Thursday, March 15, 2018

Exodus 36:8-13 comments: a point about not misusing the Bible


36:8 ¶  And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work made he them. 9  The length of one curtain was twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: the curtains were all of one size. 10  And he coupled the five curtains one unto another: and the other five curtains he coupled one unto another. 11  And he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the uttermost side of another curtain, in the coupling of the second. 12  Fifty loops made he in one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain which was in the coupling of the second: the loops held one curtain to another. 13  And he made fifty taches of gold, and coupled the curtains one unto another with the taches: so it became one tabernacle.

Notice the orders given in chapter 26 contrasted with the carrying out of them here. This tabernacle; its instructions for building and the carrying out of those instructions play a very important part in this phase of God’s ministry of reconciling mankind to Himself.

Here, God would meet with His people. Here was to be a point of reference, a place of focus for God’s presence and His worship. Christians have tried to reproduce that feeling by setting apart special buildings typically used for not much more than worship and Christian fellowship. While this is fine it often leads to a sense of there being the only place where God’s presence is acknowledged.

This is a precursor to the temple that Solomon will build. But, in the time after Christ’s resurrection God meets with His people in the human heart and mind where the Holy Ghost of God dwells although it is also clear that we are to meet together with people of like faith often and God also meets with us there, in that fellowship.

John 14:23  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Luke 17:20 ¶  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Romans 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

1Corinthians 3:9  For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

1Corinthians 3:16 ¶  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1Corinthians 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

It can be said that there are no sacred spaces in Biblical Christianity outside of the human heart of the believer. However, it is also clear we are called to meet with people of like faith often. Here in the following verses are a command from Paul that most fundamentalist pastors love to quote even while they deny that Hebrews is written for the Christian. It’s very confusing how they insist upon Dispensations and yet make this verse preeminent for Christians today as opposed to the Tribulation to come, which they often say the book of Hebrews relates to.

Hebrews 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Still, there are many instances in Paul’s letters referring to churches that meet in individual’s homes as there were no separate buildings set apart for worship until later in the second century AD. Meeting as the church was and is very important. But there is no need to lie about God’s word to underscore this command’s importance. The necessity of meeting for worship, for encouragement, to render assistance, to join forces to do God’s work, and not just the necessity but God’s will for it to be are clear from many, many verses in the New Testament.

However, the danger is of unscrupulous preachers and evangelists taking verses out of context to mean something they were not given to mean in the context.

For instance, some will take a verse in Luke in the context of our behavior toward each other linked with so many other verses about our willingness to forgive, not to judge unrighteously, and our charitableness toward each other and make it simply about showing up at church whenever the doors are opened saying that if you don’t you are denying the Lord.

Luke 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

They will take a verse that has to do with not having your own mind conform to the world’s values and then after the verse giving the expression of what that looks like in the believer’s behavior toward others and make it about church attendance with your reasonable service about being, “in your place,” in the pew on Sunday morning, evening, and Wednesday night along with any other time a meeting is called.

Romans 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

This isn’t just error. It is blasphemy, misrepresenting what God has said and what He wants from us as stated by Himself. It is the sin of not only Job’s friends but Satan himself.

Job 42:7  And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

Genesis 3:1  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

It is an all too common error in Protestant Fundamentalism in America. Twisting the text like taffy to justify a belief, desire, or conviction of the speaker is unacceptable. If you’re going to take a verse and apply it to something not in the context, say a point you want to make, at least acknowledge that is what you are doing.

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