In the last book of the Old Testament (Malachi), chapter 2, addresses God's displeasure with the priests. One of the responsibilities of these priests, was to teach the Law of Moses to the people.
God chose the tribe of Levi to be the tribe from which future priests would serve Him and the people of Israel. This choosing came as a result of their zeal for God years earlier at Mt. Sinai, when the idol of a golden calf was worshipped, while Moses was upon the mountain receiving the Law.
In Exod. 32:25-29, we take up the story: "Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control—for Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, 'Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!' And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him. He said to them, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Every man of you put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor'. So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day. Then Moses said, 'Dedicate yourselves today to the Lord—for every man has been against his son and against his brother—in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today'.”
We see that this choosing of them was a blessing and a reward for their zeal in punishing the guilty among their brethren. This act of zeal and obedience is later described in Deut. 33:8-9 as follows: “Of Levi he said, “Let Your Thummim and Your Urim belong to Your godly man, whom You proved at Massah, with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah; who said of his father and his mother, ‘I did not consider them’; and he did not acknowledge his brothers, nor did he regard his own sons, for they observed Your word, and kept Your covenant.”
While many lessons can be taken from this, one lesson is obvious: the sons of Levi chose to side with God rather than family and friends. [Remember Jesus’ words in Matt. 10:37 about loving family more than Him?] Does their behavior here show who they loved ‘more’?
Malachi 2:5 says of Levi, “My covenant with him was one of life.”
However, another important truth that must not be forgotten is that the priesthood was given to the tribe of Levi, no other tribe! As time would go on, within this nation, priests were “allowed” to come from other tribes, although God never authorized such a decision. One of the more notable examples of this being done was when Jeroboam did so, being motivated to secure his rule over the people. He was condemned for such and this practice continued until the Assyrian captivity.
Another thing that happened with many priests, can be seen from the prophet Micah. Micah records the bribery among the heads of the people, the priests, and the prophets. Micah 3:11 states, “The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money...”
This too continued to Malachi’s day and brings us up to Malachi’s words in chapter 2:1-9, where God’s anger with the priests is described:
“And now this commandment is for you, O priests. If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,” says the Lord of hosts, “then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart. Behold, I am going to rebuke your offspring, and I will spread refuse on your faces, the refuse of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it. Then you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, that My covenant may continue with Levi,” says the Lord of hosts. “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me and stood in awe of My name. True instruction was in his mouth and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many back from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by the instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of hosts. “So I also have made you despised and abased before all the people, just as you are not keeping My ways but are showing partiality in the instruction."
Among their sins, was that of “corrupting the covenant of Levi”. How was the covenant ‘corrupted’? By teaching error! Notice again the phrase, “…you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by the instruction…”. Malachi also said that, “..the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.”
But this didn’t happen…
Such instructions bear upon all who preach today. As was true in the Old Testament, so today, there is truth being preached and there is error! How can one know truth from error in the preaching?
Simple. In the Old Testament, there was a standard; the Law that Moses received from God on Mt. Sinai. Compare every message to that. This was seen from Deut. 13:1-10, where Moses said that if ANY prophet taught differently from what He had taught, that prophet was to be put to death (much as was done with the guilty in Exod. 32 by the sons of Levi years earlier). Error could be distinguished from truth in this way.
An example of error being taught is seen from Jeroboam’s errors.
1 Kings 12:27-29 – Jeroboam changed the place of worship from Jerusalem to Dan and Bethel…did it matter? Yes, for God specified Jerusalem as the place of worship (Deut. 12:5-7; Exod. 20:24; Deut. 12:11, 13; 2 Chron. 7:12). Did it matter?
1 Kings 12:31, 33 – Jeroboam made priests from tribes other than the tribe of Levi…did it matter? Yes, for God commanded Moses to give the priesthood to the tribe of Levi (1 Kings 13:33; 2 Kings 17:32; 2 Chron. 11:15; 13:9). Did it matter?
1 Kings 12:32 – Jeroboam changed the day of worship from the 7th month to the 8th month. Did it matter? Yes, for God had commanded Moses to do so on the 7th month (Lev. 23:33-34).
Why did Jeroboam do this? The answer 'why' is in 1 Kings 12:27, 33.
Today, how can one know truth from error in preaching? In the same way as was done in the Old Testament with the Law of Moses.
As then, there is a standard today also. The standard is the teachings of Jesus; the teachings of the apostles…they’re one and the same. It is the gospel; God’s power to save (Rom. 1:16). But, as Moses said in Deut. 13, there are those who teach differently from what Jesus and the apostles taught. Those who do so, are accursed (Gal. 1:6-9).
While we know of Jeroboam’s motives, we also know that the same motives are found today in preachers who teach a different gospel. 2 Peter 2:10-19 details their motives. Peter had earlier said of them that, “…because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words…” (2 Peter 2:2-3).
Timothy said they were, “…men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain” (1 Tim. 6:5).
Jude said they were, “…are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage" (Jude 1:16).
Jeroboam’s motives were not known by those he deceived at the time; but by those who knew what God had commanded Moses, it mattered, and they could not support Jeroboam. He was a false teacher, with evil motives!
So, today, motives are seldom known at the outset. Peter revealed their covert ways in 2 Peter 2:1, saying that they “…secretly introduce destructive heresies...”.
Gal. 2:4 says that the innocent are brought into bondage by “…false brethren secretly brought in...”.
Jude said they creep in “...unnoticed...ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness...” (Jude 1:4).
It is sad to say, but the reality is, that some preach lies and distort the gospel. Read again Peter’s words of this occurring under the Old Testament and the New Testament (2 Peter 2:1 – “…false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you...”).
This is why doctrine matters. Friends and families are segregated because of different messages being proclaimed. Preachers need to be held responsible for what they preach. If they are preaching the same thing as Jesus and the apostles preached, then any investigation will vindicate them and prove them to be proclaimers of truth. The standard is the gospel. Compare the messages. Truth will stand out.
As this relates to salvation, the question “What must I do to be saved?”, is foremost of all matters. Is it possible to preach error on “How To Be Saved”? If so, have not people been deceived as to their own status with God? If error has been preached and error has been believed and error has been obeyed, HAS ONE BEEN SAVED? Does this matter??? Remember, the changes that Jeroboam made? Did they matter?What did Jesus command His apostles to preach on this? That is the STANDARD.
Does it matter whether baptism is taught as necessary BEFORE salvation, or AFTERWARDS (as an outward sign of an inward grace)?
All other matters are moot if error on “How To Be Saved” is embraced. There is a ‘form of doctrine’ (i.e., a standard) to be DELIVERED and to be OBEYED! (Rom. 6:17-18)
If not, then where does that leave us? Earlier, the question was asked, 'Is it possible to teach error on “What must I do to be saved?”. Consider some other questions: 1] "Is it IM-possible to teach what the Lord’s apostles taught?" 2] Is it impossible to agree on what they taught? 3] What was taught to people in the book of Acts who asked “what must I do to be saved”?
Whatever the answer THE APOSTLES gave, should be the answer given by all who preach today. If not, why not?
Did the apostles EVER tell anyone to pray a prayer for salvation? If so, where is the passage? Does it matter? Did it matter that Jeroboam changed the things he did?
There is such a thing as “another gospel”; but remember, there is THE gospel (re-read Gal. 1:6-9). DOCTRINE DOES MATTER!
It is why the Lord warned:
"Take heed WHAT ye hear" ~ Mark 4:24
"Take heed HOW ye hear" ~ Luke 8:18
1/2/2019
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