The point I'm making about braids and Jezebel's claim on you and I has nothing to do with "legalism" but rather with simple obedience, the matter of being a doer and not a hearer only.
22) But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23) For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24) For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25) But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
James 1:22-25
23) For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24) For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25) But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
James 1:22-25
"This man shall be blessed in his deed." The converse in this is true, as it can be noted in other passages of scripture that disobedience brings a curse. What I'm presenting here is no radical new doctrine.
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
Deuteronomy 28:15
Deuteronomy 28:15
I don't want you to think I'm just obsessing about braids, here. I'm using this as one clear example, showing that if women are directed not to braid their hair, braiding the hair then becomes the basis for incurring either a blessing or a curse. Now, that's about as obvious as it gets. Cause and effect. Simple and just.
Some will want to rush right along and get to the good stuff, but its my contention that the "good stuff" is already right here. What applies to the braiding of a woman's hair will apply elsewhere and, due to the nature of the spirit of Jezebel that's being brought into the light, it's crucial to advance with unwavering focus on a straight path. Some will struggle here, thinking that, with all the troubling threats in the world, crazy Bob is stuck on hair braids. Remember what I wrote in the last post about the easy dismissal: "Let's not focus on the small issues when there's so many big important issues that need attention." Revoke your license to sin. Dare to look into the perfect law of liberty and be a doer of the work!
I want you to consider a challenge, an experiment, of sorts. If braiding the hair is of no consequence, mattering little to the Lord and with no bearing on blessings and curses, certainly Jezebel has no investment in such trivial matters either. If that's the way it is, you could take a stand on the matter of braids, forbidding such where it's in your authority and teaching and preaching others, as relevant.
Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,
1 Timothy 2:9
1 Timothy 2:9
If you're a Dad or Mom, enforce it in your family. If your friend braids her hair, teach or remind her of the Lord's direction. If you've got authority in a local assembly, preach it and gently require it as obedience. Watch what happens. If we're not willing even to engage on this level, our own hypocrisy will be exposed, but better now than later.
Some will be eager to comply, perhaps. Yet, in many cases you are not going to be met with a mere dismissal, with causal non-compliance. You are going to be met with fierce defiance. Here's the deal. Draw a line, set any limit, tell Jezebel, no. Be ready to stand firm, or duck and run for cover. Logic will tell you, Wow! Chill out. It's just a hairdo. But we're not dealing with logic. What you encounter may be "full blown Jezebel" or some lesser "infestation" of related demonic agencies of pride and control.
If you think the flaming fury of Jezebel is just a female thing, address the matter to the husbands and fathers and boyfriends of those who braid their hair and remind them of their accountability. Watch what happens. And this, over hair braids!
Dealing with something so basic as hair braids can expose the situation pretty readily. What could seem to matter less? When moving on from braids to other commands, the dynamic remains the same but the arguments encountered can become a little more complex. The proud arrogance and resistance to the exertion of any authority or control is a key characteristic of the spiritual dynamic of Jezebel. Bring forth an authoritative directive and you will raise the ire of the prideful and controlling spirits that define Jezebel.
Am I looking for trouble? No, trouble finds me easily enough. I'm just willing to go where the Lord is leading, and here I am.
More to follow, Lord willing!
I see what you are getting at. The LORD wants our obedience. He said, "If you love me, you will keep my commands" John 14:15. So if there is resistance over hair braids there is no surprise then that there is strong resistance to obeying God's commands of what may and may not be eaten. Lev. 11, the passage that describes what may and may not be eaten, ends with this : "This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: 47 To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten." Lev. 11:46-47.
ReplyDeleteIf we truly trust God, and are willing to submit to His authority, then that includes the willingness to give up pork, shrimp,lobster, marshmallows (made with gelatin), etc. What more intimate activity is there that we do with our bodies on a daily basis, than to put food in it? If God, who made us, calls these things "an abomination," by what authority can we nullify God's word and put them in our mouths? He said "be holy because I am holy." Lev. 11:45.
Joel, You're only part right. I'm not working to bring anyone to be "entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Galatians 5:1) which would be to ignore that verse's true liberty and dismiss the obvious message of Acts 11:9, 'What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.' However, most folks will read what I just wrote and read into it something else. If you can be patient with this work and let it unfold with a willingness and eagerness to receive what the Lord might have for you, that's the approach I heartily encourage. The Lord is not dead and He has not abandoned us to be left with the letter of the law without the holy spirit to guide us into how to come to abide in Him in holiness.
ReplyDeleteBlessings in Y'shua, Bob