Do Not Muzzle the Ox (Is It Oxen God is Concerned About?)
1 Cor 9:1-18 “Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. My defense to those who examine me is this: Do we have no right to eat and drink? Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working? Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock? Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it oxen God is concerned about? Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void. For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.”
Matthew Henry: It is not new for a minister to meet with unkind returns for good-will to a people, and diligent and successful services among them.
Paul tells the church that he had a right to be supported by the church as well as to marry as some of the other apostles. He had a right to claim what was needful for his wife, and his children if he had any, from the churches, without laboring with his own hands to get it. He tells them that those who labor for the Lord should be provided for. But Paul renounced his right, rather than hinder his success by claiming it. The Scripture proclaims that it is the church’s duty to maintain their minister. He may wave his right, as Paul did; but those sin against the precept of Christ, who deny or withhold due support to the pastor.
Paul quotes the OT-
Deuteronomy 25:4 “You shall not muzzle an ox while it [a]treads out the grain.
And he tells Timothy more of the same:
1 Tim 5:17-18 “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.””
You shall not muzzle the ox while he treads the grain.
I learned more about this in pastor Chris’ botany book. Once wheat was harvested, the next step toward producing an edible grain was called threshing. This was the process by where the grain was separated from the stalk by beating or crushing the harvested wheat. This was accomplished by either beating the grain with a flail or by having a beast of burden walk over it, often dragging a threshing sledge across the heads of wheat.
To muzzle means, “to bind the mouth; to fasten the mouth to prevent eating or biting” – Webster. This was done either by passing straps around the mouth, or by placing, as is now sometimes done, a small “basket” over the mouth, fastened by straps to the horns of the animal, so as to prevent its eating, but not to impede its breathing freely. This was an instance of the humanity of the laws of Moses. The idea is, that the ox should not be prevented from eating when it was in the midst of food that it labored for its owner, it was entitled to support; and it should be permitted to partake of the grain which it was threshing.
How much more so for the man of God? Before I even go further, Pastor Matt and our family is taken care of.
A pastor should be taken care of since the church and the affairs of the church fall to him to take care of. He doesn’t need to be trying to work another job to keep the roof over his head while at the same time caring for the needs of the church. It divides him and his family. We had to do that for a time and it about killed my husband. HE can more thoroughly care for your needs and attend to your care when he knows his family is being provided for. This is God’s plan, not the pastor’s plan.
Pastor Matt and I are doing the work He called us to. Pastor Matt is a threshing instrument, called by God to prepare a people ready for the Lord. Threshing is hard and tedious work. It requires that he says difficult things, to turn you from sin to righteousness. We have turned our backs on the world. We left a land we loved. We didn’t buy anything for our home until God’s house was in a good place. We read in Haggai about God’s people living in plush houses while His house was in ruins. It ministered to us. Build His house first.
We sacrificed all, our time, treasure and talents to build this church for Jesus.
Ps Matt and I are doing our jobs. Here’s the sermon: Are you doing the ministry work God has called you to?
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
I wrote a book and a daily, “Run your Race”. (someone didn’t like it, “run the race”) When I say, “Run your race”, I mean keep your eyes fixed on the race He’s given you, not another’s race. I don’t have time to go pick apart and attack what others are doing, I have my own race to run. How do you have time for that?
You know the type- “you are doing it the wrong way!” Why? Because it’s not the way you would do it?
When I say, “run your race”, I mean stay in your own lane; do your ministry as unto the Lord and not to man. You will not be judged on how well you did another’s ministry, but on your obedience to the ministry and work He’s given you.
Did you know that you can actually go through hard things and still work for the Lord? You can actually be going through something yourself and minister to others. You don’t get a pass because things are hard. And it will reveal whether or not you are doing it in your own strength or in the strength of the Lord. Sis Margaret, 70 yrs of marriage, lost husband and son within a year. Ps Ong with Cassandra. Why do I look to this family? They have generations of faithfulness to the Lord worth emulating. (share)
There’s a saying that flies around Christian circles, and I quote, “God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers.” That’s a great FB quote, but it is not scriptural.
IN fact, I would dare say it is the opposite. The Bible says
Psalm 147:10-11 He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. 11 The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy.
1 Corinthians 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
Paul took pleasure in his weakness because then Christ could show himself strong.
2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The point is that when we rely on His strength and do things in His strength, then we can keep working and ministering through the hard and difficult seasons. He gets the glory, not us. I refuse to take any of His glory.
Otherwise, we think we did it in our own strength, we become lifted up and prideful; and then He resists us.
I am currently in the book of Joshua- lots of sermon examples. The ultimate blessing for the people in the land is that God will be with them. The people celebrate this blessing by passing in front of the ark of the Lord—the abode of his presence—and dropping memorial stones in the Jordan riverbed. Israel’s prosperity and security in the land are to come from the hand of God. Israel’s work is always derived from the prior work of God on their behalf. Whenever they become disconnected from the presence of God, the trajectory of their labor turns downward.
Judges 2:10-11: “Moreover, that whole generation was gathered to their ancestors, and another generation grew up after them, who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.”
The subsequent problems of Israel stem from their failure to acknowledge God’s work on their behalf.
We also could ask ourselves whether we are paying attention to God’s work on our behalf. The question here is not whether we are working well for God, but whether we can see him at work for us. At work, most of us find a tension between advancing ourselves and doing our work as unto the Lord. Could it be that we are trying too hard to advance ourselves because we are afraid no one else cares about us?
We rely on His strength to keep plowing in the most severest of seasons. If we stop plowing and we fail to recognize God’s hand in our work, we will not reap a harvest.
Are you multiplying the talents He has given you to steward? You are a steward, not the owner. On that day, He will not ask you about anyone else, He will only ask about you. Are you doing what He has put in your hands to do? If YOU are doing what He has asked YOU to do then how do you have time to watch someone else work in their field? If you’re watching another plow it means your not plowing your own field and it will soon be overgrown with thorns.
Your muzzling your own ox.
When I say, “run your race”, I mean you are only competing against yourself, bettering yourself, growing in grace and allowing the Spirit to mold and shape you to become more like Jesus. You are not there yet. We are all in the refining pot. You are in competition with no one. How do you have time to point fingers at others? Don’t you have enough concern with working out your own salvation? Overcoming your own inconsistencies and flaws?
Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Work out your own salvation. Complete it; God has begun the work; carry it out unto the end with fear and trembling. If you had a fear of God, you would mind your own business.
How about taking the plank out of your own eye, you hypocrite! We tend to look at ourselves through rose colored glasses and put others under a microscope.
I have a daily battle against my flesh to overcome, a family to watch and pray for, and a church to take care of. I don’t have time to pick apart others. I am too busy plowing my own field. This is why I have to take social media breaks- it messes with my mind and creates in me jealousy and envy. I have a work to do and I cannot let anything get in the way
By all means help others get to the finish line, pick them up, dust them off, turn them from going the wrong way; you are your brother’s keeper. We are to love and care for the brethren. We live life together. Iron sharpens iron.
But never push their face in the mud if they fall or set a trap for them to fall into. The trap you set for another, you will fall into yourself. It’s one thing to expose darkness and false doctrine/teachers, but it’s quite another to seek for someone to fall. This is evil and wickedness. Do not muzzle your ox
Remember this, one day you will stand exposed before the King of kings, the Searcher of all hearts and He will speak to you one of two things:
“Well done good and faithful servant” or “Depart from Me you who work in lawlessness”.
“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” I Corinthians 10:12
Keep plowing until the end with fear and trembling.
“Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you. Consider well the path of YOUR feet, and let all your ways be established and ordered aright.” Proverbs 4:25-26 AMPC
THEN, you will enjoy the fruit of your labor. He who plows, plows in hope. The farmer hopes that one day he will produce a harvest that he and his family will be able to enjoy. You don’t plow in despair. You plow in hope of being fruitful.
I want to let you know that it is OK, rather it is a good thing from the Lord to enjoy your labor, or as in the case of the ox, to eat your grain that you have tread upon. There is a future hope, but also a here and now hope of enjoying your labor.
Ecclesiastes 3:13 and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.
Psalm 128:2 When you eat the [a]labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
Who remembers our anniversary gala? It was just last summer. Someone rented Ps Matt a luxury vehicle to drive for the weekend. A Rolls Royce. Man, was it nice. Matt posted a picture of him with the car on FB and someone replied with, “I would have used that money to feed the poor”
Welp. That’s what Judas said,
Matthew 26:6-9 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”
That’s the heart of Judas- it is greedy. The Bible records that he didn’t even care for the poor, but that he was a thief and used to steal money from the money bag.
When we got a new building, I saw a FB thread with a person condemning us for getting a building and saying something similar, of how that money could have been used to feed the poor overseas.
The heart of Judas doesn’t really care about those things, it is a heart that is greedy and stingy. It is a heart that cries out, “I don’t have that thing and neither should you!” It is a jealous heart that screams, “if I can’t have it, nobody can have it”; “why them and not me?” It is sour, ungrateful, unthankful and haughty. It is a spirit of pride to tell another how to use the money that God has blessed them with, and spoken to them about. Get your own heart right.
Don’t be a Judas. Repent if you have those thoughts. DO not muzzle someone else’s ox! They have a right from GOD to eat the fruit of their labors.
I am a firm believer that if you cannot be happy and rejoice with others when they are blessed, then why would God ever bless you?
Besides that, why do you care how, when or why someone is blessed and what they choose to do with their money?? Apparently the Corinthians had a problem with giving Paul money. This was an affluent church and one that was full of pride. It is interesting to me how the people with the most money are often the least generous.
Why don’t you try giving a generous gift, not when someone needs it; but when they are doing well and let God break that greediness off you.
If you are a tither- I do not care how or what you do with your money. If you are not tithing, you are robbing God. I firmly believe this and I am done arguing with people about it. I taught my children to tithe and give offerings and to be generous. It is the only place where we can test God.
Give God His 10%, give offerings as you are led by the Spirit, the rest still doesn’t belong to you, it belongs to God. You are steward. It is God who causes you to gain wealth. Prayerfully seek Him and be led where to give or use your money.
We have been in seasons where we didn’t have anything to spare and we searched our cushions for change to go buy a Slurpee. We have been in seasons of abundance, when the Lord has allowed us to enjoy our labor and do some fun things with our money, go on a vacation, or buy a new piece of furniture. It is a gift from God to enjoy the fruit of your labor. Do not let someone’s sourness and bitterness rob you of this gift from God. Plow in hope and do not muzzle the ox.
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