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I am often reminded of a song that exploded onto the music scene many years ago. Know that I am not promoting the song or the song writer – only pointing to a simple truth repeated throughout the song’s refrain;
Bow down before the one you serve
You’re going to get what you deserve
Head Like a Hole – Nine Inch Nails
Even at the time, I found such a profound, yet simple truth coming from the mouth of a popular music icon to be more than surprising. I mean, it was seldom the case that I’d hear something from a rock artist (or any secular musical artist for that matter) that I could point to and validate from scripture.
This of course begs the question, whom do you serve?
Before you answer, I’d like you take a moment and consider – deeply – if what you’re about to say is true? I don’t mean that to be antagonistic, but the fact remains that there are many who would readily answer, and yet their answer would be false.
Consider the words of the Messiah Himself;
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ but not do what I say?
Luke 6:46 CJB
I suspect that many among us today don’t ever really stop to consider what it means to serve the Lord – or what it means to be a servant at all.
A servant recognizes that he or she is not their own – but belongs to their Master and to His house.
A servant understands that they are a representative of their Master in His absence.
A servant knows their Master, knows the rules of His household and obeys them.
Allow me to present you with a question; if you were a servant, would you forego participating in celebrations your Master hosted? Would you choose to go elsewhere and ignore the festivities? Would you do this and consider it to actually be in service to the Master of the House?
Moreover, if He forbade your participation in the festivities of your neighbors, would you participate in them anyway?
Afford me another question; if your Master separated a portion of His herds and flocks – and stated explicitly that these were not to be slaughtered and eaten – would you slaughter and eat from among them?
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Some of you already see where I’m going with this, but for those less familiar, let me elaborate…
The Lord spoke to Moses: “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘These are the Lord’s appointed times which you must proclaim as holy assemblies—my appointed times.
Leviticus 23:1 – 2
Throughout the remaining verses of Leviticus 23, you’ll find a listing and explanation of these appointed times; The Sabbath, Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits, The Feast of Weeks – Shavuot or Pentecost, the Festival of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Festival of Tabernacles or Sukkot.
Now, the unchanging God who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow stated plainly and in no-uncertain-terms that these were HIS appointed times – yet for two millennia the body of the Church has eschewed the observance of God’s appointed times in favor of observances He not only didn’t instate, but actually decried;
You people of Israel, listen to what the Lord has to say to you.
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The Lord says:
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“Do not start following pagan religious practices. Do not be in awe of signs that occur in the sky even though the nations hold them in awe. For the religion of these people is worthless. They cut down a tree in the forest, and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools. He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold. He uses hammer and nails to fasten it together so that it will not fall over.
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Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field. They cannot talk. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them because they cannot hurt you. And they do not have any power to help you.”
Jeremiah 10
In fairness, there are certainly those who will immediately bristle at this and make two claims;
- One that the above passage isn’t referring to Christmas Trees… and yet we know from history that conifers were a common symbol in pagan religious rites…
- Two, that the passage is explicitly addressed to the people of Israel.
To that second, I offer the following question – if you count yourself as a Child of Abraham (as the Bible identifies the Children of God), them through whom does your lineage flow? Isaac or Ishmael? Jacob or Esau?
If you said Isaac and Jacob, then you get a prize! Your prize; the knowledge that you are one of the people of Israel. That means the above applies to you.
Bonus point; Easter didn’t even get a name-change… Jesus didn’t rise on Easter, He died on Passover and resurrected on First Fruits. Look it up.
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In Leviticus 11, we are given a list of instructions regarding what constitutes food. From the fish in the waters to the birds in the sky – and everything in between, we’re given a list of criteria by which we can readily identify what may and may not be eaten – yet much of what we find on the ‘may not’ list are considered delicacies in our societies and are actively consumed by pagan and Christian alike.
Invariably, when this topic arises, so too does the immediate objection that Jesus did away with this body of law. Overlooking the fact that this statement is actually heresy, they go on to point to the following passage:
Now when Jesus had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. He said to them, “Are you so foolish? Don’t you understand that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him? For it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and then goes out into the sewer.” (This means all foods are clean.) He said, “What comes out of a person defiles him. For from within, out of the human heart, come evil ideas, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, evil, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, and folly. All these evils come from within and defile a person.”
Mark 7:17 – 23
There are two major fallacies that most adhere to when engaging this issue; the first being the inappropriate application of the parenthetical statement “(This means all foods are clean.)“. I already illustrated to you that God defined what constitutes food in Leviticus.
I mean, let’s be honest here – Jesus and the Disciples weren’t sitting down to a lobster dinner – and why not? Because such things are unclean, and the Messiah would never have eaten unclean things… He walked the Torah out perfectly. Incidentally, you and I are told explicitly to walk as He walked… (1 John 2:6)
The second being that they tend to ignore the entire context of the event being relayed – which had nothing to do with food or hygiene, but was a direct confrontation regarding traditions that man had invented and elevated above the word of the Lord Himself.
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There are certainly those who would readily decry everything I’ve put forth. At a minimum, they would likely take some of form of the “well it’s not a salvation issue” stance and, while I don’t disagree in principle (the Law doesn’t save us), I find that to be a massive cop-out.
Sure, you can marginalize these matters, but my scriptures tell me that “the one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much …” (Luke 16:10). Why should we expect to rule and reign along side Him if we won’t even obey the simplest of commands He’s given? That just makes no sense to me – and if you’re honest, it doesn’t to you either.
While I am sure this all comes across as me being adversarial, the fact is that once one comes to terms with the outright hypocrisy that has embedded itself into the Church, there is simply no means of pointing it out without offending someone, so honestly, I no longer even try. I am also not a huge fan of making excuses or apologizing for the truth…
So with all of the above in mind, let me ask one more time; whom do you serve?
Do you make excuses while flagrantly ignoring and disobeying the Word of God? Do you rationalize such issues and dismiss them in favor of maintaining your “normal”? Do you treat these matters as being trivial and unimportant? If so, I would suggest that the one you’re serving is actually yourself. Good luck with that.
I mean, it was important enough for God to speak it and have Moses write it all down… so who the heck are we to pick and choose what we’ll heed and what we’ll ignore? We do this, completely ignoring the discipline of the Lord, all while calling ourselves His disciples. That seem shady to anyone else?
I would encourage you to think very deeply on this issue. Either God is your master, or something else – but as Bob Dylan wrote; “you’re gonna have to serve somebody“. As we edge ever closer to the end of the age, the answer to this question – the real answer – becomes ever more important.
Until next time.
שלום עליכם – Shalom Aleichem – Peace Be Upon You