Archives For Interpretation

Beware Dangerously Flawed Reasoning Used to Justify Using Contemporary Worship to Evangelize People

November 2, 2013

Many justify using certain contemporary worship practices by arguing that they enhance the Church’s effectiveness in evangelizing people. Ezekiel 33 reveals why such reasoning is dangerously flawed.

The Lord’s Exposé of Dangerously Flawed Worship

Addressing Ezekiel as “son of man,” the Lord revealed to him the true state of many who were flocking to hear his ministry of the Word:

Eze 33:30 Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD. 

31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. 

Even as these people were exhorting one another to come and hear the word of God through Ezekiel, their hearts were horrifically iniquitous. They were not coming to worship the Lord with a true heart for hearing from Him and doing what He says; instead, they loved enjoying what was to them a sensuous experience of hearing the faithful ministry of a true man of God:

Eze 33:32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovelya song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.

aHol6047 Ez 3332: sensual desire (condemned) Ez 2311 3332. † (pg 264) 

This divine revelation shows that their worship was seriously flawed, and the Lord warned Ezekiel that it was dangerously so:

Eze 33:33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.

When God’s judgment would come upon them for their hearing but not doing what He says, they would know the truthfulness of the message and the messenger that they had disregarded because their hearts were wrongly oriented toward enjoying the titillating experience of hearing him preach the word of God to them.

How Much Contemporary Worship Is Similarly Dangerously Flawed

The Lord’s exposé of their dangerously flawed worship explicitly likened what Ezekiel was to them to their hearing a skilled instrumentalist with a beautiful voice who sings a very lovely but sensual song to them (Ezek. 33:32). In both cases, they fail to profit from the verbal message delivered to them because of the sensual orientation of their hearts.

This divine comparison shows that God is very well aware of the immense power that sensual music can have to influence people in ways that do not enhance the persuasiveness of the message that is communicated verbally to them as part of that music. Several commentators concur with this interpretation:

The news of Jerusalem’s fall appears to have given Ezekiel’s message a certain popularity and topicality. He is now the subject of conversation in the cities and the doorways (33:30). To use a contemporary analogy, he is the toast of the talk shows. But the interest is superficial: The people listen to his words but do not put them into practice, regarding them as an interesting phenomenon rather than a life-changing reality. His fame is like that of a pop star, whose declarations on spiritual matters may arouse curiosity but are scarcely accorded authoritative status. People may also have been humming along to his tune, but they are paying no attention to the true meaning of the lyrics.

Time, however, will prove the power of the word of the Lord through Ezekiel: “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them” (33:33). In that day, just as all will know experientially the power of the Lord, so they will also be forced to recognize the authenticity of the Lord’s prophet.” —Iain M. Duguid, NIVAC: Ezekiel, 385-86.

“Your fellow nationals, human one, who are talking about you in the alleys and doorways, invite each other to come and hear what message Yahweh has sent. They come to you in crowds and sit down in front of you. They listen to your messages without acting on them. To them you are just like a fine vocalist, some professional musician who sings erotic songs. They listen to your messages without acting on them. When it finally happens—and happen it will—then they will realize that they have had a prophet among them.”—Leslie C. Allen, Translation of Ezekiel 33:30-33 in WBC: Ezekiel 20-48, Vol. 29, 149.

Ezekiel, long regarded with suspicion and distaste for his defeatism and scolding (cf. 2:6; 3:9), has been vindicated as a true prophet. In spirit he now seems to stand shoulder to shoulder with his compatriots in exile. Ezekiel’s popularity knows no bounds, as the exiles crowd into his home (cf. 8:1; 14:1; 20:1) to hear what this sensational prophet will say next. Unfortunately, it was the popularity of an entertainer, a pop star, that Ezekiel enjoyed, and he was being taken no more seriously than before. His hearers functioned as a concert audience rather than a congregation.

The extended simile of the singer refers . . . to the fact that his words were so welcome that they were music in the ears of those who thronged to hear them. —Allen, 153-154.

At best Ezekiel is like a singer of ‘a sensual song’ (literally, ‘song of loves’), gifted with a pleasant voice and with the ability to handle an instrument ‘well‘. Nowadays, pop singers tend to celebrate one theme only, and normally in a debased manner. It seems that his hearers estimated Ezekiel in this fashion, switching off when he has hard things to say and treating him as no more than entertainment. When the performance was over, and when their ears had been tickled pleasurably, they would disperse and return to normal business. The picture is vivid, and we can readily understand it: although music and lyrics are core entertainment for the masses, they are never taken seriously, the top tune and its singer being soon forgotten because they are only a temporary diversion. Ezekiel was a passing voice that men of sense would not allow to affect their lives (33:32).

How embarrassing for the prophet! Yet he is assured by Yahweh that his warnings cannot be in vain, for which reason Ezekiel must persist in his ministry. One day ‘it’ will come, and then men will appreciate fully that he was a prophet (33:33; cf. 2:5).” —Peter Naylor, EP Study Commentary, Ezekiel, 515.

The Israelites in exile and the remnant in Palestine had looked on Ezekiel’s ministry in mockery. They would gossip that they should go and hear God’s word (v.30). Yet when they came to Ezekiel, or heard his message, they would listen; but they would not act in accord with his warnings (v.31). They orally expressed devotion, but their hearts were greedy for material gain. They were “playing games” with God. To them Ezekiel was no more than a good entertainer. He was amusing to listen to and to watch, with all his symbolic acts and prophecies. But just as an entertainer demands no response, so they did not sense a need to respond to Ezekiel’s messages (v.32; cf. 2 Tim. 4:3). However, as Ezekiel’s prophecies became reality—and such had already begun in the Fall of Jerusalem—then Israel would realize that a true prophet had been among them (v.33). Oh the importance of listening to men of God and acting on God’s word that they proclaim! —Ralph H. Alexander, EBC, Ezekiel, 6:910-11

Choosing to evangelize people in our day with the use of music that has a widespread popular sensuous and sensual appeal puts those people at great risk of experiencing the same tragic dynamic that Ezekiel’s hearers experienced. When people are focused on their love of a popular musical style used to communicate God’s truth, their hearts will be distracted from attending properly to that truth.

Popular Musical Styles Are Not Proper Vehicles for God’s Truth

Contrary to what many believe today, using sensual musical styles that are very popular (such as the styles used in “rock-influenced” CCM) as vehicles for God’s truth hinders lost people from receiving His truth properly. Although God can and at times does graciously choose to work in some hearts in spite of the negative effects experienced by the hearers of such music, God’s people should learn from Ezekiel 33:30-33 that it is wrong for us to put such obstacles in their way.

Let us beware dangerously flawed reasoning used to justify using contemporary worship to evangelize people!

For more help with issues concerning CCM, please see the many resources that I have compiled: Resources That Provide Answers to Key Issues Concerning CCM

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In CCM, Evangelism, Exposition, Music
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Schnabel on Forgiveness of Sins through Jesus as the Judge

November 1, 2013

What is the content of the message that brings forgiveness of sins to any sinner? Are you sure that your sins are forgiven?

At the climax of his gospel message to many lost people in Caesarea, the apostle Peter proclaimed how they could have their sins forgiven:

Act 10:42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

Why did Peter end his gospel message with these words, which to many people seem an odd way to climax a message about the good news through Jesus Christ?

In his commentary on Acts, Schnabel helpfully explains these verses:

The content of the proclamation is “the good news of peace through Jesus Christ” (v. 36) and Jesus’ role as “judge” (κριτής) of “the living and the dead” (v. 42c-d), i.e., of all people. This is the role of the heavenly Son of Man of Daniel’s vision, to whom God gave the authority to execute judgment (Dan. 7:13-14; Luke 12:8). Presiding at the last judgment is a divine function. The reference to Jesus’ role as judge may at first sight seem surprising, but note the connection with the beginning of Peter’s speech (which began with a reference to God’s impartiality, v. 34) and with its center (in which Jesus was described as “Lord of all,” v. 36). The universal scope of Jesus’ role as judge is tied to the universal scope of his status as Lord, which in turn is connected with the fact that forgiveness of sins—the decisive factor for the divine verdict on the day of judgment—is found only through Jesus Christ. This is the emphasis of the next verse. . . . 

At the end of his explanation of the message of Jesus and its significance, Peter emphasizes that forgiveness can be obtained by everyone who believes in Jesus. God grants forgiveness of sins “through” (διά) Jesus (cf. 2:38), God’s appointed judge of all people (v. 42). If the Judge himself is involved in forgiving sins, the accused will certainly go free since the sins that have been committed will not affect the outcome of the trial. 

However, people must receive (λαβεῖν) forgiveness of sins; it is not simply “declared” as a reality that affects all people. It can and will be received by “all people,” whether they are Jews, Greeks, or Romans (note the context of the speech), who believe in Jesus (πιστεύοντα εἰς αὐτόν), i.e., who acknowledge Jesus as Lord of all and as Judge of all and as the one through whom God makes forgiveness of sins possible.

—Eckhard J. Schnabel, Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 503-504; bold added

Based on what Peter preached at the climax of his gospel message, have you believed in Jesus properly to receive the forgiveness of your sins?

For more help with this all-important matter, please see The Gospel of God and His Christ and The Good News for All.

For other scholarly comments about this vital passage, see Scholarly Comments on the One Who Forgives

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Evangelism, Gospel, Interpretation, Quotes
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Learning from a Biblical Chronology of Early Music: Part II

October 31, 2013

In Part I, I treated Genesis 4:21, Job 21:12, Job 30:31, Job 35:10, Job 38:7, and Genesis 31:27 to bring out several points about what Scripture reveals about music early in the history of mankind. This article brings out a key truth seen from comparing these passages both among themselves and with other relatively early references to music.

Comparing These Passages among Themselves

Genesis 4:21 reveals that Jubal in the ungodly line of Cain may have invented two musical instruments:

Gen 4:21 And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp [Heb. כִּנּוֹר; a stringed instrument] and organ [Heb. עוּגָב; a wind instrument].

Job 21:12 reveals that wicked people used three different instruments at the time of Job:

Job 21:7 Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power? . . . 12They take the timbrel (Heb. תֹּף; a percussion instrument) and harp [Heb. כִּנּוֹר; a stringed instrument], and rejoice at the sound of the organ [Heb. עוּגָב; a wind instrument].

Job 30:31 shows that Job either played two of the same instruments as the wicked did or had someone in his household who did so:

Job 30:31 My harp [Heb. כִּנּוֹר] also is turned to mourning, and my organ [Heb. עוּגָב] into the voice of them that weep.

Regardless of which way we understand the verse, we see that God’s people used the same instruments at this time that the wicked did.

Moreover, Job was the most righteous person of his time (Job 1:8; 2:3). His use of the same instruments as the ungodly used forcefully supports the propriety of doing so.

Comparing These Passages with Other Early References to Music

Some later passages both confirm this conclusion and go beyond it.

After God destroyed Pharaoh and his armies in the Red Sea, Miriam and all the women used timbrels to extol God in dance and song:

Exo 15:20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel (Heb. תֹּף) in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels (Heb. תֹּף)and with dances.  21 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

These Israelite women used the same instrument (“timbrel” [Heb. תֹּף]) that the ungodly used back in the time of Job (Job 21:12). More importantly, these women used the timbrel in a sacred setting!

Other relatively early references show God’s people using in sacred settings all the instruments mentioned in earlier references to the music of the wicked:

1Sa 10:5 After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret (Heb. תֹּף), and a pipe, and a harp [Heb. כִּנּוֹר], before them; and they shall prophesy:

Psa 150:4 Praise him with the timbrel (Heb. תֹּף) and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs [Heb. עוּגָב].

Whereas First Samuel 10:5 attests that specially consecrated people of God used these instruments in his service, Psalm 150:4 attests to the propriety of all of God’s people doing so.

This analysis of music in the early history of God’s peoples conclusively shows that God’s people used the same instruments as the wicked did, including serving and worshiping Him with those instruments. What’s more, He commanded them to use those very instruments in their serving and worshiping Him (e.g., Ps. 150:4)!

The Contemporary Significance of These Passages

Some believers today object to Christian use of the guitar because of its “paganistic origins.”[1] Some believers also object to its use in Christian worship because of how ungodly people have used it to play ungodly music in ungodly settings.

A careful examination of Scripture, however, shows that these are invalid objections because God’s people have used in their service and worship of God (1 Sam. 10:5) instruments that the wicked may have invented (Gen. 4:21). In fact, God commanded them to do so (Ps. 150:4).

Furthermore, they did so at the same time that the wicked were using those same instruments to play music in their ungodly lives (e.g., Job 30:31 cf. 21:12).

Believers today who choose to use the guitar appropriately in Christian worship have abundant and conclusive Scriptural basis for doing so.

 

[1] One person voiced his concern this way: “Do you know that guitars have paganistic origins. Maybe you should research more into the history of classical guitars before you promote it so much.”

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Exposition, Guitar Music, Interpretation, Music
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Was the Philippian Jailor Saved by Hearing a One-Sentence Gospel Message?

October 5, 2013

Was the Philippian jailor saved by hearing a one-sentence gospel message (Acts 16:31)? A sound handling of the passage answers this question definitively.

The Evangelistic Record (Up to Acts 16:31) of the Jailor’s Salvation

Following the miraculous events that took place (Acts 16:26), the Philippian jailor asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (16:30). They responded, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (16:31).

Some believe that the jailor was saved by hearing only this one sentence. Many more seem to reflect this same view by using this one verse as if it was a one-sentence gospel message.

For example, a person argued with me years ago that the jailor was saved without testimony to the resurrection to the Jesus. He based his view on the fact that the passage does not say anything about Paul and Silas’ bearing testimony to the resurrection.

Biblical considerations from the rest of the passage as well as from other passages show that these views are unsound. These considerations become clear from various indications in Acts 16 and 26.

Indications from the Rest of Acts 16 of Additional Testimony beyond Acts 16:31

Following Acts 16:31, Luke writes, “And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house” (16:32). We know therefore that Paul and Silas testified more from the word of the Lord than just what verse 31 records.

Because Luke does not tell us what that additional testimony was, some may still argue that whatever else they said was additional testimony that was not necessary for him to hear to be saved. We can be certain, however, that this is a wrong handling of the passage because Acts 16:31 itself does not testify to either the crucifixion or the Resurrection of Jesus—truths that are essential parts of the gospel message (Cf. 1 Cor. 15:3-5).

The following verses implicitly confirm the interpretation that verse 32 signifies the communication of vital truths. Luke tells us that the jailor was baptized (16:33), but he does not tell us how it came about that he knew that he was to be baptized and consented to doing so. Plainly, we are to understand that Paul and Silas bore testimony to him to do so.

Furthermore, Luke concludes his record of this evangelistic encounter by saying, “And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house” (16:34). Although it is possible that Luke intends for us from this statement to believe that these people believed in Jesus as God, it is far more likely that this statement reflects their salvation through belief in testimony about God the Father’s raising Jesus from the dead and through their subsequent confession of Jesus as Lord (cf. Rom. 10:9-10).

Indications from Acts 26 of Additional Testimony to the Jailor beyond Acts 16:31

In addition to the additional considerations present in Acts 16, Paul’s testimony in Acts 26 about his evangelistic practice throughout his Christian life points conclusively to additional testimony given to the jailor beyond what Acts 16:31 records. Paul told King Agrippa that his obedience to his heavenly vision of the glorified Jesus (Acts 26:12-18) comprised his testifying to key truths to everyone everywhere from the beginning of his evangelistic ministry up to that very day:

Act 26:19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: 

 20 But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. 

 21 For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. 

 22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: 

 23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. 

These verses make clear that Paul certainly challenged the jailor to “repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance” (26:20). We also can be certain that Paul testified to the jailor about both the suffering and the resurrection of Christ (26:23). 

Because Acts 16:31 does not specify that Paul told the jailor to repent, we know that Acts 16:31 is not an exhaustive record of the gospel testimony that he received. Similarly, because Acts 16:31 does not specify that Paul testified to the jailor about the crucifixion and resurrection, we can be certain that it does not tell us all that he heard to be saved. 

Conclusion

Because we know conclusively from several considerations that Acts 16:31 is not an exhaustive record of the gospel testimony that the jailor received, it is illegitimate to say that he was saved by hearing only the statement recorded in Acts 16:31. Moreover, based on essential biblical teaching about the gospel message, we can be certain that Acts 16:31 is not a one-sentence gospel message that by itself communicates all the truth that a sinner needs to hear to be saved.

A sound handling of Acts 16:31 shows conclusively that the Philippian jailor was not saved by hearing a one-sentence gospel message.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Evangelism, Gospel, Interpretation
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God’s Rebuke of Sensuality among Those Who Worship Him

October 2, 2013

Scripture is our only infallible source of information about God’s perspectives concerning people who engage in worship and the actual nature of that worship. In Ezekiel 33, He reveals to us vital principles about how He should be worshiped through His assessment of the presence and nature of the sensuality among those who worshipped Him at that time.

Among the Jews who were exiled in Babylon, there were those whose worship was not what it appeared to be (33:30-33):

Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD. 

 31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. 

 32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. 

 33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them. 

God made known to Ezekiel that his fellow Jews were maligning him even while they were exhorting one another to come hear his ministry of the Word of the Lord that he was proclaiming (Ezekiel 33:30).

These seeming worshipers were intermingled with true worshipers and mimicked the worship of the latter. They came as the others did and sat before him as the rest of God’s people did (Ezekiel 33:31).

They listened intently to Ezekiel’s proclamation of God’s words (Ezekiel 33:31a-c), but the true nature of their supposed worship of God was revealed by their failure to heed God’s words (Ezekiel 33:31d). God exposed them as hypocritical worshipers who did not do what He said because although they professed great love for Him, they were actually motivated by their lustful hearts and their pursuit of personal gain (Ezekiel 33:31e-f).

God then called Ezekiel to perceive what was taking place in the hearts and minds of such people: “And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument.” (33:32). The Hebrew word rendered as “very lovely” (that modifies the word song) uses a word (‘Əgavah) that is used in a negative sense in Scripture for “sensual desire” that is “condemned” (Holladay, 264).

Ezekiel thus was to them like a song characterized by sensuality that was ministered by a person having a beautiful voice and playing a stringed instrument skillfully (33:32a-b). Implicit thus in this statement is these people’s appetite for sensual songs and God’s condemnation of that fleshly proclivity.

This statement revealed the essential problematic sensuality of these supposed worshipers of God. Because of that sensuality, God’s words did not profit them in bringing about obedience to Him in their lives, just as hearing a sensual love song sung by one with a pleasant voice accompanied well on an instrument does not.

Through this comparison, God was not condemning those who have lovely voices or can play stringed instruments with great skill–He is the One who gifts people with these priceless gifts. His statement indicts the people who were hearing Ezekiel’s ministry of the Word with the same fleshly orientation of heart as they would hear sensual songs.

Unquestionably, Ezekiel was not preaching a sensual message to them; he apparently then had an appealing, pleasant speaking voice, good vocal production, and great skillfulness in his speaking for God. These sensuality-oriented worshipers were drawn to these elements of his ministry, but they did not have a heart for hearing from God to do what He was saying through Ezekiel.

This account warns us that we must come to hear the ministry of God’s Word with a true and sincere heart to obey Him. To have such a heart to hear from God, we through the Spirit must mortify all manifestations of the sensuality that our flesh is irredeemably bent toward. Otherwise, even hearing a true prophet of God preach His words in His house will not profit us, and our worship will be spoiled by the same sensuality for which God rebuked those among His people who came with that ungodly orientation to hear Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry.

 

For help with issues concerning CCM, please see the many resources that I have compiled: Resources That Provide Answers to Key Issues Concerning CCM 

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Exhortation, Exposition, Music
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The NT Key to a Fuller Understanding of the Golden Calf Incident

September 29, 2013

The NT provides fuller understanding about many key OT people and events, including Creation, the Exodus, and the ministry of Enoch. In a striking way not specifically revealed in the OT, First Corinthians 10 gives believers the key to a fuller understanding of the Golden Calf incident and its contemporary relevance.*

Prior Revelation about the Golden Calf Incident

Prior to First Corinthians 10, at least five passages give us explicit revelation about the Golden Calf incident: Exodus 32; Deuteronomy 9; Nehemiah 9; Psalm 106; Acts 7. A thorough analysis of these passages shows that the incident was a profoundly important event in sacred history (see the previous articles in this series, which are listed below, for more information).

Fittingly, this prior revelation, however, does not reveal a key facet about the event that is necessary to know in order to understand it fully. God gives us that key through vital Pauline teaching in First Corinthians 10.

First Corinthians 10 and the Golden Calf Incident

Of the two NT references to the Golden Calf incident, Acts 7:39-41 only indirectly pertains to believers today because it is part of Stephen’s defense before the high priest and other Jewish people who accosted and persecuted him (Acts 6:9-7:60). The reference in First Corinthians 10:7, however, is in epistolary teaching specifically directed to Christians.

Because Paul explicitly cites the Golden Calf incident in important epistolary teaching to believers, we know that properly understanding it and its application to us is vital. Moreover, Paul states both before (1 Cor. 10:6) and after (1 Cor. 10:11) his reference to the incident (1 Cor. 10:7) that the account is exemplary for us and was recorded for our instruction.

We must take pains, therefore, to study all the passages about the incident carefully and thoroughly. When we do so with First Corinthians 10, we discover at least three key aspects of the incident that pertain to believers today and need more attention.

Christian Liberty and the Golden Calf Incident

Paul wrote First Corinthians to believers who were facing many problems in the church at Corinth. First Corinthians 10 is part of three chapters (1 Cor. 8:1-11:1) that he wrote to address problems that the Church was facing with issues concerning Christian liberty.

A key feature of the Golden Calf incident was its essential character as an instance of religious syncretism. Paul’s use of that account in First Corinthians 10 to warn Christians must alert us to the profound potential dangers posed by some disputed practices among believers that many regard as involving similar religious syncretism.

Invoking Christian liberty as justification for such practices without bringing to bear pertinent truths from the Golden Calf incident puts contemporary believers at profound spiritual risk. No discussion of such issues about Christian liberty is legitimate if it does not account fully for Paul’s teaching in First Corinthians 10 concerning the relevance of the incident for Christians.

Meat Offered to Idols and the Golden Calf Incident

In First Corinthians 10:7, Paul commands all believers not to be idolaters. He cites Exodus 32:6 as a Scriptural record of some highly privileged people (cf. 1 Cor. 10:1-4) who became idolaters in the Golden Calf incident:

Exo 32:6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. 

1Co 10:7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 

By citing this aspect of the incident in his command, Paul made clear that their eating, drinking, and playing on this occasion were all part of their idolatry.

Moreover, the reference to their eating and drinking in Exodus 32:6 is not pointing to ordinary eating and drinking that took place after they worshiped the calf. Rather, it refers to their eating and drinking food and drink that they had offered to the idol.

Based on First Corinthians 10:7, we understand that the Israelites’ eating and drinking what was offered to the idol and their playing afterwards are all key information that must warn us to flee from idolatry (1 Cor. 10:14). We must accept, therefore, that the profound danger that idolatry poses for believers involves much more than a believer’s personally doing homage to an idol by bowing to it or engaging in some other related actions that involve only the believer’s body and no other external objects.

What Paul then explains in the rest of First Corinthians 10 reveals just how this is the case with a believer’s partaking of meat offered to idols. In this concluding material, he gives us the profound revelation that is the key to a fuller understanding of the Golden Calf incident.

Fallen Spirits and the Golden Calf Incident

Paul teaches that believers “know that an idol is nothing in the world” (1 Cor. 8:4) and that food in and of itself does not commend us to God (1 Cor. 8:8). He later reiterates both truths through two questions (“What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?” [1 Cor. 10:19]).

What Paul says next brings out the horrific spiritual reality of what takes place when people offer sacrifices to idols:

But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils (1 Cor. 10:20). 

Paul reveals that Gentiles who sacrifice to idols in reality offer sacrifices to fallen spirits and not to God! Although neither an idol nor what is offered to it has any innate spiritual qualities to it individually, people who combine the two in a worship context in reality worship fallen spirits—regardless of whether they intend to or not.

Worse yet, not only do they worship the fallen spirits, but they also have fellowship with them! Eating meat offered to an idol in a worship context thus puts those who eat that meat into direct contact with demons.

Moreover, Paul teaches that it is not possible to partake of both the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils (1 Cor. 10:21a). Nor is it possible to partake both of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons (1 Cor. 10:21b).

These statements make clear that believers who engage in worship that features any such religious syncretism are incapable of worshiping the Lord aright. True believers who do engage in such actions must fear provoking the Lord to jealousy (1 Cor. 10:22) because they are not stronger than He is, and He will surely chasten them for doing so.

When these considerations are brought to bear on our understanding of what happened in the Golden Calf incident, we learn that all that the passages record of their shameful debauched behavior after they had eaten and drunk what was offered to the idol was not merely human deviancy on display. Rather, their playing (Exod. 32:6; 1 Cor. 10:7), singing (Exod. 32:18; Acts 7:41), and dancing (Exod. 32:19; Acts 7:41) in unrestrained ways that brought them into shame with their enemies (Exod. 32:25) was the deviant behavior of people who had come into direct contact with fallen spirits and been influenced by them to engage in that shameful debauched behavior! 

Moreover, we understand better God’s profound anger with the people on that occasion—they had provoked Him to wrath because their religious syncretism brought them into direct fellowship with demons. Because His people had become profoundly “contaminated” in that manner, He ordered that many of them be executed (Exod. 32:26-29) and would have destroyed them all had not Moses interceded for them (Exod. 32:11-14).

Conclusion

Based on the points covered above, any sound treatment of the Golden Calf incident and its relevance for believers today must account for its being a record of demon-influenced immoral behavior by spiritually privileged people that resulted from their engaging in purported worship of the Lord that included religious syncretism. We must allow God’s profound displeasure with His people on that occasion to underscore Paul’s use of that incident in First Corinthians 10 to warn us to take heed that we not fall similarly in matters concerning Christian liberty because we think that we stand (1 Cor. 10:12).

As I hope to show in future articles, this fuller understanding of the incident has profound relevance for contemporary debates about the propriety of incorporating debauched pagan elements into worship of the Lord.

 *If you have not done so, please read the previous articles in this series before reading this article:

1. Toward Fully Understanding the Golden Calf Incident

2. More Insights about the Golden Calf Incident

3. Leadership Failure and the Golden Calf Incident

4. Religious Syncretism and the Golden Calf Incident

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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Religious Syncretism and the Golden Calf Incident

September 23, 2013

In three previous articles, I treated various broader aspects of the Golden Calf incident, such as the basic teachings of the passages concerning the incident and some of their various applications to believers today.1 This post focuses attention on the Israelites’ religious syncretism in what took place on that infamous occasion.

Israel’s Knowledge of God before the Incident

Through the plagues that He brought upon Egypt, God judged its gods (Exod. 12:12) and showed to His people as well as to others that He was the one and only true God (cf. Exod. 8:10; 9:14; 10:2; 14:4, 18; 18:11). He then gave the Israelites who came out of Egypt clear teaching that they were not to make any idols or images (Exod. 20:4, 23), as the Egyptians and other peoples did (cf. Exod. 23:24).

Furthermore, He instructed the Israelites about the feasts that they were to keep to Him (Exod. 23:14-19). He made known to them as well the altars (Exod. 20:24-26; cf. Exod. 27:1-8; 30:1-6) that they would build to Him and the sacrifices that they would offer upon them as part of their worshiping Him (Exod. 20:24; 29:1-30:38).

Israel’s Religious Syncretism in the Incident

Before the Israelites, therefore, engaged in the Golden Calf incident, they had been thoroughly instructed by God about what they were and were not to do in worshiping Him. Nevertheless, in the absence of Moses, the people congregated around Aaron and demanded that he make for them an idol (Exod. 32:1).

Aaron not only cooperated with them in making the idol (Exod. 32:2-4; 35), but he also made an altar before it (Exod. 32:5a). Moreover, he declared that the next day would be a feast to the Lord (Exod. 32:5b).

When the people, therefore, rose early the next day and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings and sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play (Exod. 32:6), they purportedly were supposed to have been observing a feast to the Lord. In reality, however, they were engaged in religious syncretism that robbed God of His glory (Ps. 106:20-21) and was idolatrous worship that greatly provoked the Lord (Neh. 9:18).

Their feasting that purportedly was supposed to have been to the Lord was in actuality the rejoicing in the works of the hands (Acts 7:41) of people who had turned back to Egypt in their hearts (Acts 7:39). Their singing and dancing in what was supposed to have been a feast to the Lord (Exod. 32:17-19) was in fact not worship of the Lord at all but the unrestrained debauchery of people of whom even their enemies were ashamed (Exod. 32:25)!

God’s Rejection of Their Religious Syncretism

While the people were supposedly observing what was supposed to have been their observing a feast to the Lord, the Lord informed Moses of the heinous sinfulness of what they actually had done and were doing (Exod. 32:7-8). God rejected their religious syncretism and purposed to annihilate them for their idolatrous perversion of His worship (Exod. 32:9-10; 1 Cor. 10:7).

Aaron had brought very great sin (Exod. 32:21) upon the people through the leading role that he played in their perversion of the worship of the Lord (cf. Exod. 32:25). God was intensely angry with both the people and him and would have destroyed them all had Moses not interceded for them (Exod. 32:11-14; Deut. 9:19-20).

God’s Gracious Dealings with Them in spite of Their Sinfulness in the Incident

In His great compassion and mercy, the Lord did not annihilate them nor forsake them in the wilderness (Neh. 9:18-19). In fact, He continued His goodness to them in leading them, instructing them, providing for them, and using them for His own purposes in spite of the great sinfulness of what they did in the Golden Calf incident (Neh. 9:19-25).

Conclusion

The Israelites thoroughly perverted the worship of the Lord on this occasion through their incorporation of an element of pagan worship (the idol) into what was supposed to have been a feast to the Lord. The heinous sinfulness of their religious syncretism should cause all believers to take heed not to incorporate elements of debauched pagan origin into any aspect of their worshiping the Lord.

1If you have not done so, please read the previous articles in this series before reading this article:

1. Toward Fully Understanding the Golden Calf Incident

2. More Insights about the Golden Calf Incident

3. Leadership Failure and the Golden Calf Incident

(See all the articles in this series under point 11 here)

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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Leadership Failure and the Golden Calf Incident

September 17, 2013

Exodus 32 and Deuteronomy 9 document the profound leadership failure that allowed the Golden Calf incident to be the horrific event that it was. God wants all believers to be warned from this incident so that they will not sin the way Aaron and the people did on that occasion.1

Aaron’s Failure to Repulse the People

In the absence of Moses, Aaron was the top leader of God’s people present with them when the Golden Calf incident took place. As an aged saint who was even older than Moses was (cf. Exod. 7:7), he no doubt commanded respect even by virtue of his advanced age.

Prior to the Golden Calf incident taking place, God had already appointed Aaron to be the first high priest of His people (Exod. 28:1-2; cf. Heb. 5:1-4)—whose foremost calling would be to minister to God Himself (Exod. 28:1, 3, 4, 41; 29:1, 44; 40:13). Secondarily, he would minister for the spiritual wellbeing of the people (Exod. 28:12, 29, 30, 38; Heb. 5:1).

When the people congregated to request that he make an idol for them (Exod. 32:1), Aaron failed profoundly in both respects. His recent unique appointment to future divine service should have caused him to repulse them vehemently.

Instead, he failed the Lord and brought very great sin upon the people (Exod. 32:21) by instructing them about what materials they should provide him with to make the idol (Exod. 32:2-3) and by fashioning the idol for them (Exod. 32:4). The people then proclaimed that the calf was their god who had successfully brought about their departure from Egypt (Exod. 32:4).

Aaron also built an altar before the calf (Exod. 32:5) and proclaimed that there would be a feast to the Lord tomorrow (Exod. 32:5). He thus greatly facilitated their great sinfulness at this time.

Aaron’s Failure to Restrain the People

On the next day, the people worshiped the calf, offered sacrifices to it, sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play (Exod. 32:6, 8). Their playing included singing (Exod. 32:18) and dancing (Exod. 32:19) in such an unrestrained manner that they were brought into shame among their enemies (Exod. 32:25). They shamefully rejoiced in the works of their own hands (Acts 7:41) instead of rejoicing in the Lord and in all that He had done for them.

Moses held Aaron responsible for their shameful, unrestrained idolatrous activities (Exod. 32:25). Aaron should have restrained them but instead failed both God and His people by not doing so.

Aaron’s Failure to Acknowledge His Responsibility for What Happened

When Moses confronted Aaron about what had taken place (Exod. 32:21), Aaron blamed the people instead of acknowledging his own failures (Exod. 32:22-24). He even ridiculously asserted that the calf somehow just came out of the fire after he had thrown the gold into the fire (Exod. 32:24b).

Because of his great sinfulness on this occasion, God was prepared to destroy both the people (Deut. 9:19) and Aaron (Deut. 9:20). Only Moses’ intercession spared them (Exod. 32:11-13; Deut. 9:19; Ps. 106:23) and Aaron (Deut. 9:20).

Learning from Aaron’s Leadership Failures

When Moses was away, Aaron and the people sinned horrifically against God. Both Testaments record Aaron’s sin (Exod. 32; Acts 7:40), which underscores its enormity.

Learning from what happened in the Golden Calf incident, churches and other Christian institutions must beware that the times when their top leaders are away are potentially very dangerous times. Top leaders who must be away from their people should pray fervently that their people not stray from God and His ways in their absence.

Subordinate leaders should be very alert at such times that they not fail God and His people profoundly while the top leader is away. Unlike what Aaron did, they must value the glory of God and the spiritual wellbeing of His people enough to repulse any sinful developments that may take place among the people at such times.

Moreover, if they make some bad decisions at such times, they must take proper responsibility for their failures. They must also diligently seek to restrain as much as possible any sinful aftermath that may result in such situations.

Conclusion

God has provided us with the accounts of the Golden Calf incident so that we may learn from them and so that we may be warned about certain aspects of leadership failure and their potentially horrific consequences. Let us diligently take these truths to heart and not allow any such leadership failures or incidents to take place among God’s people in our day.

1If you have not done so, you should read the previous articles in this series before reading this article:

Toward Fully Understanding the Golden Calf Incident

More Insights about the Golden Calf Incident

(See the rest of the articles in this series under point 11 here)

 

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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Beware of Being Ensnared by the Eyes of Ungodly Women!

September 13, 2013

Many today counsel men that the right way to respond to immodestly dressed women is to keep their eyes focused on the eyes of these women when interacting with them. Although this advice has some merit in some situations, clear biblical teaching shows that it is a dangerously inadequate approach in many cases.

Proverbs 6:23-26

In poignant counsel directed to save the life of his son, Solomon warns about how evil women seek to ensnare men with the ungodly use of their eyes:

Pro 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

 24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.

 25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

 26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.

This inspired warning teaches us that keeping one’s gaze fixed on the eyes of an immodestly dressed woman will often be a perilous approach when faced with such an encounter because many women who purposely dress in that way seek to seduce men not just through their immodesty but also through the flirtatious and alluring use of their eyes.

Some may seek to downplay the importance of this teaching for ordinary settings because in its context it speaks of the dangers that openly wicked women such as harlots pose to young men. Similar teaching in Isaiah 3, however, shows that facing such challenges from women using their eyes seductively is a danger not only just from adulteresses but also from proud women among God’s own people!

Isaiah 3:16-24

Isaiah records at some length God’s blistering denunciation of proud women in Judah:

 Isa 3:16 Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:

 17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.

 18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,

 19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,

 20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,

 21 The rings, and nose jewels,

 22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,

 23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.

 24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.

Noteworthy aspects of this passage include the following:

(1) these are women among God’s own people who are denounced by God Himself for their pride;

(2) their pride manifests itself in their misuse of their beauty through how they comport themselves, how they dress, and how they use perfume;

(3) the passage does not say anything explicitly about their being immodest in their dress; and

(4) God specifies that these women “walk with wanton eyes.”

Holladay’s lexicon explains that the Hebrew verb used here signifies that they “toss seductive glances.” The rendering of the Hebrew in other versions makes plain their ungodly use of their eyes: “seductive eyes” (NAU); “flirt with their eyes” (NET); “glancing wantonly with their eyes” (ESV).

Isaiah 3:16 corroborates the teaching of Proverbs 6:25 about evil women who use their eyes in ungodly ways to ensnare men. Furthermore, Isaiah 3:16-24 makes clear that such ungodly use of the eyes is a problem not just with conspicuously wicked women who dress immodestly but also with women among God’s own people who proudly use their beauty in ungodly ways.

Ezekiel 23:40

Through Ezekiel, God made known His intense jealousy against Samaria and Jerusalem for their spiritual adultery (Ezek. 23:1-35). He instructed Ezekiel further “to declare unto them their abominations” (Ezek. 23:36-39).

God then related their “political adultery” through a vivid description of how they prepared themselves for their lovers from other nations:

Eze 23:40 And furthermore, that ye have sent for men to come from far, unto whom a messenger was sent; and, lo, they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments.

Although this figurative language pertains to the ungodly alliances that God’s people formed with other nations at that time, the legitimacy of its use is based on the reality of what evil women do when they prepare themselves for illicit relations with men (see also Jer. 4:30 for similar teaching). The explicit mention of painting their eyes correlates with and underscores the teaching about that practice in Proverbs 6 and Isaiah 3.

Revelation 2:20

Unlike the three preceding passages, which explicitly mention the ungodly use of eyes by evil women, Revelation 2:20 likely warns men similarly through implicit teaching that is related:

Rev 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

The glorified Christ here warns believers in the church at Thyatira about the seductive influence of an evil woman Jezebel who was leading His servants to commit fornication.

In a telling remark, the OT records that queen Jezebel “painted her face [Heb. put her eyes in painting] and tired her head” before her death (2 Kin. 9:30), which suggests that she wanted to accentuate her importance through these actions.[1] Unrepentant of her sinfulness, she thus appears to have been similarly minded to the evil women denounced by God for taking pride in their external appearance (Isaiah 3:16f.).

Through the name Jezebel, therefore, Revelation 2:20 warns us at least implicitly about the evil influence in the church of evil women who misuse their eyes to ensnare susceptible men to commit immorality.

Conclusion

Based on the teaching of these four passages, parents and other who advise young men should not instruct them that fixing their gaze on the eyes of immodestly dressed women would protect them from temptation and ensnarement. Men must actively seek to avoid encounters with such women (cf. Prov. 7:24-27), and when such an encounter is unavoidable, they must beware of being ensnared by the eyes of ungodly women!


[1] Cf. “She painted her eyes and adorned her head” (NAU); “she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head” (NKJ). Thomas L. Constable comments on this verse: “Hearing of Jehu’s return, she painted her eyes and arranged her hair. Evidently she anticipated her fate, and wanted to present an imposing appearance to Jehu and to die as a queen” (BKC: OT, 556).

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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Has God Changed His Mind about How He Wants All the Earth to Worship Him?

September 10, 2013

Did God ever make known how He wanted all the earth to worship Him? Has He changed His mind about that subject after the coming of Christ and His finished work of atonement?

God’s Demand of All the Earth

Psalm 98 provides clear revelation that helps us answer both of these questions. Through an unnamed psalmist, God made known when Psalm 98 was written how He wanted all the earth to worship Him at that time: 

Psa 98:4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

 5 Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.

 6 With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.

God commanded that all the earth would sing unto Him with the harp (98:5) and make a joyful noise before Him with trumpets and a cornet (98:6). These commands make clear that God demanded that all the earth worship Him with singing accompanied by musical instruments.

Has God Changed His Mind? 

All the earth has never obeyed these commands, and many of the peoples of the earth have never even known specifically that God has commanded them to do this. Are these commands still the will of God for all the earth or has He changed His mind after the coming of Christ?

Based on my study of Scripture, I do not find any basis for holding that these commands no longer apply. I also find no basis for holding that the coming of Christ and His completed work of atonement somehow has done away with these commands.

The lack of specific NT mention of instrumental worship in the first-century Church does not constitute proof that Christians today should worship God by singing without the use of musical instruments. On the contrary, Matthew 28:18-20 compared with Psalm 98:4-6 teaches us that it is part of the Church’s mission to disciple all nations to worship God with singing accompanied by musical instruments!

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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