SermonAre We to Follow Everything in the Bible?
An all-creatures Bible Message

Are We to Follow Everything in the Bible?
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassionate Internet Church
 
8 July 2012
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Genesis 2:15-17
3:6
Exodus 23:20-33
2 Samuel 5:1-16
Mark 6:1-13

Are we to follow everything in the Bible?
 
Absolutely not!
 
We are to follow only the things in the Bible that are according to the creation and heavenly will of God.
 
The Bible is filled with a lot of history; but not everything the people (even most of the main characters) did was Godly.
 
Do you remember that innocent Adam and Eve were given all of the plant foods in to garden to eat with only one restriction (Genesis 2:15-17)?

15. Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.
 
16. The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;
 
17. but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

And what did they do when the serpent enticed them with the fruit of that tree (Geneses 3:6)?

6. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

God considered this disobedience so severe, that the whole of creation became corrupted.
 
The lesson we are to learn from this is that even if something is available to us, or is offered to us, we are not to accept it or eat it or use it, if it is counter to the will of God.
 
Let’s look at another example of this, as recorded in 2 Samuel 5:1-16.

1. Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.
 
2. “Previously, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and in. And the LORD said to you, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be a ruler over Israel.’”
 
3. So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them before the LORD at Hebron; then they anointed David king over Israel.
 
4. David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.
 
5. At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

David seems to be unifying all the tribes of Israel under his leadership which God has appointed for him.
 
We also need to remember that Israel was still living in the midst of the people that were there before them, among whom were the Jebusites and Philistines.
 
So before continuing with this 2 Samuel 5 passage, let’s take a look at Exodus 23:20-33, and see what the Lord told Moses about how they would prosper in the promised land.

20. “Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
 
21. “Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him.
 
22. “But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

Do you see the confirmation of what we were talking about above, in relation to doing what the Lord commands us to do?

23. “For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them.

Also note that God is the One who will do this and not us human beings.

24. “You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their sacred pillars in pieces.

This is destroying their ungodly culture, and not their lives.

25. “But you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst.
 
26. “There shall be no one miscarrying or barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.

Note carefully that there is no mention of any animal foods. God wants the people to live on plant foods, just as He originally commanded, and because of this there will be no health problems.
 
And then God explains how He will drive out His and Israel’s enemies.

27. “I will send My terror ahead of you, and throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.
 
28. “I will send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you.
 
29. “I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may not become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.
 
30. “I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land.
 
31. “I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.
 
32. “You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.
 
33. “They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

Note specifically that God says that the Israelites are to drive out the other people when they are strong enough, but it says nothing about killing them.

Israel never received all the land of the promise because along the way, they disobeyed the Lord their God; but this in no way invalidates the covenant.
 
So, with this in mind, let’s return to our 2 Samuel 5 passage beginning with verse 6.

6. Now the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, and they said to David, “You shall not come in here, but the blind and lame will turn you away”; thinking, “David cannot enter here.”
 
7. Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is the city of David.

And notice that nothing is said about God being with David in this venture.
 
Is he acting in the pride of his position as the unified king of all of Israel?

8. David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him reach the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul, through the water tunnel.” Therefore they say, “The blind or the lame shall not come into the house.”

No matter how we look at it, this action is not in God’s will and comes strictly from David’s pride and anger, which are sinful and ungodly.

9. So David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built all around from the Millo and inward.
 
10. David became greater and greater, for the LORD God of hosts was with him.

This isn’t saying that God is with the ungodly acts of David, but only with David, because of His promise.
 
And David’s pride is further kindled by the king of Tyre.

11. Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees and carpenters and stonemasons; and they built a house for David.
 
12. And David realized that the LORD had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

Nevertheless, David still exercises his pride.
 
And nowhere does it say that David did this for the glory of God.

13. Meanwhile David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron; and more sons and daughters were born to David.

David is also an adulterer, which is a way of satisfying his own desires and ego.

14. Now these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,
 
15. Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,
 
16. Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.

All of these things are for David, and not for God, or for His people Israel.
 
David obviously knows the truth and the intent of the covenants, because he often repents; but he is not living in the faith of what he knows in his heart and soul to be God’s will.
 
Just because a passage says that God is with someone doesn’t mean that we are to follow any of their ungodly acts.
 
Now, let’s take a look at Mark 6:1-13.

1. Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him.
 
2. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands?
 
3. “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him.

We find these kinds of situations incredible. People see the truth right before their eyes, but instead of responding positively, they allow their hardness of heart to take over, and they take offense and reject the very truth that can save them.
 
We see this all the time with people who are suffering with chronic diseases and are shown the evidence about how a low fat, unprocessed, whole plant food diet could reverse and even cure their health problems; but they reject it, and often take offense with the people telling them the truth.
 
So what did Jesus do in this situation?

4. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.”
 
5. And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.
 
6. And He wondered at their unbelief.
    And He was going around the villages teaching.
 
7. And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits;
 
8. and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt—
 
9. but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.”
 
10. And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town.
 
11. “Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.”
 
12. They went out and preached that men should repent.
 
13. And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.

As we’ve said many times before, Jesus left a lot of this healing power all around us here on earth, in the form if our Genesis diet and in the hearts and souls of the people who tell this truth to the world around them.
 
But the other side of this coin is about spiritual healing.
 
We have asked many people if they understand that God wants us to have a soft heart and a teachable spirit, and they usually respond, “Yes!”
 
Then we ask them if they understand that when someone intentionally harms or kills another living being, or hires someone else to do it for them, that they must first harden their heart so that they no longer have empathy for that being, and most of them will say, “Yes!”
 
Then we ask them why they would participate in such things, which is evident in what they eat and wear; and most freeze up and won’t respond, or they change the subject, which is proof that they really know the truth and knowingly reject it.
 
With this simple test we can see the problem with most people, most churches, and why we have so many problems in the world.
 
We need to take a strong stand against these ungodly ways of life, and continually expose the truth to everyone and anyone who will listen, just as Jesus did.
 
And, we are to set the example as the loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God that we are all called to be.
 
Amen.

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