#105 -- Gospel and Spiritual Growth
Valley – December 7, 2003
The whole idea of erring or wandering has its origin in the
Old Testament. The religions of the world
system have a dual purpose. They provide
teachings and practice that gratify the works of the flesh. They provide a religious environment that
keeps men independent of the Creator of the universe. As we have looked at the prophets and
teachers of the world system, we have seen an ongoing relationship of these to
error or that which leads one to go astray.
Christians are faced with the ongoing program designed to draw them into
world system Christendom and away from biblical Christianity. The world system program for error involves
recruitment for world system Christendom (and religion), removal from biblical
Christianity and biblical absolutes, retention of religious distraction and the
reception of a religious advantage on the part of one who leads people
astray. This was true in the Old
Testament as well. Two Old Testament
words from the same root are used to describe this [cf. C.] 51 times. They are translated "wander, go astray,
seduce, err, deceive." This message
presents key teaching concerning error in the Old Testament. Aside from a pair of verses in Job and some
early verses describing physical wandering in Genesis most references to moral
and doctrinal deviation are found in the Dispensation of Law. The outline of the general material will be
spread over several weeks.
The Old Testament term tahah
is used of physical misdirection that involves one's wandering or going astray
physically. It also involves doctrinal
deviation from the Mosaic Law and its revelation. As a result, there was often moral deviation
and wandering. Men are led astray or made to wander by external influences
placed on their immaterial parts: heart,
soul and spirit in the Old Testament.
The heart is composed of the humor rationale, emotions and will. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation,
and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways (Psa.
95:10). Solomon warns his son of
the influence of the strange woman. Let not thine heart decline to her
ways, go not astray
in her paths (Prov.
There are three clear descriptions (C.) of what diversions
involve in the OT. Note the passages and
the highlighting. The wicked
have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from
thy precepts (Psa. 119:110). O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened
our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance (Isa. 63:17). That the
house of
Examples of the consequences of the wandering are clearly
seen in three passages (D.). 2 Ki. 21:9 describes a going
astray with the purpose of doing evil. But they
hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced
them to do more evil
than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of
There are a series of influences that Scripture presents as
causes of wandering (E.). These include wine and strong drink, lies of false
prophets, idols, spirit of whoredoms and lies. But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and
the prophet have erred
through strong drink,
they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink;
they err in vision, they stumble in judgment (Isa.
28:7). Behold, I am against them
that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do
tell them, and cause
my people to err by their lies, and by
their lightness;
yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this
people at all, saith the LORD (Jer.
23:32). And the Levites that are gone
away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; they shall even bear
their iniquity (Ezek. 44:10). My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have
gone a whoring from under their God (Hos.
From all of the information in the OT a more detailed set of
definitions is possible (F. 1.). There
are four elements in such a definition.
Error or Wandering involves a movement from a proper place of
stability. It may be perpetuated by an
external cause. It always produces come
kind of personal action by letting oneself be led
astray. The second element
involve the manifestation and presence of some kind of instability. The third element is the maintenance of a
position away from propriety and the divinely established standard
absolute. This may involves some
restraints or the absence of restraints.
Other options replace the standards for faith and practice. The fourth element is an ongoing meandering
or wandering away from the stable standards presented in divine
revelation. The world system and its
prophets and teachers affected
The Hebrew word tahah is
translated in the LXX by the Greek word planao
in 46 of the 50 occurrences of the verb.
They share a very similar definition.
They are both used of the straying, leading astray or wandering of
animals in both Testaments. The Greek verb
will be the subject of the next message.
This message ended with a set of biblical
illustrations. Animals provide excellent
illustrations of straying away or wandering.
The word is used of an ox or an ass in Ex. 23:4. If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. An animal tends to
wander without purpose other than its own physical appetites. The best illustration of this is sheep. They ignorantly wander without a shepherd. The sheep idea is used in the Old Testament
and in the New Testament. All we
like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of
us all (Isa. 53:6). For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the
Shepherd and Bishop of your souls (1 Pe.
1 John 2:15
Proposition: To develop the concepts of error or wandering in the Old and New Testaments and to demonstrate how error is a mechanism of the world system's religious elements.
Introduction
A. The Ongoing Connection of Terms for Error with False Teaching
B. The Contrived Control of the Program for Error
1. Recruitment for World System Religion
2. Removal from Biblical Christianity and Biblical Absolutes
3. Retention of Religious Distraction
4. Reception of an Advantage on the Part of the Deceiver
C. The Old Testament Concepts of the Terms
1. The Verb -- h['T' (tahah) – 50 times
a. Cause to Wander – Hifil – 21 times
b. Actively Wander – Qal – 27 times
c. Be Made to Wander – Nifal – 2 times
2. The Noun -- h['wOT (toah) – 2 times (Neh. 4:8; Isa. 32:6)
3. The Translations – wander, go astray, seduced, err, deceive
D. The New Testament Concepts of the Terms
1. The Verb – plana,w (planao) – 39 times
2. The Noun – pla,nh (plane) – 10 times
3. The Verb -- avpoplana,w (apoplanao)
– 2 times (Mk.
4. The Adjective – planh,thj (planetes)
-- one time (Jude
5. The Noun pla,noj (planos) – 5 times
E. The Consequences That Result from Error
1. Moral Deviation
2. Doctrinal Deviation
3. Physical Wandering
TRANS: The primary word for error in the Old
Testament means to make one wander. This
was accomplished in several arenas: the
physical, the doctrinal and the moral. These establish the backdrop for the
concepts of error in the Greek New Testament since the normal translation of
the Hebrew term into the Greek is the primary term for New Testament error.
I. THE PRIMARY CONCEPTS OF ERROR IN THE OLD TESTAMENT – THE PRODUCING OF WANDERING FROM THE PRESENTATION OF INFORMATION – DEVIATION PRODUCED BY INSTRUCTION OF REVELATION – THE HEBREW ROOT h['T' (tahah)
A. The Components of the Use of the Term in the
Old Testament
1. Physical Misdirection = Wandering in a
Physical Place
2. Doctrinal Deviation = Wandering from Divine
Revelation
3. Moral Deviation = Wandering from Moral
Standards of the Law
B. The Contact of Wandering with the Immaterial
Parts of Man
1. Heart – Psa. 95:10; Prov. 7:25; [Job 12:24;
Isa. 21:4; 63:17]
2. Soul – Jer. 42:20 [Isa. 28:7 – via Alcohol]
3. Spirit – Isa. 29:24
C. The Change Resulting from Error for
1. From Jehovah's
Precepts – Psa. 119:110
2. From Jehovah's Ways
– Isa. 63:17
3. From After
Jehovah – Ezek.
D. The Consequences of Wandering – Examples
1. To Do To Do Evil – 2 Ki. 21:9 [2 Chron. 33:9]
2. Devise Evil – Prov. 14:22
3. In All His Work [
E. The Cause of Wandering in
1. By Wine and Strong Drink – Isa. 28:7
2. By Lies of False
Prophets – Jer. 23:32
3. After Idols – Ezek.
44:10
4. Spirit of Whoredoms – Hos. 4:12
5. Lies – Amos 2:4
6. Prophets – Micah 3:5
F. The Concepts and Connections of Wandering
1. The Definition
a. Movement from a Proper Place of Stability
(1)
By External Cause
(2)
By Personal Action
b. Manifestation of Some Kind of Instability
c. Maintenance of a Position Away from Propriety
(1)
Without Some Restraints
(2)
Preference for Other Options
d. Meandering About Away from Stable Standards
2. The Link to the New Testament Concept in the
Septuagint – plana,w (planao)
– 46
times
in all circumstances and planh,thj (planetes) in one of two
3. The Illustration of Animals
a. Ox or Ass – Ex. 23:4
b. Sheep – Isa. 53:6 (cf. 1 Pe.
TRANS: The Old Testament word provides extensive
illustrations for the New Testament words.
The 1 Peter 2:25 citation with reference to Isaiah 53:6 affirms the link
between the two words in the Bible. Often error is used with relation to false
teaching in the New Testament.
II. THE CONCEPT OF ERROR IN NEW TESTAMENT
REVELATION – THE PROCESS OF MAKING ONE WANDER AND OF THE WANDERING – THE
DEVIATION PRODUCED BY TEACHING WITH A MALICIOUS INTENT -- plana,w
(planao)