There has been a strong movement among Christians to turn back to Jewish customs: like wearing prayer shawls. Are these things wrong? Do they help you get your prayers answered or get closer to God?
Let’s see what the scripture has to say about it!
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but
faith working through love. (Galatians 5:1-6 NKJV)
Circumcision was the Old Testament Covenant sign for a Jew. It symbolized everything. It meant you belonged to God. It was supposed to be the outward sign of an inward change. We know that by Jesus’ time on earth, it had become an outward sign only with unchanged hearts that were shown by religious men. Faith in God and the sacrifices he provided for them was to have been the Old Testament way, but it had been corrupted into a good old boys club; or shall I say a religious, not so good old boys club.
So what is the harm if a person wants to wear a prayer shawl and pray? First, let me say there is nothing wrong with studying the Jewish festivals, etc. Understanding the Old Testament really sheds light on the New Testament. The problem is when you put faith in these things that are symbols not the thing itself. Remember this, Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant. I think for some non-Jewish Christians, there is some kind of thinking like this would be really cool to be Jewish; even though you are not Jewish.
So participating in these things in reality becomes like a good luck charm to you; like a spiritual rabbit’s foot. You may have never thought of it this way, but by placing faith in anything but the Jesus of the Bible, you create another Jesus. It kind of looks like Jesus, but it isn’t. This is extremely dangerous. We can’t make up whatever we want to and say “I like that, so I will do it.” Remember this: anything that adds to Jesus in reality takes away from him. It is like saying to Jesus, “I am sorry but your sacrifice on the cross isn’t enough, I need to add something to it.” And let me ask you this, why would you want to go back to an inferior covenant, when Jesus is the maker of a better (superior) covenant. It would be like if someone gave you brand new car with all the bells and whistles and you decided no I would rather go drive my old Junker that was about ready to die.
There seems to be a default nature in mankind that if
our minds are not renewed according to the Word of God, we go to fads. Not long ago, one of my relatives gave me a small vile of healing oil that he had gotten from some ministry. It was from Jerusalem. He knew deep down that there was no special power in this vile of healing oil due to the fact that it was from Jerusalem, but I could tell he was persuaded in this case that there might be. I appreciated the gift, but in good conscience, I had to throw it away. I didn’t want there to be any thought in my mind that any healing oil I used was more
than symbolic and not special because of where it came from.
So if you are a Christian and put on a prayer shawl because you think it will help you get your prayers answered, will it affect you? Yes, it will do the exact opposite of what you wanted it to do. It will prevent you from getting your prayers answered. You have transferred your faith from Christ alone to Christ and something else. Anything that transfers faith is not of God. Now I will say this, God in his mercy, may still answer a person’s prayers, for a time, who is engaged in this, do to his great mercy and our ignorance.
We should avoid spiritual rabbit’s foots. Paul the Apostle, faced some of his greatest opposition from a group of people called the Judaizers, who were trying to get Christians to add the law in right along side of their faith. Satan is so slick, if he can’t get people to deny their faith, he pollutes it and waters in down so it just isn’t very effective. We aren’t being pressured, but are volunteering for the right to do this. If a person is struggling with getting their prayers answered, they need to go back and take a fresh examination of the New Testament and the principles it teaches. They should ask the Holy Spirit to open it up to them. He will!
Remember, you don’t need a lucky rabbit’s foot because you are the so blessed to have a hot line to Jesus himself.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7, 8 NKJV)
Let’s see what the scripture has to say about it!
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but
faith working through love. (Galatians 5:1-6 NKJV)
Circumcision was the Old Testament Covenant sign for a Jew. It symbolized everything. It meant you belonged to God. It was supposed to be the outward sign of an inward change. We know that by Jesus’ time on earth, it had become an outward sign only with unchanged hearts that were shown by religious men. Faith in God and the sacrifices he provided for them was to have been the Old Testament way, but it had been corrupted into a good old boys club; or shall I say a religious, not so good old boys club.
So what is the harm if a person wants to wear a prayer shawl and pray? First, let me say there is nothing wrong with studying the Jewish festivals, etc. Understanding the Old Testament really sheds light on the New Testament. The problem is when you put faith in these things that are symbols not the thing itself. Remember this, Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant. I think for some non-Jewish Christians, there is some kind of thinking like this would be really cool to be Jewish; even though you are not Jewish.
So participating in these things in reality becomes like a good luck charm to you; like a spiritual rabbit’s foot. You may have never thought of it this way, but by placing faith in anything but the Jesus of the Bible, you create another Jesus. It kind of looks like Jesus, but it isn’t. This is extremely dangerous. We can’t make up whatever we want to and say “I like that, so I will do it.” Remember this: anything that adds to Jesus in reality takes away from him. It is like saying to Jesus, “I am sorry but your sacrifice on the cross isn’t enough, I need to add something to it.” And let me ask you this, why would you want to go back to an inferior covenant, when Jesus is the maker of a better (superior) covenant. It would be like if someone gave you brand new car with all the bells and whistles and you decided no I would rather go drive my old Junker that was about ready to die.
There seems to be a default nature in mankind that if
our minds are not renewed according to the Word of God, we go to fads. Not long ago, one of my relatives gave me a small vile of healing oil that he had gotten from some ministry. It was from Jerusalem. He knew deep down that there was no special power in this vile of healing oil due to the fact that it was from Jerusalem, but I could tell he was persuaded in this case that there might be. I appreciated the gift, but in good conscience, I had to throw it away. I didn’t want there to be any thought in my mind that any healing oil I used was more
than symbolic and not special because of where it came from.
So if you are a Christian and put on a prayer shawl because you think it will help you get your prayers answered, will it affect you? Yes, it will do the exact opposite of what you wanted it to do. It will prevent you from getting your prayers answered. You have transferred your faith from Christ alone to Christ and something else. Anything that transfers faith is not of God. Now I will say this, God in his mercy, may still answer a person’s prayers, for a time, who is engaged in this, do to his great mercy and our ignorance.
We should avoid spiritual rabbit’s foots. Paul the Apostle, faced some of his greatest opposition from a group of people called the Judaizers, who were trying to get Christians to add the law in right along side of their faith. Satan is so slick, if he can’t get people to deny their faith, he pollutes it and waters in down so it just isn’t very effective. We aren’t being pressured, but are volunteering for the right to do this. If a person is struggling with getting their prayers answered, they need to go back and take a fresh examination of the New Testament and the principles it teaches. They should ask the Holy Spirit to open it up to them. He will!
Remember, you don’t need a lucky rabbit’s foot because you are the so blessed to have a hot line to Jesus himself.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7, 8 NKJV)
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