As you know, storms ripped through the south last night. We hope
and pray none of you suffered loss, especially loss of the life of
a loved one.

I truly enjoy storms; they have fascinated me from childhood. In
the US Air Force I was a weather forecaster. It was a thrill to get
to work, witness, and analyze weather systems. It always reminded
me of the awesome power of "nature," which is to say the awesome
power of God. He made the earth and its atmosphere. He made the sun
that drives our weather.

Though man has advanced in many ways and has developed better ways
of coping with the elements, he still has no power to control them.
Where is the technology to stop a tornado or hurricane? Not even a
nuclear bomb would have stopped Katrina.

Anyway, the power of God is amazing. We need to respect it.
Too, times like last night, with dozens of people being killed, remind
us to be ready for death at any moment. Life is fragile; it is a vapor
(Jas. 4:13-15).

*****
David's Other Sin

A reader asks, "Did David sin when he ate the showbread (Matt.
12:1-8)? Please explain Jesus' teaching in this passage."

This passage is disputed by some very knowledgeable men and should
be examined with care. For my part, I answer "yes," David did sin.
Let me explain and see if you agree or disagree.

The Pharisees believed Jesus' disciples were committing sin by
plucking and eating grain on the Sabbath. The Lord responds by
citing David's actions in 1 Samuel 21. His statement is, "how he
entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful
for him to eat..." (Matt. 12:4). That, to me, is a direct
condemnation of David's actions. His point would be, then, that the
Pharisees did not condemn David for his unlawful action, but did
condemn the disciples for doing what was lawful.

The Lord's second illustration approaches the argument from another
angle. He cites the labor of priests on the Sabbath to show that
"work" in and of itself is not prohibited, but only a certain type
of work (Matt. 12:5)--just like when Jesus points out that getting a
sheep or oxen out of the ditch on the Sabbath was not sinful.
Plucking grain and eating it as one walked through a field was not
restricted by the Sabbath law.

Jesus said the Pharisees should not be so restrictive and quoted
Hosea 6:6, "If desire mercy and not sacrifice." God did not mean
skip the sacrifice and show mercy. Rather, the idea is sacrifice
does not supersede mercy. The Pharisees thought that be sacrificing
more--extending the Sabbath law beyond its original intent--they were
more pleasing to God. Not so. They should have "cut some slack" to
the disciples who were doing nothing wrong. They were being
hypercritical.

Finally, Jesus stated that He ought to know what He is talking
about since He is greater than the temple and "Lord even of the
Sabbath" (Matt. 12:6, 8). Since He gave the law to start with, He
knows how to apply it properly.

Let's suppose for a moment Jesus' comments about David actually
justify his eating of the showbread because of his immediate, basic
need. If that is so, then what other law of God can be suspended
based on our needs? When does a need become sufficient enough to
justify setting aside the law of Christ? May we rob our neighbor if
we no longer can afford to pay the grocery bill? Is Christ
declaring that as the Lord of the Sabbath He can set aside the Law
of Moses at will? Certainly not.

*****
The countdown for the new web site is underway. It will be soon.
The drawing for the prizes for those on the email list will take
place in the next couple of weeks. I will let you know the exact
date beforehand and then announce the winners in this newsletter.
Thank you for continuing to send your friends our way. Please let
folks know about this newsletter. Forward this email and send them
to:

www.PlainFaith.net

All the best,

Steven