Beards

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Bro Micheal:
> Concerning beards, has anyone read these verses lately:
> Lev. 19:27;21:5 ? Lets look at them in context.
> 
> Lev 19:27-29:
> 26  Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use
enchantment, nor observe times.
> 27  Ye shall not round the corners of your heads,* neither shalt thou mar
the corners of thy beard*.
> 28  Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print
any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
> 29  Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the
land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness. 

Me:
Let's not compound one error with another. ;-)

This passage is in reference to the practice of, upon a loved ones death,
cutting a little "braid" from ones beard.  The Jews of this time actually
braided knots in their hair and beards that spelled out, through a number
code, ie... six knots represented the letter whose number was "6", words. 
Many Ultra Orthodox Jews still do this today.  This was and is to obey the
commandment about keeping the Word of God always "before" them.  They braid
the numbers of the letters and thereby the "words" into their hair and
beards.  Those of Jesus' day preverted this into wearing phylacteries with
"little boxes" containing little scrolls with the words written upon them.

When a loved one died, apparently, these Jews in their mourning
would remove one of these braids that signified the losing of what ever
this braid represented.  I could speculate as to which one this is but I
will not.  I used to have a book with what each of these braids were and
what they signified but I would never find it  even if I still have it. 
I'll look anyway if any are interested.

If you have agreed to obey a pastor and he says no beards you must not wear
a beard until you do one of several options.  

1. Pray that God not only reveal His Truth concerning this matter to you
but to your pastor also.

2. Determine that it is not Scriptural to forbid this practice.

3. Recieve the Word from God as to whether you are to submit to this ANYWAY
but strive to make the Truth known.

4. Recieve Word from God that you are to with all due respect, shave this
beard off and "suffer" the consequences in a Godly fashion that God's Truth
may be seen through your example.

5. Recieve Word from the Lord that you are to seek another assembly.

If you honestly believe that wearing a beard is a sin, to YOU it is a sin. 
If you honestly believe that your pastor has to right to impose more
"rules" to be sanctified than those found in the Bible, and you go against
his "rules" you have sinned in your heart.  

Preach and teach the Truth according to the Bible.   We ALL, you and *me*
have some really wrong ideas.  I at one time thought it was a sin to just
touch a pack of cigarettes or a rock and roll tape.  To me at that time, it
WAS a sin for me.  Since, God has shown me that the sin is not in touching
these tapes but in "playing" them and then only if the purpose is to
"relate" to the 
message.  The sin in the cigarettes is in the obedience to the lust to
amoke them.  The point is that while I was under this wrong impression, had
I done what I "believed" to be wrong, I would have comitted the same act as
I would have done had I done something that is clearly forbidden.

It is error for those who believe and teach that you must be clean shaven
to be Holy.  They have not sinned however, but are simply wrong.  You must
not be vain, nor rebelious unless this rebelion is santioned by God as the
Apostles and Jesus were rebelious.  If you have agreed to abide by a
pastor's or an organizations rules you must abide unless these rules oppose
the word and will of God.  Shaving your beard and keeping it shaved does
not do this.  Teaching that those who do not follow this, those with a
clear conscience toward God and with the Scripture to support them, are not
Holy is sin. 

We must not rebel agaisnt the "authorities" whether or not they are
legitimate.  This does not mean we are not to "oppose" them.
If God (be SURE about this) lays it on your heart to shave your beard off
and your pastor sits you down, SIT DOWN.  If he then decides to throw you
out, BE THROWN OUT.  This is going to happen.  This is what it means to
"submit."  It does not necessarily mean to "obey."  God's purpose is that
all come to greater knowlege in Him.  

Haven't I heard this somewhere before? ;^)

Let's not agree to disagree, let's confront the Truth and be conformed to
it.

My pastor was "uncool" about beards but he has changed his mind, not the
standards of Holiness about them.  I wear one and through the witness God
has given me he has seen the Truth.  Funny thing is, so have *I*.  We both
won!

Timothy Litteral
brotim@gte.net Luke 6:26
http://home1.gte.net/brotim/
http://home1.gte.net/brotim/science.htm