member his misery no more.’ A. It is always well to read the verses in which arfy po.rtion of Scripture is found. In verses 4 and 5 of this same chapter we find, “It is not for kings, 0 Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.” Anyone in authority should not allow his mind to be befuddled with strong drink. The writer is saying that the only thing drink is good for is for someone ready to die. It is far from being a positive command or rec ommendation. The last thing in the world one should do to maintain good health is to use such beverages. Q. San Francisco, California — “Does God have the power to prevent his churches from burning? It does seem strange that He would permit their destruction if they have been dedicated to Him.” A. God is all powerful! He can prevent His churches from burning as well as anything else He may desire. God’s ways are perfect and always best. His will is for our highest good and for His divine glory. Many times, with our finite knowledge, we cannot explain why God allows certain experiences to come to pass. For instance, we see peo ple •thoroughly dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ who go through suffering and persecution. Job rightly said, “Though he slay me yet will I trust him.” That is the position of the vic torious Christian. Then again there may be times when people get to wor shipping a church building rather than the Lord of the church. In addition, without being facitious, it might be also true that such is the only way the Lord can get a little “fire” into some of the churches. Q . San Francisco, California — “Proverbs 22:6 tells us that if we train up a child in the way he should go, he w ill not depart from it. But didn’t Eli train up his sons in the way of the Lord? And what about all of the other Gospel ministers of our day whose children
seem to go wrong?” A. This is a very heart searching ques tion. In the case of Eli, although he was a godly man, he was quite remiss in the rearing of his children. The Scriptures indicate that he didn’t re strain them and was far too lenient when he should have been more of a disciplinarian. This was evidently Samuel’s great shortcoming, too. The people of Israel did not want his sons to succeed him. That is the reason they asked for a king. David had been len ient with his sons as well. As to the Gospel ministers of our day whose chil dren go wrong, let it be said that this is not generally the case. Proverbs 22:6 is eminently true. There are tremen dous consequences if we “fall down” in our job. Paul tells of his concern that busy Christian parents don’t merely preach to others to the neglect of their first responsibility which is their fam ilies. Q . Pacoima, California — “Why should we fast?” A. We should not fast in order to gain merit in the sight of the Lord. We should not fast in order to follow cer tain religious rituals. Fasting was com manded in the Old Testament for cer tain definite reasons and over certain periods of time. It was under the dis pensation of the law and does not per tain in this particular age of grace. As we look in the mirror we may see a physical need for periods of fasting. Furthermore, it is profitable to give ourselves to prayer and fasting. It can be a wonderful spiritual blessing in our hearts and lives. Q . Jacksonville, Oregon — “What did the apostle Paul mean when he asked the believers if they had received the Holy Ghost since they believed?” A. In Acts 19:1 we read, “And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Cor inth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples . . .” The first mistake is to think that the word “dis ciples” means believers as we know 16
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