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Awesome Hands - part 116 Discussion

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Awesome Hands – Part 116

“Do good unto all men”

May 26, 2017

Oftentimes, the “consequences” of doing the right thing scare, intimidate or outright cause us to do the things we know we shouldn’t do. This isn’t news to anyone that has lived and experienced life by trying to live a life of doing the right thing, but what often times accompanies this mindset is the FEELING that we are the only ones holding the water bucket.

The Truth of the matter is that the Lord is the one giving us the desire and power to accomplish the “right” things. We needn’t feel alone, yet that is the feeling and emotion we need to fight.

In our study today, we are going to see the manifest consequences that the Israelites had to deal with when they acted deceitfully with their neighbors and what the benefits were to them when they did not do so. In addition to these things, we will see how we can apply the rules given to the Israelites, to our lives today, so that we can enjoy the spiritual benefits of “doing good unto all men”.

Doing good

Rom 3:9  What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
Rom 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Rom 3:12  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

How is it I can be presenting a study on doing good when we just read in Romans that there is “none that doeth good"? When we understand the simple Truth that no one does good of HIS OWN FREE WILL according to God’s hand in our lives, then we can completely understand the sum of the word on this matter.

Otherwise, how can we be told in Ephesians that it is with good will we do things unto the Lord?

Eph 6:5  Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
Eph 6:6  Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
Eph 6:7  With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
Eph 6:8  Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
Eph 6:9  And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

The best predictor of future events is what has already happened before, when we consider what the Lord has done in the stories of the bible and also knowing from scripture that He doesn’t change.

Mal 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Our verses under consideration today, as it pertains to the working of the hands of God in our lives, can be found in Leviticus 6:1-7.

Lev 6:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 6:2  If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour;
Lev 6:3  Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein:
Lev 6:4  Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found,
Lev 6:5  Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering.
Lev 6:6  And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest:
Lev 6:7  And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.

Where is it contained within these verses that the Lord’s hands are at work?

Well, this is one of those translated verses that doesn’t always fully bring to light what was intended in the Hebrew. Given that concepts and ideas can be lost in translation, I thank the Lord that He has inspired things like Strong’s to help us dig and discover these buried pearls.

Lev 6:2  If^H3588 a soul^H5315 sin,^H2398 and commit^H4603 a trespass^H4604 against the LORD,^H3068 and lie^H3584 unto his neighbour^H5997 in that which was delivered him to keep,^H6487 or^H176 in fellowship,^{H8667 H3027} or^H176 in a thing taken away by violence,^H1498H176 hath deceived^{H6231 (H853)} his neighbour;^H5997

Lev 6:2  If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour;

When looking at other translations of this verse, we can start to discover why the word fellowship has the word “yad” or hand included alongside H8667.

(ESV)  “If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the LORD by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor

(GNB)  An offering is to be made if any of you sin against the LORD by refusing to return what another Israelite has left as a deposit or by stealing something from him or by cheating him

(ISV)  "A person sins against the LORD by acting treacherously toward his neighbor regarding something entrusted to his care, security for a loan, robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor,

(YLT)  'When any person doth sin, and hath committed a trespass against Jehovah, and hath lied to his fellow concerning a deposit, or concerning fellowship, or concerning violent robbery, or hath oppressed his fellow;

H8667
teśûmeth
tes-oo-meth'
From H7760; a deposit, that is, pledging: - + fellowship.
Total KJV occurrences: 1
Comes from H7760:

H7760
śûm    śı̂ym
soom, seem

A primitive root; to put (used in a great variety of applications, literally, figuratively, inferentially and elliptically): -  X any wise, appoint, bring, call [a name], care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, + disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, + name, X on, ordain, order, + paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), + regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, + stedfastly, take, X tell, + tread down, ([over-]) turn, X wholly, work.

Total KJV occurrences: 580

So, when we “put” these two Hebrew words together, pun intended, we are putting a deposit in the hand of our neighbor. The concept of a deposit is to later be able to WITHDRAW said deposit. In order to have this be something that can be “withdrawn” later, the person that is overseeing the deposit must be a good steward of said thing.

Then why did I start this study talking about doing good unto all men? The rest of this study will hopefully bring out the connection.

In Exodus 22 we find some more information that deals with some of the corresponding topics found in Leviticus 6 that we read earlier. This is from the ISV translation:

Exo 22:7  "When a man gives his neighbor money or goods for safekeeping and it's stolen from the neighbor's house, the thief, if found, is to repay double.
Exo 22:8  If the thief is not found, the owner of the house is to appear before the judges to see whether or not the thief took his neighbor's property.
Exo 22:9  "In every ownership dispute involving an ox, donkey, sheep, garment, or anything that is lost where a person says, 'This is mine,' the case between the two of them is to come before the judges, and the one that the judges declare guilty is to repay double to his neighbor.
Exo 22:10  "When a man gives a donkey or ox or sheep or any animal to his neighbor for safe keeping, and it dies or is injured or is driven away when no one is looking,
Exo 22:11  the two of them are to take an oath in the LORD's presence that the accused has not taken his neighbor's property. Its owner is to accept this, and the neighbor is not to make restitution.
Exo 22:12  But if it was actually stolen from him, the neighbor is to make restitution to its owner.
Exo 22:13  If it was torn to pieces, let the neighbor bring the remains as evidence, and he is not to make restitution for what was torn apart.

“Deposits” can come in various forms, and the topics, in context, surrounding the word “fellowship”/“yad” found in Leviticus, are valuable to discuss.

As we just read in Exodus 22, money and goods, oxen, donkeys, sheep or other animals are things under consideration for how to act when these things are entrusted to us or FOUND because they were lost.

However, I submit to you that when we look at the spiritual types of these things, we can see how it is these verses very much apply to us today.

The money and goods we are given stewardship over are those things that pertain to spiritual Truths and doctrine. In truth, the animals also represent spiritual types and shadows of the things that we benefit spiritually from.

Oxen plow the fields and provide a livelihood due to their power and strength, donkeys carry our loads for us and carry us as transportation, sheep provide meals and clothing. Likewise, various animals provide spiritually nourishing lessons for us when we view them according to the positives and negatives of them being entrusted to us “by our neighbor”.

In other words, and as we learn continuously throughout scripture, these rules are types for our admonition to do what the Lord commands because it is Him who is working it so that we have these things entrusted to us or stolen from us, etc.

Practically speaking, 1 Corinthians is giving us some insight into this topic.

1Co 10:9  Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
1Co 10:10  Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
1Co 10:14  Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

What do these verses have to do with anything I’ve said up until now?

When someone has entrusted us with the care of the work they need done, say my boss, I am expected to do a good job for my boss. Work hard, be diligent and vigilant and be a good steward of those things I am given dominion over concerning my job. As a result, I am paid a wage for this.

What about when someone comes to be and entrusts me with knowledge about a situation which they trust will not be communicated to others? I should be diligent to keep the confidentiality of that conversation when this is expected of me. There are exceptions to this, of course, but I am speaking generally here.

Maybe I borrow a tool from a neighbor. I should use it and bring it back intact and in as good, if not better (if possible), shape than when I borrowed it.

The list goes on and on how we should conduct ourselves with “all men” and especially with those who are of the household of Faith.

The Lord tells us He is not slack in answering us according to the idols of our heart. Likewise, when we read Leviticus 6 above, we are being told that how we act and react is directly proportional to how the Lord works things out according to His own will as it pertains to how He deals with us.

When a man was entrusted with goods, those goods were to be returned in good condition since they were placed in the hands (fellowship). If a thief or robber steals or violently steals your and your neighbors goods, you were not held responsible for this, but the case always went in front of a judge to determine this.

When considering all these verses, it was from the heart that these things were judged. “Swearing falsely” is guided from the heart and that makes perfect sense to me when comparing it to:

Eph 6:6  Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

The point of this study is to point out that none of us are righteous and good, but that we CAN BE GOOD if it is the Lord in us DOING IT!

That’s where the “reward” of the Lord comes in. He rewards us with His thoughts, His ways and His heart. When I work for my boss, I work as unto the Lord. When I help a brother or sister in Christ, I do it as unto the Christ. When I help a fellow neighbor, I help because it is what I should be doing to represent Christ and be as He is, but this help should NEVER take precedence over helping the needs of those “in the Faith”.

All in all, the spiritual admonition of Leviticus 6 and Exodus 20, pertaining to the verses covered today, is that the Lord demands that we consider whatever is put in our physical and spiritual hands as ALL BEING SPIRITUALLY handled.

“Let him that think he stand TAKE HEED” is telling us that we MUST acknowledge that whatever is happening to us at any given moment is the Lord PUTTING into our HANDS the situation we are to act and react upon.

Eph 6:8  Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

Pro 17:22  A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

I’ll conclude this study with some very applicable words from Malachi as said in the ISV.

Mal 2:17  "You have wearied the LORD with your words. You ask, 'How have we wearied you?' By your saying 'All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD and he's pleased with them,' or 'Where is the God of justice?'"

Why do “they” get away with it Lord? Why are things the way they are in our world? Why are you putting me through this? Sounds like wearying questions in the ear of the Lord!

Mal 3:1  "Watch out! I'm sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the LORD you are looking for will come to his Temple. He is the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Watch out! He is coming!" says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.
Mal 3:2  But who will survive the day when he comes? Or who can stand when he appears? For he's like a refiner's fire and a launderer's soap.
Mal 3:3  He will sit refining and purifying silver, purifying the descendants of Levi, refining them like gold and silver. Then they'll bring a righteous offering to the LORD.
Mal 3:4  Then the offering to the LORD by Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable as it was in the past, even as in former years.
Mal 3:5  "I'll come near to you for judgment. I'll be a witness, quick to speak against sorcerers, against adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who defraud the laborer of his wage, against those who defraud the widow and the orphan, against those who deprive the alien of justice, and against those who don't fear me," says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.
Mal 3:6  "Because I the LORD don't change; therefore you children of Jacob, aren't destroyed."
Mal 3:7  "Even since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and haven't kept them. Return to me and I'll return to you," says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. "But you ask, 'How will we return?'
Mal 3:8  Will a person rob God? Yet you are robbing me! But you ask, 'How are we robbing you?' By the tithe and the offering.

When you consider that the Lord wants all of us, He wants our hearts and minds to dwell on Him being Faithful and in full control of all, then we are approaching what it is to bring a pure and refined offering unto the Lord…. one made by a consuming Fire.

We can all rest in knowing that the Lord WILL PURIFY us all in His time and the offering to the Lord from us, Judah and Jerusalem spiritually, will be accepted of the Lord. For us, we need to always take our thoughts captive and always rely on the Lord for guidance in all things.