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TALKING IN CIRCLES
20Seest
thou a man that is hasty in his words? there
is more hope of a fool than of him (Prov 29:).
The Bible tells us a great deal about the wisdom of holding our tongue.
In fact Jesus tells us:
36But
I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall
give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37For
by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be
condemned. (Mat 12:)
Maybe someday I'll learn how to do this, that is: to hold my tongue. My
words certainly have gotten me into trouble often enough; and my words
have rarely if ever gotten me out of trouble that my mouth has gotten
me into. In the meantime I will just have to try and explain my use of
many words to say very little,
We know that Jesus told us many important things in just a few words.
He gave us parables and examples that are easy for us to relate to and
understand. He also lived a life that explained more about what He was
teaching than did His words. Jesus, as did the Apostles, made use of a
multitude of quotes from the Old Testament, using words that were
already known to express what they wanted to say.
Words can be used to deceive
and conceal. We find this with con men and politicians. But the use of
words is not the only way that words can be used to conceal and
deceive: so can silence. By our not correcting a person's wrong
impression, we allow them to believe a lie or a falsehood, which has
the same result as having told the lie ourselves.
The use of words is not always intended to explain, but sometimes the
use of words that seem to make clear are actually
intended to confuse and to conceal. I give you for example the codes
used by the military and other people who wish to relay a message
openly, yet not let the message be understood. Words used in such
messages had an obvious and innocuous meaning that seemed clear enough
to an uninformed observer or a censor, but to the intended recipient of
the message, the words could well mean life and death to many people.
Jesus used just such a form
of communication as this. The words He used to describe what He was
saying seem very clear and understandable on the surface, but to the
initiated those same words spell the difference between eternal life,
and eternal death.
Jesus said of His parables:
9Who
hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10And the
disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou
unto them in parables? 11He
answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12For
whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more
abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be
taken away even that he hath. 13Therefore speak
I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and
hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14And
in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye
shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and
shall not perceive: 15For this people's heart
is waxed gross, and their
ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed;
lest at any time they should see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and should understand
with their heart, and should be converted, and I
should heal them. 16But
blessed are
your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
(Mat 13:)
Mark adds:
10And
when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of
him the parable. 11And he said unto them, Unto
you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto
them that are without, all these
things are done in parables: 12That
seeing they may see, and NOT perceive; and hearing they may hear, and
NOT understand; lest at any time they should be
converted, and their sins should be forgiven
them. (Mark 4:) (emphasis mine)
In spite of the fact that Jesus very clearly tells us that He spoke in
parables to conceal His message to the uninitiated, preachers insist
upon claiming He spoke His parables to make His words clear to
everyone, even the worst of sinners.
Was Jesus the only one who
said that God speaks in riddles?
1And
the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2Son
of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of
Israel; 3And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A
great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had
divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the
cedar: (Ezek 17:)
48And
all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it shall not be
quenched. 49Then said I, Ah Lord
GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables? (Ezek
20:)
3Yea,
they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their
abominations. 4I
also will choose their delusions, and will bring their
fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake,
they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that
in which I delighted not. (Isaiah 66:)
Almost all of the Old Testament, especially the Prophets are obviously
riddles and metaphors. Even to this day we don't understand much of
what the prophets were saying. Again we have this clearly portrayed in
the Book of Revelation. There are thousands of different ideas as to
what has been expressed in just this one book alone. It should be clear
to anyone who is willing to even squint their eyes for a hint of the
truth that God hides His words:
4Then
shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them:
he will even hide his face from them at that time, as
they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. (Micah 3:)
15Verily
thou art
a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.
(Isaiah 45:)
16Bind
up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. 17And
I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of
Jacob, and I will look for him. (Isaiah 8:)
34And
they understood none of these things: and this saying
was hid from them, neither knew they the things which
were spoken. (Luke 18:)
21In
that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank
thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these
things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes:
even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. (Luke 10:)
3But
if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are
lost: 4In
whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe
not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2Cor 4:)
25Whereof
I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is
given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 26Even
the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from
generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
(Col 1:)
26Run
now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it
well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is
it well with the child? And she answered, It is
well. 27And when she came to the man of God to
the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust
her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is
vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it
from me, and hath not told me. (2Kings 2:4:)
Have I made my point that God does in fact hide from those who do not
truly seek Him, and even those who do such as the prophets and the
disciples? Or do I need to give you a couple hundred more verses of
Scripture?
We know that it is our
nature to hear what we want to hear, and to shut out what does not fit
our desires or our own failed conceptions. When Jesus or the Apostles
spoke to the highly educated Pharisees, rulers, and priests of their
day, instead of hearing what was said and considering what truth they
might learn, they:
54When
they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and
they gnashed on him with their
teeth. 55But he, being full of
the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of
God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56And
said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on
the right hand of God. 57Then
they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon
him with one accord, 58And cast him
out of the city, and stoned him:.
(Acts 7:)
We shut out what we don't want to hear. And in the case of the rulers
of Israel, they killed the ones who said what they didn't want to hear.
What outcome is derived from
stopping the ears to the Word of God?
8And
the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying, 9Thus
speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and show
mercy and compassions every man to his brother: 10And
oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor;
and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. 11But
they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped
their ears, that they should not hear. 12Yea,
they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest
they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath
sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore
came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts. 13Therefore
it is come to pass, that
as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not
hear, saith the LORD of hosts: 14But
I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew
not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man
passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.
(Zech 7:)
(Note: did you notice what God was telling the people that they
wouldn't hear? Didn't it sound like what Jesus told His disciples, the
"new commandment" they must do? Wouldn't you have thought it was a
piece of Scripture right out of the love portion of John's epistle?)
We see what happened to the Jews in the Old Testament when they didn't
listen to the Words of God. And we saw again what happened to the Jews
when they didn't listen to Jesus and the Apostles, the consequences
which the Jews are still being confronted with today, that is: their
decision to still the mouth of God.
With all this history and
the numerous examples to learn from, how do we respond?
2Preach
the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort
with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3For
the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after
their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching
ears; 4And
they shall turn away their
ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
(1Tim 4:)
We certainly have turned our ears away from God and His Word. The
churches who bear the name of Christ are bringing in every heresy and
false doctrine, as well as the many gods of many lands to be preached
as if they were from God Himself. If God did to the Jews as He has
done, what do you suppose He is going to do to His church that uses His
name to do what is detestable to Him? Have you ever read the Book of
Revelation?
We don't have to look into
the future to see what God is going to do to the church, we have the
past to make it ever so clear what He will do, and this by what He has
done to those His people who bear His name:
16Let
no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an
holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17Which
are a shadow of things to come; but the body is
of Christ. (Col 2:)
5Who
serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as
Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle:
for, See, saith he, that thou make
all things according to the pattern showed to thee in
the mount. (Heb 8:)
6Now
these things were our examples, to the intent we should
not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7Neither
be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is
written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8Neither
let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one
day three and twenty thousand. 9Neither let us
tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of
serpents. 10Neither murmur ye, as some of them
also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 11Now
all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written
for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are
come. 12Wherefore let him that
thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (1Cor 10:)
The past is our example. The past is not only an example of how God
works, how He has worked, how He will
work, but also how He is working today. But we,
in our ignorant wisdom, refuse to learn from the past and think He will
treat us differently than He does everyone else. We have this same
thinking about the country we live in: whereas the rest of the world is
falling apart at the seams, we have an underlying attitude that these
same problems won't touch us.
The New Testament we think of as a new contract, a new way that God is
dealing with the world. This is not true. The New Testament is living
quote, a clear testimony of what God was saying in the Old Testimony.
What is said in the New Testament is a clarification and an example of
what God was expressing in the Old Testament. Jesus, then later the
Apostles, were living examples of what God wants from His people, and
this from the beginning of the creation. We are not living in a "new
thing," but rather a fulfilment of the "old thing." We are not given
more liberty to do as we will, but we are given assistance through the
Holy Spirit to do what God demanded of His people from the very
beginning. We are given clear examples that our lives are not to be led
according to our will, but His will who created us.
If you had a son or daughter who you knew was becoming involved with
something that would do them much harm, even destroy them: what words
would you use to divert them from their destructive ways? You have that
child's friends who are his examples and counselors to counter. You
have the media with all the "stars" doing as he is choosing to do. You
have his natural tendency to do what feels good for the moment to
contend with. In essence, you are faced with the impossible. What would
you say to him? How many words would you limit yourself to in order to
put your point across? How much time would you invest in saving that
child before you decided that you have done your part and just write
him off as a lost cause?
I have been given an insight into the Word of God, and by many negative
experiences, into life itself, that I believe is of vital importance to
people. I believe what I have learned is not for my benefit only, but
for anyone who is willing to listen. I have also been given a
willingness to share these experiences, and the knowledge gained
through them, with others.
I have a number of problems
however. One problem I have is that being open to such a degree goes
completely contrary to my nature. I would much rather stay to myself
and just keep my mouth closed. That is the way I grew up, and it is the
way I have been most of my life. It is my nature.
Another problem I have is
that what I say goes against everyone's (including my own), nature. I
am saying that we must do what no one in their
right mind would ever want to do; and to not do
what everyone wants to do, and that the rest of the world teaches us to
do.
I have been given an
understanding of the Word that goes contrary to what every church
teaches now, or that any church or preacher that I am aware of has ever
preached.
I also see the absolute need
that what I see in the Bible be followed, whether understood or not, in
order to attain the reward everyone thinks they are going to attain by
going their own way.
Because of these, I have a
burden that is difficult to bear. How much easier it would be if I just
agreed with everyone else, and all I had to do is nod my head in
agreement and be seen as "right" and as "wise."
How many words should I
limit myself to in order to put my point across? If I am correct, that
life is not at all the way you see it, and that there is a consequence
for your actions that is to come: At the time of that consequence, what
will you say at that time should have been my optimum number of words
used to divert you on to the correct path?
It is our nature to turn off our hearing to people who talk a lot. I
get a lot of ears that turn dull to what I have to say. And I certainly
can't blame anyone for this. I would do the same. Because of this it's
my desire, when I see this happening, to just stop talking. And I might
as well stop, because my words are not being heard or appreciated
anyway. But if I stop, what is it that which I know must
be said, is what that person needs to hear? And, what must it sound
like to that person to hear that I think they need what I
have to say. How egotistic that must sound. And how much more I would
rather say nothing and appear humble and wise.
My life is my writing. And I do almost nothing but study the Word and
write what I see. When I am talking to someone, I see an ever-expanding
circle of things that relate directly to the subject at hand, and that
are needed to be said in order to clarify the picture that I am trying
to express. I want the person to learn in a moment what it has taken me
years to learn. Of course that can't be done, nor do many people wish
to learn even a little of what I have learned. But my understanding
their lack of desire does not stop me from at least trying to convey
what I see. It is only afterwards that I realize I should have left off
talking several hours earlier.
2Preach
the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort
with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3For
the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after
their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching
ears; 4And they shall turn away their
ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
(1Tim 4:)
37But though he had done so many miracles
before them, yet they believed not on him: 38That
the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake,
Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the
Lord been revealed? 39Therefore
they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, 40He
hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not
see with their
eyes, nor understand with their
heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. 41These
things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him. (John 12:)
27He
that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man
of understanding is of an excellent spirit.
28Even
a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and
he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of
understanding. (Prov 17:)
11A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise
man keepeth it in till afterwards. (Prov 29:)
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