The Boy Scouts of America are being pressured by today’s perverse society to renounce their long-standing policy and allow sodomites to join. This would not even be a consideration if this organization were still truly righteous. If they change their policy to accommodate homosexuals, they will find themselves fulfilling King Solomon’s proverb:
Like a trampled spring and a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked. (Proverbs 25:26)
Just keep your mouth shut!
I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve witnessed this proverb in action. Whenever an allegedly Christian politician makes a Biblical stand, the media monsters jump on him, challenging his right to do so or accusing him of bigotry, or gay bashing, or whatever happens to be his politically incorrect position at the time. And instead of holding to his convictions, he falls all over himself, capitulating, and thereby fawning at the feet of the wicked. I’ve witnessed pastors and ministry leaders do the same.
How many times I have said to myself: “Thanks a lot! Why didn’t you just keep your big mouth shut?” If we’re not prepared to act upon our convictions regardless the persecution, we’re better off not taking a righteous stand at all. Otherwise, we end up fulfilling Christ’s description in Revelation 3:15-16 of being nauseatingly lukewarm. Such groveling is indicative of salt that’s lost its savor and puts you under the foot of wicked (Matthew 5:13). Not only does the waffler get trampled in the process, so does the reputation of all Christians.
The Fear of Yahweh
At the root of such equivocation is the fear of man. We are commanded numerous times in Old and New Testaments alike to fear only Yahweh1:
Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which Yahweh your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them … all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.… And Yahweh commanded us … to fear Yahweh our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive…. (Deuteronomy 6:1-2, 24)
The command to fear Yahweh is a statute under the First Commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” To fear man or anything else is to make whoever or whatever we fear a god above Yahweh.
Not only is the fear of Yahweh the beginning of knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10), it is fundamental to our acceptance of Him as our god. Fear is a potent catalyst. Whom a person fears is almost always whom he obeys, and obedience is the principle criterion for identifying a person’s god. Thus Yahweh demands we fear only Him:
…Yahweh commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel … saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them: But Yahweh … him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice. (2 Kings 17:34-36)
We are repeatedly commanded not to fear men, men’s words, men’s governments, men’s courts, or any other man-made entity:
The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in Yahweh shall be safe. (Proverbs 29:25)
…Yahweh spoke to me with mighty power and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, “You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’ In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, and you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. It is Yahweh of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread.” (Isaiah 8:11-13)
Hearken unto me [Yahweh], ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. (Isaiah 51:7)
…be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words … nor be dismayed at their looks…. (Ezekiel 2:6)
…fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him [Yahweh] which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [geena]. (Matthew 10:28)
Composure allays great offenses
King Solomon provided an important reason why Christians should not fear even despots:
If the ruler’s temper rises against you, do not abandon your position, because composure allays great offenses. (Ecclesiastes 10:4)
Paul described the absence of fear as a “sign of destruction” to Christendom’s enemies:
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ … standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents – which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. (Philippians 1:27-28)
When we kneel in faith before Yahweh, we can stand in faith before kings. Refusing to fear anyone or anything other than Almighty God is a demonstration of faith, and our faith overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
The question is: Will the Boy Scouts overcome or will they pollute their well?
Related posts:
1. YHWH, the English transliteration of the Tetragrammaton, is most often pronounced Yahweh. It is the principal Hebrew name of the God of the Bible and was inspired to appear nearly 7,000 times in the Old Testament. In obedience to the Third Commandment and in honor of His memorial name (Exodus 3:15), and the multitudes of Scriptures that charge us to proclaim, swear by, praise, extol, call upon, bless, glorify, and hold fast to His name, I have chosen to use His name throughout this blog. For a more thorough explanation concerning important reasons for using the sacred name of God, see “The Third Commandment.”
What times are we living in?
More than 30 years ago, I was taught in medical school that the difference between homosexuality and paedophilia was but a matter of availability – I never had reason to question this wisdom.
The “error” of homosexuality, when enacted, constitutes a first commandment transgression [an insult to the image and understanding of the Father and Spirit] with death as wage.
And many will follow their destructive ways: because of whom, the Way of Truth will be blasphemed. … And behold, now they marvel and blaspheme against you, in that you do not burn with passion with them, in that previous excess– (2 Peter 2: 2; 1 Peter 4: 4).
Hypocrites. You know [how] to distinguish the appearance of the earth and of heaven, so how do you not distinguish this time? And as it was in the days of Noach, thus will it
be in the days of the Son of Man (Luke 12: 56; Luke 17: 26).
And have you not even read this Scripture; … Is it not because of this, you err: because
you do not know the Scripture, or, the power [Spirit] of Eloah? (Mark 12: 10; 24).
For the hidden things of Eloah, from the foundations of the world, by His creations; by [His] wisdom, were made evident … and power, and Godhead, which is eternal: that they might be without excuse. Because they knew Eloah, and they did not glorify Him as Eloah, and give thanks to Him: but were made vain in their reasoning, and their heart was darkened, without understanding. And while they were thinking in their nefeshot [‘Soul of
the flesh’] that they were wise, they were fools. And they changed the glory of the incorruptible Eloah, into the likeness of the image of a son of man: who is corruptible, and into the likeness of birds, and of four-footed [animals], and of creeping things of the earth. Because of this, Eloah released them, to the defiled lust of their heart: that they might
dishonor their bodies by them. And they changed the Truth of Eloah into a lie! And they reverenced and served the created, more than their Creator, to whom be our praises, and our blessings forever and ever. Amen.
Because of this, Eloah released them to the passions of shame: for their women changed
the use of their sex, and did that which was not natural. And also their men, thus forsook the use of women, and ran riotously in lust for one another. And man with man, they behaved in disgrace, and the reward that was just, to their error, in themselves, [they] received. And since they had not determined in their nefeshot to know Eloah, Eloah released them to a mind of vanity, that they might do that which is not proper; Being filled with all iniquity, and sexual immorality, and bitterness, and evil, and greed, and envy, and slaughter, and treachery, and deceit, and evil reasoning, And murmuring, and slander. And [they are] haters of Eloah: insolent, prideful, boasters, inventors of evil, mindless, who are not obedient to their parents, And who have no stability, and no love, nor tranquility, and no tenderness. [They are] those who, although they know the judgment of Eloah (that those who act like these, He condemns to death), not only do these, but also fellowship with those who do them. (Rom 1: 20 – 32)
And ELOHIM [pleural] said, `Let Us make Adam in Our image, according to Our likeness [to be like / resemble in form, souls and spirit], … And ELOHIM [pleural] prepared Adam in Our image; in the image of ELOHIM [pleural] We prepared him, male and female We prepared them. And ELOHIM blessed them, and ELOHIM said to them, `Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth,…(Gen.1:26 – 28)
HEAR, O YISRA’EL: YHWH [,] OUR ELOHIM, [and] YHWH IS ONE [the Father, the Spirit and the Son are a complex ‘family’ unity]. And you shall love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might [in spirit, souls and flesh](Deut 6: 4 – 5). I am YHWH your Elohim [an absolute unique unity, manifesting in three individualities, with male and female spiritual aspects], … You shall have no other gods
before Me (Ex.20:2-3).
And this lust conceives, and bears sin: and sin, when it is completed, bears death (Jacob 1: 15).
And with many other words, he [Peter] testified to them and entreated them while saying, Live apart from this perverse generation (Acts 2:40). [Jacob:] For the service that is pure and Set-Apart before Eloah the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their afflictions, and to keep a man’s nefesh without spot from the world (Jacob 1: 27). But, my brothers, be patient until the coming of YHWH: as the husbandman who waits for the precious fruit of his ground, and is patient for them until he receives the early and
latter rain. Thus also be patient and establish your hearts: for the coming of our Adon draws nigh (Jacob 7: 7-8).
wow this is crazy… like it or not the capitals of the earth have all become corrupt, they are festering pools of iniquty. and they like it that way they have masked themselves in outward beauties look how much attantion there is on health, be strong be sexy, be this ,be that.
it is a carnivoruos carnival, pick yer poison.
It is good to not belong, yes by not belonging you may have to get your own food and shelter out in a cave somewhere but thats not a bad thing.
Jesus said that if we’re not willing to lose everything to follow Him, we cannot be His disciples. Losing everything covers a lot of ground: possessions, family, reputation, freedom, life, etc., but this isn’t a question of degree, it’s one of commitment.
I believe Scripture teaches that evil is exposed so that it can be destroyed. I see this as just one more example of that evil being brought out of the dark and into the light to be seen for what it really is.
Evil cannot restrain itself. It always overreaches in its desire to control everything and everyone. Eventually it will go too far and God, working in history through His people, will do whatever is necessary to cleanse the land. Unfortunately, this will be a very difficult and dangerous time for everyone. It will be hard. It will get ugly. Some of us, even though we are Christians, probably will not make it through to the other side.
We have no reason to shrink back, though. Instead we should be pressing in more and more, seeing the trouble in the present but looking beyond it to the future. “And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” (Rev. 12:11)
This is not ‘pie in the sky’ theology. Jesus Christ is not coming back to bail us out of the mess we’re in. He is going to give us what we need to stand and deliver, but only if we don’t give up. We cannot give up. No matter what it costs us, we dare not quit.
Everything goes wrong just right!
I must share that word with Barbara. She says the same thing all the time, just not in those words. It is perfect.
That is it, Roger….. your last paragraph. The world, and perhaps especially Americans, seem to have assumed a “bailout” mentality. If not bailout, escape. Many Christians are standing in the station waiting for the Heaven train. Waiting. They are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good. I agree, Roger, never surrender. “Put on the whole armor of God.” Pick up your sword and fight.
Ted, Thank you for an unflinching commentary on this pathetic situation. The BSA leadership has been taken over by big-money, corporate-minded interests. They will probably kneel before Baal. It saddens me. I had a long tenure as a Scout and assistant scout leader.
This was a very useful read for me. There is a point to this explanation: I keep an assortment of text files in a folder to save quotes and references in for future use. When I find good ones in my reading, I just copy and paste to save them for later attributions. I can find quotes by category quickly, rather than spending huge amount of time on independent searches.
This, as always from Ted, was so rich in relevant Scripture quotes that I saved several. They were all relevant to being “strong” in the face of the enemy. (reminder to self: the deceiver is the enemy, not the deceived).
In short, Ted lets Scripture do the talking. Thanks.
The BSA has fought this off before – let’s support them when they fight for what is right. Let those of us who believe God and hold Him as our first and only authority, support those who are also in this battle, though they may not always move in a manner or speed which we believe they should, remember that they are being hit in their weak areas, as we also often find ourselves hit in our weakness – not in our strengths. That is the manner of warfare – especially from this immoral enemy: it is their nature. If we will not support the BSA’s fight to sustain righteousness, then who will, and are we then supporting the enemies of God by default – ‘may it never be’.
Please , do not let our internal discussion on BSA’s methods, motives and pace, EVER be confused with not supporting those who support righteousness.
“… Physically Strong, Mentally Awake and Morally Straight.” – The Scout Law
I believe that says it rather clearly. Let’s support the BSA in defending one of the LAST bastions of guiding & training boys into true manhood.
– Ray
Ray, thanks for joining the discussion. Yes, let’s support them in their righteousness and encourage them toward overcoming this latest onslaught. At the same time, if they choose to buckle under to the sodomite agenda, it must be exposed for what it is.
Oh – Absolutely Ted! Praising sin only breeds more sin, like cutting loose the anchor – and brings about the inevitable punishment for sin. Especially worse, when such praise comes from those who KNOW better. -Ray
According to MSN (pro-sodomite) and the Dallas News, they’ve already dropped the ban on sodomite scout-leaders.
Ted, my gut feeling is that the Boy Scouts will cave at the top. There is an enormous amount of political and social pressure bearing on this. I expect that the Scouts will follow the pattern of the mainline churches. The organization will give in to the homosexual lobby, but it will cause a rift within the ranks. Whether this will be enough to collapse the Scouts or not remains to be seen.
Unfortunately, if the top brass “pollutes their well”, the full weight and fury of the issue will descend on local troops, most of whom will not be able to withstand. At that point parents are the ones who will make the final decision–either send their boys to be potentially exposed to blatant homosexuality or pull them out completely. We may actually see a rival organization started.
In a very real way, this situation is similar to education. Parents are pulling their kids out of the State schools in droves and resorting to a different method of teaching–homeschooling. You can see the parallels if you want to. The fact that parents are willing to sacrifice themselves to educate their kids may mean that they are willing to do what is necessary to protect those kids. Let’s hope so.
Yes, amen!
“Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.”
(Barnes’ commentary)
“And tried – Tried as in a furnace; that is, they will be subjected to persecutions, and to various other forms of suffering, that will test the strength of their faith, and the nature of their religion. This language, also, is of a general character, and would in itself apply to the times of Antiochus, but it is also fitted to describe what would occur in other ages.”
“And none of the wicked shall understand – This, also, is a general declaration. It means, that none of the wicked would understand the import of these prophecies, or the true nature of religion. Their depravity of heart would prevent it; their purpose to lead a wicked life would so cloud their understandings, and pervert their moral judgments, that they would have no correct appreciation of the government of God, . . “
Steven, welcome. I’m pleased you’ve joined the discussion.
Thanks Ted, for the scriptural reminder of whom shall we fear!
Ken, welcome aboard. Yes, we should fear only Yahweh. We need to be reminded constantly of that, and Ted does a great job in exhorting us to fear Yahweh, not man. We can indeed pray that the BSA will do the right thing, and purge their Board of Directors of ANY member who would suggest “bending the knee” to the god of sodomy. I am not optimistic, considering the agenda is even being debated. I pray that I’m wrong, and that the BSA will stay the course.
Ken, you’re very welcome. I’m pleased you’ve joined us in these discussions. Blessings!
Both GSA and BSA are capitulating. BSA has stood the longest. I surmise both orgs are too big to avoid this.