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As I See It (4) -- Questions and Answers
by Dr. Roy Blizzard
from Various Issues of Yavo Digest
STILL MORE "AS I SEE IT" -- QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS -- 4
Q.: Recently I heard a preacher say on TV that we Christians have the authority to order God’s angels to go forth (at our discretion) and obtain for us any amount of money we need. He bases that teaching upon his interpretation of Hebrews 1:14, KJV, and also because he says "it works."
In view of the glaring contradiction found in James 4:2, "…ye have not, because ye ASK not," do you consider that teaching to be scriptural? Please elaborate.
A.: I personally feel it is dangerous theology to believe that any man has the authority to order either God or angelic beings around. But, secondly, this is a very poor interpretation of Hebrews, chapter one.
The context in Hebrews makes it clear that the angelic beings minister unto God, and are subject to Him and to His Authority, as opposed to the Son, to Whom He says (in verse 8), "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever … Sit Thou on my right hand until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool." This passage is contrasting the authority of the Son with that of the ministering angels. The Son is equal to God and is God, and possesses a scepter of righteousness--the sign of rule over His kingdom. The angels, on the other hand, are ministering servants that are sent forth by God for the benefit of those who are being saved, i.e., those who make up God’s kingdom. God is the one who sends them out, not us.
As far as James 4:2-3 is concerned, in context, James is making it clear that it is the unrighteous who murder and are jealous, who fight and war, who have not. They are asking, but their "asking," aiteo, is a request for one’s self--in this case, with the idea of demanding being prominent. It is based upon a selfish or lustful desire for things forbidden. The word in Greek is epithumeo, which corresponds with the Hebrew word, chamad, which means "an ungoverned, selfish desire of idolatrous tendencies." They are not receiving because they are asking "amiss," kako, which means, "with bad intent."
Once we properly interpret the passage, we can see that the desire is a selfish desire for things forbidden, and we are selfishly requesting with an evil intention.
The reason people aren’t receiving from God is because they are asking with selfish motives for the wrong things, and to order the angels to go forth and obtain money or anything else certainly is an example of what James was admonishing against I 4:2-3.
God’s people need to begin to ask for the right things: the manifestations of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit, and the direction of the Spirit in acts of righteousness.
YD, 1-5, 1987
Q.: How am I to understand the injunction in the Bible against the making of any graven images? I have a friend who has no images of any animals or pictures of people in her home whatsoever. She says we’re forbidden to do so in the Bible. I am prepared to be obedient in this regard, but would like further enlightenment on the subject.
Is it possible that ceramic figurines or images of animals, etc., could possess supernatural powers?
A.: Only the devil possesses supernatural power, and he possesses only that which we relinquish to him. Images of wood, stone, or any other material do not intrinsically possess supernatural power.
The injunction in the biblical text, given long before the invention of cameras or the development of art simply for the sake of art as we know it, was for the purpose of forbidding any object--whether of wood, stone, or any other material--to be worshiped as a god. The practice of worshiping images and idols, etc., can be traced back into prehistory. It was a common practice of the ancient pagans to make representations of the gods they worshiped.
YD, 1-5, 1987
Q.: I have a question on which I hope you can shed some light. It is concerning the dietary requirements of the Bible. Should we only eat kosher food, i.e., no pork, etc.? Or should we follow the requirements set out in Acts 15:29? I realize that our covenant is not of the flesh, but of the spirit, but I do want to follow the Word as responsibly as possible.
A.: Very few people are aware that the dietary laws, or the laws of kashrut, as currently observed in Orthodox Judaism, represent a late rabbinic interpretation. The laws of kashrut, as observed today, were unknown in Jesus' day. In other words, in Jesus' day, they did not have two separate sets of dishes--one for milk dishes, and one for meat dishes, etc.--nor all the complexities of the dietary laws as they are today.
In Jesus' day, there was just the basic injunction to abstain from those things considered to be unclean, as specified in Torah.
I could go into a lengthy dissertation on the practical reasons for abstaining from certain foods, or medical reasons, and numerous books have been written attempting to do just his. However applicable some of these reasons might be, I think that trying to explain why God prohibited certain things, and why He allowed certain things, is going too far in trying to understand the mind of God. Certainly, there might be practical and/or medical reasons for abstaining from certain foods, but the fundamental reason is that God commanded it; therefore the observant Jew does what God commands.
How does all this apply to the believer today? My personal opinion is that the believer today has the liberty to eat or not to eat. In this regard, certain points must be considered from a practical and/or medical perspective. In other words, in view of our present-day knowledge, is this particular food good for you? Does this food group, when eaten with that food group, digest in your stomach at the same rate, or do the two digest at different rates, thereby resulting in indigestion or an upset stomach? And there is the additional matter of additives, preservatives, and methods of processing--all of which might not be good for an individual--which should be given consideration as well.
I believe there are practical reasons for us today to be careful about what we eat, how we eat, and when we eat. But as far as the dietary laws are concerned as a matter of law, I don’t believe they are enjoined on the believer today.
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