One of the hardest lessons, personally, that I have had to learn is obeying proverbs 26:4. This is one of those simple yet profound instructions from God. Let us look at this instruction and what it’s all about.
In the many years now that I have had the privilege to be working in God’s vineyard, I have had many many discussions with SDA members and DSDA members. But just recently, after all these years FINALLY, the above lesson hit home! Allow me to explain.
It’s our human nature to want to be right, to let others know we have something to say, especially if we are challenged. Yet our all seeing God knows that in the Christian life there comes a time when we must ‘back off”. There is a point where if we continue, as the Word says, we’ll be like a fool.
I believe there is more to this as well, we stand a real chance of losing confidence in our own beliefs! The Word tells us to keep our confidence dear–
“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.” (Hebrews 10:35)
Let us look at a recent past experience I’ve encountered.
Brother F is a zealous professor of present truth. Only trouble is, he is snared big time. He is a firm believer on keeping the feast days as a form of righteousness. I first came to know him through a mutual friend. This other friend also was a Elijah message believer but also a feast keeper, we’ll call him bro. R
Bro. R and I had a series of email studies concerning the feast days. I tried very hard to show many Inspired references, overwhelming in their straight forward counsel, yet to no avail. After a few emails, bro. R brought in bro. F as another party to the email study. Soon bro. F was corresponding with me about the feasts as well.
Long story short bro. R died suddenly after a couple months of concluding our studies. I felt saddened because as far as I know he never let go of the self righteous trap of feast keeping.
But bro. F and I still communicated. He was very inquisitive and constantly was asking questions on different subjects of present truth. As I am dedicated to helping any and all learn more of the message I continued to answer his questions. But soon I saw that no matter how clear and plain my answers were from a “Thus sayeth the Lord” he would counter if he held a different view. In other words he was trying to convince me of his ideas each time he asked a question.
Soon I was onto this ploy and told him that as far as I was concerned I would not be able to help him anymore as my answers really didn’t help him and that he had his own mind made up. He was just trying to play the devil’s advocate and see if he could change my beliefs.
Anyway, after saying this, he didn’t stop. A few days later another question and scenario would be put forth and I jump at this again. Figuring that somehow someway I could make this guy see the plain “Thus sayeth the Lord”. No success, it went around and around again.
Finally about 2 months ago, I woke up one morning and as usual another question was waiting for me. As I went to answer I heard the Spirit say, “NO, NO!, It’s going to hurt you if you continue.” Then I remembered Proverb 26:4. And for the last two months I’ve been able to ignore the questions.
Had I continued I certainly would have “become like him” in that my answers would be trampled asundered and I’d be left without any productive result. Again the Word warns–
“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” (Matt. 7:6)
The “rend you” is real my beloved. We must make sure that when we are discussing the Truth we be with someone who is there to learn, just as we are. Otherwise our confidence may become shattered because we can soon doubt our own beliefs because the other side continues to not listen to a thus sayth the Lord.
When you were a kid and you drew a painting that took alot of time and were proud of it, yet you had a parent that keep telling you “It’s nothing special” over and over again. Soon you think you can’t do any painting because you’re just not good at it. Your confidence is shattered because of the repeated disagreement with your ideas.
Spirit of Prophecy adds more —
“There are some who indulge in levity, sarcasm, and even mockery toward those who differ with them. Others present an array of objections to any new view; and when these objections are plainly answered by the words of Scripture, they do not acknowledge the evidence presented, nor allow themselves to be convinced. Their questioning is not for the purpose of arriving at truth, but is intended merely to confuse the minds of others.
Some have thought it an evidence of intellectual keenness and superiority to perplex minds in regard to what is truth. They resort to subtlety of argument, to playing upon words; they take unjust advantage in asking questions.When their questions have been fairly answered, they will turn the subject [and] bring up another point to avoid acknowledging the truth. We should beware of indulging the spirit which controlled the Jews.(Testimonies to Ministers, p.108)
That part about “When their questions have been fairly answered, they will turn the subject [and] bring up another point to avoid acknowledging the truth” really nailed it with brother F. It was an endless ignoring of plain and clear words from Inspiration.
For example when shown this reference from the Elijah message, it was glossed over and basically ignored-
“Broadly speaking, the law of Moses consists of three parts. The first is the Ceremonial law, the law of the temple — the sacrificial law. This law, of course, we today must not observe, except in antitype, for it foreshadowed things to come, particularly Christ’s first advent. Thus it is that if we had lived in Old Testament times and had failed to comply with the sacrificial law and system of that day, we would thereby have demonstrated unbelief in Christ, Who was to come. But since we are living in the Christian era, if we should now observe the typical sacrificial law and system, we should thereby demonstrate unbelief in Christ, Who has come.
And so, as this law was nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14), we need not, and must not, observe it now.” (TImely Greetings, vol.2, no.37, p.14-15)
To be clear, we are not suggesting that anyone who disagrees with us should be ignored. Not at all. In fact if a good study is had, often we ourselves learn new things as well as our study partner. It’s just that when time and again a Thus sayeth the Lord is ignored or glossed over, that should be a signal that we are dealing with a Pharisee, one who is stuck way down in self conceived ideas.
In closing, there is very very short time left and we can’t be answering those who are dug down deep in error. If they cannot acknowledge a Thus sayeth the Lord- let us take counsel and “do not answer according to their folly.”
Godsloveandlaw's Blog 
April 3, 2017 at 2:02 pm |
Amen to that….