GOD DISCRIMINATES
Exodus 11:5-7 “But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue . . . that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.”
Psalm 118:6 “The Lord is on my side. . . .” (Does this mean “literally” or is this just “figurative”?)
89:20-23 “And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.”
John 17:6-20 “I pray for them: I pray not for the world. . . .”
GODLINESS REQUIRES MEN TO DISCRIMINATE:
(1) In Fellowship
Romans 12:10 “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another. . . .”
1st Timothy 5:17 “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour. . . .”
Λ v. 21 “I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.”
[That is, you are to discriminate equally in this way and for this reason without being influenced by any other factors.]
Psalm 26:4-5 “I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.”
Λ 119:63 “I am companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.” (Goodbye, Ecumenicals!)
(John 8:42-47 “He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”)
Proverbs 9:6 “Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.”
Ezra 9:13-14 “Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us. . . ?”
2nd Corinthians 6:14-18 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness. . . ?”
Symbolic Examples of God’s Hatred of Unequal Mixture
Deuteronomy 22:9 “Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.”
v. 10 “Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.”
v. 11 “Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together.”
1st Timothy 6:3-5 “Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds . . . from such withdraw thyself.”
Matthew 12:30 “He that is not with me is against me. . . .”
1st John 3:10-14 “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil. . . . He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”
QUESTION: How can you know who loves the children of God and who doesn’t?
ANSWER: 1st John 5:2 “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.”
(2) In Financial Dealings
Deuteronomy 23:19-20 “Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not. . . .”
24:10-13 “When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee.”
(3) Between Men and Women
1st Timothy 2:14 “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.”
1st Corinthians 11:3 “But I would have you know, that . . . the head of the woman is the man. . . .”
1st Peter 3:1-6 “. . . ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands. . . .”
EXAMPLES:
1st Corinthians 11:4 “Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.”
v. 5 “But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head. . . .”
v. 14 “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?”
v. 15 “But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her. . . .”
Deuteronomy 22:5 “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God .”
(4) Between Adults and Children
Exodus 20:12 “Honour thy father and thy mother. . . .”
Colossians 3:20 “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.”
(Exodus 21:18-21 “a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey . . . the men of his city shall stone him. . . .”)
Proverbs 23:12-14 “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.”
Exodus 21:15 “And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.”
Proverbs 22:15 “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”
Ecclesiastes 11:10 “. . . for childhood and youth are vanity.”
2nd Kings 2:23-24 “. . . there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked [Elisha]. . . .”
Leviticus 19:32 “Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man. . . .”
GODLINESS DOES NOT ALLOW YOUR OWN KIND OF DISCRIMINATION IN JUDGMENT:
Exodus 23:6 “Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.”
QUESTION: Does this mean you should give special consideration to the poor in judgment?
ANSWER: Leviticus 19:15 “Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.”
Deuteronomy 1:16-17 “Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great. . . .”
16:18-19 “Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons. . . .”
24:17 “Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless. . . .”
Proverbs 24:23-25 “These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.”
Exodus 22:21-24 “Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.”
[Worldly judges have respect for people who have power, connections, friends, and money.]
GODLINESS DOES NOT ALLOW DISCRIMINATION BY ANY UNGODLY CRITERIA:
(1) Wealth: James 2:1-9 “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.”
(Some people say, “ There’s two kinds of people in the world: people with money — and people without money.”)
(James 5:1-9 “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.”)
QUESTION: Why would a “pastor” prefer the company of men who will not be part of the kingdom of heaven?
ANSWER: Because he’s a hireling, he loves filthy lucre, and he has set his affection on things of this earth!
Romans 12:16 “Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate.”
Proverbs 28:20-22 “To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.”
(2) Peer Loyalty:
Galatians 2:11-14 “But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.”
[When you’re wrong, you’re wrong, and it doesn’t even matter if you’re an apostle.]
(3) “Family” Loyalty
Matthew 12:46-50 “But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?”
QUESTION: What about “Honour thy father and thy mother. . . .”
ANSWER: [One Truth can be more weighty than another.] (See: “It Depends” bible study.)
[See: Isaiah 42:8 “I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another. . . .”