Joab's Fire Chapter 18 Does Our Testimony Stand the Test?

When we stand in judgment of a suffering brother (or sister) in the LORD, how will unbelievers view this?

• ungracious?
• hypocritical?
• judgmental?
  

Does how we respond to another's suffering affect our testimony to the unbeliever? Yes.

How did Sergeant Dixon, an unsaved man, respond to Nathaniel's accusations of Joab? He got angry and said, "Enough."

Nathaniel had been listening to gossip and drawing his own conclusions as to why Joab suffered. He assumed Joab was guilty of something, and therefore what Joab suffered was God's judgment.

Nathaniel probably thinks he's helping Joab. His intentions are to get Joab right with God...the problem is he doesn't know for sure Joab was 'wrong' with God to begin with...only assuming it. How often have we done the same?

How often do we twist a situation or something someone says, and determine that person has sinned, or is in someway lacking in knowledge of how to be right with God? Woe is us when we take on the role of superiority, when we think we have a superior knowledge of God over another--especially when we don't know, can never know, all the facts.

In Romans 14:10 Paul writes:

But why doest thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

"Set at nought" means to utterly despise, to find contemptible, to least esteem.

The parable of the praying pharisee and publican in Luke 18:9 "And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others." The Greek word 'despised' in this verse is the same as the one used for 'set at nought'. By the way, who was justified in this parable? The publican.

Romans 14:3 says, "Let not him that eateth despise not him that eateth not: and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth."

I Corinthians 16:11 says, "Let no man therefore despise him: but conduct him forth in peace, that he may come unto me: for I look for him with the brethren." Paul was exhorting the Corinthians to accept Timothy.

Galatians 4:14 says, "And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus."

How do we respond to another's suffering? Maybe they have fallen into temptation through a trial and sorrow because of sin. Our heart toward that person shouldn't be one of condemnation (especially if we do not know that person's heart), because we too are sinners.

What if we do know the sin? Restoration happens when we acknowledge the sin, but look to love that person even as Christ loves us, though we sin.

Yes, a person must repent and sometimes suffer consequences, but with prayer, a watchful eye and a ready hand, we need to be prepared to grasp their hand when they reach out for help out of their sin.

No gossip. That's judging. Just love.

When someone is hurting, whether by someone else's sin or their own or just a trial, they must endure, and we need to watch our reaction.

Come with me to Galatia, a region of Asia Minor. Prior to visiting this region, the Apostle Paul had a sharp dispute with Barnabas regarding John Mark, who had left them on an earlier mission trip.

Paul chose Silas and began his travels. I'm sure he hurt some from the dispute, but God was gracious, and Paul was able to return to some of the cities he'd witnessed in before, confirming the churches. I wonder if people asked, "Where is Barnabas?" And he would have to retell the story. If I were him, it would feel like reopening up a wound every time I would have to tell the story.

Paul finds Timothy, a young man that would become very close to him. I'm certain Timothy was a comfort to Paul.

The apostle then travels to the region of Galatia, north of the cities of Lystra and Derbe and the other places he'd been with Barnabas. Wherever he went, he would deal with opposition. He would deal with people who found fault with his apostleship, questioning whether he truly had the authority to say what he said.

While in Galatia, Paul shares the Gospel and the freedom we have in Christ.

Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all. Galatians 4:12

Paul through infirmity in the flesh, preached to them the Gospel. We don't know what that infirmity was. We can assume by verse 15 that it had something to do with his eyes. Paul expressed how they did not despise the temptation, or trial, he experienced which was in his flesh (verse 14).

When we experience such physical trials we can easily behave in ways we wish not, lashing out in anger out of frustration or pain, not serving another the way we should, and so on.

But Paul said these people of Galatia received him and would have "done anything" to help him.

This was how they responded.

Note: in Galatians 4, Paul is chiding them for allowing themselves to be under bondage again by turning to the observations of "days, and months, times, and years" (v. 10).

In other words, putting themselves back under the law (v. 21), not under grace.

In Romans 14, we read how we are not to judge each other, thus despising our brothers.

The people of Galatia, when the accepted Paul did not despise him, though perhaps because of his physical infirmities they could have. They could have judged those infirmities as a result of Paul not following the law, as the Judaisers would have him do. No, the Galatians esteemed him.

When we judge another we are not esteeming that person. We are holding ourselves above them and often do so because they do not measure up to what we have set up as right and good. We think a Christian shouldn't eat meat and they think they should. We then despise them because they are not agreeing with us.

Paul challenges the Galatians with respect to the setting up of laws as measures of your Christianity...as appeasements to keep in God's good graces. They were being told they had to do this, that, and the other thing. By listening to these legalistic positions, they were despising Paul and what he said. Galatians 4:16 he says, "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?"

He told them they were no longer under the law but free.

When we judge another, we not only are putting that person under the law in our minds, but ourselves as well. (Spend some time reading Matthew 7:1-2).

When Paul was with the Galatians, they did not judge him.

BUT

Others came along and taught them things, putting the Galatians back into captivity, working against Paul's teaching, thus making them to treat Paul like an enemy.

This is what Nathaniel did to Joab. He listened to Abbadon, let the thoughts Abbadon raised ruminate in his heart, and then treated Joab like an enemy.

When we judge a brother or sister, holding them to a standard we have set as 'the sign of a true Christian', we enslave ourselves to that standard. Are we sure this is where we want to be?

Stop judging. Stop gossiping. Stop hinting that the person suffering is somehow a wretched sinner not worthy of grace. Because so is your state.

Better we humble ourselves and act in charity--in love--so that we do not hurt the person we are tempted to judge and despise.

7For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

8For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.

9For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

10But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

11For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

12So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

13Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

Romans 14:7-13