Hear The Word Of God & Keep It
“As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!’ But he said, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!’”
During this past week, as I was driving, I noticed a car with a series of bumper stickers advocating the necessity of saving an animal. One of them went something like this: “save a life, adopt a pet.” The environmentalists also have their stickers urging us to “save the planet.” Other stickers urge us to coexist—using religious symbols for the letters. I doubt very much that those who advocate animal rights in these bumper stickers do so because they love God and desire his glory. I think the same applies to environmentalists and those who desire to coexist or tolerate each other as if all religions must be the same. I do have a responsibility to any animal that I own. I should care for it and feed it, but I must also recognize above all, that it is not a human life. The planet is also not above human life. Scripture teaches that God made the world and all that is in it for man. Adam was given dominion and, therefore, responsibility along with it. He was not to abuse what God had blessed him with, but was to use it for his good and God’s glory.
Genesis 1:26, 28, 29 states: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth’…‘be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.’”
Our society or culture makes a great deal of noise about animals and the planets. We have put them above babies. A baby is a baby in the womb and out of the womb. I always find it interesting that women who believe in abortion, but then decide that they want to have a baby, make this statement when they discover they are pregnant: “we’re having a baby.” In other words, it is the desire of the woman alone that determines whether a baby is a baby. What hypocrisy! But this is not the case with an animal. Dogs and cats have a much higher place in the thinking of these same people. The idea of having to abort any animal would probably fill them with disgust and loathing for such a procedure, but not when it comes to a human life in the womb. We discover from all these attitudes where we place the value of life. The value of life is not derived from any person, but from God. In the Old Testament, homicide required the determination of whether it was intentional or not. This is why God always stipulated that there had to be at least two or three witnesses to a crime (Numb. 35:30; Deut. 17:6; 19:15; Matt. 18:16; 2 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19; Heb. 10:28). God also provided cities of refuge for the manslayer to flee to until a correct decision regarding guilt could be established (Num. 35:6, 11, 12, 24–28; Deut. 4:42; 19:3–6; Josh. 20:2–6). The city of refuge protected the manslayer from the avenger. The manslayer might or might not have killed someone with intent. The elders were to decide the case. If the manslayer intended to kill the victim, then he would be handed over to the avenger (a family relation). If there was no intent to kill, then the manslayer was to stay in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only then was he free to leave that city. If he left before the death of the high priest, then the avenger could kill him. As long as he stayed in the city of refuge he was safe.
These were some of the laws that God gave to protect life. The biblical mandate governing the killing of someone else with deliberate intent is that the sentence be death: a life for a life (Ex. 21:23–25). Exodus 21:22, 23 gives us insight into the value of a baby’s life: “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life…” There can be no doubt that Moses intends that if either the mother or baby dies, the penalty is the same—life for life. Of course, our law courts embroil themselves in seeking to eliminate the death penalty for the taking of another life. It just might happen in the near future that if someone killed a dog or a cat that the death penalty might be enacted, but not for a human life.
We already see legislation considering the ending of a suffering person’s life with dignity. Soon those who suffer from horrific diseases will be able to end their pain with dignity through their choice. This is taking place at present on a limited scale. Not only this, but perhaps the law courts will also determine that you must end your suffering in such a way, so that doctors and hospitals will be in the complete business of not only taking life at before birth, but also ending life before natural death. Soon we will seek, by law, to produce only genetically acceptable children. Those with diseases and possible drug or alcohol dependencies will be aborted. These are all very important ethical and moral issues. We must know what God says about these things and we must apply what he says. The law matters. But can we even begin to comprehend the legal statues of our country alone? Think of the tax code with all its regulations. Lawmakers and lawyers don’t know the half of it. Our legal and health care system is shrouded in thousands of pages of mumbo jumbo. These are important matters for us and we must think carefully about them.
God also requires us to think carefully about our sin. Sin should be abandoned and repented of. That’s the thrust of our Luke 11 passage. Jesus has just finished explaining that when an unclean spirit leaves a person it might return with seven other unclean spirits. Put quite simply, sin will never leave off assaulting us. A certain woman in Luke 11:27 responded with approval to Jesus’ teaching by praising the womb that bore and the breasts that nursed him. Jesus diverts attention away from that thinking immediately by saying that the person who is truly blessed is the one who hears the Word of God and keeps it. Mary (though blessed) was not to be venerated (worshiped) just because she bore Jesus. It is important is to hear the Word and do it (James 1:22–25; 2:14, 17, 18, 24–26).
When we come across bumper stickers that assault God or his Word, we must take a stand for the truth. We must keep the Word. We have to learn to apply God’s Word to many situations that confront us every day, and it’s not easy to do. It is helpful to remember that God’s Word is the truth. It does speak to all ethical and moral issues and dilemmas. I should care for the environment (and the unborn, the elderly, the sick and dying) because that is a good thing to do, all the while knowing that creation is groaning and one day “the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Pet. 3:7). The heavens are going to pass away with a roar, be burned up and dissolved (2 Pet. 3:10–12). Peter says that since we are waiting for that day (the day of God), we must be a holy and godly people. Practical holiness (godliness) is my responsibility since God is going to do this to heaven and earth. But we are waiting for a new heavens and new earth (no environmentalists needed), in which righteousness dwells (2 Pet. 3:13). Hear God’s Word then, and keep it.