SEEING THE UNSEEN

BEN F. VICK, JR.

       Today, January 1, 2023, we embark on a new year. What lies ahead, we do not know. We cannot see what tomorrow holds. One of the writers of the Proverbs said, "Boast not thyself of to morrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." (Prov. 27:1.)  Paul wrote, "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor. 4:18.) Though we cannot see into the future, we can see through the eye of faith the unseen. The heroes in Faith's Hall of Fame did; so can we.

We read, "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." (Heb. 11:7.) Noah had never seen a flood before, much less rain, yet when God told him to build an ark because a flood was coming, he believed God. He saw through faith what he had not seen empirically, that is, with the physical eye. 

God told Abraham, "Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Gen. 12:1–3.) Walking a little farther down Faith's Hall of Fame, we have this statement: "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." (Heb. 11:8.) He had not seen the land to which God was directing him, but he went by faith.

He sojourned by faith in that land of promise, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob. Why did he live a nomadic life in the land? We are told: "For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." (Heb. 11:10.) Through the eye of faith, he anticipated that heavenly city. Is that not what we should do? "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." (Col. 3:1–2.)

Abraham and Sarah were both beyond the age of having children, but God promised them a son. In that same section of the hall, we read: "Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable." (Heb. 11:11–12.) Abraham also believed in the promise of God concerning a son (Rom. 4:16-22.)

The writer of Hebrews says, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." (Heb. 11:13.) These faithful ones did not receive the promises, but they saw them through faith. They were persuaded of them; they embraced them and acknowledged that they were strangers and pilgrims. Can we see what cannot be seen? Can we see our heavenly home, a city that has foundations built and made by God?

After noting Isaac and Jacob in this famous hall, we come to Joseph. The  inspired "plaque" says, "By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of    Israel; and gave commandment concerning his        bones." (Heb.11:22.) I am not sure we can be precise as to how long after Joseph's death Israel departed from Egypt, but Joseph, by faith, could see what could not be seen. He knew Israel would one day leave that country to return to Canaan. And when they did, he wanted his bones carried back to the land promised. Faith could see what could not be seen.

Then next on the wall in Faith's Hall of Fame is the depiction of  Moses. We stop and meditate on his life and his faith. Among the statements about him is, "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible." (Heb. 11:27.) He left Egypt with all its treasures to suffer affliction with the people of God. Why? He did not fear the king's wrath but saw Him who is invisible. Through the eye of faith, he could see God. As you and I read God's word, can we see Him who is invisible? We know we cannot physically see God (John 1:18), but by faith we can.

So, as we begin this new year, let us see what cannot be seen. We cannot foresee what lies ahead this coming year, but may we increase our faith by studying God's word. Let us see our Lord in the assemblies of the saints and be present with him. Let us see Jesus in those who are in need. "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matt. 25:40.)

May God bless us to greater service in His vineyard this year. Let us not lay down our hoe before we reach the end of the row. Let us see what cannot be seen.

“WITH SUCH A ONE NO NOT TO EAT”

BEN F. VICK, JR.

 The church at Corinth had many problems, one of which was the case of a man living with his father’s wife. Such was not even named among the Gentiles (1 Cor. 5). Rather than mourning over the situation, the brethren were puffed up, meaning they had an “exaggerated self-conception.” Paul said, “your glorying,” that is, your boasting is not good. It is difficult to understand how they could have felt that way. Regardless, Paul, though absent, had judged the situation. He told them when the church came together to deliver the man to Satan. (1 Cor. 5:2-5).

The reason for delivering this brother to Satan was for the destruction of the flesh, i.e., to stop his practice of fornication and to save his soul on the last day. The desire was to cause this brother to repent. The apostle gives another reason for disciplining this brother: “Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.”  Allowing such sin to remain in the church without discipline will cause others to be influenced to sin. Alexander Pope, the poet, said it well: “Vice is a monster of so frightful mien as to be hated needs only to be seen; yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, we first endure, then pity, then embrace.”

 Paul commanded, “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. The removal of leaven alludes to the Israelites having been required to remove all leaven from their houses before the observance of the Passover. Leaven here stands for wickedness and evil. Unleavened indicates purity. Paul exhorted, “Therefore, let us keep the feast not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice or wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:8.) Withdrawal of fellowship is to be done out of sincerity and truth, not out of revenge or hatred. It is because we love the souls of those out of step that discipline is to be practiced.

What is involved in delivering such a one to Satan? Paul answers:

“I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.” (1 Cor.5:9-11.)

Note that Paul does not speak concerning those in the world. We must live in the world. We buy our food and clothes from those in the world. We must work with those in the world. No, Paul said, “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; such an one no not to eat.”

What is the meaning of: “not to company”? The sense is not to “mingle, associate with” (BDAG.) Thayer’s Greek lexicon defines the word as “to keep company with, be intimate with, one.” Louw and Nida’s lexicon says, “to associate with one another, normally involving special proximity and/or joint activity, and usually implying some kind of reciprocal relation or involvement.”  “Not to keep company” means not to socialize with that person.

So, what does “with such an one no not to eat” mean? According to some, it refers to the Lord’s supper. There are several things wrong with this interpretation. First, the context does not bear out that meaning. “Not to keep company” connotes not socializing with that person and, more specifically, not eating with that person. Absolutely nothing in the text applies this to the Lord’s supper.

Second, for the sake of argument, let’s assume that to be the meaning. If the person is not attending the church services, does that mean one can continue to eat a meal with him? How is one withdrawing from that person if he is not attending the church services anyway, but one continues to socialize and eat with the individual? Such would be no withdrawal of fellowship at all. And how is that working out? Is the unfaithful member any closer to repenting and returning to the Lord? Question:  Suppose the unfaithful brother or sister continues to attend the services, who will keep him or her from taking the Lord’s supper? And why stop with the Lord’s supper? There are other acts of worship as well. Who will stand at the door and refuse such a person entrance to the worship assembly? Who will practice closed worship for that individual?

Do you think some members of the church would socialize and eat with such an one if he or she were not a family member? No, “with such an one no not to eat” refers to eating a common meal with a withdrawn from brother or sister. That would include special occasions as birthday parties, Thanksgiving, Christmas meals, etc. Some members of the church have continued to socialize with those unfaithful individuals because they are family. Blood is thicker than water and sometimes thicker than Christianity. Jesus said, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37-38.) The cross one may have to bear is to refrain from socializing with a family member.

In response to this, it is said: “But Jesus ate with sinners!” Indeed, he did! For what purpose? Luke records:

And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Luke 5:29-32)

Jesus ate with sinners to urge them to repent. Is that the reason why some will eat with unfaithful members of the church? Or is it merely to socialize? Is it because he or she is family? To the church at Thessalonica, Paul wrote concerning how to treat a withdrawn brother or sister: “Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” (2 Thess. 3:15.) “Admonish” means “to counsel about avoidance or cessation of improper course of conduct, admonish, warn, instruct.”  The word “admonish” is a command in the present tense, which means continuously in Greek. So, does one continue to warn and admonish when eating with this person, or does one act as if everything is fine between him and the Lord? Remember, a soul is a stake.

This is what the Bible teaches.

JESUS OUR SAVIOR

BEN F. VICK, JR.

 Many years ago, a popular slogan was "Give me the man, not the plan." This expression meant to tell me about Jesus but not the plan of salvation. Some were crying that they did not want to hear of the steps of salvation; they just wanted to hear of Jesus and his love. Faithful brethren emphasized the importance of what one must do to be saved because many in the evangelical world were not teaching the truth about what one must do to be saved. Many teach one is saved by faith only. So, to counteract that false doctrine, we have taught what the New Testament teaches on salvation. It has been right to do this. However, let us not lose sight of who saves us. 

When the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him, "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." (Matt. 1:21.) The angel announced to the shepherds, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11.) The people of Samaria did not accept the woman's word who had talked with Jesus at the well. But they said, "…unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." (John 4:42.) The apostle Paul in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia said, "Of this man's seed [David's] hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus.” (Acts 13:23.) To the church at Philippi, Paul wrote, "For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 3:20.) Paul said to Timothy, "But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." (2 Tim. 1:10.) Peter's opening lines of his second epistle reads, "For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:1.) These verses underscore that Jesus is the Savior. 

Jesus is our Savior. He did not come to deliver men from physical persecution or oppression. He did not come to set us free from all of the social ills in this world, though if men followed his teaching, the world would be turned right side up. However, He came to save us from the bondage of sin. Jesus said, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10.)

Jesus is the perfect Savior. No one else has nor can match his life. Paul wrote, "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." (Heb. 4:15) "For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;" (Heb. 7:26) He knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:18). Even when railed upon, attacked, scourged, and put to death, he did not retaliate. "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." (1 Peter 2:21-25)

The blood of bulls and goats was insufficient to forgive sins. Those animals though spotless did not volunteer to be slaughtered. Those sacrifices were offered daily, weekly, and yearly. Jesus offered himself willingly once and for all.

  Under the law of Moses, God selected the tenth day of the seventh month as the day of atonement. On this day, two goats were selected. Lots were cast to determine which one was to be offered to the Lord as a sin offering and which would be the scapegoat sent out into the wilderness. Moses records what was to be done with the scapegoat: "And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness." (Lev. 16:21-22.) The blood of the sin-offering goat was sprinkled upon and before the mercy seat as atonement for the people. What was done with these goats was symbolic of what Jesus, our Savior, did for us. He made atonement for our sins by carrying his blood (in a figurative sense) into heaven itself (Heb. 9:11-14). Just as the scapegoat had the sins of the people confessed on its head and sent far out into the wilderness, Jesus removed our sins far from us.

So, it is right and good to sing songs praising our Savior. Here is a list of a few:

O WHAT A SAVIOR

JESUS SAVES

HALLELUJAH! WHAT A SAVIOR!

JESUS SAVIOR, PILOT ME

CAN HE DEPEND ON YOU? Begins, "Jesus the Savior came down from above…."

JESUS, MY PRECIOUS SAVIOR

SAVIOR BREATH AND EVENING BLESSING

SAVIOR GRANT ME REST AND PEACE

SAVIOR, LIKE A SHEPHERD LEAD US

SAVIOR LEAD ME LEST I STRAY

SAVIOR TEACH ME

SAVIOR DIVINE, DWELL IN MY HEART

  If Jesus is our Lord, then he will be our Savior. As quoted earlier, Paul wrote: "For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Phil. 3:20.) Peter, on the first Pentecost following the resurrection of the Lord, said, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." (Acts 2:36.)  Jesus Christ cannot be our Savior unless he is our Lord. We must be willing to submit to him. Our Savior and Lord tells us to believe the gospel (Mark 16:15-16). He commands us to repent (Luke 13:3,5). Our Lord tells us to confess him (Rom. 10 9-10). Our Lord commands us to be baptized (Mark 16:15; Acts 10:47-48). Our Lord and Savior calls upon us to be faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10). 

O, what a Savior is Jesus our Lord. 

A GOD’S GRACE

BEN F. VICK, JR.

“Grace” is defined as unmerited favor. God’s grace is his unmerited favor shown toward man. Man’s grace has been extended to many of us at various times. Maybe we were driving too fast and deserved a ticket, but the police officer was merciful and just gave us a warning. Maybe we were late with a payment, but the creditor extended a period of grace to us. Maybe we had a paper due for college, and the professor was gracious enough to extend the deadline. 

God has been gracious to man, and shall continue to be, from the blooming Garden of Eden to old smoking, shaking Sinai, from smoking, shaking Sinai to the blood-stained cross of Calvary, and from the blood-stained cross of Calvary to the present hour until the death knell sounds or until the last trumpet is blown. 

God’s grace, or favor, is seen in the beginning in the creation of man and placing him in the Garden of Eden. God gave man life (Gen. 2:7; Acts 17:28). He showed grace to man by providing a pleasurable environment in which to live and beautiful trees to enjoy. Moses records:

“And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.” (Gen. 2:9-10.)

God showed his grace to man by making woman and bringing her unto the man.  She was his wife.  She was more than “his significant other” or “companion.” She was his “helpmeet,” which means “a help corresponding to him i.e. equal and adequate to himself.” (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon.)

When the world was destroyed by water, God’s grace is seen by his having saved Noah and his family. The world was wicked, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Gen. 6:8.)

Noah demonstrated his faith by obedience (Heb.11:7) and was spared the destruction which the delusion brought. His having been spared destruction caused him to build an altar and worship God after he came out of the ark (Gen. 8:20-21). 

God’s grace was demonstrated in the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, through whom the promised Seed would come. God’s promises were fulfilled in his having provided, protected and preserved their descendants, even when they ended up in a foreign land and became slaves.

Over and over again God’s grace, his unmerited favor, is evidenced by his having guided and guarded Israel out of that iron furnace of Egypt to the land that flowed with milk and honey. A cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night directed their path.  Water from the Rock in a dry and thirsty land slaked their thirst. The daily and divine provision of manna for Israel reminds us again of God’s gracious love for his people. At least on one occasion, God fed them with quail in that wilderness wasteland.

Throughout Israel’s history God over and over again showed his love, mercy and longsuffering for Israel. They turned away; he punished them. They cried; he took them back. They turned away; he punished them. They cried; he took them back. This refrain is seen in the Old Testament. The Psalmist wrote:

He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.  The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.  He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; not rewarded us according to our iniquities.  For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.  As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalms 103:7-12.)

We see God’s greater grace manifested toward man in sending his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him.  John wrote, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world thought him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17.)  The apostle Paul wrote:

But not as the offence, so also is the free gift.  For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.  And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgement was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences to justification.  For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Rom. 5:15-19.)

Grace is a gift—a free gift.  No one should deny this.  However, in order for something to be a gift, there must be a giver and a receiver.  If a person does not accept the gift, it is no gift.  The acceptance of God’s gift of grace entails our obedience to his will (Heb. 5:8-9).  Grace is offered to all men (Titus 2:11; Heb. 2:9), but not all men are willing to comply with God’s commands.  The offer is free.  We did nothing and can do nothing to deserve, or merit, the offer; however, to enjoy the wonderful benefits of God’s grace, one must obey the gospel. 

What does it mean to obey the gospel?  One must hear the word of the gospel (Rom. 10:17). One must believe the gospel of God’s grace.  We must believe that Jesus died for our sins, according to the Scripture, and that he was buried and raised again, according to the Scripture (I Cor. 15:1-4). We must repent of our sins (Acts 2:38; 3:19). We must confess, or acknowledge, Christ before men (Rom. 10:9-10).  We must be baptized, immersed in water, for the remission of our sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).  Obedience to the gospel requires that we remain faithful unto death (I Cor. 4:2; Rev. 2:10).

These few scriptures and sentiments help us to understand why Paul by inspiration wrote, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”  (Eph. 2:8-10.)

“Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,……”  (Psa. 107:2.)

—The Informer, Jan. 25, 2009

     Vol. 62, No. 16.

WITH WHAT SHALL I COME BEFORE THE LORD?

BEN F. VICK, JR.

God brought a court case against Israel and Judah in the days of Micah, the Morasthite who prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah (Micah 1:1). The leadership hated judgment and perverted equity. They built Jerusalem by wickedness. Micah wrote, “The heads thereof judge for reward, And the priests thereof teach for hire, And the prophets thereof divine for money: Yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? None evil can come upon us.” (Micah 3:11.) Jerusalem would be destroyed for these reasons and more (Micah 3:12).

Micah brings the Lord's case against Israel and Judah, calling upon the mountains as witnesses. God calls upon his people to defend themselves against his controversy or complaint (Micah 6:1-2). The Lord said, “O my people, what have I done unto thee? And wherein have I wearied thee? Testify against me.” (Micah 6:3.) God had delivered Israel from the Iron Furnace of Egypt. He had Balaam bless Israel instead of cursing them as Balak wanted. God had preserved, protected, and fulfilled his promises to them. Yet, how thankful were they? It is as if God said:  Look at all I have done for you, and this is the thanks I get. What was Israel's response?

Their answer was: “Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, And bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, With calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, Or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” (Micah 6:6-7.)

To "come before the Lord" refers to worship. What could Israel and Judah bring to worship? The Israelites were not to appear before the Lord empty. Moses wrote, “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty:” (Deut.16:16.) Since we are under a better covenant with better promises, should we appear before the Lord empty? If under the law of Moses, none were to appear before the Lord empty, what should I bring before the Lord?

God’s people then inquired, “Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" To salve their conscience because of their sins, they were supposedly willing to give burnt offerings, thousands of rams, and ten thousands rivers of oil. They even suggested offering their firstborn for their sins. The heathen offered their offspring to their gods. The king of Moab sacrificed his eldest son for a burnt offering (2 Kings 3:26-27). Later in Judah's history, Manasseh, king of Judah, “made his son pass through the fire.” (2 Kings 21:6.) The Lord, through the prophet Jeremiah, refers to this awful indescribable practice: “For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the Lord: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it. And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.” (Jer.7:30-31.)

I sometimes wonder if, in principle, parents do not do the same. Oh, they do not sacrifice them to the fires of Molech, but they offer them to the god of this world – to sports, scouts, education, music classes, Minecraft, and other video games. I am not saying these things are wrong, but why not compare the time spent in those areas with teaching and showing them what is most important – the Lord and his church? Parents expend much time and energy in these areas for their children, but just a scintilla of moments in preparing them for eternal life. Where is the emphasis placed in our homes? When you bring your children to Bible study and worship, do they bring their Bibles and lesson books, or do you allow them to bring toys and secular books to view and read? Do you see that they have their Sunday school lessons? Are we teaching them how to put God first? How to worship? Or do we just let them be entertained quietly while adults worship? Do we encourage them to be engaged in worship? Do they hear us sing in worship? Do they sing? Do they observe us listening with our Bibles open and turning pages as the preacher proclaims God's word? Are they looking up Scripture or taking notes? Will they remember that you took them when there was a gospel meeting or lectureship in the area? Oh, what shall I bring before the high God?

A brother lived in the Fort Wayne, Indiana, area and was a member of the 10th and Jackson Church of Christ in Auburn, Indiana, in the 70s. He was responsible for the church’s hiring me when I left Memphis School of Preaching. In the Spring of 1976, he would fly his plane down to Memphis, pick me up, and fly me to Indiana. I commuted this way till I graduated from school. However, once I was settled in Auburn, he seldom came to services except for the monthly business meetings the men allowed him to chair. I asked him why he missed services so often. He was self-employed. He said he was out trying to make money to give more to the Lord. I heard the bleating of the sheep and lowing of the oxen. Samuel said to Saul, “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king.” (1 Sam.15:22-23.) God wants us to sacrifice, but not as a substitute for obedience.

There are some things more important to God than sacrifice. God owns the world; he does not need our gifts (Psa. 24:1; Acts 17:24-25). Obedience is one of those important things to God. All the sacrifices in the world are nothing if one does not obey God (Matt. 7:21-23). The knowledge of God is worth more than burnt offerings. Mercy counts more with God than if one sacrifices but shows no mercy. Hosea wrote, “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6.) Sacrifices are nothing if there is no love for God (1 Cor. 13:3).

So, with what shall I bring before the Lord? `