“Don’t Judge”

by Jeff Curtis

In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus condemned hypocritical judging where one might condemn another while engaging in some similar or more serious sin. Mounce explains it this way: “Human nature encourages us to pay far more attention to the shortcomings of others that to our own faults. We tend to evaluate others on the basis of a lofty standard of righteousness that somehow is not applicable to our own performance.” In order to be fair in our assessments of others, we should follow several guidelines.

We should evaluate our own lives. We must ask ourselves if we are doing the very things that we find offensive in others. A person should change himself before he attempts to change the world.

We should listen when others criticize us. They may be some truth to what they are saying that could help us become better people. Iron has the potential of sharpening iron (Proverbs 27:17).

We should not jump to conclusions. We must try to gather all the facts and make sure our conclusions about others are not based on hearsay.

We should not stereotype people. It is unfair to judge a person based on his or her race, gender, social, or economic status.

We should consider other people’s situations before being overly critical. It could be that the person is dealing with some difficult issues in his or her life. We might behave in a similar way if we were walking in their shoes.

When we confront others, we need to evaluate our motives. Are we concerned about the other people’s spiritual situations (Galatians 6:1-4), or are we simply trying to make ourselves look better than them?

Conclusion. Jesus’ illustration of the hypocrite trying to judge another needs to serve as a warning to us.

Security of the Sheep

by Joe R. Price

27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one. (John 10:27-30)

This passage is easily understood and gives great assurance to the followers of Jesus. People have distorted this teaching of Christ to assure souls that they can never so sin as to be lost once saved from sin. This passage does not teach this error. A brief review of the text shows Jesus comforts the faithful but does not secure sinners. First, see what Christ’s sheep do: They hear His voice and follow Him. Next, see what Jesus does: He knows them and gives them eternal life. Now, who “shall never perish” and not be snatched from Christ’s hand or the Father’s hand? It is the sheep who hear and follow Jesus (v. 27). What if the sheep stops following the shepherd? Christ’s sheep are exposed to life-threatening dangers when they leave the sheepfold of safety, wander on the hillside of sin, and forage in the thicket of evil. When Christians stop listening to Jesus and refuse to follow Him, their souls are in jeopardy! Christians who return to sin bring on their eternal demise, not an eternal reward (2 Pet. 2:20-22). This truth does not diminish the power of the Father and Son to save. It acknowledges what Scripture confirms: Christians can fall away (Gal. 5:4; Luke 8:13). God protects sheep who hear Him and follow Him. So, hear the word of Jesus and follow Him every day

The Drama of Deception

by Jeff Curtis

God’s people create problems when they set aside God’s will in order to have their own way. In Genesis chapter 27, we see a scene of tension, bad attitudes, and destructive actions that dominate the rest of the chapter. In Isaac’s old age, he believed it was time to give the deathbed blessing to his elder son, Esau (27:1-4). He was determined to do this in spite of the divine prophecy Rebekah had received during her difficult pregnancy: “…the older shall serve the younger” (25:23).

Isaac was blind; and his blindness made it possible for Rebekah’s deceitful scheme, performed by Jacob, to succeed. Since Isaac thought that the time of his death was near, he made the good decision to set his house in order. However, his desire to give the deathbed blessing to his older son was not good. Esau was not a spiritual minded person. In fact, he was a carnal person; he lived primarily to satisfy the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1John 2:16). The writer of Hebrews called him an “immoral” and “godless” person (Hebrews 12:16). He was definitely not the kind of leader who would set a proper example for God’s covenant people to follow. This is not to say Jacob had a flawless character early in his life as a man; he certainly did not, but he had potential for spiritual leadership. God knew this about Jacob, and Isaac should have recognized it too.

Esau was everything his father was not: an outdoorsman and a skilled hunter who could kill and cook wild game that Isaac loved to eat (25:27,28). Isaac allowed his love for Esau’s wild meat to control his will. Since Isaac desired nothing above another one of his favorite son’s meals, he summoned Esau to go out and hunt game and prepare a delicious feast he could enjoy before he blessed him.

Isaac’s experience stands as a warning to God’s people in every age not to trust in our physical sense of taste (27:4, 9, 25), touch (27:22, or smell (27:27. What makes us feel good may not be what is good for us; it’s not necessarily God’s will for our lives. In Ernest Hemingway’s novel Death in the Afternoon, a character may have expressed Hemingway’s own convictions when he said, “I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what make you feel bad after.”  Many individuals today endorse that philosophy in life, and they make crucial decisions based only on feelings. A song from the 70’s said, “It can’t be wrong if it feels so right.” Individuals are still deceived by this kind of thinking, just as Isaac was so long ago.

God’s people are not to use deceptive and manipulative actions, even in an attempt to guarantee that His will to bless the world is done. A sad and sometimes tragic situation occurs when a husband and wife can no longer communicate honestly with each other. This appears to have been the state of affairs in Isaac and Rebekah’s relationship, especially later in their marriage. Rebekah overheard Isaac’s words to Esau about the deathbed blessing, she faced a problem. She thought that trying to reason with her husband about this matter was pointless, since he was determined to bless his elder and favorite son. Also, Rebekah may have feared that Isaac would accuse her of trying to get the blessing for Jacob because he was her favorite son.

Whatever Rebekah’s motives may have been, we must be careful not excuse her actions. God does approve of deception and manipulation, even if they have a good end in view (Romans 3:8). Although Rebekah may have rationalized her actions, they were wrong and destructive to the whole family. Her plan followed the wisdom of the world rather than the wisdom that comes from above (James 3:13-18). He deceitful scheme calls to mind a well-known saying from Sir Walter Scott: “O, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!”

It may appear that Jacob escaped without suffering any consequences from the lies told to his blind father. As the story continues, it becomes evident that he had to discover through painful experience that “the way of the treacherous” is not an easy path (Proverbs 13:15). In the next few chapters, the story reveals that Jacob had some important lessons to learn about deceiving others. He would come to understand them by being on the not-so-pleasant end of deception. Jacob would discover that his father-in-law, was even more adept at deception than was his young nephew. Someone once observed that “these two men deserved each other.”