Post by nicfos on Jun 14, 2006 6:22:13 GMT -5
Pure From The Blood Of All Men [/b]
"Woe to the head that lies under the guilt of blood!" - Matthew Henry
What expressions would you use to denote that someone is guilty of a wrongdoing?
The Bible uses several different kinds - "his blood be upon him," "thy blood be upon thy head," "their blood shall return upon the head of ," "require his blood of your hand," thy blood shall be upon thine own head," "his blood shall be on our head," and "your blood be upon your own heads."
On the other hand, when someone was blameless, they were described as being "guiltless...from the blood of, pure from the blood of all men, or clean."
Hence, in Leviticus 20:9, we read that children - who abused their parents or spoke contemptuously or disrespectfully to or of them - were guilty of death according to the Levitical law- "For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him."
A man involved in an incestuous relationship was guilty of death - "And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them"(Leviticus 20:12).
Anyone in league with the devil was also considered guilty of death - "A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them" (Leviticus 20:27).
In 2 Samuel 1:16, we read about the Amalekite who was guilty of slaying King Saul, God's Anointed - "And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD's anointed."
2 Samuel 3:28 and 1 Kings 2:32-33 respectively relate to us Job's guilt in slaying Abner and Amasa - "And afterward when David heard it, he said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the LORD for ever from the blood of Abner the son of Ner."
"And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah. Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever..."
2 Samuel 4:11 tells us of the guilt of the sons of Rimmon who assassinated Ishbosheth, the son of Saul - "How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?"
Notice that in each of the above cases, the guilt of the wrongdoers was typified - using words as - their "blood" being upon their own heads or hands.
In 1 Kings 2:37 and Joshua 2:19, we read of two cases where the people involved were instructed that if they broke the covenant, their "blood" or guilt would be upon their own heads.
In 1 Kings 2:37, Shimei was commanded by King Solomon not to leave Jerusalem - "For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head."
In Joshua 2:19, Rahab and her family were instructed by the Israelites to stay within the house during the raid on Jericho - "And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him."
Then, in Acts 18:6 and Acts 20:26, we read the Apostle Paul's declaration of innocence from the guilt or blame of any man's lost state or eternal destruction in hell for he faithfully preached the Gospel to all to whom God had sent him -
"Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men" (Acts 20:26).
"And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles" (Acts 18:6).
"I am pure from the blood of all men." What a powerful statement!
Some questions we must ask ourselves at this point are - Can we say the same for ourselves? Are we "pure from the blood of all men"? Are we blameless and free from all guilt?
In Isaiah 59:1-3, we read the alarming words of Almighty God to all of His Church - "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood..."
What does God mean when He says that our hands are "defiled with blood..."?
In Isaiah 1:15, we read - "And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood."
This is a very serious charge. God said that because our "hands are full of blood," He will not hear nor answer our prayers. Could this be why we have not yet experienced True Revival in our churches and nations?
Why are our hands "full of blood"? Whose "blood" is on our hands?
Our answer can be found in the words of the Prophet Ezekiel -
"When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand"(Ezekiel 3:18).
"Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand"(Ezekiel 3:20).
Week after week, sinners and backsliders walk into the various Churches across the land. They walk in a sinner and leave a sinner. This ought not to be.
The reason being is because the Preacher oftentimes is too dull in the Spirit to recognize that they are in their midst desperately in need of salvation, deliverance, and healing for their souls.
As is often the case, he is too busy taking up an offering for the new Building Project. Or he may be afraid to mention words like "repent," "flee from the wrath to come," or "Hell-fire" - because his deacon board has him under a "Witchcraft spell."
He wouldn't dare to speak the "whole counsel of God" - lest he should offend someone or "ruffle their feathers" and lose their tithe and offerings. Therefore, he simply "plays Church" Sunday after Sunday - making sure that everyone is comfortable and having a Good Ole Time - while all along sinners and backsliders in his Church are headed for a Devil's Hell!
What does God think about all of this?
At the door of His Church, He lays the charges "...For your hands are defiled with blood..."(Isaiah 59:3) and "...your hands are full of blood"(Isaiah 1:15).
What are we guilty of ? As a whole, we have neglected our duty of warning the wicked.
As the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have been nonchalant and careless concerning the souls of men. Lives all around us - in our families and neighborhood, on the job, in the marketplace, over the Internet, and even in our churches - are headed for Hell, and we have simply ignored their lost condition. We have been too busy to even care.
Oh! We may have prayed and prayed for Revival to come to our nations and wondered why the delay. God will not move until we move.
He has given us a command to "warn the wicked" the sinner and the backslider. If we fail to obey and they die in their sins, their "blood" will be on our hands. Hence, whenever we lift up our hands in prayer to God, He will only see the stain of blood - typifying our guilt and blame.
The Apostle Paul said - "Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men"(Acts 20:26).
Let's make a concerted effort this day to repent of our indifference, slothfulness, fear of man, man-pleasing spirit, or any other reason for being unfaithful to our God-given assignment to "warn the wicked" to turn from his evil ways and sin.
Let's free our hands from the "blood of all men" by crying out to God for mercy, cleansing, and a second chance.
And from this day forward, let's be obedient no matter what the cost.
This is the only way that our prayers will ever get through to the Throne of Grace.[/b]
"Woe to the head that lies under the guilt of blood!" - Matthew Henry
What expressions would you use to denote that someone is guilty of a wrongdoing?
The Bible uses several different kinds - "his blood be upon him," "thy blood be upon thy head," "their blood shall return upon the head of ," "require his blood of your hand," thy blood shall be upon thine own head," "his blood shall be on our head," and "your blood be upon your own heads."
On the other hand, when someone was blameless, they were described as being "guiltless...from the blood of, pure from the blood of all men, or clean."
Hence, in Leviticus 20:9, we read that children - who abused their parents or spoke contemptuously or disrespectfully to or of them - were guilty of death according to the Levitical law- "For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him."
A man involved in an incestuous relationship was guilty of death - "And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them"(Leviticus 20:12).
Anyone in league with the devil was also considered guilty of death - "A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them" (Leviticus 20:27).
In 2 Samuel 1:16, we read about the Amalekite who was guilty of slaying King Saul, God's Anointed - "And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD's anointed."
2 Samuel 3:28 and 1 Kings 2:32-33 respectively relate to us Job's guilt in slaying Abner and Amasa - "And afterward when David heard it, he said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the LORD for ever from the blood of Abner the son of Ner."
"And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah. Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever..."
2 Samuel 4:11 tells us of the guilt of the sons of Rimmon who assassinated Ishbosheth, the son of Saul - "How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?"
Notice that in each of the above cases, the guilt of the wrongdoers was typified - using words as - their "blood" being upon their own heads or hands.
In 1 Kings 2:37 and Joshua 2:19, we read of two cases where the people involved were instructed that if they broke the covenant, their "blood" or guilt would be upon their own heads.
In 1 Kings 2:37, Shimei was commanded by King Solomon not to leave Jerusalem - "For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head."
In Joshua 2:19, Rahab and her family were instructed by the Israelites to stay within the house during the raid on Jericho - "And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him."
Then, in Acts 18:6 and Acts 20:26, we read the Apostle Paul's declaration of innocence from the guilt or blame of any man's lost state or eternal destruction in hell for he faithfully preached the Gospel to all to whom God had sent him -
"Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men" (Acts 20:26).
"And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles" (Acts 18:6).
"I am pure from the blood of all men." What a powerful statement!
Some questions we must ask ourselves at this point are - Can we say the same for ourselves? Are we "pure from the blood of all men"? Are we blameless and free from all guilt?
In Isaiah 59:1-3, we read the alarming words of Almighty God to all of His Church - "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood..."
What does God mean when He says that our hands are "defiled with blood..."?
In Isaiah 1:15, we read - "And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood."
This is a very serious charge. God said that because our "hands are full of blood," He will not hear nor answer our prayers. Could this be why we have not yet experienced True Revival in our churches and nations?
Why are our hands "full of blood"? Whose "blood" is on our hands?
Our answer can be found in the words of the Prophet Ezekiel -
"When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand"(Ezekiel 3:18).
"Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand"(Ezekiel 3:20).
Week after week, sinners and backsliders walk into the various Churches across the land. They walk in a sinner and leave a sinner. This ought not to be.
The reason being is because the Preacher oftentimes is too dull in the Spirit to recognize that they are in their midst desperately in need of salvation, deliverance, and healing for their souls.
As is often the case, he is too busy taking up an offering for the new Building Project. Or he may be afraid to mention words like "repent," "flee from the wrath to come," or "Hell-fire" - because his deacon board has him under a "Witchcraft spell."
He wouldn't dare to speak the "whole counsel of God" - lest he should offend someone or "ruffle their feathers" and lose their tithe and offerings. Therefore, he simply "plays Church" Sunday after Sunday - making sure that everyone is comfortable and having a Good Ole Time - while all along sinners and backsliders in his Church are headed for a Devil's Hell!
What does God think about all of this?
At the door of His Church, He lays the charges "...For your hands are defiled with blood..."(Isaiah 59:3) and "...your hands are full of blood"(Isaiah 1:15).
What are we guilty of ? As a whole, we have neglected our duty of warning the wicked.
As the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have been nonchalant and careless concerning the souls of men. Lives all around us - in our families and neighborhood, on the job, in the marketplace, over the Internet, and even in our churches - are headed for Hell, and we have simply ignored their lost condition. We have been too busy to even care.
Oh! We may have prayed and prayed for Revival to come to our nations and wondered why the delay. God will not move until we move.
He has given us a command to "warn the wicked" the sinner and the backslider. If we fail to obey and they die in their sins, their "blood" will be on our hands. Hence, whenever we lift up our hands in prayer to God, He will only see the stain of blood - typifying our guilt and blame.
The Apostle Paul said - "Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men"(Acts 20:26).
Let's make a concerted effort this day to repent of our indifference, slothfulness, fear of man, man-pleasing spirit, or any other reason for being unfaithful to our God-given assignment to "warn the wicked" to turn from his evil ways and sin.
Let's free our hands from the "blood of all men" by crying out to God for mercy, cleansing, and a second chance.
And from this day forward, let's be obedient no matter what the cost.
This is the only way that our prayers will ever get through to the Throne of Grace.[/b]