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A Solemn Warning

An Examination of Blasphemy of the Spirit

YHWH has directed our attention to this portion of Scripture found in the Besorah of Matithyah.  As we examine this incident in the life of Yeshua, let us place it in its proper context. In particular, we are interested in what it means to speak against the Ruach Qodesh (Holy Spirit) so that we might avoid this sin which cannot and will not be forgiven in this age or in the age to come.

Matithyah (Matthew) 12:22-24 
22 Then was brought to Him one possessed with a demon, blind and dumb; and He healed him, insomuch that the dumb man spoke and saw.
23 And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, “Can this be the son of David?”
24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Ba’al-Z’vuv the head of the demons.”

When Yeshua cast the demon out of this man so that he was able to speak and see, whereas he could not before, the people began to discuss the possibility that Yeshua was the prophesied Son of David.  This was very upsetting to the Pharisees as it threatened their positions of leadership and control of the people.  So, they responded with an accusation that Yeshua was casting out demons by the power and authority of Ba’al-Z’vuv.  This, of course, was a false charge, but it was also a damning charge against those who had made it.

Before we get into what these Pharisees had done, let us briefly examine the name “Ba’al-Z’vuv.”  We take this spelling from the Peshitta where we find it as בַּעַל-זְבוּב .  The first part of this name “Ba’al,” is often translated as “lord” or “master” and is even at times used of a “husband.”  The latter part of the name “Z’vuv,” comes from the Hebrew root word זבב which means to move to and fro.  This immediately brings two passages of Scripture to our minds.

Kepha Aleph (1st Peter) 5:8 
Be sober, be watchful; your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks to and fro, seeking whom he may devour.
 
It is instructive for us to note that the devil himself moves in a to and fro manner seeking whom he may devour.  It is only the watchfulness of the individual that will insure that he is not devoured by Satan.

Ya’aqov (James) 1:6-8 
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting; for he that doubts is like the waves of the sea driven by the wind and tossed to and fro.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive anything from YHWH;
8 a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.

What is being double-minded?  It is being one way one day, and a different way the next day, and then back the other way, and back and forth.  It is also saying one thing and doing something else.  This is commonly called being hypocritical.  Being double-minded can also mean that one holds to two opposing positions simultaneously.  In whatever way a person is being double-minded, it is not good or pleasing to YHWH.  We certainly do not want to be double-minded in our ways. 

Matithyah (Matthew) 12:25-28
25 And Yeshua knowing their thoughts  said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand;
26 and if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?
27 And if I by Ba’al-Z’vuv cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.
28 But if I in the Spirit of Elohim cast out demons, then is the kingdom of the Elohim come upon you.”

Yeshua was teaching these Pharisees who had accused Him of casting out demons by the master of the demons, to consider the validity of this charge.  Their charge against Him was pure craziness.  Furthermore, Yeshua then showed them that the kingdom of Elohim had come upon them and they were not ready for it, for Yeshua had actually cast out this demon in the Spirit of Elohim.  This is an important piece of information about which we will go into more detail shortly.

Matithyah (Matthew) 12:29
“Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man?  And then he will spoil his house.”

This verse has often been taken out of its context with the term “strong man” being applied to Satan.  However, this is exactly backwards of the truth.  The owner of the house is YHWH/Yeshua.  As the owner, He does not need to break in and steal.  YHWH is not a thief.  Yeshua is not a thief.  However, we know that Satan is a thief! Yeshua is the strongman!

Yochanan (John) 10:1 
“Amein, amein, I say to you, he that enters not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.”

Yochanan (John) 10:10 
“The thief comes not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.”

Satan is the thief.  Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy that which he has no right to take.  YHWH is the Creator and as such is the rightful owner of all of creation.  It was Satan who had those in his control who bound Yeshua to a cross to kill the rightful heir to the throne in an attempt to usurp His place.

Matithyah (Matthew) 12:30
“He that is not with me is against me, and he that does not gather with me scatters.”

We can either choose to work for and with YHWH; or, we can work against Him, which means we have chosen to work for Satan.

Matithyah (Matthew) 12:31-32
31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
32 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come.”

This is where the focus of our attention is today in this study:  upon just exactly what it is that constitutes blasphemy against His Spirit.  First, let us recall the specific charge that was leveled against Yeshua.  He was charged with casting out this demon by Ba’al-Z’vuv.  In short, what these men did was to call the work of His Spirit evil and unclean.  When YHWH does something by His Spirit and then a person takes it upon himself to call that work the work of Satan, then such a man has crossed the line and will not receive forgiveness of this sin and blasphemy either in this world or the world to come. 

Brothers and sisters, this is a very serious warning from our Master Yeshua.  We need to be very careful with our words and even more careful with accusations, particularly when we call some work of His Spirit as being evil or the work of Satan himself.  This is a threshold that we cannot afford to cross.  Here is my concern today.  Recently I have witnessed numerous occasions in which Scripture was called into question.  Now here is the danger that I see in this activity.

Kepha (2nd Peter) 1:21 
For no prophecy ever came by the will of man; but men spoke from Elohim, being moved by the Holy Spirit.

Scripture is a record of His prophetic word.  To state that a book or a passage is false is a very dangerous thing in which to engage.  While this may not cross this line into blasphemy, it certainly steps into the threshold of that door.  And once a person steps into that door, it is all too easy to step through it.

I have seen numerous people recently who have rejected the Brit Chadasha (New Testament) because of translation problems.  Many of those who do so as they continue to walk down this road end up rejecting Yeshua as Mashiach.  Before we reject what has come to be accepted as Scripture, we had better be sure that we can afford to begin rejecting the work of His Spirit in this fashion, because if we reject the work of His Spirit just because we lack understanding, it may be something that cannot be undone later on in our lives.  Sometimes it is wisest simply to say that we do not know, and remain silent beyond that. 

Furthermore, we need to be very careful with what we know in our hearts to be His written word.  If our own ideas and thoughts get in the way of our simply believing the simple and plain understanding of what scripture says, then we are certainly approaching the threshold that we cannot afford to cross.  Just because we do not understand what is written in His word does not make it false.  Just because we cannot rectify passages that seem to say things contrary to each other does not make either or both false.  We are to walk by faith and as such we need to accept His word as true by faith regardless of what our understanding is.  Furthermore, just because someone has a different understanding does not make a passage false.  Let us not be afraid to say that we simply do not understand something rather than calling into question what is plainly written in Scripture.

Another aspect of this sin against His Spirit is when a person who is doing his best to follow Yeshua in all that he knows is called an unbeliever or evil by another person simply because the other person does not agree with his current understanding of Scripture.  This is a very dangerous thing to do because it calls into question the work of His Spirit in that other person’s life.  In essence, it is saying that His Spirit has not done a work, which is exactly what was happening in the passage above with the Pharisees.

ABBA YHWH, may all the words of our mouths bring glory and honor to You, and may we always be protective of Your written word and of the work of Your Spirit; in the name of Yeshua our Mashiach. Amein.

Shabbat Shalom
Zerubbabel ben Emunah
zerubbabel@onetorahforall.com
www.onetorahforall.com

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