Compromising is not always a
bad thing. It depends on the subject matter, the parties
involved and I’m sure
other factors that may need to be considered. So I will not say that
compromising is always the wrong thing to do. For example, a good marriage
always involves compromises in many situations.
However, when it comes to our
relationship to God and His Holy Word the Bible, we cannot compromise. I do emphasize
that our stance must be in line with the Bible and not just our own misguided
opinion.
I believe one of the greatest
failures of the church today is its compromising with the world. Instead of the
church going out into the world evangelizing, the world has come in to the
church and spread corruption. This has occurred basically because the churches
have compromised God’s Word.
There is an old saying, “If a
man will not stand for something, he will fall for anything.” Martin Luther
King, Jr., made it even stronger by saying, “If a man has not discovered
something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.”
There are many accounts in
the Bible, and throughout history for that matter, of men and women who stood
firmly upon the Holy Word of God and would not give an inch, often at the
forfeiture of their own life. How many of us today have the same tenacity to
cling to what God says, regardless of the cost? Obviously those folks are still
among us, but they are few in number.
Not everyone who claims the
name of Jesus knows Him as Savior and Lord. Satan has slithered into many of
the churches and whispered compromising lies in the ears of most of the
so-called leadership. Most of the flock has been so dumbed-down; they have no
clue of what is from God and what is from man, because they take what is said
as ‘gospel’, never searching the Scriptures; “Well, the preacher says so, so it
must be true.” Again, it is largely a result of compromising our Lord’s Word.
Moses is a man we are all
familiar with and also a good example, among many others, of one who would not
compromise what God had told him. You recall that God brought ten plagues upon
Pharaoh and the Egyptians for refusing to let Israel go and serve God in the
wilderness. During these plagues Pharaoh tried five times to persuade Moses to
compromise.
These are the 10 Plagues on
Egypt and where they are located in Scripture.
1.
Blood: Exodus
7:14f
2.
Frogs: Exodus
8:1f
3.
Gnats: Exodus
8:16f
4.
Flies: Exodus
8:20f
5.
On Livestock: Exodus 9:1f
6.
Boils: Exodus
9:8f
7.
Hail: Exodus
9:13f
8.
Locusts: Exodus
10:1f
9.
Darkness: Exodus
10:21f
10. Death to Firstborn: Exodus 11:1f
Opportunity to Compromise #1:
After the fourth plague of
flies Pharaoh says to Moses, “Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land.”
(Exodus 8:25)
Pharaoh said in effect,
“Sure, sacrifice to your God, but you must do so here, not in the wilderness.”
Moses rejected this compromise, because that is not what God said.
Satan says to professing
Christians today, “You can have your cake and eat it too. The world has
changed. You can worship God, and still enjoy all the world has to offer. Claim
Christ, but you really don’t have to change anything in your life. You’re a
good person, and God won’t mind at all.”
Unfortunately, unlike Moses,
most today have decided to remain in Egypt and worship with Pharaoh, perhaps
thinking that to compromise is the Christian thing to do.
Opportunity to Compromise #2:
Again after the fourth plague
of flies Pharaoh says in Exodus 8:28, “I will let you go to offer sacrifices to
the Lord your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far.”
So now, Pharaoh is saying,
“Okay, you may sacrifice to your God, and since you will not do so here, I will
let you go into the wilderness, but you can’t go very far.”
Moses has already told
Pharaoh they must go a three days journey into the wilderness to worship their
God. Not going very far is not in compliance with God’s Word, so Moses rejects
Pharaoh’s compromise.
There are also those
professing Christians who are like Lot’s wife. They have left their former life,
but they longingly look back with a fond remembrance of all they enjoyed in
Egypt. Sooner or later (most likely sooner) they will be drawn back to Egypt
because they decided to serve two masters, but what does Jesus say about that?
“No one can serve two
masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be
devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. “
(Matthew 6:24)
Opportunity to Compromise #3:
After the seventh plague of
hail Pharaoh has this to say to Moses, “Go, worship the Lord your God,” he
said, “But tell me who will be going.” (Exodus 10:8)
Moses has already told
Pharaoh who is going. God said that all of Israel will be leaving. There is no
need to name names. This is a waste of time and just a ploy to get Moses mind
off his reason for being there.
Satan tries his best, and
often succeeds, to draw the unsuspecting professing Christian into a dialogue.
Why do so many think they can have a discussion with that old serpent and win?
Moses let God do his talking, then left it at that. We should do the same.
Opportunity to Compromise #4:
Again, after the seventh
plague of hail, Pharaoh offers up another compromise, “No! Have only the men go
and worship the Lord, since that’s what you have been asking for.” (Exodus
10:11)
Now Pharaoh is trying to
twist what God has said through Moses. God has never said that just the men are
to leave, He said all of Israel is to leave. Moses again rejects Pharaoh.
“Maybe it would be okay to
just have a ‘boy’s night out’ and leave the women and children home. We could
get a break from the ‘little woman’ and the noisy young’uns and have a nice
quiet worship time.” Moses didn’t think so, because that again, is not what God
required. How often are families broken up during worship time, each going
their own way, when they should be worshipping God together, as a unit?
Opportunity to Compromise #5:
After the ninth plague of
darkness Pharaoh comes up with one more compromise. He says, “Go, worship the
Lord. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and
herds behind.” (Exodus 10:24)
Notice that the first two
times Pharaoh brought up these ridiculous compromises he referred to
“sacrifices,” but the last three times he changed it to “worship.” Regardless,
how are the Israelites going to worship without sacrificing, and how are they
going to sacrifice without their livestock?
All of that doesn’t matter
anyway. None of this complies with God’s Word. Therefore, Moses rejects Pharaoh
again.
This reminds me of countless
times I have been in a worship service and noticed that almost no one was
carrying a Bible. Would somebody tell me how we can worship God without a
Bible? It can’t be done! Yet, in most ‘worship’ services today, the Word of God
is only an afterthought, and after hearing the watered down, tasteless dribble
coming from the pulpit, it is obvious the speaker isn’t interested in the Word
either.
Each time Moses had an
opportunity to compromise God’s Word, but he stood strong on the Word of God
against Pharaoh. All Israel, after the tenth plague, left Egypt and went to the
wilderness. Our problem today is comparable to those who wanted to return to Egypt.
However, those who will not compromise would rather be with God in the
wilderness than with Pharaoh in Egypt. Who is your God? Is Pharaoh your god, or
is God your God? It is way past time for many to get off the fence.
God is telling us in the
following Scriptures that we must not compromise Him or His Word.
“The LORD had said to Abram,
“Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I
will show you.” (Genesis 12:1)
“Separate yourselves from
this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.” (Numbers 16:21)
“Then Ezra the priest stood
up and said to them, “… Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and
from your foreign wives.” (Ezra 10:10-11)
“Do not be yoked together
with unbelievers ... Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the
Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” And, “I will be a Father
to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (2
Corinthians 6:14, 17-18)
“Then I heard another voice
from heaven say: “ ‘Come out of her, my people,’so that you will not share in
her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are
piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.” (Revelation 18:4-5)
The churches today are
overrun with sin that flows from the pulpit to the pews and back. There is
little if any interest in what God says, and in living for Him as one who is
holy (set apart). Only a few have traveled to the wilderness as Moses and Paul
(Galatians 1:15-18). Most have remained in Egypt, and in Egypt they will die.
Grant Phillips
Email: grantphillips@windstream.net
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html
