Exodus 35:5 (KJV) The Farmer’s Faith

Exodus 35:5 (KJV)
Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,

I once knew a man who had pastored a church in a Midwestern farming community. This man was a believer in the black and white nature of the Bible. If the Bible says it, we are to obey it without question or hesitation.  I agree by the way.

In this man’s case, his trouble came during harvest season. The Bible taught the Jews that they were to take the Sabbath off, even during harvest. This preacher just could not abide a farmer who would harvest on Sundays. He had church members, even leading ones, who harvested seven days a week for the two or three weeks it takes to get crops in. Either the farmer was going to get right or the preacher was going to be gone. The preacher left, never, to my knowledge, to pastor again.

How is it possible to reconcile the inerrant and black and white nature of God’s Word with patiently ministering to those we see as disobeying the Bible?

Of course there are some things that we would have to stand upon and take whatever are the consequences of our stand. But in many cases we can reconcile the two by looking for the willing heart. Ours is not to force our faith on others but to teach and preach the Bible to them. As they become more exposed to the Word of God, it will have the effect of changing their hearts

• I can’t force a farmer to forsake his fields on Sundays but
• I can teach Him God’s Word and pray he comes to trust God for the harvest while he worships God on Sunday[1]

[1] This principle may be applied to any number of other circumstances.

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Exodus 35:5 (KJV) The Farmer’s Faith

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