Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
"Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people." Exodus 22:28
In today’s highlight verse from Exodus, chapter 22, we come upon the word "blaspheme". Looking this word up in a dictionary renders this meaning:
"To speak of or address with irreverence."
And then we go from this word "blaspheme" to a word of which it is the root, "blasphemy". It means:
"the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God" or "the act of claiming the attributes of deity" or "irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable".
Question: Have you ever displayed irreverence before God?
Well, let’s look at the meaning of "irreverence":
"an act or utterance lacking proper respect or seriousness"
So we commit blasphemy (or blaspheme) God when we commit any act or speak any utterance that fails to show Him the proper respect or seriousness. In other words, we insult God by a deed, word or thought.
Question: Have you ever committed blasphemy?
Why do I go through this word exposition drill? Because we as Christians have a bad habit of getting all puffed up and acting holier than thou when the truth is we’re broken and need to throw ourselves before the mercy seat of God each and every day. And maybe if we would just humble ourselves more and let others see our vulnerabilities instead of trying to hide them, people might not see us as self righteous and "in another league" but rather like they are…sinners without hope without the saving blood of Jesus Christ. This is why God’s word is crucial to our daily spiritual growth and Christian walk…because it will always reveal to us how very sinful we are and how very dependent we are on the only One who was able to save us through sacrificing His Son. Now that my friends is reverence toward God in its purest sense.
But what else does the bible say about this matter of blasphemy? Let’s see:
"Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse; so they brought him to Moses. (His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.) They put him in custody until the will of the Lord should be made clear to them. Then the Lord said to Moses: "Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. Say to the Israelites: 'If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death… Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him. The Israelites did as the Lord commanded Moses." Leviticus 24:10-23
" 'But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien, blasphemes the Lord, and that person must be cut off from his people. Because he has despised the Lord's word and broken his commands, that person must surely be cut off; his guilt remains on him.' " Numbers 15:30-31
Read Isaiah, Chapter 37 or Second Kings, Chapter 19, to see what happened to the Assyrian forces when their king Sennacherib decided to heap insults on God.
Read Ezekiel 20 to get a full appreciation for how much God despises disrespect and irreverence.
And you’ll remember that the Pharisees and the teachers of the law loved to accuse Jesus of blasphemy because He claimed to be God. In fact, this was the charge they took Him before the Sanhedrin on…the first step toward His crucifixion.
So you get the point…or at least I hope you do. We can’t decide to just be a part timer when it comes to obedience toward God. Any act that fails to bring Him honor and glory is irreverent…blasphemous…and sinful. And as you can see in the verses above, God despises disrespect toward Him.
As we are moving through this Lenten season, we would be well advised to step back, reflect and take account of the way we’re living. An inventory should be done on everything we do, everything we say and everything we think and then this inventory should be measured against God’s standard for us, written in His Word and displayed perfectly through His Son Jesus. And if we make a conscientious effort to do this every day, we will find ourselves moving ever closer to our Maker and His Son with our feet firmly placed on the path of righteousness as we journey on our mission of helping the lost find their eternal salvation through Christ Jesus. And there’s no better act of reverence toward God…no better act of gratitude, praise and thanksgiving…and no greater act of love for others than this. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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