Okay, kiddies.. get your asbestos sunglasses ready! This one might get a tad hot! My apologies in advance to anyone offended by my thoughts.. please note, however, this apology is only for their offense, not for my opinions. :)
I don't get it. Honestly, I just don't get it.
Of late, there seems to be a trend among some of my Christian friends to revert to the old regulations and customs practiced within the Torah, and old Judaic law. More and more of them seem to be embracing the rites and rituals of the Old Testament, from speaking Hebrew, to observing the Saturday sabbath, to embracing the dietary restrictions, and eating Kosher.
I understand that God deals with each of us as individuals,and that the path and direction He leads and guides one of us on may not be the same as another, and I certainly would be the last one to criticize someone for following a path that is uniquely theirs. I can even understand the desire to learn about the meaning of all of those rites and rituals, and observing some of the Hebraic tradition as just that.. tradition. I certainly understand the need of those who follow the path of Messianic Jews to blend the old ways with their new beliefs.
And yet.. didn't Christ come to earth, and die on the Cross, so that we didn't -have- to be so bound by those laws and regulations? Didn't -His- death and regulation change the equation and eliminate the need to prove our worthiness through ritual and tradition? Isn't reverting to the "Old Ways" a bit like saying that we don't want or need the freedom that comes with a relationship with Christ alone, that we are perfectly content to be held to those rituals, and traditions? Isn't that a bit like saying that the blood of Christ isn't sufficient enough for our salvation, we have to follow those rites and rituals to insure our place in His heaven, and His heart? Didn't the Pharisees and Saducees in Jesus' Day -also- put a great emphasis on the rites and rituals of their faith..and didn't Jesus condemn them for their heavy focus on the -law- , rather than focusing on the more lasting -truths-, loving Him, caring for others, etc.? Now, before you get your panties in a wad, I'm not saying that these folks are modern day Pharisees or Saducees, but I think that anytime we begin to focus so much on rite and ritual in religion, it can very easily be a slippery slope. Our focus can be drawn from our relationship with Him, to our relationship with the rules, and we may be in danger of falling into the old "sanctified by our works" trap.
Many of these same folks are very vehement in their insistence that we, as a nation, must support the acts of the Israeli government, because the people of Israel, are God's "chosen people". To quote a comment I saw on Facebook.."America has been blessed as a nation because we have preached the gospel throughout the world and came to the defense of God's chosen country, Isreal." Again, I'm confused..(and not just by the bad spelling of Israel, either:) ) !
Didn't Christ proclaim that during his time on earth that both Jew, and Gentile are His children, and as such, His chosen "people"? Didn't Christ's death on the cross change the old perceptions of who among us were God's "elect"?
And what if, the government of Israel, which is, the last I checked, comprised of mere men, the same as you and I, sinners, and fallible,not of angels, or by God himself, falls into line and supports something that may go against what we know by Christ's teachings to be the right thing? Should America defend Israel if it's government is making wrong decisions, decisions that are clearly against God's will? Should we abandon what we know to be right and support Israel regardless? Many of these same people who would insist on supporting Israel unconditionally would never think of doing so for our own government: they are, in fact, are often the most critical of our government. Are Israeli men somehow just more holy because of their heritage than our own, or any more or less capable of making good decisions than any other nation? Given Paul's inclusion of the equality of Jew, and Gentile, I should think that in God's eyes..man is man,and we are all sinners, and capable of making mistakes.
Please don't misunderstand me.. I am in no way saying that Israel should be vilified, nor that we should not support the actions of it's government, -if- those actions are right and in accordance with God's law. That should be the case in any instance of international relations.. to support the right,and condemn the wrong. What I -am- saying is that such "blind obedience" to any government, without looking at the context of their stands on issues, could lead to dangerous consequences. In fact, are we not cautioned, even as Christ-followers, to avoid such blind obedience? Wasn't that same sort of blind obedience and unconditional support the same sort of thing that allowed the Nazis to perpetrate horrible acts of torment and torture to the Jewish people during WWII? Is unconditional, unquestioning, unwavering support of the so-called "Motherland Israel" not creating an environment where something of a similar nature could happen again, and with our support..? It just seems to me that it's better, and more -biblical-, as Christ-followers, to -question- ,and instead of offering blanket support for -any- government, offering support for the -right- acts, and condemnation for the wrong.
I think one thing that drives me the most insane is the "holier than thou" attitude
that seems to come from those who are following this "Jewish wanna-be" trend. Does God hear your prayers any more clearly or listen to them any more intently because you speak them in Hebrew, and I speak to him in English? I don't think so.. Does God love you any more because you follow Torah commandments, and I follow (or at least try to follow) His will in my life? Hardly, despite the fact that those who follow the trend seem to think that they're somehow closer, or "righter" than a Christ-follower who is quite simply, just what God created them to be.. although there's no "just a" about following Him in any way.
As I said, I don't get it. I just don't get it. If you're of that mindset,however, and would like to explain it to me, offer a differing opinion, or answer any of my questions, I'd love to hear from you. Just beware though,while I do have my big girl panties on, and the asbestos liner besides.. there's a limit to the flaming I will allow here.. after all, it's my blog, and here, I reign supreme.
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