THE LAW AND CONDITIONAL CURSING

Introduction

There is clearly antithesis in the world. For every blessing, there is also a cursing. God pronounced judgment on the serpent in Genesis 3:14, "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life." Apparently, the serpent could walk but no longer. His curse is to crawl on his belly. To accomplish this, he must use a crooked motion. The serpent can never go straight. The Lord Jesus Christ expressed it this way in Matthew 25:41, "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." Those who are not followers of the Lord Jesus Christ are in a word "cursed." There is no better word to describe their situation. Eternal damnation is not a blessing.

Application

To properly understand the Bible, we need to use what is known as applied theology.

We are either covenant keepers or covenant breakers. There is no neutrality. We live in a consequential universe. Here are some promises of God to place on your refrigerator in Leviticus 26:14-20, "But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; 15And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: 16I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. 18And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. 19And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: 20And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits." These curses are conditional based upon disobedience to God’s commands. There are consequences to our actions or inactions.

If these are not bad enough there are more in Leviticus 26:21-39, "And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. 22I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate. 23And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; 24Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. 25And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied. 27And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; 28Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. 29And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. 30And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. 31And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. 32And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. 33And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. 34Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. 35As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it. 36And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth. 37And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies. 38And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. 39And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them." Some think that God will not bring judgment in this day and age. They claim He is only a God of love. They conveniently forget about His holiness and righteousness. Negative sanctions are the antithesis of positive sanctions. It is one or the other.

Conclusion

We can only stand by obedience to all of God’s commands. Sin or covenant breaking always has the same result, failure to stand. All sin comes from the same source as found in 1 John 2:15-17, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." To love the world here means ethically. Only those who obey God’s law can be blessed. All others are cursed. Lust simply does not satisfy. It is already condemned. It suffers all the curses of God, with the final condemnation being eternal death in the lake of fire which is the second death.

LEAVING THINGS COVERED

Introduction

Some things are better left undone and covered up. Curiosity can be a good or bad thing. Some matters are not for us to delve in. Moses said so in Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." We are to keep out of those things that God has not revealed to us. The idea of covering has to do with atonement and therefore, grace. Christians are covered by God’s grace. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:15 regarding the woman’s covering, "But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering." The woman wears long hair as a covering i.e. an act of grace. God has given her hair as an operation of His grace. Paul had also said in 1 Corinthians 11:5-6, "But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. 6For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered." A woman who is uncovered is a shame. She must be covered with the proper covering.

Application

To properly understand the Bible, we need to use what is known as applied theology.

Leviticus 20:11 reads, "And the man that lieth with his father’s wife hath uncovered his father’s nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." This is the penalty of Leviticus 18:8, "The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father’s nakedness." Clearly, someone that would uncover what is not to be uncovered has not grace operating in their lives. Grace covers, sin uncovers. This is the idea behind all pornography the uncovering of the body for open display. Those who have grace operating in their lives will seek to cover themselves properly and not to allow their bodies to be openly displayed.

This case law and penalty prohibits incest. There is a prohibition for a son to be married to his own mother. As Rushdoony has pointed out "The ban on consanguinity is thus supported." We are not be married to our near relatives as Leviticus 18 makes clear. This is a perversion if there ever was one. The one who gave birth is having sexual union with her own child. This is clearly a confusion of the proper roles that God has established. In other words, these things ought not to be. It brings with it the death penalty.

A church is to be characterized by its purity. This was, however, not the case at the church in Corinth. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, "It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. 2And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, 4In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 9I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person." Here is an example of incest within the confines of the church.

Obviously, Paul did not approve of such behavior. In fact, he says that the pagans and heathen that do not know God were not guilty of such gross sin. He chastised them greatly for tolerance of such wickedness in their midst. The State has the requirement to put such to death, not the church. The church is, however, to put such outside of the church. In other words, after a church trial, if found guilty, they are to be excommunicated. Only repentance and forsaking of the sin can bring them back in. They have to be covered and no longer uncovering that which must remain covered. Deuteronomy 22:30 says, "A man shall not take his father’s wife, nor discover his father’s skirt." Discover here means to uncover. It is the same prohibition. Those who do such things are to be cursed as Deuteronomy 27:20 enjoins, "Cursed be he that lieth with his father’s wife; because he uncovereth his father’s skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen." All the people are to agree with God’s prohibitions against such wickedness by saying, Amen.

Conclusion

Incest is to be dealt with harshly. It is something that cannot be overlooked but must be stopped. This is why the death penalty is attached to it. It is meant to be a deterrent. When one is covered with grace and it will prevent future sins as 1 Peter 4:8 says, "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." Better to be covered than uncovered.

CORRECTING OUR NEIGHBOR

Introduction

We live in a day and age when people will not take correction. They do not like to be told that they are doing something wrong. They would rather continue to make the same mistake over and over again than to endure any type of advice to rectify the deficiency. The wise man realizes that he needs instruction and correction at times. Ecclesiastes 7:5 reads, "It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools." The man of God is going to be wise in all of his dealings. He realizes that to be wise, he will need to be corrected. This is the message of Proverbs 9:9, "Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning." These are not stubborn people but have a teachable spirit. Proverbs 17:10 is instructive of the wise man contrasted with the fool, "A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool." In other words, even after a severe beating a fool learns absolutely zero. The wise man is corrected and avoids danger.

Application

To properly understand the Bible, we need to use what is known as applied theology.

Leviticus 19:17 says, "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him." The Amplified renders this verse as, "You shall not hate your brother in your heart: but you shall rebuke your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him." Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines "rebuke" as, "To chide; to reprove; to reprehend for a fault; to check by reproof." He renders "reproof" as, "Blame expressed to the face; censure for a fault; reprehension." "Correction" as, "The act of correcting; the act of bringing back, from error or deviation to a just standard, as to truth, rectitude, justice or propriety; the correction of opinions or manners." One of the ways to see God’s kingdom advance is to correct our neighbor when they are clearly in the wrong.

Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." The word of God is designed to correct us when we are in error or deviating in any way. It is restorative and enables us to get back on the right track and helps to go on a straight path. The Bible is therefore, a book of wisdom and the wise will heed its corrective qualities. This will empower the man of God to live the Christian life. The Christian should desire to amend his ways when he is in error. It is better to revise early than to wait until a bad habit has been established and great effort required to overcome it.

Paul also wrote in Galatians 6:1, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." This is a direct restatement of Leviticus 19:17. Someone is going to discover that the New Testament writers were not writing arbitrarily. They had the Old Testament as a guide. Here a Christian has been caught in the act and it is the responsibility of the spiritual to seek to right this wayward one. It is to be done without an overbearing spirit, knowing that all of us are susceptible to temptation. We are to ensure that we keep spiritual.

James 5:19-20 speaks about correcting error in others, "Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." Many sins will be averted if one is able to turn his neighbor from error to the truth and save his soul from eternal death. Without rebuke of one’s neighbor, they will not turn from their deviating ways. They may hate you at the beginning, but they can also get glad when they are converted to the truth.

Jeremiah wrote in Jeremiah 5:1-3, "Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it. 2And though they say, The LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely. 3O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return." Here are those who will not receive the correction of their evil ways. They have become as hard as rock in continuing on in their ways. The Lord has sent judgment but even this does not get their attention. They are first class fools. They love error more than the truth.

Conclusion

We as Christians need to rebuke those who error from the truth. We are not to be partakers of their sins in the process. The Lord Jesus Christ gave us the procedure of Leviticus 19:17 in Matthew 18:15-17, "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican." Face to face rebuke is what is plainly taught here. If the reproved neighbor accepts the correction, one has a brother in the Lord. Do not hesitate to correct others when necessary.

SUFFERING THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR ACTIONS

Introduction

Most people in the world believe that it is governed by random chance. They believe that all events are random in nature. Sad to say that this is a prevalent view in the church because of the government school education. This, however, does not nullify the truth of the word of God. Paul wrote in Galatians 6:7-8, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." The Amplified Bible renders the seventh verse as, "Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside). (He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God). For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap." This gets back to the physical law stated in Genesis of every seed bearing fruit in accordance with its own kind. This is not only a physical but a spiritual law. In other words, there are consequences to our actions.

Application

To properly understand the Bible, we need to use what is known as applied theology.

Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines "consequence" as, "1. That which follows from any act, cause, principle, or series of actions. Hence, an event or effect produced by some preceding act or cause..." An actor is the cause of the actions. Without an actor, there would be no action. So the actor and the action are a unit. The actor then receives back what his actions have caused or effected. In other words, he gets what he deserves based upon his prior actions.

Leviticus 20:17 reads, "And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity." The word bear means in this instance to suffer. For this wickedness of this act, it says that he would suffer the penalty for his actions. In other words, he is reaping what he has sown. He is justly suffering the penalty for his wicked actions. Sin must be punished. Even if we repent and make restitution and put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and are forgiven, there still are repercussions to our conduct. We do not live a vacuum.

Romans 2:4-13 says, "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 5But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 6Who will render to every man according to his deeds: 7To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: 8But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 9Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: 11For there is no respect of persons with God. 12For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; 13(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." God gives each of us what we justly deserve based upon our behavior. The Amplified interprets Romans 2:6 as, "For He will render to every man according to his works (justly, as his deeds deserve)." Works and deeds are synonymous with actions.

Our deeds are therefore in accordance with obedience with God’s law or as lawbreakers as witness 2 Peter 2:7-9, "And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) 9The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished." We are either just or unjust. There is no neutrality. There is a day of judgment, in the which, we will present ourselves before the judgement seat of Christ in 2 Corinthians 5:10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." Things done in body means that the actor and the actions are both one and as a unit they receive reward or punishment based upon actions.

The Bible is replete with examples of the reaping and sowing concept. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 reads, "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." Those who are stingy reap stinginess. Those who are generous receive generosity in return. This law of sowing and reaping is always in effect and nothing man can do can abrogate it. There are consequences even in our giving.

Conclusion

Brother and sisters are forbidden to lie carnally with each other. If they do, they will suffer for their wickedness. False prophets get what they deserve in 2 Corinthians 11:15, "Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." We always receive what we merit by our actions.

DON'T CONFUSE THE ISSUE

Introduction

We are living in a day and age of confusion. People do not know which way to turn. This is because their educational system has taught them all things are the same and equal. That nothing matters because there is no absolute truth. There is no right and wrong. No good and evil. You are your own god and you determine what is right for you. Moral relativism is what guides them. God, however, has placed distinctions in His creation. He expects us to not blur those differentiations. Genesis 1:27 reads, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." This is the law of distinction stated plainly. Men and women are to dress differently, have differing hair length, and have differing roles to perform. We are not to mix things that are not to be mixed, but keep the lines of separation.

Application

To properly understand the Bible, we need to use what is known as applied theology.

Exodus 22:19 says, "Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death." This law is plain and to the point. Whosoever leaves out no one. The law of God is not a respecter of persons. You violate the law of God, you suffer the punishment. This law describes what is commonly called bestiality. This is a step below homosexuality but very close in its perverseness. This act is the work of a reprobate mind. This is a mind devoid of common sense. It is a part of the lower class mentality. It is an act only a sinner who has a seared conscience could perform. Paul talked of such in 1 Timothy 4:2, "Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron." Once the conscience is seared, any depth of depravity is possible. Such depravity deserves the death penalty. This is a civil crime, as well as a sin and abomination.

Leviticus 18:23 reads, "Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion." Here once again the prohibition is clearly stated. God also adds that it is confusion. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines "confusion" as, "1. In a general sense, a mixture of several things promiscuously; hence, disorder; irregularity. 2. Tumult, want of order in society. 3. A blending or confounding; indistinct combination; opposed to distinctness or perspicuity..." Mixing a human and an animal for procreation purposes is clearly mixing things that do not mix. It is a violation of the law of distinction. Anyone with any sense knows that this is something that ought not to be done and yet it was being practiced and is still practiced. This is clear indication of the depths of carnality and enmity against God’s law.

Leviticus 20:15-16 reiterates the case law of Exodus 22:19, "And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast. 16And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." Here we have not only the death penalty for the male or female who has performed this wickedness, but also the beast because it has also been defiled by this vile action. This is the third instance that this reprobate action has been mentioned in the law of God.

God is trying to instruct us in that there is to be no confusion in His created order. There must be a line of separation. Man and animals are different and this distinction must always be respected. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:39, "All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds." Paul obviously knew that was a difference in the created order. One to be appreciated and not violated by any perversity. Webster defines "perversion" as, "The act of perverting; a turning from truth or propriety; a diverting from the true intent or object; to something worse." God never intended for man to mix with animals in this debauched way. Just the degeneracy of it defies any explanation other than the carnal heart of man is wicked beyond description.

Conclusion

These animal rights activists of our day are a dangerous lot. If they get their way, eventually animals will have more rights than humans. One of those rights will be bestiality. In America and through out the world, there is a return to the religion of the Canaanites because the church has failed to proclaim God’s law. God said in Leviticus 18:27, "(For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;)." Men and women in Canaan were practicing this vile act. God said for His people to put to death any one who would stoop to such a low thing. Should it be any different in our day?