Who according to the Bible is the only person who has been given the ministry of "covering" in the Bible?
Ezekiel 28:12-18, KJV: Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the
king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou
sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou
hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy
covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx,
and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and
gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in
thee in the day that thou west created. 14 Thou art the anointed
cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou west upon the holy
mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the
stones of fire. 15 Thou west perfect in thy ways from the day that
thou west created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16 By the
multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with
violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane
out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering
cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Twine heart was
lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by
reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay
thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18 Thou hast defiled
thy sanctuaries by the multitude of twine iniquities, by the iniquity
of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of
thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the
earth in the sight of all them that behold thee."
Lucifer was known as the "covering cherub" - this was his title - one
of his operations and one he continues to place upon those who dwell
within his kingdom, only these days his covering is darkness rather
than light.
In what contexts is the word "coverings" used in the Bible?
There are three major Hebrew words which have been translated as "covering." For someone to act as our "covering," this must encompass part or all of the meanings of these words, depending on which word is applied and the intent of its application.
1. The first Hebrew word, psychic, means "to cover or hedge in." Figuratively, the word means "to protect," having the meaning of "to cover, defend, hedge in, join together, set, or shut up." In other words, men can protect themselves by joining together, shutting themselves up or fortifying their position, or hedging themselves in so that the enemy cannot see or reach them. It is this sort of covering that is used in church circles today to describe the act of covering by one person towards another.
The second Hebrew word that means "to cover" is Casey. The primary meaning of this word is "to cover for clothing or secrecy." It also means "to cover over, conceal." Proverbs 10:12 says that "love covers all offenses". By love we "overlook the offense that is given us, and Casey (cover) it, and by this means strife is prevented." The sin thus is not removed, but merely concealed. God wants Christians to cover (Casey) people's sins with love.
The third Hebrew word is cougher. The King James Bible translates this word as "to make atonement," and from the same root word we get Yom Kippur, or "Day of Atonement." This root also means to "cover over, pacify, make propitiation." As opposed to Casey, which means "to cover something over," cougher means to completely "wipe it out, annul it, and make it non- existent."
The word cougher is used in context with the blood offering of the Old Testament. Aaron, the first high priest of Israel, was commanded to slaughter the goat as the sin offering for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. This was to make atonement for the holy place because of the sins of Israel (Leviticus 16:15, 16). Psalm 91:3 says the Lord "rescues you from the snares of fowlers hoping to destroy you; he covers you with his feathers, and you find shelter underneath his." (Jerusalem Bible). Thus, God "kaphars" the sin and it is both forgiven and removed. We "Casey" it with love to take the sting out of it, rendering it harmless to ourselves and others.
Is the concept of a "covering" (where a person provides a protective cloak or covering to those who submit to their authority) Biblical?
As to what the Bible says about coverings - do they/should they exist, and under what circumstances? - it says very little in terms of direct instruction. The reason for this is similar to the reason why we don't find any attempt to prove God's existence in the Bible. To the Bible's writers, this was a foregone conclusion, an acknowledged fact, the foundation or starting point upon which the teachings of the Bible are based. So too is the principal of coverings. The Bible assumes we will bring ourselves under coverings and gives us pointers in choosing them wisely. These are a few examples in the Bible of people living and ministering under another's covering.
Noah and his family: Whilst not a great deal of detail is given about Noah's family, what we do know is that they were all saved by staying under his covering, being the only people of the day who believed Noah's message. Unless they joined him by force, which is unlikely, Noah obviously had the integrity and respect which caused them to have complete faith in Him and the God he served, otherwise they would not have been willing to withstand the jeers and mocking they would have received by standing by him. Noah and his family certainly followed the concept of God being the head of the man, the man being the head of the woman, and the children submitting to their parent's joint authority.
Ruth and Boaz: The way Boaz looked out for Ruth and created a covering for her in terms of her physical needs is a practical application of what James speaks of as being "external religious worship that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God" (James 1:27). By comparison, Boaz saw his act of extending a protective covering to Ruth as recompense by the Lord for what she had done (the personal sacrifice involved in taking care of her mother-in-law in the manner that she did - forsaking her land, her people and her god to remain under Naomi's covering), "a full reward (given by the Lord, the God of Israel) under whose wings you have come to take refuge." Boaz clearly saw himself as God's hands and feet, that the covering he extended was part of his service to God, and that by coming under his covering she was in reality coming under God's covering. Boaz's covering was God's provision for her.
Elijah and Elisha: This is a totally different type of covering that came in the form of a garment which passed on from one prophet to the other. This mantle represented a spiritual covering of power and authority in God which manifested in different ways in the ministry of the two prophets: one in fire and the other in water.
The Talit - The Jewish Prayer Shawl: In the book of Numbers (15:38 & 39) and Deuteronomy (22:12) the command is given for all male members of Israel to wear a garment which has tassels, or strings on the corners. This ''garment'' woven without seam we have found by studying Judaism reveals a multitude of facets of revelation about God, His unpronounceable name, even who He is. This ''covering'', this ''garment'' can be linked or tied into the ''covering(s)'' that were brought by God for Adam and Eve in the Genesis account, when sin entered the Garden. This covering then seems to be the representation as found in the first covering of the Tabernacle in Exodus chapter 26 verse one and on. According to the Encyclopedia Judaica, the word ''Talit'', which is what this garment is called, comes from a root word meaning ''lamb'', Hebrew dictionaries confirm this. Because the Talit is used as a ''covering'' the transliteration of Talit should be ''the Covering of the Lamb''. This then appears to be the intended meaning as represented in the ''covering'' given to Adam and Eve; the covering of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night over the Children of Israel during their journey through the wilderness; the first "covering" as given for the Tabernacle and then the Talit commanded to be worn by male members of Israel; and now to us, the "covering" Christ gives to His Church.
What references are there in the New Testament to coverings?
Surprisingly, the word appears once in the entire New Testament, and it is used in connection with a woman's head covering in 1 Cor. 11:15. Paul encouraged the women to keep this cultural norm. He used this physical "head covering" as a picture to symbolize the woman's submission to God's authority in her marriage, having a healthy relationship with her husband. The husband is the head in his home and thus the head of all who dwell in it (wife, children, boarders, others). As the previous verses illustrate, the man is the head of the wife and God is the head of the man.
Why do we desire a covering?
Accountability: Part of the reason many Christians feel a need for
a covering is accountability. Every believer feels we all need
to be accountable to someone, and that this is a primary litmus test
in measuring the authenticity of a church or ministry. However,
we still have to ask ourselves, is this idea biblical? The
Bible consigns accountability exclusively to God alone (Matt. 12:36;
18:23; Luke 16:2; Rom. 3:19; 14:12; 1 Cor. 4:5; Heb. 4:13; 13:17; 1
Pet. 4:5). According to all these scriptures, we are all accountable
to the same person - God!
Many churches believe and teach that one church (or person within
that church) has the task of watching how the others behave in a
certain areas of life. Their responsibility is to hold that
person accountable, ask the awkward questions, and talk to them when
they mess up. This whole concept is flawed as it is nothing
more than an attempt at changing behavior from the outside. The Old
Covenant endeavoured to overcome sin externally. Those under
the law had to work at trying to observe what it commanded, and
failed miserably. The law was outside them. The New
Covenant is better because God writes the law on the inside of
us. Jesus comes to us from within and empowers our hearts to
change. He lives His life through us. The idea of
accountability to another person is trying to deal with temptation
and sin externally. It can't change the heart.
I may, for example, ask you to hold me accountable in a tendency I
may have to swear. My intentions may be good, but the method is
faulty. Will I stop swearing because you are going to ask me
about it? How does this deal with the root of the problem. Is
there bitterness in my heart? All we are doing is exerting our
combined efforts of will-power to remove the bad fruit in me, but as
long as the root is there, the fruit will grow back.
Inevitably, to avoid chastisement, I will be tempted to make sure
that you never see me stumble, but in my heart nothing has
changed. This incites hypocrisy (being seen to be doing the
right thing when in fact I am not) and guilt (from the
deception). This is all based on a fear of man and not a fear
of God. That sort of accountability says that we are going to
stop this behavior because a man is watching. Well, God is
watching. Why would we listen to men and not God? There
has to be in inward change and a receiving of the Spirit of the fear
of the Lord. Real transformation comes from within. The
axe must be laid to the root of this tree.
Also, how can that person that we are accountable to really be
qualified to hold us accountable? It seems this is a
responsibility that only belongs to God, who alone knows the secrets
of our hearts. We are attributing Divine privilege to
men. This is a form of idolatry. People can not handle
that kind of power. It does corrupt them.
To demonstrate accountability to a person or group of people we may
briefly rub shoulders with at a meeting once or twice a week is
ludicrous and dangerous. True accountability is about how we express
Christ in us - our lifestyle, our character and our integrity in
families, jobs and church community. This can only be measured by our
humble willingness to be in subjection one to another. Each one of us
needs to seek out and submit ourselves to every single person in the
Body the Lord has placed close to us to provide that accountability,
regardless of their position, title or function.
Accountability or Control?: What we are really taking about here goes beyond "accountability" and asks the more probing question, "who controls you?" The religious system, like any man made organisation (political, social, religious, business), is based on control, on a one-up/one-down, hierarchical chain-of-command structure. And it is thought that through such a control system of "coverings" that Christians are to be protected from error. These "higher" authorities can say "hey, you can't do that" or "don't proceed without answering to us". under that system, everyone must answer to someone higher in the pyramid. The lay people are "covered" by the pastor, the pastor is "covered" by the local church, the local church is covered by the governing body of that denomination or some prominent Christian leader (who appears to be higher on the pyramid). The idea that any one believer can trace their accountability to a higher authority is grounds enough to being protected by that authority.
Now if you follow the logic through to it's end, then who covers the mother church, denominational headquarter, or Christian worker? At this point, some would say it is "God" who covers them. The question that then needs to be asked is, "If God can cover these "higher authorities" and the system accountability to a person up the chain-of-command is flawed, then can't God directly cover the "lay people"? The answer is obviously "yes". Behind the curtain of sayings like "providing accountability" and "having a covering", lurks a system driven by a spirit of control.
Christ's Answer to Control - Servanthood: Control and elevation of
persons above others are the earmarks of any order rooted in this
world. Jesus had strong words to say about such systems,
whether political or religious. "You know that the rulers of the
Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise
authority over them. Yet is shall not be so among you: but
whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your
servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be
your slave &endash; Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give His life for a ransom for many."
Matthew 20:25-28 (NKJV)
Jesus recognised that every man-made system has propensity to elevate
the elite and control the majority and identified the spirit working
in the religious institutions of His day: "But you, do not be called
Rabbi, for one is your teacher, the Christ, and you are all
brethren. Do not call anyone on earth father; for one is your
Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers, for
one is your teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among
you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be
humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted". Matt.
23:8-12 (NKJV) He knew that arrogance and hunger for power is the
spirit of Lucifer himself, and not the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus told the Pharisees that their father was the devil. He
said this should have no place in the fellowship of believers which
was a new order centered around the poor, the lame, the sick and the
weak. In saying this, Jesus had turned the pyramid
upside-down. He taught us that the greatest in His kingdom is
the servant.
The religious Scribes and Pharisees relished in the praise and honor
given by men. They held to their titles and positions with
spiritual pride and self righteousness. They were the
specialists, who focused on public presence, status and
prestige. It's in our nature to be religious, self righteous,
prideful, and power hungry. But all that goes when we are
"crucified to the world and the world to us." We can then truly
live out of the resources that Jesus has within us.
Jesus showed us by example to wash each other's feet. He
commanded us to do this. Jesus taught us that the servant should
not expect reward or a return of the favor when he is asked by the
Master to do something. He taught us only to say "we are
unprofitable servants, we have done what is our duty to do"(Luke
17:5-10). What an impact we would have if all believers just
served each other without expectation of anything in return, and if
the leaders were the ones that set the example?
The word adelphoi, translated "brethren", appears 346 times in the
New Testament and 134 times in Paul's writings alone. By
contrast, "elders" appear in Paul's letters five times, "overseers"
four times, and "pastors" only once. The New Testament clearly
places the bulk of responsibility for pastoral care, teaching, and
ministry rests on the shoulders of all the brethren. The
Scriptures paint such a beautiful picture of people living with love
and devotion to one another, the need for any forced systems of
accountability becomes obsolete. Loving relationships are God's
substitute for man-made institutional accountability
structures. In the context of love, we are told to confess our
faults to another and bear with another. Judgment has no place
here. There is understanding, grace, and believing the best
about each other. It's all about love.
How are we protected from falling into error?
A proper foundation in the heart of a new believer is paramount.
Jesus is the only true foundation to be laid (1 Cor. 3:10).
That foundation is built with the teaching of the apostles (Eph.
2:20, Acts 2:42). The teachings of the apostles, expressed in
the NT, confirms the OT prophecies as being fulfilled in Jesus, and
is centered in the person of Jesus and His teaching pertaining to the
kingdom of God. When the gospel is sown into the heart of a
person, it is a powerful seed, containing all that person needs to
grow and become what he or she was created by God to be. There is
power in that seed. It is the very person of Jesus. If them
embrace Him and everything that He is, "they will know the truth and
the truth shall set them free".
The Holy Spirit, the power of God: Do we under-estimate the
ability of the Holy Spirit to be able to keep us on track? Look
at the church in Thessalonica. Paul probably only spent three
months there before being chased out of town. That means that
the oldest believer was only three months old. Paul was sure
that his labour there was in vain, until he sent Timothy there to
investigate what was left of the church. Surprisingly, Timothy
found the church strong in faith and love and thriving (1 Thess.
chapters 1 & 2). Remember, Jesus promised that the Father
would send the Holy Spirit and that He would lead us into all truth.
(John 14:16-18, 25, 26/15:26/16:5-15) We were not left as
orphans. We all have access to the Spirit of Truth and can know
God personally.
So is there a role for leaders in Christ's new system?
We need leaders, otherwise the writers of the Epistles would not
have referred to them, but they must not be just any kind. They
are men who can teach and instruct in the word of God, who are called
of God. Modern day apostles, teachers and elders have this task
of guarding and upholding the truth in times of great
deception. The functions they perform are described by the
Apostle Paul as gifts given by God as detailed in Eph. 4:11-14. They
are given the intention of building up Christ's Body (the Church)
that it might develop until we all attain oneness in the
comprehension and fullness of the knowledge of God. They are
there to help the rest and to help each other.
Those passages that speak of elders, overseers and pastors tell us
some very crucial and defining characteristics of godly
leadership. Elders are the more mature ones in our company that
command the trust and respect of the rest by the fruit of their
Christian living. They model "kingdom" living and walk in the
footsteps of Jesus. They care about the others like a mother or
a father would care for a child. The Holy Spirit Himself has
made them to watch over the rest and they live life among the
brethren, not over them. We are to respond to these ones by
recognizing and esteeming them, receiving and respecting them,
emulating them and being open to their admonishment. We are not
to resist them or bring sharp accusations against them, without solid
evidence so as to not make their responsibility any heavier than it
already is. But also we are not to elevate them above ourselves, be
it in our own minds or in theirs. After all, these people can only
attain greatness in the Kingdom of God by being "the least among
them". (Acts 20:28; Titus 1:5-7; 1 Pet. 5:1-4; 1 Cor. 16:13-18; 1
Thess. 5:12, 13; Heb. 13:7, 17; Phil. 2:25-30; 1 Tim. 5:1; 5:19).
The apostles gave these leaders specific instructions: "Shepherd the
flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by
compulsion, but according to God, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;
nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to
the flock..." (I Pet 5:2-3). Authority in God's kingdom is not
patterned after the world. It's not the same kind of authority that
the gentiles are said to have exercised over each other. Rather, it
is a form of leadership demonstrated primarily by lifestyle and
example. The word for authority that Jesus used in this passage is:
"katexousiazo" which means: to have or wield full privilege over. In
this passage, Jesus was saying that no single individual should wield
full right or privilege over the saints. That level of authority is
reserved for Jesus alone, for He is: "...Head over all things to the
Church. " (Eph 1:22)
The example of the Early Church Apostles
In Galatians Chapter Two we read of a journey Paul took to
Jerusalem. He states that he went up "by revelation", that is, at the
instigation of the Holy Spirit, in order to confirm that the gospel
he had been preaching was approved by the eldership of the Jerusalem
church. He goes on to state that "those who seemed to be something,
whatever they were, it makes no difference to me," had nothing to add
to his teachings. He further adds that when James, Cephas (Peter) and
John perceived the grace God had shown him, he was given the "right
hand of fellowship."
At the instigation of the Holy Spirit, Paul had subjected himself to
the Jerusalem eldership, including Peter, for the purpose of
accountability, even though he was equal if not beyond them in terms
of his knowledge and understanding of things pertaining to the
Christian faith. One may safely assume that Peter, having spent
around three years day and night with Jesus, and highly regarded by
the early believers, held very great authority in the church. Paul,
however did not ask Peter to cover him. Instead, he did not hesitate
in calling Peter to account when Peter was later swayed to go back on
his word by the fear of men (Gal. 2:11-14). Bear in mind this is the
same Peter who stated "We ought to obey God rather than men." (Acts
5:29)
These men understood the nature of relationship through the Holy
Spirit; that we should all be submissive to one another, that we
should all be clothed with humility. Each of us is accountable to one
another, with no preference towards one over another, whatever their
function in the Body, whether apostles, teachers, deacons or helpers.
This is the church Christ is building.
What promises has God made in regard to coverings?
"And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be
called holy, everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem, for
eternal life, after the Lord has washed away the (moral) filth of the
daughters of Zion (pride, vanity, haughtiness) and has purged the
bloodstains of Jerusalem from the midst of it by the spirit and blast
of judgment and by the spirit and blast of burning and sifting.
And the Lord will create over the whole site (Jerusalem), over every
dwelling place of Mount Zion and over her assemblies, a cloud and
smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all
the glory shall be a canopy (covering) (a defense of divine love and
protection). And there shall be a pavilion for shade in the daytime
from the heat, and for a place of refuge and a shelter from storm and
from rain." Isaiah 4: 3-6 (Ampl).
This is a prophesy regarding Jerusalem (God's people) after God has
washed their sins away (Christ's sacrifice has been made). It
promises a covering which will act as both a defense (from the heat
of the day) and a shelter (from storm and rain). This covering will
consist of two things; divine love and divine protection. The
prophet's description closely resembles the method of protection
given by God to the Children of Israel on their journey through the
Wilderness from Egypt to the Promised Land. Viewed as a type of our
journey from the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of Light, we
see that just as the Israelites had 24-hour protection via a cloud
and smoke by day and a shining of a flaming fire by night during
their physical journey, so God has promised us identical protection
on our spiritual journey. Interestingly, this is a multi-tiered
covering which protects on three distinct levels; over the whole site
(God's universal church), over every dwelling place of Mt Zion (every
Christian household) and every assembly (local church). It promises
simultaneous coverings on all three levels. The covering over the
church universal comes from the Holy Spirit who was sent as the
comforter who would lead us into all truth; the covering over the
household comes through the head of the house (the father, or senior
adult if there is no father); the covering over the church comes
through the elders as they operate in the the various ministerial
gifts God has given. At each level, the covering is defense of divine
love and divine protection against the principalities and powers of
this world.
What does Hebrews 13: 17 really mean?
"Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. "
In essence it means, " Be persuaded by the example of those who have gone before you." It is my understanding that when the ecclesiastical translators of the King James Version "translated" the Bible, they copied the Tyndale version 83% of the time. The other 17% deviated from that first English version on verses which they translated to infer the Bible's approval to the Church of England and the monarchy having absolute power. When we see a verse that implies power given to men in authority in the Church, it is good to check the Greek meaning on that translation because the giving of such authority is contrary to Christ's teaching. I have verified the meaning of the original Greek text for each major word in this verse to determine the verse's true meaning.
OBEY
RULE
The word in the original text is not rule, but authority. It is the same word "authority" we use when describing someone as being an authority on a subject, that is, they have influence and command respect regarding a subject because of their knowledge and understanding of it. In ancient texts, the word was never used in reference to having government, control or power.
AUTHORITY
SUBMIT
To resist no longer, but to give way, yield (of combatants)
WATCH - agrupneo
SOUL - Psuche
the soul
Give ACCOUNT
To consider (to attain a conclusion), to deem (determine one's position), to take account of (take stock), to think of and about.
MUST
this word is not in the original Greek, but has been added by the translators
JOY
Chara: joy, gladness, from which our word charity is derived.
GRIEF - stenazo
1. a sigh, to groan
THAT
literally "behaviour of this manner"
UNPROFITABLE
Alusiteles: unprofitable, hurtful, pernicious, damaging
Literally translated, the verse reads:
Hebrews 13: 17 - Be persuaded by and induced to believe them that go before who are influencing you by their example, and resist no longer: for they remain ever alert, attentive to the seat of your feelings, desires, affections and aversions; consequently they determine your position and attain a conclusion. Do this so that they may determine your position and attain a conclusion about you with joy received from you, and not with a sign or a groan: for behaviour of this manner is hurtful and damaging for you.