Kings and Churches, Part I - Understanding The Heart Of God
Part V of VI - Ekklesia versus church, assembly, and kings & men.
1. 1 Timothy 2:5 KJV, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ [Yahoshua];”. The heart of Yahowah is that all men would be saved and look to the One, Yahoshua the Messiah, Who is their mediator, intercessor, savior, Lord, and God.
Hebrews 12:2 KJV, “Looking unto [Yahoshua] the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the [stake], despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
2. Matthew 16:18 KJV, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my [ekklesian]; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” God did not call men who would believe in Him, only to turn them back over into the hands of men. He wants to be your God, your resource, your mediator, your intercessor, your savior, and your Lord.
3.a. Yahoshua came to set us free from sin, and from oppression by the enemy of our souls, and from men who desire to enslave and rule over us. Centuries before that, even then, it was His desire for us.
1 Samuel 8:4-22 KJV, “4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5 and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto [Yahowah]. 7 And [Yahowah] said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. 9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
10 And Samuel told all the words of [Yahowah] unto the people that asked of him a king. 11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. 13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. 18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.
19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; 20 that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of [Yahowah]. 22 And [Yahowah] said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.”
3.b. But men rebelled against God (verse 7) and desired to be enslaved by men. They trusted a man (a king), someone whom they have not known, instead of God Who had been their caretaker for their entire lives.
They could have requested that Samuel seek God and give them a righteous prophet to replace Samuel, but they did not. Instead, they wanted to be as the nations around them, they wanted a king.
Even when they were told how a king would enslave them, it did not deter them and the evil in their hearts. But this was judgment upon them (verse 8).
4.a. So it is today. Men do not want to approach God and seek His face. They do not want Yahoshua the Christ to be their mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). They are not satisfied that the Holy Ghost will teach them all things.
John 14:26 KJV, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
They are not content with having apostles and shepherds work from among their ranks. No, they want a church. They want men to rule over them.
4.b. Men today, are the same as yesterday. They wanted Moses to go to the mountain and intercede for them. They did not want to go themselves. And even when Moses went for them, they quickly forgot Moses and God and made a molten calf to worship.
Exodus 20:19 KJV, “And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”
Exodus 32:1-7 KJV, “1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. 3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to [Yahowah]. 6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. 7 And [Yahowah] said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:”.
Today, men are no different. They do not want to wait on God to rule over them. They want men to rule over them. If you have a worthless idol as your focus of worship, then there will be men in charge, priests, who will be your superiors and direct your worship. They will know the rules and enforce them. A king is an idol. Church is an idol.
5. Read Ezekiel 34. Read it from a spiritual perspective, not a physical one. Read it from the perspective that God is talking about the modern day church and its pastors. Yes, it happened in the distance past, Ezekiel was written circa 595 BC; so, we are talking about over 2,600 years ago. The shepherds, the pastors, were not taking care of their flocks then, and today it is no different. The pastors of today are filling their stomachs with your money and they are not fulfilling that which is right. So many of today’s pastors have become entertainers. And if they are serious and not entertainers, their sermons are full of errors.
Ezekiel 34:1-31 KJV, "1 And the word of the [Yahowah] came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith Lord [Yahowah] unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. 4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. 5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. 6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. 7 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of [Yahowah]; 8 As I live, saith Lord [Yahowah], surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock; 9 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of [Yahowah]; 10 Thus saith Lord [Yahowah]; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. 11 For thus saith Lord [Yahowah]; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith Lord [Yahowah]. 16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment. 17 And as for you, O my flock, thus saith Lord [Yahowah]; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats. 18 Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet? 19 And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet. 20 Therefore thus saith Lord [Yahowah] unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. 21 Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad; 22 Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. 23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. 24 And I [Yahowah] will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I [Yahowah] have spoken it. 25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. 26 And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. 27 And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am [Yahowah], when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. 28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. 29 And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. 30 Thus shall they know that I [Yahowah] their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith Lord [Yahowah]. 31 And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith Lord [Yahowah]."
I was recently on a Southern Baptist church website and reading a couple of sermons. The first sermon on Original Sin was good and right on target. But the second sermon, on Psalm 51:5 was a dismal failure. At one point he said, “Eve blamed Adam.” Scripture does not teach this. A pastor has no excuse for knowing so little about the Bible that he would make such an outrageous mistake. Later he said that man was born a sinner, which contradicted the material in the Original Sin sermon. If one knows the heart of God, then that one knows that babies are born innocent. A person does not become a sinner until they have committed that first sin and only God knows when that sin happens and is counted against that person.
6. Understanding the heart of God cannot be done by man’s desire, or intellect, or sincerity, or determination. It can only be done by the Holy Ghost. If the Holy Ghost is not indwelling you, and even if He is, if you are not constantly seeking His guidance and the face of your Heavenly Father, then you have no hope of understanding the heart of God.
1 Corinthians 2:12-16 KJV, “12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.”
7. We only welcome constructive input supported by Scriptures from the Bible. Please contact us by using the contact icon. Copyright ©2014. Richard Douglas Mauck and/or Sandra Faye Mauck. All rights reserved. This material is copyrighted to protect the integrity of this work. Permission is hereby granted to copy this treatise in its entirety as long as no editing is done, no charge is made to those with whom it is shared, and full credit is given to the authors.
Kings and Churches,
Part II - Hebrews 13:17
The exegesis of Hebrews 13:17-18
Part VI of VI - Ekklesia versus church, assembly, and kings & men.
1.a. Hebrews 13:17-18 KJV, “17 Obey (Strong’s G3982 peitho πειθω) them that have the rule (Strong’s G2233 hegeomai ηγεομαι) over you, and submit (Strong’s G5226 hupeiko υπεικω) yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. 18 Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.”
1.b. In Hebrews 13:17 KJV three words are used that had a different meaning in 1611 than they do to us in 2014. Those three words are obey, rule, and submit. We will now look at these three words.
1.c. But first let us ask the most important question. Why do we know that these three words are not the optimal translation of the Greek words behind them for 2014? The answer is that if one knows the heart of God, then he knows that God has not placed His children in the hands of controlling men. He does not want His children ruled by tyrants, especially religious leaders. We are not to obey their every command, we are not to be unrighteously ruled by them, nor are we to submit to their tyranny. We already have a ruler that we are to obey and submit to, His name is Yahoshua the Christ. 1 Timothy 2:5 KJV, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ [Yahoshua];”. The Holy Ghost may send apostles, prophets, teachers, preachers, and evangelists to be ambassadors of Christ. But they are not sent to lord it over others. 1 Peter 3:5 KJV, “Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock.”
2.a. First, we will look at the word obey. Strong’s G3982 peitho πειθω has several possible translations that could have been used rather than the word “obey”. One of these words is convince. Also, in other places peitho πειθω, in the KJV, has been translated as agree, believe, have confidence, and trust. This is not an exhaustive list.
2.b. I will substitute the word obey with the word convince or confidence. Now let us see how Hebrews 13:17 sounds: “[Be convinced of or have confidence in] them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”
3.a. Second, we will look at the word rule. Strong’s G2233 hegeomai ηγεομαι has several possible translations that could have been used rather than the word “rule”. One of these translations is “to go before”, in other words, one that leads by example. Another possible translation could be “a leader in speech” or a “spokesman”, in other words, one who has authority. This is not an exhaustive list.
3.b. What is this authority? This is the spiritual authority they have due to their level of learning, their maturity in the Word of God, and their understanding of the heart of God. They would be considered an elder. This is not the physical authority to tell you to kiss my ring, or divorce the person you are with and marry that person over there, or drop and give me twenty push-ups, or spank your children, or don’t spank your children, or sell your property and bring the money to me and my church. However, they do have the spiritual authority to tell you not to lie to the Holy Ghost (Acts 5:1-4). Voluntarily do that which you will, but be truthful about it and do not embellish (lie), thereby seeking to falsely bolster your standing among the brethren.
3.c. I will substitute the word rule with the word authority. Now let us see how Hebrews 13:17 sounds: “[Have confidence in] them that have [authority] over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”
4.a. Third, we will look at the word submit. Strong’s G5226 hupeiko υπεικω has several possible translations that could have been used rather than the word “submit”. One of these translations is yield. This is not an exhaustive list.
4.b. What type of submitting or yielding is occurring here? You are submitting to their teaching. But this does not mean you are to permit them to be unquestioned or unchallenged? Your teachers should be tested daily — in other words, be a Berean (Acts 17:11).
4.c. I will substitute the word submit with the word yield. Now let us see how Hebrews 13:17 sounds: “[Have confidence in] them that have [authority] over you, and [yield] yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” I suspect that Hebrews 13:17 in the KJV leaves you with quite a different feeling than this updated version.
4.d. I am not saying that this is a perfect translation or the best. But when considering the heart of God, it better gives the meaning and intent of Hebrews 13:17-18.
5.a. It would be best, at this point, to show that there are other verses that could have words that better explain the meaning that those used in 1611. I will give only one example of many. The verse we will use is Job 42:4 KJV, “Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.” In this verse Job, after being severely humbled, is speaking to God. Do you really think that he would be demanding of Almighty God? No, of course he would not. The word demand, in a 1611 mind really means inquire or request.
5.b. Next, let us look Job 42:4 in one of the more recent NWO (New World Order) bibles. Job 42:4 ESV, “Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.” The ESV translators changed the word “demand” to the word “question”. This is a good translation and update from the word “demand”.
6.a. Now let us look at Hebrews 13:17 in the ESV (English Standard Version). Hebrews 13:17 ESV, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” The word “rule” has been omitted, but “obey” and “submit” are still in place. It is interesting to see that these ESV translators do not consider it important to translate every word used in the Greek Textus Receptus, considering they have omitted the word “rule”. Let me assure you, they take many such scholastically detrimental liberties. Using a corrupt translation, a NWO translation, gives new meaning to the phrase used by so many apostates: “We only teach what the Bible says.” Oh really! I think not. Desperate to avoid the judgment seat of Christ, they invent their own path to salvation that does not require that they go through the gate (Christ’s sacrifice on the tree). They want to climb over the fence into the sheep pen by their own devices. Therefore, they study the Bible with their own preconceived agenda and in the process they become biblically illiterate. Thus, they declare all day long that they only teach that which the Bible says, but in reality they have not a clue what the Bible says. They deceive themselves and the pew sitter victims before them.
6.b. But our question is why would Job 42:4 be corrected to be more understandable in 2014 but Hebrews 13:17 still uses words that appear to enslave believers to their leaders and these words were not updated? There is a very simple answer. Churchy people do the translating and they have an evil agenda. Job 42:4 does nothing to advance the myth about a church that rules over men. But, Hebrews 13:17 can be a very convenient verse that evil men can use to usurp authority over unsuspecting Christians, authority that they do not have and that was never given to them by God.
7.a. As an expositor of the Scriptures I want a translation that is nearly word for word as it can possibly get. This way I can determine the full meaning of the information that has been handed down to me. Once I have done this, then I can interpret the verses to relay the intent of the original meaning with our current day understanding of words. But remember, the original text must be a pure translation and remain as such. This way, all who have traveled my path have the responsibility to discern if I have given an accurate interpretation from the pure translation that they hold in their hands. A translator must never become an interpreter. He must guard against it as if his very soul was at stake. Revelation 22:18-19 KJV “18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
7.b. However, an expositor has the license, even the duty, to interpret the Scriptures to make them understandable to his listeners. But he must always make available to them the pure translation as well and distinguish between the two with the utmost diligence. Then the listener is invited to not only listen, but to pray, and to seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost for a full understanding of the Scriptures. The expositor is supposed to help in this process, not be a hindrance or a false guide leading unsuspecting victims down the broad path to destruction. This is why those who teach will be held to a higher standard and punishment. James 3:1 KJV, “My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.”
7.c. As a teacher, as an expositor, here is my interpretation of the information being relayed to us in Hebrews 13:17-18. “Have confidence (obey) in us who teach (rule) you and yield (submit) yourselves: and watch over your souls, listening diligently; and please, pray for us to do all things right.”
8. Those in the churched world would refer to these verses and use them to enslave men to church leaders. There is nothing in this commentary that is referring to an organized church. So, to yank Hebrews 13:17-18 out of context and claim that it gives church clergy authority over laity, is to greatly malign that which is being taught.
9. The Christians in the first century did not have the advantages that we have. They did not have completed bibles to use. Yet they had some advantages that we do not have. They had some of the original apostles and contemporary apostles who knew the original apostles and were taught of them. Another big advantage they had over us, was that men had not taken over the religion and started churches to seduce them into submission to men, tearing their affections away from Christ Yahoshua (Hebrews 12:2).
10. We only welcome constructive input supported by Scriptures from the Bible. Please contact us by using the contact icon. Copyright ©2014. Richard Douglas Mauck and/or Sandra Faye Mauck. All rights reserved. This material is copyrighted to protect the integrity of this work. Permission is hereby granted to copy this treatise in its entirety as long as no editing is done, no charge is made to those with whom it is shared, and full credit is given to the authors.