Dear Graystone:
I promise you that I will research the links to other posts that you sent me and respond to them: however I was led by the Holy Spirit the last few days to post to you. I beg you sir to consider the post I am about to compose with God's help and His leading. I also pray that I will be able to convey to you the intent of the Holy Spirit.
That said, I will begin the longest and most comprehensive post I have every posted to anyone. I usually try to shorten my posts but the essence of this post is the primary reason that Christ came and to begin I start in Mat 10:5.
When Christ called the 12 He said " these twelve Jesus sent forth and commanded them; go not into the way of the gentiles and into any city of Samaritans enter ye not".
Christ had a very special purpose for telling them this, He was to accomplish such a remarkable thing in Samaria that He was reserving Samaria for Himself. Somethings, God will not trust another person to. Call it a God thing but God for some individuals or groups or organizations or cultures will reserve for Himself. Samaria was to be one of these. The essence of His coming He would illustrate in Samaria; He would not leave Samaria to His "greenhorn twelve".
Samaria was an area of diversity. A recension of the Hebrew text of Mosaic Law was written there. A copy was found in the year 1623 and placed in the library of the Oratory in Paris soon after. The recension copied Mosaic Law but many of the concepts of the Law had been compromised and ethnically changed. Samaria was capturered in 722 BC and so to speak colonized in II Kings 17:24. There were practices of idolatry set up. There was a schism of Samaria in the era when Nehemiah was rebuilding the temple; so the Samaritans built their own temple on Mount Gerizim and directed all their worship there. In 130 BC the temple was destroyed but the debate and hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans continued.
Their ideas of worship, and their doctrine were skewed and confused to the point that in many respects they shared some of the beliefs of the Saducees and the belief there was no resurrection; but the differences went far beyond any one element or topic. Who could reach the Samaritans.??
Bear with me but let us go to the OT and Deut 4:15. My point in all this will start to become evident to you as we proceed." Take ye therefore "good" heed unto yourselves for ye saw no manner of similtude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire vs.16 lest ye corrupt yourselves and make you a graven image, the similtude of any figure, the likeness of male or female vs 17,18,19. or beast, fowl, creepeth things, fish,sun, moon, stars. vs 18 and lest thou lift up thine eyes unto the heavens, shouldest be driven to worship ( all the hosts of heaven ) them,which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven ( heavenly hosts were divided , angels, seraphim, cherubs unto each nation and the Lord did not want these worshipped ).
The reason that God was so explicit in His commands to not worship all the above was that He knew He was an obscure God. When He would appear in the fire or on the mountain top at a distance the people were afraid and could not relate to Him.Worship, if you will had it's hands tied behind it's back; but God has placed in us all a desire to worship and if worship is not centerd aroud him then emptiness results.Make no mistake. Every man worships. To one he may worship a 57 Chevy, to another his stock portfolio, to another a lake house, to another his business, to another a buddah, or an object. But let us see how God proceeded with His plan by asking a woman for a drink of water.
The Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob is a well known story. I will not go into all the details . Christ asks her for a drink. Knowing He was a Jew she asks why He would want to ask anything of her.He offers her living water. She misses the point and observes that he has nothing to draw water with.He offers her living water and so that she will never thirst again. She admits she would like some of "that" water. Christ points out 5 failed marriages and a live in situation.
The womans response is awe inspiring, and thought provoking-- she says are you a prophet, our fathers worshipped in this mountain and ye say that Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
My obvious question to you sir is why did the woman change the subject,away from the fact she had five failed marriages.I'll tell you. It was a touchy subject. She had failed to find happiness and fulfillment in life. It was too painful to even contemplate for her and did Christ press the issue. Of course not. He loved her and only wanted to help her.
Now,was it an accident she switched the topic to worship.She thought she would switch the topic and played right into the hand of God. What does worship and failed relationships have in common. EVERYTHING
John 4:22 Christ tells her"ye worship ye know not what". The whole region would not worship in Jerusalem. The temple on the Mount Gerizim had been destroyed 150 years earlier. Christ tells her vs. 23 But the hour is cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth for the father seeketh such to worship Him.God is a spirit and they must worship Him in spirit and in truth.
She ran off ,left her water pot, brought the town back to Jacob's well, Christ stayed two days and salvation was brought to the Samaritins. But at the moment of salvation what is restored ? Our relationship with Christ. Our worship in Christ. True worship. Worship in Spirit. Worship in Truth. What is worship. It is relationship. A personal understanding of God and who we worship.
Not veiled and hidden or reserved but true worship and God seeks all such to worship Him. Does He need our worship. God forbid. But He does desire it deeply, He longs for the relationship between you and Him to be meaningfully and solidly established. You are worshipping something right now. Are you happy and joyful and contented? If not would you worship Christ your Lord and Savoir. Would you let God reserve a place for you at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
In Christ.....gregor |
