THE LORD SPOKE (May 21)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: I Kings 14-15

I Kings 14:15-16

Because of her sin and rebellion, God said He would "strike Israel" and He used four verbs involving strong metaphors:

1. Strike so it will be "like a reed swaying in the water" = stuck in one spot and not moving forward, wishy-washy from side to side
2. Uproot = no anchor point, no more connection with sustenance, exposed to elements which will destroy
3. Scatter = spread thin, not planted, exposed and prey to birds
4. Give up = abandoned, no more loving care

Sadly, this characterized Israel's subsequent experience - except for the last item. God did judge Israel severely but He never abandoned Israel. He said many times over that even if a mother could forget her baby, He would never forget Israel (Is. 49:14-15; c.f. 44:21). So, even though Jeroboam and the kings who followed him caused Israel to sin, God did not abandon His covenant with David (see I Ki. 15:4-5) and with Israel.

Similar words are used in the New Testament for certain heinous sins (Rom. 1:24, 26, 28) but there too it is followed by the grace of God. We are reminded that even when we "show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience" it is nevertheless His "kindness that leads [us] to repentance" (Rom. 2:4). That's why they call it "Amazing Grace"!


New Testament: I Corinthians 8

There is much confusion in the definition of a “weaker brother”. Much of what passes today under this discussion is wrong-headed.

The weaker brother is not the one who is offended because you don’t use the KJV. The weaker brother is not the one who will stop attending your church because they used such-and-such a book for the adult Sunday-school class. The weaker brother is not the one who withholds his tithe because he doesn’t like having all the songs on PowerPoint instead of using hymnals.

Such foolish things we fight over! But it’s not a case of offending weaker brothers. A weaker brother is one who is weak. One who is easily led astray or influenced to do something against his own conscience. Rarely will it be a case of taking offense. It’s usually not a matter of hardening in a previously held conviction.

A weaker brother is one who is unsure or unsteady in his convictions. He feels something is sinful but when he sees Deacon So-and-So doing it he figures it must be okay. “After all. Deacon So-and-So has been a Christian for so long, he must know what’s right! If it’s okay for him to do it, it must be okay for me.”

So Paul says, “Be careful...that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” (I Cor. 8:9). If your example in doing something will cause another believer to sin by going against his conscience, then it becomes sin for you to do so in his presence or with his knowledge.

Maybe a good example would be in drinking wine. Many godly believers do not feel that it is a sin to do so. But many others do. Your drinking some wine probably won’t cause those who have such convictions to stumble. But suppose a new believer who’s had a drinking problem prior to his conversion and is now trying hard to avoid that temptation, sees you partaking freely. Or suppose a 14-year-old boy watches you and decides, it must not be so wrong and looks for an opportunity to try some too.

In such cases, the exercise of your freedom would result in a weaker brother making a wrong choice. And that is sin - both for him and for you. At this point, the question is not whether or not his convictions are correct. That change could and should come with further time and teaching. When he passes from being the weaker brother this whole discussion also changes.

You’ll need to find your own applications, but remember this: “when you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ” (I Cor. 8:12).