Offend, Offence, and Offences

                                                               by Jay and Larry Scher

What does Scripture really say about these three?

Part 1 of 2
We live in a world of political correctness where people water down principles and laws in an attempt to please others, to fit in, and be socially and politically acceptable by others. People who experience the chameleon affect have no real strong convictions. People without strong convictions and beliefs can fall victim to deception and peer pressure.

A false mantra in the world today is that we should not offend. People say that when they try to avoid confrontations. Yes, I think we should pick our battles, but not at the expense of denying our faith or Savior.

Many people use this as an excuse to water down our beliefs and afraid to offend others and not stand up and guard Torah.

In the world they are saying we shouldn’t criticize people for just about anything they do.

There was a water district that met Tennasee Valley got together because they were having lots of problems with their water so they passed a law that if anyone criticized their water that they deemed them a terrorist.

We have peoples speech now deemed hate speech, if you speak against them, like homosexuals or Muslims. We can’t call Mohammed a pedophilia, even though he married a 6 year old girl.

Sprint dropped thousands of customers just because they had complaints against the company, just recently.

Mat 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Luk 12:9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of YHWH

When we look at the examples of our Savior and the apostles, except for John, they were all martyred. Certainly, they must have offended some body. The truth is the truth and the truth offends most people!

Joh 15:19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, for that reason the world hates you.
Joh 15:20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they shall persecute you too. If they have guarded My Word, they would guard yours too.
Joh 15:21 “But all this they shall do to you because of My Name, because they do not know Him who sent Me.

The truth is an offence and a stumbling block to the world. They don’t want to know it, because they want to stay in their sinful ways.

Political correctness will be one of the down falls of the country.

Joh 16:1 “These words I have spoken to you, so that you do not stumble.
Joh 16:2 “They shall put you out of the congregations, but an hour is coming when everyone who kills you shall think he is rendering service to Elohim.
Joh 16:3 “And this they shall do to you because they did not know the Father, nor Me.
Joh 16:4 “But I have said these words to you, so that when the hour comes you remember that I told them to you. And these words I did not say to you at the beginning, for I was with you.

These words are not only for the disciples in Messiahs time, but for us today. As we prepare for the days ahead and face the day-to-day challenges of relationships with others and the world around us, we need to understand the many uses and meanings of the word “offend” as it is used in scriptures, not as it is inferred by the world of political agendas.

It takes time to learn to stand up for the truth and for Torah. It doesn’t happen overnight. It can take some time.

The Truth is the offence and the stumbling block to many people and you will get criticized for it.

1Ch_22:12 “Only, let יהוה give you wisdom and understanding, and command you concerning Yisra’ĕl, so that you guard the Torah of יהוה your Elohim,
Pro_28:4 Those who forsake the Torah praise the wrong, Those who guard the Torah strive with them.

First Covenant MEANINGS:

Strong’s # 2254 offend – deal corruptly, offend, destroy, spoil and bands.

Strong’s # 4383 – offend – a stumbling block, an obstacle, something an individual can literally stumble over. YHVH will become a stumbling block that both houses of Israel will stumble over. YHVH will also demand that the obstacle be removed from His people’s way. That which causes people to stumble morally, that is to sin. Something that causes people to fall to their ruin.

Strong’s # 816 – offend – to become guilty, to trespass, offend, commit an offense, do wrong.

Renewed COVENANT MEANINGS:

Strong’s #4624 – offend – to commit that which leads to the fall or ruin of someone. Without reference to the element of deceit, it means to throw someone unawares into ruin, to give occasion for ungodly conduct resulting in the mischief incurred thereby.

Strong’s #4625 – offend – a reference simply to the injury lurking or hidden in the ambush, also involves the conduct of the person that is injured, denotes enticement or occasion leading to conduct which brings with it the ruin of the person in question. It incites certain behavior which leads to ruin and rarely denotes merely a hidden, unexpected cause of ruin. Conduct that leads to ruin or to a fall. Leads others to turn away from YHWH’s salvation and thus to come to ruin.

Strong’s #4417 – offend – error, sin, fail of salvation, fall, offend, stumble.

Strong’s #677 – offence – not leading into sin, void of, without offence.

Strong’s # 3900 – offence – a sin involving guilt or missing the mark.

Strong’s #4348) – offence – stumbling, offence.

As we look at the various scriptures, we will see that various religious groups and the way the world uses this word has nothing to do with the truth of the way it is used in scriptures. So once again, what the world says and what the bible says are two different things.

The definition of offend according to the common use in our society today is offend – meaning outrage , insult, cause, resentment, to violate what is deemed proper or fitting to others. So much of this is subjective and situational depending on personal beliefs, politics, pagan beliefs, etc. As I said earlier, we should not intentionally be rude or disrespectful, but neither should we be intimidated or compromising of YHWH’s Word so we can be socially or politically correct or acceptable. Our standard is the Bible, not what men think is correct. So let us study the Word to find balance on this subject. Our standard and example should always be Yehoshua. Look at His reaction here in the following verse:

Matt 15:1-9.
Mat 15:1 Then there came to יהושע scribes and Pharisees from Yerushalayim, saying,
Mat 15:2 “Why do Your taught ones transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

This is talking about the ORAL TRADITIONS OF THE TALMUD. THE ORAL LAW THAT WE DO NOT FOLLOW

Mat 15:3 But He answering, said to them, “Why do you also transgress the command of Elohim1 because of your tradition? Footnote: 1See Mat. 5:20.
Mat 15:4 “For Elohim has commanded, saying, ‘Respect your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’
Mat 15:5 “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me has been dedicated,”
Mat 15:6 is certainly released from respecting his father or mother.’ So you have nullified the command of Elohim by your tradition.
Mat 15:7 “Hypocrites! Yeshayahu rightly prophesied about you, saying,
Mat 15:8 ‘This people draw near to Me with their mouth, and respect Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.
Mat 15:9 ‘But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commands of men.’ ”1
Mat 15:10 And calling the crowd near, He said to them, “Hear and understand:
Mat 15:11 “Not that which goes into the mouth defiles the man, but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”
Mat 15:12 Then His taught ones came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees stumbled when they heard this word?”
Mat 15:13 But He answering, said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted shall be uprooted.
Mat 15:14 “Leave them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both shall fall into a ditch.”

They are both spiritually blind so that is how it is. Yeshua wasn’t upset when he told them the truth.

The next group of scriptures that demonstrate that the truth is an offence and a stumbling block for those who reject the truth and those who have an appearance of being on track with scripture, but have not really been called.
They are really teaching the doctrines of men.

Isa 8:14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock
of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem.
Isa 8:15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared,
and be taken.
Isa 8:16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

Jer 2:3 “Yisra’ĕl was set-apart to יהוה, the first-fruits of His increase. All who ate of it became guilty – evil came upon them,” declares יהוה.’ ”
Jer 2:4 Hear the word of יהוה, O house of Yaʽaqoḇ and all the clans of the house of Yisra’ĕl.

Rom 9:33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

1Co 1:23 yet we proclaim Messiah impaled, to the Yehuḏim a stumbling-block and to the Greeks foolishness,

Gal 5:11 And I, brothers, if I still proclaim circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling-block of the stake has been set aside.

Yehoshua did not want others to offend or put a stumbling block before Him.

Mat 16:21 From that time יהושע began to show to His taught ones that it was necessary for Him to go to Yerushalayim, and to suffer much from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and to be raised again the third day.
Mat 16:22 And Kĕpha took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Be kind to Yourself, Master, this shall not be to You!”
Mat 16:23 But He turned and said to Kĕpha, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to Me, for your thoughts are not those of Elohim, but those of men.”

Messiah could see the motivation here and was not going to allow it to get in the way.
Peter was being influenced by Ha Shatan to get in the face of Yehoshua at this time.

Mat 16:24 Then יהושע said to His taught ones, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his stake, and follow Me.

Even some of Messiahs own disciples who were not really being called were offended at Him, as we will see in the following scriptures.

Joh 6:54 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood possesses everlasting life, and I shall raise him up in the last day.
Joh 6:55 “For My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink.
Joh 6:56 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood stays in Me, and I in him.
Joh 6:57 “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me shall live because of Me.
Joh 6:58 “This is the bread which came down out of the heaven, not as your fathers ate the manna and died. He who eats this bread shall live forever.”
Joh 6:59 He said this in a congregation, teaching in Kephar Naḥum.
Joh 6:60 Therefore many of His taught ones having heard, said, “This word is hard, who is able to hear it?”
Joh 6:61 But יהושע knowing within Himself that His taught ones were grumbling about this, said to them, “Does this make you stumble?

Joh 6:63 “It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh does not profit at all. The words that I speak to you are Spirit and are life.1 Footnote: 1See v. 68, and 1 Cor. 15:45. Word and Spirit are in unity.
Joh 6:64 “But there are some of you who do not believe.” For יהושע knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would deliver Him up.
Joh 6:65 And He said, “Because of this I have said to you that no one is able to come to Me unless it has been given to him by My Father.”

They were offended and didn’t accept this.

The Parable of the sower and seed also demonstrates those who were not really called and converted and are offended at יהושע Words.

Mat 13:20 “And that sown on rocky places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,
Mat 13:21 yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived, and when pressure or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

I am sure we have all met people that we thought were called, but then as time went on we saw that they were really spiritually blind and fell away back to the things of this world.

There are great consequences for those who cause others to stumble and sin.

Mat 13:40 “As the darnel, then, is gathered and burned in the fire, so it shall be at the end of this age.
Mat 13:41 “The Son of Aḏam shall send out His messengers, and they shall gather out of His reign all the stumbling-blocks, and those doing lawlessness,
Mat 13:42 and shall throw them into the furnace of fire – there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

This is talking about the Lake of Fire after the second resurrection.

Mat 18:6 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea.
Mat 18:7 “Woe to the world because of stumbling-blocks! For it is necessary that stumbling-blocks come, but woe to that man by whom the stumbling-block comes!
Mat 18:8 “And if your hand or foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be thrown into the everlasting fire.
Mat 18:9 “And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be thrown into the fire of Gehenna.

Now this is just a saying and not to be taken literal as to actually cutoff a hand or a foot and pluck out your eye. We are to change these things that our hands, feet or eyes may be doing in our minds. We do this by taking every thought captive into the submission of Messiah. When thoughts come into our minds we automatically compare them to Torah and Messiah. These two are really the same as he is the living Torah. If the thoughts in our mind do not compare and measure up we are to rebuke them in his name and say get behind me Satan. We cast them out and don’t dwell on them anymore.

As for verse 9 of Matt 18 this verse is widely miss interpenetrated. It is off topic by I will do a short explanation of it.

Gehenna is the Greek spelling of the Hebrew term, Ge Hinnom, for the Valley of Hinnom, the place outside Jerusalem where garbage, trash, dead animals, and even executed criminals were disposed of. Fires continually burned to get rid of the trash and the bodies. Worms would live in whatever had not been consumed by the fires so it seemed as though the worm would not die. The smoke, fires and worms were a constant reminder to the residents and visitors to Jerusalem of the descriptions of Sheol, so Gehenna was used as a synonym for Sheol. From early in the history of Israel this valley was used for human sacrifices, offerings of babies to the heathen god, Moloch. Joshua 15: is the earliest reference, the Josh 18:16, 2 Chron. 28:3, and Jer. 7:32, 19:2,6, 32:35, 2Kings 23:10 uses the full name of the valley, valley of the Sons of Hinnom. Hinnom means wailing, lamentation.

This is part one of a two part series on this subject, Offend, Offence and Offences. What does Scripture really say about these three?

I hope it was a blessing to you. If you have questions please don’t be shy and ask. If you are offended, please pray before making a comment or asking a question.

May Yah’s Favor be upon you, bRO j