"And he said: I fear lest I have committed the unpardonable sin, for I have lied unto God; for I denied the Christ, and said that I believed the scriptures; and they truly testify of him. And because I have thus lied unto God I greatly fear lest my case shall be awful; but I confess unto God."
Jacob 7:19
It's interesting here that Sherem talks about lying to God as an unpardonable sin... first, how is it even possible to lie to God, and second, why is it so serious?
I wasn't there of course, and can't know for sure, but I think there are some hints in the story that shed a little light. It talks about him having a "perfect knowledge" of the language and using much flattery, and he sought out Jacob specificially even though he knew he was the least susceptible to his arguments... so it seems like he was actively seeking drama and attention... he wanted to twist his words and gain points with the onlookers so that he would look good and have more sway with them perhaps.
Then, when he asks (very unwisely) for a sign, Jacob says "What am I that I should tempt God to show unto thee a sign in the thing which thou knowest to be true?" (verse 14). I think that is probably the core thing right there. Sherem knew that the gospel was true, and he was spreading lies anyway. For it to be unpardonable, it seems like he would have had to have a sure, certain testimony and then chose to go and lead people away from God anyway.
Today, let's make sure that we hold true to the knowledge and testimony of God that we have.
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