Introduction –
Have you ever heard of
the concept of the sacred cow or sacred bull? No, that’s not referring to lies
being told by a priest. Though I guess you could apply it that way. A sacred
cow or golden calf is a subject or thing which should not be touched, or talked
about or criticized: because it is considered a sacred object.
Slaying sacred cows has
a great and honourable tradition in the Bible and in Christianity. You may even
remember the famous example of Moses literally breaking down a literal golden
calf in the book of Exodus. “He took the calf that they had made and
burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and
made the people of Israel drink it” (Exodus 32:20). He took that
sacred calf down, literally turning a valuable gold stature into excrement.
I bring this up this
morning, because I want to slay a sacred cow. Not necessarily a Christian one,
though many Christians claim it, but a sacred cow that has influenced our
modern culture for at least a couple of centuries now, and is feeding into
every aspect of our lives: the sacred cow I want to slay this morning is the
false god: equality.
Some people might think
that is an overstatement to call equality a false god. But what does a deity
do? A deity brings everything under its own power and influence. It forces
everything to conform to its way of thinking and subsumes everything to its
culture. A deity says: thou shalt come under its particular authority. There is
only one true God, but there are many imposters and equality is one of those
imposters: and though it is a concept, an idea, it acts like a god and has been
working and feeding through every part of our society to make everything else
bow to it, including God’s word.
Because this god of
equality is seeking to overtake our culture, most of us read the Bible through
the lens of equality, most of us just assume equality as a baseline truth, and
most of us think that life should be about making things as equal as possible.
But this way of thinking has gone crazy, and it was always going to, because it
was based on a lie. And I want to demonstrate this today. This might be a hard
message for some of us to hear, but it is important, because this lie has gone
too far, and we need to push back against it, hard, otherwise our culture is in
big trouble.
So, this morning we are
going to get back in Genesis 49 and expand on where I left off last time.
1. Life Isn’t Fair – A couple of weeks
ago I said that equality is a false god. Now I know this is a hard thing for
some people to hear, because equality is the most important thing in our modern
culture, and I only made it a small part of my sermon last week. So, this week I
thought I should go a little bit deeper into the topic. Because 1) It’s an
important part of this passage, 2) it’s an important part of our culture.
1.1 Here is my thesis:
Equality of any form does not exist amongst people. It’s a myth, it’s a
dangerous myth, and it is seeking to overtake our culture in every way and is
causing incredible damage.
1.1.1 Equality only exists in
the Bible, and in everyday life with regards to measures and weights. Two $5
notes are of exactly equal value. Two 3kg bags of potatoes are of equal weight,
but good luck trying to get potatoes of the exact same kind to make those two
bags. That’ll take all day. I know I used to work in a produce department.
1.1.1.1 You’ll find this type of equality in the
Bible: Exodus 30:34 - “The Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices,
stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each
shall there be an equal part)…”
1.1.2 But God is too creative
to care about equality, none of us are the same. God is not concerned with
equality. Genesis 49 highlights this in big neon letters.
1.2 Jacob’s bless his
children differently – Genesis 49:28 - “All these are the tribes of
Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing
each with the blessing suitable to them.” Notice that Jacob, gives
his gifts as he sees fit, and as was suitable to his sons. There is nothing
about equality in what he gave:
1.2.1 To Reuben he gave a
curse - “3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits
of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. 4 Unstable as
water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father's
bed; then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!”
1.2.1.1 Being labelled as unstable as water by your
dad has gotta hurt. Especially if it is true, and it is. Reuben was the only
one to defend Joseph, but he also had sex with his dad’s wife.
1.2.2 To Judah he said – “8
Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your
enemies; your father's sons shall bow down before you…10 The scepter shall not
depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute
comes to him…”
1.2.2.1 Pre-eminence galore Jacob spoke over Judah.
He lifted him up, and he was elevated far above his brothers.
1.2.3 As we saw last time,
some of the boys get great blessings. Some of them get barely even a mention.
As I said a few weeks ago, Jacob set the tone of Israel for all time, when he
lifted up Ephraim and Manasseh over Reuben and Simeon: he made the last first
and the first last. He lifted up the lesser over the greater.
1.2.3.1 But he also is setting the tone for God’s
people: he is showing equality does not exist, and that’s just part of life. If
God is interested in equality, why doesn’t he make us all the same?
1.3 As I said last week:
“life isn’t fair, didn’t your mumma tell you?”
1.3.1 But it is not really
fair to make that case just on an observation from one passage. Is this
teaching consistent in the Bible? Today I want to show that it is consistent,
and why this is important.
2. What the Bible says
about equality – The Bible consistently makes a mockery of the idea of
equality all the way through.
2.1 Genesis 2 – Right from the
start the Bible is not interested in equality, but hierarchy and structure.
This is how the trinity expressed itself, and this is how God’s creation is
supposed to express itself – Genesis 2:23 – “Then
the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she
shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” In the
ancient world, and even today, the fact that Adam had the authority to name is
a symbol of authority. It’s why the western tradition has always been that the
woman takes the man’s name. Pharaoh Neco renamed one of the kings of Judah,
because he had that authority. Alexander the Great names cities after himself
because he could.
2.1.1 Also, in the ancient
world the one who was first was prominent and had the higher authority. This is
still true today, the Prime Minister is the minister with the most authority.
Prime means of first importance.
2.1.2 This is not just my
interpretation either, Paul says this in 1 Timothy 2:11-14 – “11 Let
a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to
teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13
For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the
woman was deceived and became a transgressor.” Before our culture
became obsessed with equality this verse was just accepted. But now that
equality is the god of our culture, you will hear all kinds of egalitarian
arguments for why we should ignore Paul’s words here.
2.1.2.1 But notice that Adam
being formed first is part of Paul’s argument for his greater authority? This
is not my words, these are Paul’s words, and they are based on the perfect
creation.
2.1.3 God never intended men
and women to be the same, if he did he would have made us the same. He intended
us to be different from the start, both valuable and necessary, but different.
2.2 What about class
equality? Surely
the Bible at least teaches that we should try and make everybody equal in this
way. But, no it doesn’t – Proverbs 30:21-22 - “21 Under three things
the earth trembles; under four it cannot bear up: 22 a slave when he becomes
king, and a fool when he is filled with food; 23 an unloved woman when she gets
a husband, and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.”
2.2.1 This passage is
literally saying, the earth cannot stand equality. The Marxist, the
progressive, the revolutionary, would say that we need to replace kings with
servants, the Bible says this is evil, and the earth cannot bear it.
2.2.2 Indeed, just look at the
French revolutions, the Russian revolution, the Maoist revolution and the
violence they all employed. All of these revolutions were driven by the
ideology of equality, all of them killed millions of people to achieve it.
“Liberty! Equality! Fraternity!” was the cry of the French revolution, the same
one where they introduced the guillotine to speed up the executions.
2.2.3 Even our culture today
is based on such violence. Our “egalitarian” society only comes close to
equality because mothers have the power to kill their children in the womb so
they can function in society like men. I can guarantee you this; as long as
equality remains the god of our society, feminists will fight to the teeth to
protect their “right to abortion”. Because they know that without it the myth
of equality will vanish like vapour. Equality is the source issue, and this
calf must be slain before we will be able to fix symptomatic evils like
abortion.
2.2.4 Equality is not just
false, it leads to great evils – and it has left a great trail of destruction
in history.
2.3 What About Kingdom
Equality? Does
God gift us all equally? No, we can often see some people who are gifted beyond
the norm. This is biblical, for example the parable of the talents – Matthew
25:14-15 – “14 For it will be like a man going on a journey, who
called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five
talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then
he went away.”
2.3.1 A talent is a large sum
of money. One he gave 5 talents, one 2 and other 1. So, the master, who
represents God in this parable did not gift all his servants equally. But why?
Because they were not all of equal ability.
2.3.2 Anyone with kids knows
your kids are all different with different capacities. This is part of God’s
intention for humanity. Why? Well he tells us: “Everyone to whom
much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they
entrusted much, they will demand the more” (Luke 12:48). God wants
those who are given much to use their gifts to help those who have been given
less. As Jesus said, “You will always have the poor among you”, in other words:
there will always be those with much and those will less.
2.3.3 I don’t envy big church
pastors or famous pastors. Fame is for suckers as far as I am concerned. I have
always been moderately gifted and I am ok with that. Because to the one who is
given much, much more will be asked.
2.3.3.1 Look at how greatly Paul the Apostle was gifted,
he saw visions, did miracles, wrote books of the Bible. Am I jealous of his
clearly greater gifting? No, why? Well Jesus said this about Paul, “For
I will show him how much he will suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts
9:16).
2.3.4 God is not concerned
with equality amongst his people, in fact his kingdom is based on the principle
that it doesn’t exist, and we will all be judged according to the measure he
has given us, and the measure with which we use that.
2.4 Does God value everyone
equally? Surely
all of humanity are God’s children, and God views all people equally? No, this
is not the case:
2.4.1 Romans 9:13-15 – “13 As it is
written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 14 What shall we say then? Is there
injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have
mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have
compassion.” If God views everyone equally explain this verse. Or
the next one:
2.4.2 Deuteronomy 7:6 – “6 For you
are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be
a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the
face of the earth.” God values his people higher than other
peoples, this is also true in the New Testament people: 1 Peter 2:9 – “9
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his
own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you
out of darkness into his marvellous light.”
2.4.3 And not everyone are
God’s children, only those who believe – John 1:12 - “But to all
who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become
children of God…” As 1 John 3 tells us, we are either of the
devil, or of God. Only those who believe though are children of God – “14
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans
8:14).
2.4.4 So, it is just not
accurate to say that God views all people equally. The Bible does not teach
this, early Christians did not believe this, this is a modern, anti-Christian
idea, and it has done much damage to the church in helping it lose its
distinctiveness in the culture. But this should not push us to pride, but
rather humility.
3. Why this teaching should
humble us (Jeremiah
13:8-11) – When we hear that God values his people in a way that he does not
value those who are not his, this should humble us, not make us proud. Some
would be tempted towards pride, but remember we are children of God
through…faith. Anyone can believe and become a child of God.
3.1 It is not something that
we have done, but something God has gifted us through faith. It is foolish to
boast of an unearned gift. Rejoice, but don’t boast.
3.2 The Jews allowed this
teaching to make them proud, and because of this their nation fell into vast
sin, and this was the result: Jeremiah 13:8-11 – “Then
the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “Thus says the Lord: Even so will I spoil
the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, who
refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone
after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth,
which is good for nothing. 11 For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a
man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to
me, declares the Lord, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise,
and a glory, but they would not listen.”
3.2.1 They got proud and so
God judged them. But notice again how this passage shows God does not value
everyone the same, because here he points out that Judah “shall be
like this loincloth, which is good for nothing.”
3.2.2 If we allow pride to
fill our hearts we become the same thing – “good for nothing.” So,
what mind should we have on this issue?
4. Reject Equality – Paul tells us
directly that we should reject equality. There is very few direct references to
equality as we think of it today, between people, in the Bible, and they all
speak of it negatively. For example, Philippians 2:3-7 – “3 Do
nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more
significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own
interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among
yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of
God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied
himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
4.1 If there was anyone ever
who walked this earth who could be focused on equality, it was Jesus, who is
equal to God, because he is God the son. But he rejected that equality and took
the form of a servant.
4.1.1 Paul is literally
telling us to reject focusing on equality, and to rather count others as more
significant than ourselves: take this mind of Christ and live it out.
4.1.2 We don’t see Paul
focusing on pushing for equality in his writings, except in the distribution of
charity. Equality wasn’t a concern for him. Preaching the gospel was his
concern. If it was no concern to Jesus, the 11 Apostles or Paul, why is it such
an important thing for the church today?
5. The Church Has Bought A
Lie – That
lie is the equality comes from God’s word, but it doesn’t, it stems from the
devil. What was the devil’s downfall? It was this: Isaiah 14:13-14 - “13
You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will
set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches
of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make
myself like the Most High.’” The first being to demand equality
was Lucifer, he wanted to be like God. The writer of Isaiah here is using an
ancient idea of Satan’s fall, to challenge the king of Babylon. Let me ask you
this question: What is the fruit of equality in our world today?
5.1 Much covetousness – Demanding equality
is just covetousness. To demand everyone have the same possessions, the same
lifestyle, the same education, or even the same opportunity etc, etc, is just
covetousness, and we are seeing this breakout in riots in the US right now.
5.1.1 Conservatives go on and
on about equality of opportunity, but it too is a myth. It just doesn’t exist.
Just think about this, some people have good parents some people have bad
parents. The socialist knows this, and this is why it has at times been suggested
that kids be taken from their parents and raised in communal homes. Because
good parents are a massive advantage.
5.2 Also much Death – Why did the
Russian Communists kill so many people? Equality. Why did the French Revolution
kill so many nobles? Equality. Why do so many women claim the right to kill a
child in the womb? Equality. Why are statues being pulled down, stores being
burnt, and why is so much violence happening in the US right now? Equality. Why
are white south African farmers being killed so regularly today? Equality.
5.2.1 Equality is so
impossible, the only way people can get close is to tear others down, and
violently. The only way to make your grass all the same length is to mow it.
5.3 Jesus said, you know
someone or something by its fruit. The fruit of equality points right back to
its source: the devil, the first being to demand equality. The first being to
offer this to humanity in garden: “Ye shall be as gods.” The devil wanted to
destroy God’s natural hierarchy, and the offer of equality has been messing
with this world ever since.
5.3.1 It is not taught as
something to desire in the Bible, and its fruit is wicked. It’s time to slay
this sacred cow once and for all.
6. Application – Jacob didn’t do
wrong by not giving all his sons the same blessings, because what he did, God
also does. God gifts are too diverse. God is too creative to make everything
and everyone equal. Being focused on equality just causes us to chase unicorns,
makes us jealous of others who we think have more, and causes us to forget,
that all that we have is by the gifts and mercy of Jesus.
6.1 Rather than demanding
equality with others and obsessing for what they have, let’s be thankful for
the measure God has given us, let’s reject pride, because it comes before a
fall, let’s count others as more significant than ourselves, and never forget
that that one who has much, much more will be asked.
6.2 Equality contradicts the
gospel - If
God values all people the same, then the gospel is meaningless. Because the
gospel says that those who believe shall be considered as sons of God, children
of the king, God’s special possession, chosen by God, the apple of his eye,
delighted in by God, and especially loved.
6.5.1. It's clear the source of
equality is the devil. Every way you slice it, it contradicts God's word, but
very cleverly. Because it sounds so good to the natural ear. The devil is good
at what he does.
6.5.2. The very idea of
equality, like his word to the woman "ye shall be as gods" sounds
wonderful, but undermines God's word, his good news, and hence wreaks uncounted
damage.
6.5.3. God offers us something
better, he offers us to be more than our fallen state. He offers to anyone who
believes in him, that he will lift them up, and make them his beloved children.
1 John 3:1 – “See what love the father has lavished on us, that we
should be children of God.” That’s a promise only for those who
believe, don’t you want to be one of his children?
7. Conclusion - I understand that this
message goes against the grain of how we are raised, what we are taught,
everything our culture says…but shouldn’t the Bible be just that? A worldly
culture smasher? I just ask that you meditate on this and read what the Bible
has to say on this topic yourself. Jacob seemed to think this way, and he
literally was Israel. If you struggle with anything in this come and talk with
me, let’s evaluate it together. But if a false deity is seeking to subdue God’s
word to itself, we must challenge that. There is only one God who is worthy of
our obedience and trust, that is the God who made us, and who took the form of
a servant to save us. Let’s pray.
http://younggospelminister.blogspot.com/2020/06/equality-is-false-god-genesis-4928.html