Quote:
Originally Posted by googlelight
"Spiritually speaking, it was easy for a person like Noah to be humble and to confess. Do you not think that this is easy? But it would be very difficult for one who has failed and has been exposed to curse and to bless. Noah was the father of the family and the leader of mankind. Everyone looked to him. He failed and was exposed. He could have been humble, confessed, and admitted that he had failed. However, since God had established him as the leader, he had to speak, not according to his convictions, but according to God's government. Which is easier to do—to be humble and confess, or to speak according to God's government? It is easy for anyone to be humble, admit the failure, and confess it. But if Noah had been like that, what would have become of God's government on this earth? What about his descendants? What about God's economy, God's administration? It would have been all right for Noah to make such a confession, but it would have meant the ruin of God's government on earth. Besides Noah, who could have represented God to speak in a governmental way? No one but Noah could have done that work. It was difficult for Noah, as one who had failed, to represent God by speaking governmentally. While he was speaking in such a way, his conscience might have troubled him and the Devil might have accused his conscience, saying, "How can you speak this way, since you have had such a failure?" Sometimes when the leaders in the church fell into this kind of situation, they gave up and did not say anything. So, there was no divine government."
Isnt this a teaching that actually encourage cover-ups?
This is gathered from life-study of Witness Lee.
link: https://www.ministrybooks.org/Search...?id=0807D2F5CC |
Nope, I don't see A problem.
I see A WHOOOOOOLE LOT OF PROBLEMS.
Problem #1: After his floodly duties are over, Noah is
nowhere established as a leader of or over anyone, or representing God to anyone. He is just a father with an extended family and a vineyard.
In Genesis 9, God makes a covenant with Noah, but that same covenant is also with "every living creature with" Noah and with "all life on earth". A "covenant for all generations to come". Noah is not ever established as any kind of head, or deputy authority, or representative of God, and most importantly,
the government of God has no part in the Genesis narrative here. Anywhere. An echo into silence.
As I said in another post somewhere, when they start speaking of "God's government" it's usually in a threatening, fear-based way to shut you up so you don't think critically about the situation. That's what's happening here.
Problem #2: From Genesis 9:20 on (when Noah plants a vineyard and gets drunk), God is not present in the story, save for Noah invoking His name when cursing Canaan. God is not there to tell us whether He approves or disapproves of Noah's actions. It's just the telling of a story. Yet again, Noah cannot be said to "represent God".
Problem #3: Noah was not "the leader of mankind". After the flood his genes are ostensibly where mankind came from, but he's not touted as "the leader" of anything.
Problem #4: This quote of Lee's is just.....makes me speechless: "
He could have been humble, confessed, and admitted that he had failed. However, since God had established him as the leader, he had to speak, not according to his convictions, but according to God's government."
Witness Lee is actually pitting God's government and the truth of a confession of wrongdoing against each other, saying they cannot be reconciled with each other. What Lee is doing here is saying that God's government (where does the Bible speak of God's government, anyway?) should not operate according to convictions of truth. He's saying, then, that God's government should operate according to a lie.
That's the false god Witness Lee preaches. A god whose kingdom stands on a lie. Just so we're all clear on that one.
Problem #5: This next quote of Lee's: "
Which is easier to do—to be humble and confess, or to speak according to God's government? It is easy for anyone to be humble, admit the failure, and confess it. But if Noah had been like that, what would have become of God's government on this earth?"
Since when does "what is easier to do" become the determining factor of our choices? And why on EARTH does Lee put humble confession in a headlock against God's government?? If Noah had been humble, admitted the failure, and confessed it....what would have become of God's government on this earth?
Why.....it would have continued to stand steadfastly because it was grounded in and operating according to righteousness, that's what would have become of it! The only principle "God's government" can operate according to! Again, note the false god that Lee is preaching here.
Problem #6: This next quote: "
But if Noah had been like that, what would have become of God's government on this earth? What about his descendants? What about God's economy, God's administration? It would have been all right for Noah to make such a confession, but it would have meant the ruin of God's government on earth."
Notice that Lee never explains WHY it would have "meant the ruin of God's government on earth". And I suppose there is a good reason why he didn't explain why........because his argument doesn't hold even one drop of water! He couldn't explain why if his life depended on it! Why on earth would true confession, acknowledgement, and repentance have ended God's government???
Lee actually manages to make Noah seem like a hero for the "difficult" thing of not confessing his sin. That's the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard! We all know the difficult thing is TO confess our sin! It's second nature to cover them up and deny! Witness Lee's teaching in this passage is literally, directly contrary to God.
God wants us to confess our sins, openly acknowledge them, repent of them, so that He can be the one to cover us. It was that way in the garden of Eden, and it's still that way now. Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves and cover each other, but God wanted them to openly confess so He could cover them in a better way.
Lee is totally in darkness here.