To Sin or Not to Sin
Mark 6:14-32
14 And King Herod heard of it, for His name had become well known; and people were saying, "John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him." 15 But others were saying, "He is Elijah." And others were saying, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old." 16 But when Herod heard of it, he kept saying, "John, whom I beheaded, has risen!" 17 For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." 19 Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so; 20 for Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him. 21 A strategic day came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his lords and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee; 22 and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you." 23 And he swore to her, "Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you; up to half of my kingdom." 24 And she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist." 25 Immediately she came in a hurry to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." 26 And although the king was very sorry, yet because of his oaths and because of his dinner guests, he was unwilling to refuse her. 27 Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and had him beheaded in the prison, 28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about this, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb.30 The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. 31 And He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while." (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) 32 They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.
The Law of Moses was given by the LORD to the people of Israel so that the people could live with high morals and ethics. During the prophet's times, the LORD would send messages to Israel and Judea's leadership through prophets. The prophets' common thread is that the government officials, especially the kings, did not appreciate the LORD's message. So, they killed the messenger. The time of the prophets was several hundred years before the birth of John the Baptist. It is the LORD who determines the time of events and people and not humans. The LORD decided to send a prophet and the Messiah at the same time. Herod Antipas should have listened to John as opposed to murdering him
Herod Antipas hid his repentance behind his royal position. He owned the power on Earth to do what he wanted to in Galilee. He must have forgotten that the LORD sees the sin of Israel's leaders and takes action. Herod Antipas was known for his extravagant parties and loose morality. Each person must determine if one is going to follow the Laws of Moses. Living by the Laws of Moses leads to a life of high character and outstanding ethics. This is a blessing to the LORD and is treated as treasures in Heaven.
The question of morals and ethics is a question that sometimes you will have to answer. Morals and ethics do change as society changes. Some changes are for the best, while others are not. The Laws of Moses, the Torah, is from the LORD and should never change. However, society does implement laws that violate the Torah. Well, let us wait just a moment and contemplate that statement.
Is it a violation of the Torah if society allows an act that appears to be against the Torah, or is it that the Torah is being misinterpreted? There have been some significant changes to society in the United States over the past few decades that some consider being against the Bible. At the same time, other people see the Bible endorsing the acts. Both cannot be right, or can they? Progressive attitudes towards the Bible are that it is an outdated document that was wonderful for the past but is not for today.
The Torah from the LORD is the blueprint for the Universe and is never outdated. There are sections of the Bible that do not apply to us today. For example, the animal sacrifice system was executed at the Temple of Jerusalem. The day of the animal sacrifice for the atonement of sin no longer exists. If you examine the Temple's destruction at Jerusalem in 70 CE being a God-driven event, then the LORD negated that part of the Torah.
Notice I said that the LORD negated a part of His Law that He gave to Moses. Therefore, it is correct that the animal sacrifice laws do not have to be followed. The Torah can be understood in today's world. The Torah must be applied to one's life if one wants to live a life pleasing to the LORD.
It would help if you accepted that humans are very good at sinning. The LORD built into the Torah and thus the Universe the solution to sin. Repentance is the solution. The Torah describes how repentance and forgiveness of sin works. Humans should be thankful to the LORD for adding this feature to the Universe.
That does not mean you can go out and sin all you can and ask for forgiveness. There is a difference between intentional sin and mistaken actions that are sinful. A person must strive to live a good life without sin. When sin enters, it can be resolved through repentance. The LORD is love, grace, and peace. He waits to forgive us. Why not take advantage of the repentance that is offered through the Torah.
May the LORD bless you in your learning and studying of His Word.
