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Fundamentalists Should Lament the (Upcoming) Closing of Northland

April 30, 2015

Northland International University has announced that it will soon be closing.¹ How should fundamentalists, especially those of us who have strongly disapproved of the direction that the recent leadership of Northland has taken the school, respond to this development?

Like many other fundamentalists, I regarded it as a great tragedy when the recent leadership of Northland adopted the use of non-conservative music on the campus. Many fundamental churches who have given sacrificially for years to support Northland likely believe that the leadership has betrayed them.

Given what has taken place at Northland in these recent years, it would be natural for some to think that Northland is getting what it deserves for its departure from its conservative roots. Some of us who might be inclined to think that way might think that responding to the upcoming closing of Northland by lamenting that closing would be a strange response.

My recent reading of 2 Samuel 1:17-27, however, makes me think that lamenting the closing of Northland is a right response to its tragic downfall.

The Remarkable Record in 2 Samuel 1:17-27 of David’s Lament for Saul

In spite of David’s having been very good to Saul throughout the years that they had known each other, Saul, prior to his death, fiercely persecuted David for years and sought many times to kill him. David, therefore, would seem to have had great justification for hating Saul and for rejoicing that Saul would no longer be around to afflict David.

After learning of the death of Saul and Jonathan, however, David remarkably chanted a lament over the death of Saul:

2Sa 1:17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:

¹⁸ (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)

¹⁹ The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!

²⁰ Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

²¹ Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.

²² From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.

²³ Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

²⁴ Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.

²⁵ How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.

²⁶ I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.

²⁷ How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

In this lament, David does not say anything about any of the evil actions of Saul! Rather, David only speaks positively of Saul and remarks of how Saul was “lovely and pleasant” in his life (2 Sam. 1:23; see also 2 Samuel 1:19).

He also extols him for his swiftness and strength (2 Sam. 1:23) and exclaims how Saul was a man of mighty exploits (2 Sam. 1:19, 21, 22, 25, 27). David then directs Israelites to weep over the demise of Saul because of his goodness to them (2 Sam. 1:24).

Application of 2 Samuel 1:17-27 to the Closing of Northland

I believe that it is not coincidental that God directed my attention to 2 Samuel 1:17-27 just a relatively short time before I recently heard about the likelihood that Northland International University would be closing. God has used this passage to instruct and challenge me about how I should respond to the tragic downfall of Northland.

Northland has produced many choice servants of Christ during its years of operation. Their excellent Christian character and living has commended the gospel to many lost people.

God has used Northland greatly for good in this country and the world for many years. The brethren at Northland have mightily served to advance the cause of Christ for many decades.

The upcoming closing of Northland International University will be a great loss for the people of God around the world. I believe that those of us who are fundamentalists should lament the closing of Northland, even as Scripture records that David lamented the tragic demise of Saul.

¹ See this statement on the university’s website.

In Discipleship

Mi oración por la ofrenda en un servicio español

April 27, 2015

Padre celestial, gracias por tu salvación y tu palabra.

‘Exaltado seas sobre los cielos, oh Dios; sobre todo la tierra sea tu gloria.’ [Sal. 57:11]

Padre celestial, te ruego que nos bendigas y nos guardes.

Hagas resplandecer tu rostro sobre nosotros, y tengas de nosotros misericordia.

Te suplico que alces sobre nosotros tu rostro, y nos des paz. [Num. 6]

Gracias por esta ofrenda.

Te ruego que bendigas esta ofrenda y la uses para tu gloria.

En el nombre de Jesucristo. Amén.

In Ministry, Prayer, Spanish

A Vital Question to Consider: Are You Really Saved?

April 22, 2015

The following salvation and membership testimony was shared with me by someone who wants to remain anonymous so that the focus of the testimony would be entirely on the Lord. I encourage you to read it carefully and examine yourself to see if you are really saved.

During my teen years, after moving to a new city and my parents desiring to join an independent Baptist church there, I was directed down the Roman’s Road in the Scriptures and prayed the sinner’s prayer with my pastor. But frequently after that time, when reading Scriptures I felt a drawing by the Lord to the Scripture verse Isaiah 55:1, “Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters and he that hath no money, come ye buy and eat; yea come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” The drawing power of that Scripture came time and time [again] during the following years, and I would think that I needed to draw closer to God, to re-dedicate my life to Him—but nothing changed inside. Seeing and hearing my peers at church discuss witnessing to their unsaved friends always put a hunger in my soul to be able to do the same, but I had not the words to say, a seeming inability to do so.

After some years passed following marriage and the Lord calling my husband to Bible school and directing him into a ministry, God graciously revealed what my continuing hunger was. One evening, specifically March 16, 1965, following God’s leading, my husband brought home from his study his large reel-to-reel tape recorder. He sat it on the kitchen table and told me to listen to the message on the tape preached by an evangelist, that it would be a blessing to me, and then went back to his study. The message concerned the evangelist’s own conversion after having been in evangelistic work for 18 years. The moment he stated God’s revelation to him of his own lost condition, my heart was pricked and I was stunned to realize that I, too, was lost. The unknown truth about my spiritual life was at last revealed to me.

Overwhelmed by the guilt and knowledge that all those past years I had not truly been who I thought I was (I actually did not know I was unsaved), and most of all with great sorrow over the fact that my husband unknowingly had married an unsaved person, I bowed my head and prayed for forgiveness and claimed Christ as my Savior. Joyfully, I called my husband on the phone and told him I had truly been born again—saved by the blood of Christ and my sins washed away! He told me that while he himself had been listening to this message on the recorder, the Lord had impressed on his mind “your wife is unsaved.” He then asked me if I would be willing to give my testimony in church the next morning.

At the end of that Sunday morning service, when the invitation was extended for anyone unsaved to answer God’s call for salvation, a hand went up and a 30-year-old lady stepped forward—the only daughter of one of the deacons, who in the providence of God, was visiting her dad that weekend from out of town (as she lived and worked elsewhere). She stated that she thought she was saved as a teenager but upon hearing my testimony realized her own lost condition and came forward to receive Christ.

Soon after that Sunday, I was baptized by immersion.

For a short time afterwards, I did wonder if my imagination had made up the fact that I had not been saved before and sought for assurance from the Lord regarding my salvation. He confirmed to me the reality of what happened in my life with verses from Matt. 7:21-23, causing me to realize with shock and sadness that there may be other people—friends, relatives, who will go out into eternity lost or who had departed this life, who all the while thought they were saved.

“Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven——-Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? [Taught Sunday School, worked in a ministry, even given a witness] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” He also gave me two precious verses, Isaiah 32:17, “That the work of righteousness is peace and the effect of righteousness is quietness and assurance forever.” And lastly, 1 Cor. 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain.”

But for God’s grace, kindness and love, I had been in a position to go out into eternity lost and doomed—never knowing until too late my condition. Since that time, my heart’s desire has been to be used of God to help others see their need of Christ and that my testimony may be used by the Holy Spirit to touch the heart of an unsaved soul—perhaps there is someone here tonight who is right now in the position I was—you are traveling down life’s pathway completely unsaved under the false illusion that spiritually you are safe. Think on Matthew 7:21-23 again.

God brought me to [this city] to live, and He has given me the privilege of becoming part of a church that is winning and discipling people for the Lord’s glory and sending out laborers to other parts of the world to do likewise. I would like to be a part of [this church] to be used by the Lord as He directs and sees fit. “Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation and thy power to everyone that is to come.” Psalm 71:18.

In Testimony

What Jesus Wants Repeatedly Emphasized to His People in His Churches

April 21, 2015

Imagine that you go to church on a Sunday or Wednesday and hear that Jesus is going to come to your church and preach a week of meetings at your church. If that were to happen, what do you think Jesus would repeatedly emphasize in His week of meetings?

Of course, Jesus is not Himself going to come preach at any church, but we can know something about what Jesus wants emphasized in messages in His churches by noting what He repeatedly talks about in the seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. In messages to three of the seven churches, Jesus spoke six times about a key figure that is active in Christian churches:

Rev 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

¹⁰ Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Rev 2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

Rev 2:24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.

Rev 3:9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

Based on this biblical data, we can be confident that Jesus wants preachers and teachers in His churches continually to make His people mindful of the nefarious activities of Satan! Let us learn from these passages that we must keep this emphasis before God’s people continually.

In Exhortation, Preaching, Theology

A Widespread, False Assertion about Corinthian Prostitutes and Paul’s Teaching about Head Coverings

April 18, 2015

Have you ever heard that Paul taught the Corinthians that it was shameful for women to cut their hair short or shave their heads because that was what the prostitutes in Corinth did? Pastor Minnick recently pointed out that Gordon Fee, who is a highly devoted egalitarian, wrote in his standard commentary on First Corinthians that there is zero historical evidence for that idea!

Here is what Fee has written about this very widespread false explanation for why Paul wrote what he did:

“It was commonly suggested that short hair or a shaved head was the mark of Corinthian prostitutes . . . But there is no contemporary evidence to support this view (it seems to be a case of one scholar’s guess becoming a second scholar’s footnote and a third scholar’s assumption).”¹

The apostle Paul did not teach what he did in 1 Corinthians 11:5-6 because Corinthian prostitutes cut their hair short or shaved their heads. For a superb treatment of why Paul did teach what he did about head coverings and much more, I encourage you to listen closely to this recent message by Pastor Minnick: Harmonizing 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Corinthians 14.²

¹ Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians in NICNT, 511

² For clear biblical evidence that shows that Paul is speaking about an external head covering, see my post Haman, Head Coverings, and First Corinthians 11:1-16.

What Is Hair as the Hair of Women?

Does God Care about the Length of Hair a Christian Man Has?

The Teaching of “Nature” (1 Cor. 11:14-15)

In Interpretation, Mount Calvary Baptist Pulpit, Quotes

How a Noteworthy Statement by King Solomon Helps Put Certain Limitations in a Right Perspective

April 13, 2015

First Kings 4:29-34 highlights the surpassing greatness of the wisdom that God gave King Solomon:

1Ki 4:29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.

³⁰ And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.

³¹ For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about.

³² And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.

³³ And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.

³⁴ And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.

These breathtaking statements relate the remarkable breadth and depth of wisdom that God gave to King Solomon.

In the very next chapter, however, we read that King Solomon sought out the services of Hiram king of Tyre to render necessary service for the building of a house for God’s name (1 Kings 5:1-6). In fact, Solomon himself declared that the Sidonians were uniquely skilled in a way that none of the Israelites was:

1Ki 5:6 Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.

From this statement by Solomon himself, we learn that the superlative wisdom that God gave Solomon did not extend to the skill of cutting timber!

The greatness of Solomon’s wisdom, therefore, included the skill of discerning what areas he (and all the others around him) was not especially gifted at and the skill of accurately assessing who had the skills that he himself lacked. From this noteworthy statement by King Solomon, we should learn that an important facet of living our lives wisely to the do the will of God in our lives is to recognize what areas God has not gifted us in and to avail ourselves freely of the services of those whom He has gifted in those ways.

Moreover, we should not feel that we are somehow stupid or unmanly or lacking if we are not able to do some specific tasks well, as many others may be able to do them. If someone who was so immensely gifted supernaturally by God as Solomon was yet lacked a high degree of a specific skill involving manual labor, we who have not been directly blessed by God to any degree comparable to what Solomon was have no need to feel ashamed or inadequate because we are not particularly skillful in doing certain or even many manual tasks well!

In Discipleship, Exposition

A Key Distinction That Many Believers May Be Missing

April 9, 2015

In their thinking about human sinfulness, many believers may often be missing a key distinction that Scripture repeatedly makes in both Testaments between two major categories of sins:

1. Samuel the prophet rebuked King Saul for his disobedience with instruction that distinguished between the sin of witchcraft/divination and the sin of idolatry:

^KJV1Sa 15:23 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.

^NAS1Sa 15:23 “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.”

2. The author of Second Chronicles relates the horrific sinfulness of king Manasseh by speaking of his idolatry (2 Chron. 33:3-5 and 33:7) in distinction from his involvement with occult practices (2 Chron. 33:6):

^KJV2Ch 33:3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

^NAS2Ch 33:3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he also erected altars for the Baals and made Asherim, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.

^KJV2Ch 33:4 Also he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.

^NAS2Ch 33:4 And he built altars in the house of the LORD of which the LORD had said, “My name shall be in Jerusalem forever.”

^KJV2Ch 33:5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.

^NAS2Ch 33:5 For he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.

^KJV2Ch 33:6 And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

^NAS2Ch 33:6 And he made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

^KJV2Ch 33:7 And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:

^NAS2Ch 33:7 Then he put the carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever;

3. When Paul the Apostle lists various works of the flesh, he distinguishes between idolatry (Gal. 5:19) and witchcraft/sorcery (Gal. 5:20):

^KJVGal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

^NASGal 5:19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,

^KJVGal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

^NASGal 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,

4. The apostle John likewise distinguishes the worship of demons and idolatry (Rev. 9:20) from sorceries (Rev. 9:21):

^KJVRev 9:20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

^NASRev 9:20 And the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;

^KJVRev 9:21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

^NASRev 9:21 and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.

These four passages that are from both Testaments (as well as other passages) teach us plainly that we must not think of idolatry and occult practices as if they were basically the same sin. In our consideration, therefore, of cultural issues that are hotly debated among believers, such as the propriety of using rock music for Christian worship, we must be careful not to lump idolatry and the occult together.

This distinction is vital to keep in mind because the disputed teaching in passages that speak about idolatry, such as 1 Corinthians 8-11, does not apply to instances of cultural issues that involve contact with the occult. Those who argue that eating meat offered to idols is no problem for Christians when that meat is eaten outside of the context of actual idol worship cannot legitimately extend that teaching to say that Christian use of things associated with occult practices are similarly not a problem for believers outside their use in actual occult practices.

Scripture categorically forbids believers from having any contact with the occult and its practitioners. None of the passages typically cited in discussions of Christian liberty apply to Christian contact with the occult and things associated with the occult, and believers must shun all such contact.

In CCM, Interpretation, Theology

A Shocking Omission of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in Grudem’s Systematic Theology

April 3, 2015

In his very popular work Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Dr. Wayne Grudem devotes a chapter to a treatment of “The Gospel Call and Effective Calling.” In this chapter, he writes, “In human preaching of the gospel, three important elements must be included” (694). He says that these elements are the following:

I. Explanation of the Facts Concerning Salvation

II. Invitation to Respond to Christ Personally in Repentance and Faith

III. A Promise of Forgiveness and Eternal Life

These headings cover many essential aspects of giving the gospel to sinners, but unbelievably and inexplicably, Dr. Grudem does not say anything anywhere directly about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in this treatment of the subject, “The Gospel Call and Effective Calling”! How is it possible that a renowned biblical scholar like Dr. Grudem does not say that testifying to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is an essential fact that must be explained concerning salvation!

I was shocked when I first saw this omission years ago and could not believe what I was reading. I am still amazed that this lacking treatment of the gospel was published and has not been addressed for all the years that the work has been available. How could those who have proofed this work not have noticed the lack of any mention of the Resurrection in the chapter that explains what the Gospel call is?

Apparently, Dr. Grudem and others have thought that in giving the gospel, it is enough to say that Jesus Christ “is a Savior who is now alive in heaven” and who is Himself appealing to the sinner to come to Him.¹ The Gospels² and the apostolic preaching of the gospel throughout the book of Acts,³ however, show that this is not a sufficient testimony to the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Leaving it to sinners to infer the truth of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is not how we should present the gospel to them.⁴ Explicit, detailed, and emphatic testimony to the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very essence of biblical gospel preaching!

In his own thinking and practice, every reader of this leading theological work needs to correct this omission in Dr. Grudem’s teaching concerning the gospel call. Those who are responsible for training future leaders must take care to address this matter with those that they train for gospel ministry who have encountered this teaching by Dr. Grudem.

¹ After quoting Jesus’ invitation to sinners that is recorded in Matthew 11:28-30, Dr. Grudem writes in this regard,

It is important to make clear that these are not just words spoken a long time ago by a religious leader in the past. Every non-Christian hearing these words should be encouraged to think of them as words that Jesus Christ is even now, at this very moment, speaking to him or to her individually. Jesus Christ is a Savior, who is now alive in heaven, and each non-Christian should think of Jesus as speaking directly to him or her (694).

² Every Gospel ends with extensive testimony to the bodily resurrection and post-resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28; Mk. 16; Luke 24; John 20-21).

³ Explicit mention of the resurrection is part of the climactic content of key evangelistic messages that are recorded in the book of Acts (Acts 2:31-32; 10:40-41; 13:30-37; 17:30-31).

⁴ Paul told the Corinthians that the gospel that he preached to them was the message that included testimony that Christ “rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:4). He did not relate that he had testified to them that Jesus was alive—he had borne witness that God raised Jesus from the dead (1 Cor. 15:15).

In Christian Books, Gospel, Theology

Are Some People Better Than Others Are?

March 30, 2015

You often hear people say that no one is any better than anyone else is. A statement by Samuel the prophet that explicitly compares two key people does not support this common statement:

^KJV1Sa 15:28 And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.

^NAU1Sa 15:28 So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you.

^NET1Sa 15:28 Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to one of your colleagues who is better than you!

^NIV1Sa 15:28 Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors– to one better than you.

^NKJ1Sa 15:28 So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.

^ESV1Sa 15:28 And Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.

^CSB1Sa 15:28 Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingship of Israel away from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.

As the biblical data above shows, every one of these major translations reads the same—God said that David was better than Saul was! Based on this explicit biblical teaching, we must adjust what we say in this regard to account for what God has revealed to us in this passage.

In Interpretation, Theology

An Important Warning about Entering Certain Discussions on Social Media

March 28, 2015

Although opportunities to jump into discussions on social media abound, how should we decide whether we should enter a particular discussion that we come across that is of interest to us? Proverbs 26:17 provides some wise counsel that we would do well to consider carefully before entering into an online discussion.

Divine Advice to Those Who Pass By a Situation involving Strife

Through teaching that God inspired King Solomon to give, God warns those who pass by certain situations to avoid unnecessary involvement:

Pro 26:17 He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.

Charles Bridges aptly explains this important teaching:

Even with Christian intentions many of us are too fond of meddling with strife not belonging to us. We constitute ourselves too readily judges of our neighbour’s conduct. Neutrality is often the plain dictate of prudence. Un-called for interference seldom avails much with the contending parties; while the well-meaning mediator involves himself in the strife to his own mischief.¹

Jay Adams concurs:

In verses 17 through 19 you meet two kinds of troublemakers. The first is the one who loves quarreling so much that he will even become involved in disputes that have nothing to do with him. To do so is like grabbing a dog by the ears (presumably not Fido, but someone else’s dog who is anything but friendly). He will get a reaction: often a hostile, possibly harmful one. He brings trouble on himself.²

Heeding God’s warning given in Proverbs 26:17 will save us from much unnecessary trouble in our lives.

Application to Discussions on Social Media

God does not want us to meddle unnecessarily in strife that does not belong to us. When we encounter discussions on social media on subjects that interest us, we must take care not to jump in simply because the discussion is about something that we have an opinion about that we want to share.

Rather, we must gauge carefully the nature of the interaction that is already taking place between those who are discussing the subject. Especially if the discussion is of a heated nature and concerns something that does not have some direct pertinence to us, we often would do well to be slow to get involved.

If we know one or more of the combating parties personally, often a better approach is to message those people privately and share our thoughts with them that way. I have used this approach a number of times and commend it to you as a way for you to avoid unnecessarily entangling yourself in an online discussion in a way that results in your being attacked for what you say.

¹ Proverbs, Geneva Series of Commentaries, 494; words in bold are in italics in the original

² Proverbs, The Christian Counselor’s Commentary, 200; words in bold are bold in the original

In Discipleship

Archives For rajesh

The Remarkable Record in 2 Samuel 1:17-27 of David’s Lament for Saul

Application of 2 Samuel 1:17-27 to the Closing of Northland

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Divine Advice to Those Who Pass By a Situation involving Strife

Application to Discussions on Social Media

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