The Dispatching and Disbanding of Deborah

The Unusual Champion of God's Order

Deborah and Jael in Judges chapters 4-5 are two women in scripture who represent one unique case of women at the helm. At first glance they appear to flip God's heirarchy for gender. A second look casts doubt an inversion ever took place.

The more I study Deborah and Jael, the more I marvel how they take up what should belong to a man. There aren't many other biblical accounts of women leading. How did Deborah pull this off, if Paul in all the churches everywhere does not permit a woman to rule over a man?

There looks to be a language difference in God's Word concerning the other judges that ministered to Israel in the historical account in the Book of Judges. With men leaders God "raised up for them a deliverer," but for Deborah's introduction it says "Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time."


Was Deborah a twisted fraud from the truly ordained? Or could it be that God gave her this role in Israel? In her day the people rarely saw honorable and courageous commanders. Though there were a portion of the tribes of Israel and also Barak who showed themselves both convicted and capable of accomplishing God's plan against Sisera, the fact is that they had not seized by faith what God had told them, and twenty years of oppression racked up. It was a woman who had vision of performing God's will. When Barak comes to see Deborah at her request, she prods by asking him a question about God's command. She says in Judges 4:6,

"Has not the LORD God of Israel commanded, 'Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun; and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand'?"

Satan asked the question "Has God indeed said...?" (Gen. 3:1) to subvert God's purposes. Deborah quoted God in the form of a question out of respect for the authority of men. She was imploring this man essentially - "Declare God over me!" No need to say more; Barak is convicted and conditionally commits to obedience to the LORD (not to her). His condition is that Deborah accompany him to battle. This is faith, but it is not mature. It is faith by which God responds to win the battle, sure. But it is not the full faith required for Barak to gain any personal glory through undertaking God's will. Barak did what he was told. He made no individual contribution to the pool of faith Deborah had seeded. He took none of Deborah's work-load for redemption away from her but made her carry it further. Barak could have graduated from her house of provision if he would understand this one thing: he did not need anyone but God alone to succeed. Unfortunately, the only persons in this account who seem to securely trust in God are the two women.

The unspoken expectation God had for Barak was that he make the battle his own. By doing so he would assume leadership over Deborah. The superficial inversion continued; not by Deborah's choice, but by Barak's. Deborah doesn't rebuke him. In fact she honors his choice and obeys it. It was sufficient for the plan to be actualized, but God gave a consequence. Deborah foretells it before it transpires, Judges 4:9

So she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.”

Barak calls his ten thousand men, and Deborah "went up with him" (judges 4:10); she is still following the lead of the man. Yet by emotion or by reputation she appears to be a rallying point for the people. Judges 5:15 says,

And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
As Issachar, so was Barak...

Deborah's job wasn't finished. It wouldn't be complete until Barak personalized this war, fighting for his own life. Deborah surveys the movement of Sisera by faith and knows the time has come. Again she prods Barak to take the initiative. Judges 4:13-14,

So Sisera gathered together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth Hagoyim to the River Kishon. Then Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the LORD gone out before you?”

Later Barak and Deborah sing a song together as one in part against their countrymen who did not fight for Deborah, Barak, and most importantly for God. Meroz is an unknown place which the Angel of the LORD curses for not heeding the call. Judges 5:15-17, 23

Among the divisions of Reuben
There were great resolves of heart.

Why did you sit among the sheepfolds,
To hear the pipings for the flocks?
The divisions of Reuben have great searchings of heart.

Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan,
And why did Dan remain on ships?
Asher continued at the seashore,
And stayed by his inlets....
‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the LORD,
‘Curse its inhabitants bitterly,
Because they did not come to the help of the LORD,
To the help of the LORD against the mighty.’

"Resolves" "in the heart" in the Hebrew can also be translated as "thoughts" "in the inward man." These men had the double-minded faith described in James 2, the kind that does not profit anyone, the kind that does not save. They stayed by the inlets and bleating sheep where things were pleasant and safe; meanwhile Barak's recruiters, his close comrades in Zebulun and Naphtali went forth inciting God's people for the taste of blood.

Deborah was the one who had forecasted the problem and its solution. She had kept the revelations of the scriptures in her heart and they gave her instruction. She had known the milestones from start to finish. She had seen her countrymen as they were in Judges 5:8

Then there was war at the gates;
Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.

...And she sees how God is quickly restoring faith for the entire nation in 5:11,

Far from the noise of the archers, among the watering places,
There they shall recount the righteous acts of the LORD,
The righteous acts for His villagers in Israel;
Then the people of the LORD shall go down to the gates.

By no means was Deborah in control. Instead, she was a full-faithed follower of God's powerful Holy Spirit. She was well-versed in making way in her heart for God's authority. She used her ministry to raise men back into their rightful and righteous role. She was a champion for God's authority being taken up by righteous men. The prophetess was not without a reverence for men and their position even if they had temporarily lost interest. Deborah was married, and so was Jael. In their hearts, these two women did not let the complacency of men corrupt and exalt them improperly.

Deborah Raises Barak Up; Jael Takes Sisera Down

Deborah and Jael are a fascinating picture of the Father-Son relationship in the Godhead.  Deborah is Strategist.  Jael, Executioner. In what circumstance might God dispatch women to take initiative amongst His covenant people? Jael would tell you, the days were desperate. Judg. 5:6,

In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath,
In the days of Jael,
The highways were deserted,
And the travelers walked along the byways.
Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel...

Common villagers could not walk on the roads. Apparently there was no way to enforce the law. Rulership was impotent. It was every man for himself. Anything of value was at risk of being seized, and perhaps people were afraid for their lives. This - was Israel. Jael learned a whole lot in those years of sneaking along unseen by intimidating enemies. God gave her wits every day, with her very life dependent on Him. These are the circumstances Deborah calls "the days of Jael" (Judges 5:6).

Jael would have been content to stay out of the fight, but the fight came to her long before Sisera fled to her place. Brokenness had already touched her house.  Though the people could not carry on their business, the rulership did. Deborah refused to stay quiet about it. She says in Judg. 5:10

Speak, you who ride on white donkeys,
Who sit in judges’ attire,
And who walk along the road.

Apparently wearing only the outward attire of a judge of Israel wasn't satisfying for her, or God for that matter. Somehow they have easy usage of the roads while the rest of the people suffer.  It would do Jael little good to imagine a remedy for her own dead lifestyle without broadening the scope to the sin-problem of the community. Therefore she turned to God and found forgiveness, hope and purpose in His promises. And the vitality of her life was now intertwined forever in the vitality of her kinsmen. She was a woman intimately intertwined in body-life.

Her story begins in Judges 4:11 with the cataclysmic news that her husband had left her. Indeed, he had left his whole community known as the Kenites; children of the father-in-law of Moses. These people recently inherited the story of God's deliverance in Egypt and were proud to believe alongside the Israelites. But not her husband Heber. He stepped out to embrace Israel's enemies. He had established peace with the King of the Canaanites. Heber's sin covered her home and she may have been ostracized as a consequence. Severing his ties, he took his tent and pitched it far away from Jael... just in her moment of need as the enemy approached her.

Jael knew Sisera. He had been a guest in her home. Sisera knew the way to Heber his ally and was heading her direction. She knew the odds for success against the Canaanites had always been impossible. It was quite the boast; his opposing army had 900 iron chariots. And their general was no less intimidating on a personal level. But God had made her brave. Jael was cunning and not fully honest, shall we say. She promises him comfort, and deceives him. Judges 4:18,

And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; do not fear.”

She sedated him with milk. She covered him with a blanket like a mother would. She uses her feminine strength to dominate him. How can God allow her to manipulate like this? Remember, she cannot fight as an equal. If she were out on the battlefield, a sobering "level playing field," she's toast. If all the army of Israel could not win in twenty years, how could she overcome, she, as a humiliated Kenite being the least of His followers? In God's sight, her composition was all the LORD needed. God does not need a level playing field.  The LORD prefers impossible odds.

When Jael takes up her weapon, it is the knowledge of the mightiness of God. She takes a hammer and a foundational stake of the tent - its peg - and drives it into his skull. Zechariah 10:3-5

My anger burns against the shepherds,
and I will punish the leaders;
for the LORD Almighty will care
for his flock, the people of Judah,
and make them like a proud horse in battle.
From Judah will come the cornerstone,
from him the tent peg,
from him the battle bow,
from him every ruler.
Together they will be like warriors in battle
trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets.
They will fight because the LORD is with them,
and they will put the enemy horsemen to shame.

Though Sisera was technically laying down when she conquered him in Judges 4, the song in Judges 5 has him looming when she struck him down (5:27). What a long way he fell. Sung symbolically it captures the absurdity of it apart from God's strength - that a woman by Him might overtake a mighty man.

A Full Glory

Deborah's Song is incredibly ancient; it is thought to perhaps be the oldest song recorded in scripture.  The battle took place in the valley of Megiddo, of which George Adam Smith wrote,

What a plain it is! Upon which not only the greatest empires, races, and faiths, east and west, have contended with each other, but each has come to judgment--on which from the first, with all its splendor of human battle, men have felt that there was fighting from heaven, the stars in their courses were fighting--on which panic has descended so mysteriously upon the best equipped and most successful armies, but the humble have been exalted to victory in the hour of their weakness--on which false faiths, equally with false defenders of the true faith, have been exposed and scattered--on which, from the time of Saul, willfulness and superstition, though aided by every human excellence, have come to naught, and since Josiah's time the purest piety has not atoned for rash and mistaken zeal [1].

Who fought alongside these two women as Deborah said, "Has not the LORD gone out before you?" Judges 5:20 acknowledges the stars....

They fought from the heavens; The stars from their courses fought against Sisera.

Who are the stars? Genesis 15:5 calls them Abraham's descendants....

Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

The One descendant of Abraham was the Seed, Jesus Christ. And the saints are His Body. When He returns soon to fight in the Valley of Mediggo (Armageddon), His saints will be coming with Him sword in hand.

And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

Their glory differs from one another as do stars, it says in scripture. 1 Cor. 15:41-42,

There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead.

God gives glory to men based on their pursuits, Rom. 1:10,

but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

The location and scale of the battle could not have been larger. It was an intentional choreography by God to anticipate the final battle of Revelation, Col. 3:4,

When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Has anyone noted how self-centerd Deborah's song really is? "I, even I," says Deborah. Is she arrogant?  Is she glorying in herself? It feels uncomfortable. But James 1:9 says, "Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation," therefore the song was Spirit-inspired - and not from the flesh. Her success over Sisera was full of glory, Judges 5:31,

Thus let all Your enemies perish, O LORD!
But let those who love Him be like the sun
When it comes out in full strength.

This last verse is a real treat. With the same exceptional vision of God, Deborah portrays Jesus Christ's conquering over Israel's enemies thousands of years into the future.

Just Once Upon a Time

Jael Smote Sisera and Slew Him by James Tissot
(notice the masculine shape of Jael's right arm)

The Virgin Mary sang a song when she had conceived Christ. Did you know Mary was singing about Jael? They are types of one another. Deborah is called the mother of Israel which is Mary also, Judges 5:7,

I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel

Jael is the most blessed among women in Judges 5:24,

Most blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite; Blessed is she among women in tents.

But... Mary is called the most blessed woman by Elizabeth her cousin; Luke 1:42,

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

Glorious power over Satan seems to be given once-a-covenant, to women, in the dawning days of the faith. See now how Mary has Deborah's and Jael's battle in mind as a theology of her own life experiences.

 Luke 1:46-55,

My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.

Mary must have been thinking of Sisera's mother ("The mother of Sisera... cried, 'why is [he]... so long in coming?'" Judges 5:28) when she says "the rich He has sent away empty." Mary gives glory to God's mighty arm, the Arm who was in Jael's arm as she lifted the hammer. God's arm has been awakened! (Rahab (below) represents a Canaanite mythological serpent who opposed God's acts of creation.)  Isaiah 51:9,

Awake, awake, put on strength,
O arm of the LORD! Awake as in the ancient days,
In the generations of old.
Are You not the arm that cut Rahab apart,
And wounded the serpent?

Judges 5:12,

Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.

The serpent has been wounded in the head through the bravery of Jael. This is to fulfill the prophecy given to Satan in Genesis 3:15.  Mary's child wounds the head,

And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.

When was the last time you looked at a Nativity scene and considered the meek and mild Mother of God as a victor, blood-splattered and joyful in God, looming over her kill to the magnificence of the LORD?

Epilogue: The Glory Passes

There is in fact no epilogue to the story of Deborah and Jael. However the Word of God can paint the picture. In truth she was from a humble state. God gave her access to His task - which was very short lived and very glorious. But there is no life in the glory of mankind - that was the harlot Babylon's passion. "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." After the victory, there was temptation in renown. It is funny how just a small step to the left or to the right can make such fantastic battles in the LORD turn into Satan's triumphs. She must relearn how she was still destitute - and it would come at the price of career suicide. Mary's exaltation in directing the young Savior was hers, yet she surrendered it fully when He was fully grown. She let it pass altogether to her Son. Abruptly we hardly hear of Jael, Deborah or Mary again. Mothering is a job that is only needed for a period of time. Righteous men had arose to do the work of the ministry, now. They were capable to lead in compliment and fulfillment of God's order.

When a righteous woman serves God in a influential way, there is no such thing as a time when she is not under the authority of men.

People often ask how they can subdue a strong woman. What influence makes her "do typical woman things" so to speak? It happens as men graduate from her reminders and treat her like a woman; a worthy treasure; a special possession to be protected. You see, the days of Jael were nothing of the kind. The children of Israel were not treasured by those ruling. Women wanted men to just go crack some skulls and get the job done. Even the LORD doesn't want women to be involved in it. Women want to be the beneficiary of the administration. In this way a woman is both silent and adoring - traditional.

"You made me this way," Adam essentially blamed Eve ("the woman you gave me"). In truth, responsibility lies with him unconditionally. But when a woman is regenerated and cleansed from Eve's sin, then she may turn his words back on him as she's wearing the pants - "You're making me this way."  Jael is remembered by God when righteousness is not to be found among men. Sisera and the men in judges' attire made Deborah and Jael for what they are known. But it is not too late; it is never too late, as Deborah showed Barak, to get up and take up what belongs to the man.

If a man treats a woman as if she were a fellow man, he is untuned and insensitive to her weak form. In his ignorance he expects that she carry the work. Do not be surprised if God not only treats her like a woman - with all His possessive love and behind-the-scenes wonders... but He also passes to her the favor that should have been, could have been, the man's glory.


[1]  Historical Geography of the Holy Land, pg. 409

the HERETIC in all of us

A response to Jeremy Myers' "The Heretic in Me"

Yesterday, at church, my sunday school teacher (who I now know is free grace in theology) taught in concert with "The Finality of the Cross," by Bob George. What did Jesus actually accomplish by dying there in our place, and fulfilling the law?

And so, to date, I can count only three times in my entire Christian experience, where I have heard someone confirm what I believe Paul teaches on the subject of law vs. grace.

The first? Warren W. Wiersbe's "Be Right", study text on the book of Romans. (I read it years after establishing my own doctrine on the scriptures and after much effort to find anyone who would teach this.) The second? In the "Romans and Galatians" class taught at the Grace Seminary of the Northwest, which was founded by Dr. Radmacher, a leading proponent of free grace theology.

I asked Pastor Greg, WHY? Why, whenever I talk about this with other Christians, do I get silence? He said, it's not easily grasped until after a good deal of study, and, if people haven't been shown this, and don't own it, it doesn't stick. That's why there is such a fight to keep standing firm. This is such a foundational topic, it's on the most basic principles of what happened at the cross on our behalf. Consequently it's worth fighting for. As Dr. Radmacher says, we keep going back to Galatians 1:8; if there be any other gospel, "anathema."

This is what the "free grace movement" is all about. We are all about preserving the purpose and clarity of "the finality of the cross." It's come at a great price, and will continue to be so -- many of us have come into this movement after much rejection, perhaps even after being thrown out, by common evangelical doctrine. Many will still come to us in the years ahead, for that same reason.

And now... that we're established as a legitimate school of thought, now?!? we need to make sure everyone tows the line in their interpretation of the Word? Like, somehow, now that "we're GES," ... "our answer is fully complete." May it never be! Whether you're GES, or FGA, or if you make no distinction, do you really think we might lose out because someone asks a question?

Wow! That's not the inheritance I want. I want to be free to read it as God will reveal. Don't you too?

I see what even the GES has done to Jeremy Myers at a time when he wants to know more. You can read his slow descent into reprimand, in his post and the subsequent comments. I linked to it, underlying the title above, and again here. I do not want to start criticism of the leadership provided there. How could one such as me comprehend the trials and obligations of those at the helm? I try and understand it as much as I can; perhaps his firing was appropriate. I weigh it out, contemplating that a man is in a paid position to represent and promote one teaching; therefore, it would be unfair letting him also exert freedom in the public realm in potentially abandoning it for another teaching. I conclude that Myers' responsibility to the GES was unique. He nevertheless ought to and clearly does, privately, hold himself open and willing toward God's Word like the rest of us. If he finds himself changing his mind in any portion that compromises his ability to represent a theology, then he might let himself out of obligation to go on representing that theology. If Myers could not foresee the implications of it all, there is no blame I find in him. I most innocently would have done the same myself. So it remains -- I am confident that the GES, or any other organization in free grace, does not mean to damper investigation into the Word!

Why then are we losing a grip on our freedom? One word alone: HERETIC. That one disclosure spoiled the whole atmosphere of exploring the Word of God. Claim back your conscience before your God. It is rightfully yours and wrongfully monopolized by the majority or the minority! This should be a familiar thing, being called "heretic," by now. I am sure this is not the end. There is a kind of "heresy" I should wear with boldness, amongst fellow Christians. There is no such thing as an "unfair need" in my relationship with God, so why should my questions be off-limits in His Word?

(I concede, deception is an everyday accomplishment of Satan, and moving outside of orthodoxy is something in which to care in the highest priority. For that reason alone, those brothers who warn of "heresy" are precious, more; essential, for success! But, how to handle the issue of heresy in a social context is the topic of an upcoming article.)

At Lou's blog in his latest post, he says that the Word of God is not open to "selective interpretation." Then, he goes about re-explaining his stance as if it is the only one. He is correct, in a sense.... Nobody ought to pick and choose interpretations like women dig through their closet for the most complimenting shoes. But something was neglected: I would add that the Word of God is also not open for "private interpretation."

For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. ... Or did the Word of God come originally from you? Or was it you only that it reached? If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. (1 cor 14:36-37)

Is doctrine delineated by only one man, or only one faction?

Whose right is it to determine doctrine?

It belongs to the head of the church, Jesus Christ. Where is Jesus Christ, for us, today? We have the mind of Christ. (1 cor 2:16) But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. (john 16:13) Truth is accessible not only for those with seminary degrees. Rather truth is dispensed to all because of faith, for there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (gal 3:28). For each one of us, if one will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. (deut 4:29) The one thing that keeps any of us from finding truth, is faith and devotion to God, for if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (james 1:5)

God gives steadfast doctrine to any who pray and dig into the Word.

If you want to know what the bible says, I am convinced there are two ways to form a conviction. One: commentaries. Two: avoiding them. It's impossible to have it both ways. Exegesis means "to draw the meaning out of" a given text. How can anyone draw a meaning "out," if they first attend to drawing any one's meaning upon it?

Commentaries are the stuff which we have the great privilege of revising, as free grace people.

Dr. Stephen Lewis taught a free grace seminary class titled 'The Evolution of Theology.' When he took us through the history of the church from the apostles, to today, he said that Luther read the Word of God and realized a lot of the errors in Catholicism. Maybe he corrected 80%, of the error? Dr. Radmacher and he both spoke for a few moments at the great work at exegesis being done in free grace, now that they have established good principles of hermeneutics. There are people all throughout free grace who are working, text by text, to pull out the messages contained therein. It's going to take a long time till the work is done. People have already brought great benefit to us, such as Zane Hodges' study of the epistle of James, where he clearly distinguishes that dead faith is not nonexistant faith. This tool is already being put to use to end doubt over eternal security in evangelical Christianity.

If you've "selected" (so to speak) an interpretation, do you inwardly permit comfort from numbers and titles? In the least it must be a temptation, to not be made more confident by their affirming opinions. If you've got an interpretational camp you belong to, let me ask: do you know what they read (commentaries possibly)? Do you know where they get their confidence? (Ever heard of circular logic -- well, now I suggest circular confidence.)

The great thing about relying only upon the Word for assurance is this: if we are wrong, it will shortly be clear when we speak with brothers who disagree. The true test of your interpretation, and whether it is biblically sound, is to take it to His body, who has the same Mind, in particular those who disagree with you, and ask for their corrections. Then God gets the glory, because we know we owe our lives to Him and He receives how much we love Him for everything that He is, and how much we love our brother and honor the church, which is His bride.

The free grace movement has a great heritage. It all began because we read the Word for ourselves. As Luther once did. This is no time to surrender that which has made us fit for His use in the world.

I will be entering in another article soon at the Unashamed of Grace blog as a guest, if Antonio is still willing when it is ready. It is meant to address and identify the problem-areas in free grace intra-relationships, to aid in some restoration. It will be difficult and I am humbled almost to the point of silence, but, it needs to be set out there. Relationships must be lent critical and encouraging support to be delivered as upright and honorable. Please pray for grace in the message, because no one should be to blame for this rift, besides our Enemy.

God bless you.

Associated links to this post:

The recent dialogue between Lou and Rose

Some recent posts on heresy;Lou's, JP's, Lou's, the watching disbelieving world's

The law of relativity

How can we distinguish between legalism and the work of God's Spirit, within the church?

By applying the law of relativity. :) In physics the theory of relativity generally stipulates that the cold and immutable calculations of fact given to us in Newtonian mathematics and physics, aren't a complete understanding of mass, space, and time. An example:



Now, read Matthew 12:1-8

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath."

He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

We can see here that it was sanctioned by God when David made the law broken (outwardly), because of the righteousness within his heart.

The law is sanctioned to be left unfulfilled, here:

Romans 2:25-29:

Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. If those who are not circumcised keep the law's requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.

A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.

It's a matter of perspective, when it comes to measuring with the law.

Isn't God amazing?

Does the reputation of Christ suffer?

Does the reputation of Christ suffer when others see we aren't living a scriptural lifestyle?

“If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

When we are scared or troubled by our inadequacies as Spirit-led Christians, maybe we need to hear the same message Paul said to Peter in Antioch here in Galatians 2:14:

“When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, ‘You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?’”

We cannot be in the business of using the law on anyone to arouse them in obeying God. We can rebuke that path to “forming obedience” as a subtle maker of slavery to sin because of fear and submission to a law out of a rejection (in part) of the sufficiency of the cross, that the devil has always used as a scheme to create frustrated believers.

Here's a mystery verse:

2 cor 13:8 "For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.”

Because when we need grace we can still preach grace!

"Do we nullify, then, the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law." rom 3:31

(feedback??)

What is the vehicle by which we gain freedom from sin?

It’s faith, a faith that at no time includes a law except for the inner-man law of faith in Christ. We are set free to serve Christ when we are dead to all outer-man requirements. To review:

--By dying to sin, we are released from the law 7:6
--For apart from law, sin is dead 7:8
--Therefore do not let sin reign 6:12
--Sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire 7:8
--For sin shall not be your master, for you are not under law, but under grace. 6:14

When we list the requirements for becoming like Christ, we make it harder for that believer to live in His miraculous power.

"You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen away from grace." gal 5:4

Looking forward to feedback!

What then is the purpose of the law?

Even to Christians, when they read the New Testament or the commandments of Jesus or the apostles, they think, "But, how? " "I'm not good enough," "I can't" "That's too hard," "I'll try," "I wish I could be like that" "I already do this I don't need to worry," "I won't." All of these are normal, but, sinful responses to the law. The law is designed to show us the need to abandon our efforts in a way that is trusting God to supply obedience, to supply righteousness.

What is the purpose of the law?

“The law was added so that the trespass might increase.” rom 5:20 This is contrary, then, to the goal of the Christian. Is it right to preach the law amongst Christians? I think so, but only if it does not but rarely leave out a concentrated explanation of what happened at the cross. It is advantageous for a Christian to be shown how to properly handle the word of God.

“But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 cor 3:14-17

Reading Moses (the Ten Commandments) without a Mediator increases confusion, increases the hardness of our hearts. But when we turn to the Spirit of God, we do not have that complication. That is why this covenant is better.

“We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, ...,--and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God...” 1 tim 1:8-11 So the law is made for those who do not walk in fellowship with God.

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' "Do not steal,' 'Do not covet,' and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." rom 13:8-10

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." rom 8:2-4

The law was only a shadow, the inferior and now obsolete way of the reality and fullness which dwells in the person of Christ.

If I have to become something more in order to be seen as righteous in the eyes of God, that means that as a Spirit-led believer alone I am not good enough. The Mediator supplied through my faith isn’t sufficient. If there is a perceived insufficiency in faith in Christ to produce a Godly life, then there is a lack of trust for the work of the Holy Spirit.

Any list we might assert beyond “Christ crucified” for pursuing holiness, is a resurrection of the written code. The written code was nailed to the cross in Colossians 2:14 and declared what kills us spiritually in 2 Cor 3:6 and already fully met whether we understand it or not in Rom 8:4

We serve God in a completely new fashion. Before, the Jews tried to follow God’s will only by reading the commandments and then trying to obey them. But now, believers serve God’s will by reading the commandments and then knowing that they do not need to attempt to get out there and obey them (the law was our overseer to bring us to faith in Christ)--both because it is impossible for us to obey them, and because Christ already did, and He wants to credit His righteousness and His nature to us so that we don’t have to sweat it. So by faith we become obedient to the laws of God.

“So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” rom 7:4-6

When have you ever heard a Christian ask another Christian “So; tell me-- how has the law kept you from bearing fruit for God?” (The law in itself is not evil but rather good, but since sin dallies behind law we cannot use it.)

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.” 1 cor 15:56

We do not move into victory so often because our eyes are upon the good standard, and therefore sin takes advantage of our desires. Our consciences are troubled! (“some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, ‘you must... keep the law’” Acts 15:24) The law causes the focus to shift! From God, to ourselves! That’s sin evil accomplishment. And that is why His power is diminished and why our pride and lust increases. The way for them to put down sin is to recognize that Christ has made them obedient to the law by promise, by faith, and they need to claim that obedience in the Spirit.


Still with a desperate desire for input on this!

How do we walk in fellowship without law?

By faith! Faith is sufficient.

Can we have full fellowship with the Lord independent of any unobeyed command out of scripture?

Yes! Abraham was called righteous independent (and beforehand) of his obedience to (outer-man) circumcision, even though he was obedient in the flesh, later.

"Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!" rom 4:10

Here is a very important passage which describes how to consider righteousness in the eyes of God:

“Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. If those who are not circumcised keep the law's requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.

A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.” rom 2:25-29

Verse 26 says that though a man is not obedient to any one law, because he has faith (i.e., he "keeps the law"), he is considered, he is seen through a lens as if he actually had been obedient to the law. How can this be so?

If we obey the greatest commandment, then there is nothing left in the law as undone. “...for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.” rom 13:8 What is the greatest commandment? To love God in perfection and to love men in perfection. No man has loved God and men by this standard, except One man. Jesus obeyed the greatest commandment to perfection. When He did this He not only gained the credit for it for Himself but also credited us with that same accomplishment. So because of the transfer of credit at our salvation, we are seen unmovingly as obedient in perfection to every single commandment. We are also made over into that real-life image of perfection (works) because of salvation.

Not only does the greatest commandment illustrate that it was more than just the laws of sacrifice that were satisfied by Jesus, but also the fact that the ‘law of Moses’ which is a usual name for the old covenant, includes not just the sacrifical laws but also the ten commandments. Jesus fulfilled all obligation to satisfy all law.

"Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why 'it was credited to him as righteousness.' The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness..." rom 4:20-24

Abraham's faith enacted righteousness. Completion of obedience in the work later on was not part of the enactment. Now, James talks about "works-righteousness." He seems to say to many ears that "there is a justification that comes by works." But, I still don't think I buy this. I think that the same connectedness that made Abraham seen as obedient as if by law, but really only and just by faith, is just as connected thinking reversely: His faith is made complete in what he did.

"A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly...." rom 2:28-29

The outward only, means nothing. Abraham's example of obedience when he was said to be "making his faith complete," was not absent of faith. The faith was always present in the completion of the works of righteousness, in his obedience to God. So: if faith was there, and works were there, which one really brings justification? The faith brings the credit, in the work. The work itself does not, but, the faith is made full, complete, when it is built-up and taken outwardly through not only what is inward but into everything we do outwardly. Faith is qualitative, and quantitative. Faith is always the conduit of righteousness. Works, themselves, aren't adding anything toward being righteous... they aren't adding anything, but they represent the faith-righteousness that is beneath them.

Verse 25 sums up, in my thinking, the way to know if what I do means anything to God:

"For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. " rom 2:25

See how faith is indomitable, here, in determining standing before God? So, yes, a man is blameless before God when he has faith and yet is still giving the appearance, in the reality of any matter, as being a sinner. I love how clearly He portrays grace in Jesus Christ even in the OT:

“The poor will see and be glad--you who seek God, may your hearts live! The Lord hears the needy and does not despise His captive people.” ps 69:32-33

“The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; he hears their cries and saves them.” Ps 145:18-19

There is only one law which determines our sanctificational state of being in fellowship with God: the law of faith. The Law of Spirit and Life Rom 8:2. The Law of Christ gal 6:2. Prospering with Christ and His deposited Life, is measured by how much we receive as believable the truth of Christ crucified, for when we love we are in harmony with God and dispensing our responsiibility to make disciples of all men and also obeying the commands we carry consciousness of.

When He comes again we will not be judged another time for sins; no, we will be judged according to the depth of our faith (because God sees the true value of a work), not sins of the outer man (the ten commandments). john 16:8-9

“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom.” james 2:12

What does the law do for us?

Beginning with point #3 on my list found here:

3) In Galatians, Paul wrote to help those becoming deceived. They were deceived about sanctification, equally as they were about salvation.

You can see in the passage below, Paul explicitly lists both salvation ("the Spirit") and sanctification ("attaining your goal" and "miracles") as what they are deceived about:

“You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?” gal 3:1-5

Reading Galatians convinces me that it is Paul's critical teaching that a Christian be told that they are not required or obligated, for obeying any of God’s laws (once a Christian). And my reasoning is because of the purpose of the law.

What does law do for us?

The law, any law, produces slavery in us to the sinful nature, as opposed to slavery to the Holy Spirit. Sin always takes advantage in us Christians when a commandment is present. “But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.” rom 7:8-10

When commandments are preached, bondage to sin develops:

“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. ... As it is, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ... So I find this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. ... So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” rom 7:14, 17-18, 21-23, 25

How in the world can a Christian obey the following command: “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” rom 6:11-12 ....

...than by counting themselves dead to all law?

“For apart from law, sin is dead.” rom 7:8

“the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.” rom 8:7

“for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account where there is no law.” rom 5:13

“And where there is no law there is no transgression.” rom 4:15

Here is Paul’s direct answer for how to be free from the slavery of sin:

“For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” rom 6:14

We find the power to act dead to sinful desires when we are released from the stewardship of a commandment.

Assess the logic for me, please, please?

The Letter of the Law

On the topic of what we must know and trust in, in order to be saved:

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone."

Matt 23:23

"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Luke 11:9-13


And Jesus said, "Exclamation point for this one!"

Literally, I could not have said it better myself. Well, maybe it'd be even more awesome if I added one more:

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

Rom 8:26-27

Four-Point Declaration of Freedom

The four points below have been my most treasured companion these last five years. I don't know if this is any good. Seems to me it withstands everything. They are to summarize Paul's teaching on grace versus law, so that our consciences should no longer be troubled by those who say we cannot have been justified by faith in Jesus:

1 ] Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

2 ] ...rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

3 ] Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law.

4 ] Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
{1}

(Some of those who have known me the longest are sighing that I bring this up again.)

That's it! Do you see what it is saying?

Point 1 -- Any/all goodness left unmet, qualifies as sin
Point 2 -- Awareness of lacking goodness = law
Point 3 -- Awareness of lacking goodness = law
Point 4 -- Belief in Christ is the end of any/all goodness left unmet by us

The most powerful scripture in those four points, of course, is the last.

I want to say that points 2 & 3 are the same thing but I mention them twice because it is so important for people to try and imagine everything they will ever learn from scripture about God's holy and perfect requirements. It includes good works. But I think it also involves knowledge, especially if you would agree with me, that knowledge of who Jesus Christ is, has a justifying work in our lives.

I AM FREE from fault, because of Christ! Praise God!!!! No other way to heaven can compare. As I heard someone say recently, "The only rule is the one to end all rules."

Let it simmer, let it roast, and then leave a comment.


{1} 1-James 4:17; 2-Romans 3:20b; 3-Romans 7:7; 4-Romans 10:4

Just Say No

"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted?"
"The first," they answered.
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. matt 21:28-32

I have been meditating all week on this parable, trying to guess what lessons I should take from it.

The more I think about it the more amazing it is for me. I try and imagine people in church acting as if it were socially acceptable to say "no" to what they are being taught, and I just don't think it has happened but rarely....

How many months have I spent saying "yes" to God and then somehow not ending up doing it?

Hungry

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath."
He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." Matt 12:1-8

Briefly I mentioned this account in my introductory post, but it has long been a favorite passage of mine. I always thought of it as one that illuminates Jesus' authority over things like baptism in water and the law in general. Now I see it for much more. I see it for characteristics I'm hungry for; individual consideration and relativity of the rules. What is one supposed to do if they're doing everything they can and it's not enough to follow Jesus? Is it better to die or to live in such a spot?

The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

Rule Breakerz!

A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."
Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."
He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.
He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
"Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Matt 15:22-28

Just looking for justfication to go to God with intact rebellion; let's see, my search criteria were: Individuality, Relativity, & Evolution.

This one resonates pretty well.

What if...

...christianity is meant to include breaking rules?

As I listen to the radio sing yet another diddy sending home the message "You shall not share your glory with another" and "the point was not to make much of me but so we could make much of you for all eternity," I feel rebellion rising in my heart.

I remembered the one time I really poured out my heart to God and I told Him what I wanted which contradicted His Word. Both then and now I think about all the built-up pressure that was released in one split-second. Immediately I expect God to punish me for admitting what I want that's not good. But, for those several days after the outpour, I experienced the opposite. I decided God was really listening because my situation got a little better in my eyes.

Since then I've gone back to the same-old trying to reconcile to His desires for my life instead of mine. But all that has done is cause a lot of pressure, a lot of heart-hardening, and a lot of wearing thin.

I could do that again, another outpour. I wouldn't mind getting a little closer to my goal, if that's what He really wants to give me by whatever mysteriously odd chance. That's not too shabby.

It's not quite conditional surrender, but, certainly I can say that if He wants more of those kinds of moments, where everything is out in the open, He's going to have to take me as is, bumps and boils and all.

Can't Jesus just flabbergast me and deal with me on an individual basis? Sure the rules are God's and God does not change, but in some kind of way they have, on the exterior. Think about how Nicodemus must have been grossed out to be taught that there is a second birth, and how the pharisees were taught that David was breaking God's Old Testament rules but was righteous. Then there was the parable of the father with two sons being given a command, and one told him yes and didn't do it. The other son said "no" but later thought better and went and did it, and he is the good one. There seems to be some evolution, some relativity, here, in the teachings Jesus gives regarding how and when the rules are obeyed.

Even His glory He shares with us; today is for exchanges of disobedience and righteousness, so it's not like He hasn't committed to handling the matters of lesser beings.

Evolution? Relativity? Individuality? Do these characteristics apply to rule-abiding?

What does Jesus want to do for me?

Have I been reading my bible the wrong way? Has everyone else, too just been reading it for the written-in-stone, and not the relativities? Is that what Christianity has done? God is supposed to be about love, and grace and peace after all. Real peace? Am I living in real peace when I know that my desires don't matter in light of His?

Maybe it's not such a bad thing to be frank with God.