A Mocker Is Humbled

 We see this happen repeatedly; mockers come up with a stump-you verse without knowing the context of the scripture. They could have found the verse off some atheistic website. I have had them pull up the websites before, and we have started going through the objections verse by verse.

This recent time was a bit different; he already had the verse loaded and was ready to shoot it at me with all the zeal he could muster. In this article, we will go through the statement he shared within the context of Ezekiel 23:20; we will see the power of authorial intent, and the hunger of every soul, and champion partners will get to read about the humble change that happened in this young man’s life and the two questions he asked show the power of proper hermeneutics.

1.      The content of the mocker has shock value. Eze 23:20

“There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. “(Ezekiel 23:20 )

I know some are starting to blush just by reading this verse. When I am given random verses like this, I like to read them out loud; however, when I read this one, I was quick to ask a follow-up question. Do you know what the author is trying to communicate by writing this? He looked at me and stated, “I don’t know, but I love donkey testicles and horse semen.” I know you are blushing again. Nevertheless, don’t forget that this current generation has forgotten how to blush. This generation is not much different from Israel when this text was written.

I stated, “Youngman, you are saying this for shock value, but the author had intent behind writing this divinely inspired text.” Remember, they are coming into God’s word trying to mock, but our job is to help them properly understand the text. You may not be at a crowded event; for you, it may be a co-worker or a family member, but we both have the same intent: to help them understand the meaning of the text.

We need to know our Bibles to give a cogent answer to verses like these. If you are unfamiliar with scripture, these conversations will quickly end with you blushing and fervently trying to change the subject. You leave the conversation feeling defeated and inadequate. However, our job at Gospel of God Ministries is to help you prepare when these cherished opportunities arrive. You read it right; it is a cherished opportunity.

Whenever we can help an unbeliever see the text according to the author's intent, we are allowing them to be exposed to the power of the Holy Spirit. The power is in the intended meaning found in the word, and the Holy Spirit uses these opportunities because He used the original author's personality; that means culture and writing style, to name a few factors to give the intended meaning. When we unveil this meaning, the Holy Spirit can use it to humble people.

If you want to learn how to study the Bible better, I wrote a curriculum called Know Your Bible. You can find it at the previous link on our website. I hope the curriculum will help you become a better student and devotional reader of the Bible.     

2.      The reality of the text. (Authorial intent)

If we look at the text of Ezekiel 23:20, we see that the Donkey and the Horse represent something in the text. The text explains the intent of Israel's lustful heart towards idolatry. Instead of turning away from their idolatry in shame, the lust-filled person hungers for a strange lover to satisfy their desires. The text says they returned to the idolatry of their youth in Egypt. The picture that God uses to show their desires is graphic. God does not back down in exposing people to their idolatry, and neither should we. This should pierce our hearts when fighting sin.

Whenever we turn to lesser gods, it is like lustful people turning and being enamored by Donkey testicles and Horse emissions. Why am I so graphic about sin? Because God is. Therefore, we should be too.

I began to explain the authorial intent of the text to this young man and he began to get quiet. I said idolatry robs from God that which belongs to Him alone: honor, glory, and praise. I asked him about his life and the reality of sin; I used the ten commandments. He tried to change the subject and said he did not believe the Bible. His rejection of the Bible does not disprove it any more than my belief in it proves it true.

If belief does not make the Bible true, what makes it true? A God who has intentionally revealed it to us so we can understand Him, ourselves, and everything around us. This makes the Bible and belief in it radically transformative in our lives.

I told the young man he needed to quit mocking the God who had created him and is sustaining his life. He needed to get serious with his creator and realize what Jesus did for him on the cross. I exhorted him to repent and to place saving faith in Jesus to be forgiven for his sins. At this time, he had quit mocking me completely and just began staring at me intently. I don’t think he was even blinking. I have seen this stare before. This is where the person has quit mocking and making excuses, and they begin to listen.

There is something about being compassionately honest. The Holy Spirit captures a person's attention during a Gospel presentation. This does not always happen, but in the times that it does, you begin to realize that the power of God is still at work in this world. At this moment, I would not want to be in any other place in the world because, for a moment, the only thing that matters is not political points of view or the craziness going on in the world. It is just me and the truth I share with the person or the crowd listening. This is why I want people to share their faith and have a proper hermeneutic of the scriptures; I want you to see the power of God at work. I want you to give something to help those asking questions or listening. This is one of the ultimate ways of being an ambassador for Christ. 

I wrote about it a few paragraphs back; however, I want to define hermeneutics for us. What is hermeneutics anyway? It is an interpretive framework for the study of the Bible. There are bad hermeneutics, and there is an excellent hermeneutic. The hermeneutic that honors the word of God is an authoritative hermeneutic. This means the author has an intended meaning for the written text, and the reader's job is to find that meaning.

People are hungry for truth and go around suppressing it daily and live in a culture that supports the suppression. When they encounter us, they can have a good abnormal conversation. What do I mean- good abnormal? In most conversations, people talk to others who support their desires, but the conversations that Christians have with unbelievers are abnormal because they don’t happen regularly. Nevertheless, they are good conversations to have.  This conversation was one of those good abnormalities.             

3.      The hunger of every soul

As I began to expose him to the truth, he became an intentional listener. He quit staring at the people around him for moral support. People are born to follow, but they follow the wrong things. People are hungry for the truth but are filling their bellies with pods of sin. They hunger but don’t know where to find true soul-filling sustenance. Their souls are emaciated due to years of sin and depravity. This poor malnourished soul began to hunger for heavenly food, and it started with him mocking the very thing that would bring life: the word of God.

Listening to the word of God explained, and the scriptures that were given to him made him ask questions that showed me God was working in his heart. The encounter went from someone mocking God's word to properly having it explained to them, and in return, it began to expose him to his need. This is the power of proper hermeneutics.

Christian, you have nothing to be afraid of; you have the truth; it is our job to help people rightly interpret what God revealed to us all in the Holy Bible. If you want to learn how to tap into the power of proper Hermeneutics, I wrote a curriculum called Know Your Bible, and if you want to learn about the questions the young man asked and what happened next, become a monthly Champion. Suppose you would like to be a part of taking the Gospel worldwide and get extended podcasts, articles, and first access to training videos while doing it. Become a monthly champion here.