THE TROUBLE WITH TROUBLE

 

Friday, February 24, 2023

 

THE TROUBLE WITH TROUBLE

 

1 Cor 11:27-30

27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. KJV

 

          The trouble with trouble is that we usually can not determine its cause. Are we the victim of some evil force against us? Is the cause simply a general difficulty because we live in a difficult world at a difficult time? Did we do something or forget to do something that upset the Lord?

 

          I hesitated to wade into the deep waters of the above verses. Verse 30 is particularly troubling. It suggests that when trouble increases in quantity we should pay close attention. Liked Balaam on his beast of burden, (See Numbers 22) we may not see the restraining angel ahead.

 

          A careful study reveals that the sin in our Bible portion is the casual, literally irreverent manner of our worship. The Greek word for “unworthily” is anaxios which means irreverently, without proper respect.

 

          The result of irreverence is weakness. When Paul said, “many are weak,” he used the Greek asthenes which means “without strength, literally, figuratively, and morally.” It is sometimes why programs and efforts fail. The word “sickly” is the Greek arrhostos meaning infirm. The word “discern” is the Greek diakrino which curiously means “to discriminate and to withdraw.”

 

          Paul saw in the Corinthian church an abnormal amount of wasted effort, physical sickness, and death. He boldly suggested that this was caused by irreverence. Perhaps Paul was remembering the irreverent worship mentioned in Malachi.

 

Mal 1:12-13

12 But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible.

13 Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the LORD of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD. KJV

 

Dear Lord, let us deeply consider how we worship. AMEN