Job 24:13: “They are those who rebel against the light, they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.”

 

Titus 1:15: “Unto the pure all things are pure but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure but even their mind and conscience are defiled.”

 

Titus was most likely a gentile who accompanied Paul to Jerusalem and some dogmatic Jews insisted that Titus be circumcised but Paul would not allow it because of principle.  To do otherwise would suggest that all non-circumcised Jews would be second class Christians.

 

It was very difficult for many Jews who became Christians to accept instruction from a Gentile.  After all, they were the people of God, circumcised, a separate holy people who grew up in the faith of Jehovah and along comes this unholy, unclean Gentile who tries to organize the church and choose a leader for the church. I could see many well robed, educated, pious, religious, law keeping men lining up for the job of bishop and Paul warns Titus to choose only those who are lovers of men, good reputation, having one wife etc. The only spiritual requirement is that they be of sound doctrine (Titus 1:7-9).  Paul is not looking to one’s educational credentials, position of rank, or popularity or even popular teachings because in verse 10 we learn there are many unruly, vain talkers and deceivers out there who seek such a position of power over the church.

 

Christians play many games; I think one game Paul is referring to is WYHBACALAM (When you have been a Christian as long as me).  Paul is telling Titus to seek out a mature believer to be a bishop.  I believe Paul realizes that maturity as a believer does not necessarily have anything to do with the length of time someone has been a believer.  In fact some believers who have been a Christian for many years, followed the law, lived a righteous life can be very immature in their attitude toward other believers as Titus discovered when the circumcised Jews started to criticize him for not being circumcised.

 

I cannot help but read the writings of Paul and wonder if he, at times, was not thinking: “Father, don’t forgive them for they know darn well what they are doing.” I recall as a student in Bible College we had a student that was very popular, handsome, had a lot of charisma. He was held up by the school faculty and administration as a great example and was highly respected for his walk with God. He was easily elected the student body president.  He was continually being called upon by the President of the college to pray and address the student body. He was the pride of the Bible College. I recall in one address he exhorted us to live a pure and holy life. He was one who appeared to truly walk the walk and talked the talk.  Yet, there was an undercurrent of students who had been shamed by this mature popular example of Christianity. I was one such person.  I wanted to serve as a leader for a prayer group but the class president vetoed the idea or forbid it because I had shown to be a rebel. You see, one very strict rule at the time was male students could not have their hair touch their collar. This was the day of the hippies and we were supposed to come out and be different. Never mind the fact that our founder whose picture hung in a prominent section of the school had a beard and long hair.  Still I was stopped in the hall one day by the dean and class president and told to get a haircut. I did but I told the barber to give me a haircut so only he and I knew I had a haircut.  Next day I was stopped by the two Gestapos and I found myself back in the barber’s chair asking for a haircut such that only he, I, the dean and the class president knew I had a haircut.  However, this little misunderstanding labeled me a rebel and since the class president had the final word on who led prayer groups, I was deemed not submissive and spiritual enough to lead a prayer group.

 

Two weeks after being black balled to lead a prayer group our beloved class president missed curfew and the dean found him drunker than Noah after the flood. The next day he appeared in chapel to address the student body for one last time. This time it was with an apology and a good bye as he had been expelled from the college. All the time he stood in judgment over me for not making things clear with the local barber, he was out getting himself soused.

 

Sometimes we think some of these verses, like Job 24:13 apply to someone who is completely pagan, low life, and a sinner. Actually such a verse could apply to a Bible College class president or to you and yes, even to someone who plays around with an archaic rule in a Bible College about hair length.

 

Job 24:13 which says that we could be rebelling against the light and know not the ways thereof.  You see the word used for know in the Hebrew in this verse is naka. This is not your standard word for knowing although it can mean this but in Job 24:13 it is used in a Hiphal form which means they are being caused to not know.  In fact in the Hiphal form this word, when put into a construct form with the word Lo (not), would more appropriately be rendered pretend. In other words we could translate this as they are pretending to know the ways thereof and the paths thereof.  Who are these people who pretend to know the way?  It is someone who really knows the light but rebels against the light and pretends to walk in the light for purposes of personal gain, to win favor with others, impress others with their piety, which hold themselves up to high spiritual standards while secretly enjoying some carnal pleasure.

 

Unfortunately, like in the time of Titus, there are those today who are supposedly the most mature believers, the ones with all the credentials and the education who sometimes can be the guiltiest of pretending to walk in the light.

 

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