Truth Magazine

By Edward O. Bragwell, Jr.

Discouragement is always a difficult thing to deal with. There seems to be so many things that happen in our lives to bring it on. It is easy to become discouraged as we attempt to serve God and things just don’t seem to be working out, at least for the moment. But, we are not the first ones to become discouraged in this way. There are several examples in the Bible of those who really became disheartened over some turn of events as they went about trying to serve God. One such man was Samuel.

Samuel became a great spiritual leader of the children of Israel. Through him God judged the affairs of His children. However, the children of Israel were not happy with this arrangement, and demanded, that a king be set up over them so that they could be like the nations about them. God then explained to Samuel that the people were not rejecting Samuel, but God Himself as their ruler and instructed Samuel to anoint Saul as king (1 Sam. 8,9). This Saul, at first an humble man, became a mighty king. But as he gained stature and power, he began to think more highly of himself than he ought. Saul’s opinion of himself became evident, when he disobeyed God’s instructions concerning the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15). Samuel had brought the word of God to Saul instructing him to “utterly destroy” the Amalekites and not to leave any man or beast alive. Saul, however, saved some of the best of the livestock and the Amalekite king Agag. He disobeyed the instruction of his God. As a result of his disobedience the kingdom of Israel was taken away from him and Samuel had to pronounce this punishment. This had a profound effect on Samuel. We are told that he “mourned for Saul.”

I think that many of us can understand how Samuel felt. How many times have we had those who we thought would be faithful servants of God to disappoint us? It is easy to become discouraged when others disobey the Lord. Samuel was heartbroken over Saul, but the Lord advised Samuel what to do next (1 Sam. 16:1). I think we can learn some things from what God told Samuel when we become discouraged over the disobedience of others.

We Must Overcome The Disappointment

The Lord began by asking Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel?” Samuel needed to quit dwelling on what had happened with Saul and get on with things. It is nature for us to become discouraged when others fail to obey God. Micah did (Mic. 7:2-4). Elijah did (1 Kgs. 19:1,2,4,10). But we have to learn how to put it behind us. Brethren are sometimes going to disappoint us (cf. 1 Tim. 4:9-11,16), but we must not dwell on it when it happens. Instead, we have to pick ourselves up and go onward.

We Must Be About God’s Work

The Lord instructed Samuel that instead of feeling discouraged, he needed to get to work. He was told, “Fill up your horn with oil and go.” We cannot let the disappointment that we may feel over the disobedience of a brother detract or deter us from getting on with the work that is before us. We have a task before us to take the gospel to others and build up the cause of Christ. We have work to do (1 Cor. 15:58). We cannot let the disappointment caused by some brethren so engulf us that we just sit around mourning and never recover. There comes a time when we must fill up our horns and go.

We Must Realize That The Lord Will Find Those Who Will Obey

Samuel was told that while Saul had disobeyed and the kingdom had been taken away from him, the kingdom would still have a ruler. The Lord said, “I have provided Myself a king.” Even though Saul had disappointed Samuel, he could take heart, realizing that the Lord had found one who would do what Saul failed to do. As we know Samuel went out and anointed David, “a man after God’s own heart” to be king over Israel. We need to realize that for every brother that disappoints us, there is another who is standing with the Lord and we must stand with Him also and get on with the task before us. When Elijah became discouraged, the Lord reminded him that there were seven thousand in Israel who had not bowed to Baal (1 Kgs. 19:18).

So when we become discouraged over the disobedience of others, let’s look to the advice given Samuel. Let’s stop dwelling on it and instead get to work along with others who are doing all they can to be faithful and serve God.

Guardian of Truth XXX: 13, p. 399
July 3, 1986

By Carol R. Lumpkin

Sin is common to all people who are accountable to God. Sin separates man from God. “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isa. 59:2). Paul wrote that “both Jews and Gentiles,. . . are all under sin” (Rom. 3:9); “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

What is sin? How do people sin? “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23). “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (Jas. 4:17). “For sin is the transgression of the law” (1 Jn. 3:4). “All unrighteousness is sin” (1 Jn. 5:17). John said: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 Jn. 1:8); “if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 Jn. 1:10). We must conclude that all of us sin.

I suppose it is human nature for people who sin to attempt, in various ways, to cover their sins. Adam and Eve tried to hide from God after they had disobeyed God in the garden of Eden. “And Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden” (Gen. 3:8). One great lesson we should learn from this is that no sin is hid from God. “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee” (Psa. 139:7-12).

King Saul was told to utterly destroy the Amalekites, including, “both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass” (1 Sam. 15:3). He sinned when he brought the king and some of the better animals back from the battle. Saul tried to cover his sin by casting the blame on the people, “the people took the spoil, sheep and oxen. . . . ” (1 Sam. 15:21). Samuel said to Saul, “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22). Thus, we learn that we must not blame others for our sins.

Herod, the tetrarch, was married to his brother’s wife, Herodias (Matt. 14:3). John, the baptizer, told Herod, “It is not lawful (with God, crl) for thee to have her” (Matt. 14:4). Herod was living in adultery (Col. 3:5-7). When Herod had John’s head cut off, that did not cover his sin. I wonder just how many people are living with (married) some one, who in the sight of God is still married to his first companion?

We read where Stephen preached Jesus to the Jews in Acts 6-7. “Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears,

ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye” (Acts 7:51). This preaching of Stephen led to his death by stoning (Acts 7:59). Getting rid of the preacher will not cover for sins of brethren.

What is time? Someone has said: “Time is what life consists of.” Does time cover sin? The answer is no. Sins can be covered only by the blood of Jesus Christ, and only then when God’s divine law is complied with. “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7). “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24). “Much more then, being justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Rom. 5:9). “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:7). No honest person should question the saving power of the blood of Jesus Christ.

There are two classes of accountable people: (1) those who have never obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ, and (2) those of us who are the children of God. Both classes are in need of the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. The first class absolutely must become believers in the Lord (Jn. 8:24). Faith (belief) comes by hearing God’s word (Rom. 10: 17). The believer must repent of sins already committed (Lk. 13:3). The penitent believer must confess Christ to be the Son of God (Acts 8:37). When the above requirements are met, the person must be baptized in water (Rom. 6:4), for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). When this has been done the blood of Jesus removes the sins (cf. Acts 22:16).

The second class in need of the blood of Jesus to cleanse them are children of God. John tells us that we sin (1 Jn. 1:8, 10). Set in between the above two verses, John said: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9). The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin (1 Jn. 1:7). When? When those sins are confessed (1 Jn. 1:9). Simon, a child of God who sinned, was instructed to “repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee” (Acts 8:22).

God has provided the only way for sins to be covered, or forgiven. If God’s law is not obeyed, there is no way one can be saved now, or in the time to come. Jesus saves only those who will obey Him. “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Heb. 5:8-9). Let us never entertain the idea that once we sin that we can design some way to save ourselves. Salvation is only in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; 2 Tim. 2: 10).

Guardian of Truth XXX: 13, p. 403
July 3, 1986

By Irvin Himmel

A Rough Road

“Good understanding giveth favor: but the way of transgressors is hard” (Prov. 13:15).

Things are not always what they seem. The course which looks good may offer more misery than happiness, more heartaches than comfort, and more disappointments than satisfaction.

Good Understanding

The Hebrew word sekel denotes intelligence, sound judgment, good sense, or prudence. It is translated “wisdom” in Proverbs 12:8; in 19:11 it is “prudence.”

Abigail, Nabal’s wife, was a woman of good understanding (1 Sam. 25:3). In contrast, her husband was churlish and evil in his deeds.

We show sound judgment and prudence in yielding to the will of God. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments. (Psa. 111:10).

“Obedience to God proves that our judgment is sound. Why should not be obeyed? Does not reason itself claim obedience for the Lord of all? Only a man void of understanding will ever justify rebellion against the holy God. Practical godliness is the test of wisdom. Men may know and be very orthodox, they may talk and be very eloquent, they may speculate and be very profound; but the best proof of their intelligence must be found in their actually doing the will of the Lord” (C.H. Spurgeon).

Giving of Favor

It is a fact that good understanding gives favor. “A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised” (Prov. 12:8). Favor and good understanding are connected in Proverbs 3:4.

Joseph gained favor with Pharaoh, king of Egypt, through sound judgment and prudence. Pharaoh remarked concerning Joseph, “Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the spirit of God is?” He said to Joseph, “There is none so discreet and wise as thou art” (Gen. 41:38,39).

Daniel gained favor with Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, through wisdom and good understanding. In all matters of wisdom and understanding, the king found Daniel and his three companions ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers in his realm (Dan. 1: 19,20).

The youthful years of Jesus are summed up in Luke 2:52: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” Wise judgment is appreciated by right-thinking people. Good understanding brings esteem, honor, admiration, and respect.

Transgressors

The Hebrew word for “transgressors” in our text is bagad. It is a term pointing to such as deal deceitfully or treacherously. It appears in Psalm 119:158, which says, “I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.” It is used in Isaiah 21:2 where the prophet said, “the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously. “

Our text refers especially to the unfaithful, the offensive, the treacherous. The New American Standard Bible renders it, “Good understanding produces favor, But the way of the treacherous is hard.”

A Hard Way

The course of transgressors is rugged and rough. Often there is violence. “A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence” (Prov. 13:2).

Many transgressors have no compassion. “. . . The manner in which they transact with men, is stiff, as hard as stone, and repulsive; they follow selfish views, never placing themselves in sympathy with the condition of their neighbour; they are without the tenderness which is connected with fine culture; they remain destitute of feeling in things which, as we say, would soften a stone” (F. Delitzsch).

The way of transgressors is hard because the pleasures of sin are for limited duration and are deceitful. How dreadful to reach the end of life and realize that one has taken the road to perdition.

Transgression brings suffering, not only to the transgressor, but even to his family and friends in many cases. Some have plunged headlong into some wicked act without stopping to think of the consequences. Innocent people are hurt. Although the sin may be forgiven, some of its effects may never be erased during the lifetime of the offender.

No relief is in sight for one who continues in transgression. Sometimes one treacherous act leads to another, and then another. Deeper and deeper into evil plunges the unfaithful person. He heaps misery on top of misery. Guilt weighs heavily until his conscience becomes as hardened as the stones along a rugged path.

The narrow way that leads to life requires sacrifice, self-denial, and discipline. But there is no road as rough as that which the transgressor travels.

Guardian of Truth XXX: 13, p. 393
July 3, 1986

By Bill Robinson, Jr.

Are we a “caring” people? The familiar sound of the word “care” often loses its significance in the lives of those who are indifferent toward the will of God. The apostle Paul speaks of the “earnest care” of the Christians regarding their own lives as well as that of the lives of others (see 2 Cor. 7:11-12).

One who does not respect the will of God (i.e. allowing it to govern his life) finds little room to sympathize or rejoice with others. However, the clear tone of the Bible resounds repeatedly with admonitions for every Christian to “rejoice with them that rejoice, weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another” (Rom. 12:14-15). A “Christian” (?) who depreciates the will of God, refusing to accept the teaching of inspiration on any given subject, demonstrates certain lack of care for his own soul’s well-being. How can such a one truly care for others if he cares not for his own soul?

Paul exhorts the church at Corinth to prove the sincerity of their care (earnestness) for needy brethren (2 Cor. 8:8). To stimulate the Corinthian church to this end, Paul reminds them of the Macedonian brethren who did achieve this “earnest care” for brethren. How was it possible for the Macedonians in their “affliction” and “deep poverty” to exercise with an “abundant joy” care for needy brethren (see vv. need. 1-2)? The answer is found in the text: “but they first gave their own selves to the Lord” (v. 5). To exercise a proper care for one another we must first exercise a proper care for the will of God in our own lives. One must first give himself completely to the Lord before he can sincerely exercise “earnest care” for another.

In the same text, Paul speaks to them of Titus’ own personal care for them: “But thanks be to God, who putteth the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus” (2 Cor. 8:16). One may ask, “How did God put care in Titus’ heart for the Corinthians?” The answer is found in the attitude of Titus, — like his traveling companion, his “praise was in the gospel” (v. 18). That is, a care for the things of the gospel. Titus willingly, “of his own accord” (v. 17), went to help the Corinthians exercise their care for the needy brethren. Titus allowed himself to be used according to the will of God, which enabled him to exercise an “earnest care” for the brethren in Corinth, by helping them to exercise the same care for those in need.

When each of us, individually, learns to give ourselves first to the Lord, then God will put the “earnest care” of others in our hearts. Collectively then, as a congregation which has given itself first to the Lord, it can truly be said,”God tempered the body together, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked; that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care for another. And whether one suffereth, all suffer . . . or one member is honored, all rejoice . . .” (1 Cor. 12:24-26). Are we a caring people? Before we answer, let us first give ourself to God. Think on these things!

Guardian of Truth XXX: 13, p. 398
July 3, 1986