever comes, I’ll just stand against it and fight against it!” They humbly recognize that the wisest course of action is to hide. The Christian walk is warfare. Read Pilgrim’s Progress. The forces of darkness strategize and then execute their plans. Discerning Christians do the same. The simple-minded man assumes there is no danger, either as a result of their pride or naivety. Whatever the root, the simple man gets himself into complex difficult situations that could have been avoided.
There are times to fight and there are times to hide. David hid from Saul; Jesus hid from angry crowds; Paul hid from the Jews.
1 Thessalonians 5:21-23
“Prove (examine, test) all things; hold fast that which is good (kalos – beautiful, fine). Abstain (keep away) from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
How do we test everything? Of course by Scripture, but also look at the fruit. Do apples grow on vines? “A tree is known by its fruit.” Look at the results of actions and ways of life. There are courses of action, that if pressed to the letter, may be biblical, but not be wise. There are activities that may be permissible, but not best. “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient.” 1 Corinthians 6:12 We should stay away from what is evil, but we should also stay away from what looks like evil; or what could possibly be evil; or what could possibly lead to something evil. “When in doubt, get out!”
“We should therefore abstain from evil, and all appearances of evil, from sin, and that which looks like sin, leads to it, and borders upon it. He who is not shy of the appearances of sin, who shuns not the occasions of sin, and who avoids not the temptations and approaches to sin, will not long abstain from the actual commission of sin.” (Matthew Henry)
Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Practical Advice for Avoiding Temptation
*I am not necessarily saying that any of the following activities are sinful in and of themselves. However, if you struggle with sin in any of these areas then I believe that the following recommendations would prove prudent in most cases.
- Just don’t drink alcohol at all. If you don’t take the first sip, then you don’t have to worry about taking too many. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” (Proverbs 20:1) If you need any amount of alcohol in your system for you to have a good time then you already got a problem.
- Don’t be alone with a woman (or a man) that you are not married to. Talk about a door open for the Devil! Remember Joseph and Potiphar’s wife? Joseph didn’t have a choice to be in the situation he was, he was a slave. I believe this is one of the reasons why he had strength from God to escape. But if it is not necessary and you choose to put yourself into that situation, then you are tempting God. Get a chaperone. Better safe than sorry.
- Don’t hang out with people who have the same sinful temperaments as yourself. If you are prone to gossip, stay away from tattlers and busybodies. If you have anger tendencies, stay away from angry people. “Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.” (Proverbs 22:24-25)
- Stay away from sinful, worldly people. “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” “Bad company corrupts good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33) You will become like the people you hang out with, so choose your close friends wisely. The Bible does not say that Jesus was a friend of publicans and sinners (Matthew 11:19), this was a derogatory phrase said about Jesus by the ‘holier than thou’ Pharisees. The point – Jesus loved everyone, even the worst of sinners, and reached out to them to heal them and teach them, but he was not their buddies. We are in the world, but not of the world. Reach out to all, in humble love, but do not be BFF’s with ungodly people, or else in time you will sit in their seat (Psalm 1:1). Come out from among them and be ye separate saith the LORD.
- Watch your influences carefully as well. Music is powerful. Don’t listen to music that is ungodly- you will learn their ways. Don’t fill your heart and minds with ungodly movies or books or games. You are deceived if you think that you are unaffected by the communication transfer- whether it be language, images, life values, worldviews, etc.
- Get rid of your TV. Just unmount it and put it into the garbage. It doesn’t matter much money you wasted on it – toss it. “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way…I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.” (Psalm 101:2-3) If it is sin for you to practice it, then it is sin for you to fill your mind with it. If your problem is not watching unclean things, is it a time waster? “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” You won’t regret it.
- Install accountability software on your devices. Don’t allow yourself to be “untracked.”
- For some- straight up get rid of the smart phones or devices. If this causes too much difficulty or inconvenience in your life – too bad, you made the choices you did. “
- If you easily yield to temptations to spend too much money- cut up your credit cards. Don’t even go into that store or visit that website. If it’s a really destructive habit, allow a faithful friend to be in control of your money for you for a while.
- There are some locations you simply should not go. Why are you at the bar? For a soda? Go to the grocery store. Don’t be pressured to go out to the bar with your coworkers or friends. Don’t go to the club. Don’t go to parties where you know they’ll be drinking or foolishness or ungodliness.
- In general – If there are any people, places or things that are common grounds where temptations happens for you – do something to cut those things out of your life. Find a way. Do whatever it takes.
Matthew 5:29-30
“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”
There are some things in life that we just simply need to have no toleration or relationship with. Some things need to be cut off, smashed up and thrown in the pit.
Colossians 3:5 Mortify your members which are upon the earth…This is heavy language. Kill. Violence. There are some things we should hate as Christians. We should hate sin. For some this may mean that you have to get rid of the smart phone or devices; some of you the wisest route is to dismount the flat screen and either trash it or give it away. The fact that you think that is too radical shows you how much of an idol it is in your life. David Wilkerson was the founder of the very successful Christian drug rehab discipleship program called “Teen Challenge.” He saw great works of God in his ministry. He traced his success back to getting rid of his television and replacing that time with reading the Bible and prayer. It’s time to get serious for God! Some of you need to sell that car, or downsize your house, or quit that job, or walk off the team, or cut up your credit cards. It may be time to check into a long term rehab. Sell your car, give it away, burn it! – Do whatever you need to do to eliminate the possibility of entering in to temptation.
What are you willing to do to be right with God?
What are you willing to get rid of in order to gain freedom from sin?
Deborah: “Men, Lead!”
Does the Bible teach that women can be pastors?
From my experience, the most often mentioned argument in support of women pastors is “Deborah was a Judge.” Every time Deborah is referred to I just can’t help but to giggle. I don’t mean any ill-will – at all – it’s just…the example is so weak, it’s actually self-refuting. I’d like to offer four reasons why the account of Deborah actually supports the position that women should not be pastors. I also want to point to what the Bible does teach on the subject and to make some pleas to my Chrsitian brothers and sisters…
Four Reasons Why The Story of Deborah Discourages Having Women Pastors:
#1 Ecclesiology from the book of Judges?
Each book in the Bible has a specific purpose for why it was written. A good principle to follow to ensure sound theology is to gather support for your position from books that are directly written about the topic you are studying. For example: If you want to know what the Bible teaches about origins you should draw mainly from Genesis, not from Esther or Proverbs, because that’s not what those books are focused on explaining. John wrote his Gospel specifically to prove that Jesus is the Messiah, and that if we simply believe in him we will have eternal life. Similarly, Romans and Galatians were written specifically to explain the Gospel; how an individual can be declared righteous before God. We should be going to these books mainly and preeminently to build our doctrine of salvation, and not books like James, or Ecclessiastes.
What books in the Bible should we prefer as we build our Ecclesiology ( which is the doctrine about the nature of the Church and how it should properly function)? Well, Paul wrote a letter to his apprentice Timothy with the express purpose of guiding him how to properly lead and establish a church in the New Covenant. His first letter to Timothy even has a specific section about women’s roles in public worship. Can you think of a better place in all the Bible than this, for solid answers on the question of whether women should be pastors or not? There we find Paul instructing, “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” (1 Timothy 2:11-14) This passage unambiguously, prescriptively, in proper context, teaches that the responsibility of public, authoritative teaching and preaching of the Word of God, in the gathered church of God, is reserved for men only; that women should not be in positions of authority over men in the church; and that this arrangement is not to fluctuate based on cultural norms, as indicated by Paul’s appeal to creation for this order. The church of Jesus Christ today is much safer if she builds on the foundation of the Apostles’ doctrine, rather than an Old Testament History account. All of Scripture is inspired and beneficial, but needs to be understood in context, applied in context, and given its proper weight in relationship to context.
#2 The Account of Judges has no bearing on a New Testament office anyways.
The story of Deborah is descriptive not prescriptive. Meaning, the story is simply an account of what happened in Israel at that time, not a didactic passage instructing God’s people how to function. There is no divine calling, anointing or formal establishment of Deborah to an office.
Another important detail is the nature of the Judges ministry. The style of leadership the Judges provided was very unofficial. They were more like grass-roots warriors and influencers than formal, executive-branch office-holders, like the Kings were, or Apostles, or…Elders are. But let’s just say that Deborah was the leader of Israel, and let’s add to it the hypothetical situation that in the Old Testament God called, anointed and appointed just as many women to be prophets, priests and kings as he did men. That still wouldn’t make it ok for women to be pastors, because we are not in the same dispensation. It sure would make the case at least somewhat more strong, but it still would not be sufficient. But that is only a hypothetical situation and therefore pushes the majority of the weight in favor of the male-only leadership position.
#3 The Judges was a time when everyone did that which what was right in their own eyes.
The time of the Judges was marked by carnality, confusion, chaos, lawlessness and independence from God. This is hardly a wise time period to draw support for what should be normative in the New Testament Church. Should we dedicate a percentage of the tithe to cast idols for the house of God (ch.17)? Should we hand over our wives as a ransom to be abused by people persecuting us (ch.21)? Should we encourage single men to jump out of bushes to kid-knap women and then marry them (ch.21)? Are these practices to be standard procedure for the godly Christian today – they did it in Judges? Following the example of people in the times of the Judges is synonymous to saying that you are at a time when every man in the church is doing what is right in his own eyes. Ought not our default reaction be to resist imitating what we see in Judges?
The percentage of female leadership in the church has steadily been rising over time. Are we to see this as a sign of health and growth or a time of decay? Well, Scripture warns that one sign of a society under the judgment of God is when women begin ruling over the people: “As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.” (Isaiah 3:12) This verse is in the context of very intense rebuke from God over his people’s sins. You say, “But women are rising up because men are failing to do their jobs!” Perhaps, but if you are taking that position, you are admitting that your church has been embracing the “Judges spirit,” which is when “every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25) Instead, if we look at the times in Scripture when God’s people experienced true revival, awakening and lasting reform, it was always men leading the way – Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, Ezra, Nehemiah, Jesus, Peter, Paul, etc. There are too many to number. The point is that there are time periods in the history of redemption that are wise examples to follow and then there are times when we are not so wise to follow their example. Let’s yield to the nearly universal rule in Scripture, that healthy times in the church happens under male leadership.
#4 Deborah Didn’t Recognize Herself As The Leader.
In the account (Judges 4), Deborah recognized the leadership of Barak. She came to motivate and awaken him to his duty. He was cowardly and only went up to battle because Deborah was willing to go with him. In the end it was a woman, Jael, who valiantly drove a spike through Sisera’s temples and fastened his head to the floor. All of this in the story is designed to cast shame on Barak; it should have been him that led the way, fought the battle and defeated the enemies General.
We do live in a time of male complacency, lack of valor and manliness among God’s people. It seems as though fewer and fewer men are surrendering to passionate service for Jesus, while more and more women are attending seminary, or standing up and speaking up for Christ. It’s sad when you see more women than men showing up to prayer meetings, bible studies, and open air evangelism.
God is going to get his work done one way or another, through whatever means he chooses (Balaam’s donkey for example). I do believe that God is speaking through many women pastors in the church today. I’m sure there are people getting saved and growing in Christ through their ministries. However, it is possible for God to do his work through disobedient vessels — God miraculously brought water out of a desert rock when Moses smote it, but this very action caused him to forfeit his place in the Promised Land. I bet the majority cheered Moses that day, not realizing that his actions were a massive personal failure. The spirit of God was mightily upon Samson, but he did lots of damage and died in shame. Jesus spoke about men who prophesied in his name, cast out devils and did many wonderful works, but they did not know him and didn’t make it into the kingdom.
Pragmatism is when the end justifies the means. It’s not wise to conclude that God is pleased just because you see special things happening – our only safe basis for concluding that God is pleased is if we are carefully submitting to the Word of God. So, yes, there are many very gifted, intelligent, theological, eloquent, spiritual women who are pastors, but they are being disobedient in this area to the clear teaching of Scripture. If you are a woman Pastor you should step down from your position and use your passion, gifts, and knowledge to motivate the men around you to do their job, and to do it well. I know some valiant Christian women and I thank God for them. They are vital and essential to the success of the church. It’s awesome to see Jael’s driving nails through the temples of enemy generals. But we must follow the prescriptions of the Word of God if we want to please God and have true success.
Applications
The design of the story of Deborah is to rebuke cowardly men, not to encourage women leadership. It ought to be our goal to see the percentage of female pastors dropping. The root issue really is unconfessed sin in the camp. Sin causes God to remove his hand of blessing, and one way in which God blesses his people is by raising up strong, valiant, godly male-leaders. So, whatever your sins are, put them away so we can see a time of refreshing again.
Women – If there are no men around you leading, then pray for them and encourage them to stand up and do their job. Beg them. If you are asked to be a pastor or elder or bishop, use that wonderful opportunity to call out the men in that church to their post. If men are not going to step up, then be valiant for Jesus, chop some demons heads off – pray, fast, weep, speak up! But don’t disobey God and lose your reward, by moving into a place that is not yours. King Uzziah was struck with leprosy in his forehead because as a King, he tried to offer incense in the Temple. 80 valiant priests withstood him and said to him, “It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God.” (2 Chronicles 26:18) Ladies- resist the temptation to usurp authority, it will not be for thine honor. It is to the shame of men to not rise up to their position, but it is likewise to the shame of women to assume a position that is not theirs.
Men – Don’t sit on the sideline and watch as more woman run into battle for the LORD. Put on your armor, pick up your sword, and run into battle. More plainly – stop playing video games and watching porn, open your Bible, study and memorize it, go out in the streets and preach the Gospel, then find a church or start a church and faithfully teach the Word of God.
Brother Lee 