There are times in the Bible when the LORD asked people to do some pretty crazy things. And there were always some who would, but most wouldn't dream of it. We like to be composed, cool, and pretend to have it all together. No problems to see here my friend... While the LORD likes to jerk that fake covering off and see the real you underneath. 

Speaking of which, look at what He asked of Isaiah:

(Isaiah 20:2-4 NKJV)  at the same time the LORD spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and remove the sackcloth from your body, and take your sandals off your feet.” And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. Then the LORD said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and a wonder against Egypt and Ethiopia, so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians as prisoners and the Ethiopians as captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

Some whitewash this and say, "well, he wasn't naked, but in his underwear." But the LORD said, "naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered" so I am going to believe that is exactly what He meant. Also, to the Assyrians, total nakedness was the ultimate form of prisoner-of-war shaming. To put underwear on a naked man is more of the "whitewash it, cover it up, make it look better than it really is" man-made doctrine. 

Whitewash definition: Whitewashing is covering up unpleasant facts to make something look better than it really is. The term comes from the literal use of whitewash—a cheap, thin white paint made of lime and chalk used to quickly cover up stains, dirt, or rotting wood on a fence or wall. It doesn't fix the underlying problem; it just hides it behind a bright, clean surface. 

Jesus talked about it:

(Matthew 23:27-28 NKJV)  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

When I was young in the LORD and naive about His ways, I was shocked to find that I was at times more religious than Him. He would say things that I wouldn't dare... I was playing bass in a praise and worship team once, and we were getting ready to record a CD. I had recently joined this group and was fasting and praying for more of the LORD's presence during our worship time, when the LORD gave me a vivid dream. 

In the dream, I was standing with the LORD looking down into a house. The worship team was in the living room arguing, blaming, and pointing fingers at each other, while I was in the bathroom trying to unplug an overflowing toilet with a plunger. I had the impression that I was trying to fix the mess they had created. The LORD and I were looking down and watching all that was going on. 

I asked the LORD, "What does this mean?" and He said: "There is a whole lot of crap backed up."

The scene changed and the whole worship team was running on a track, blue lanes with white lines, each in their own lane like track and field. We were all running in our lanes when dark clouds and thunder began coming up behind us, overtaking us like a coming storm. I was still standing with the LORD looking down on the field. 

I asked the LORD, "What does this mean?" and He said: "It's catching up."

I believe that was a Friday night and we had band practice Saturday night. When we got together at practice to pray, I told them about the dream, and they laughed me off the stage. "Dion said the LORD said crap! The LORD is going to flush us down the toilet..." They were all having a great time at my expense, except for the praise and worship leader's wife, who turned white as a sheet. 

I brushed it off and we practiced our songs. The following morning was Sunday and we were on stage again, when the worship leader and his wife got into an argument and he stormed off and sat down in the audience to glare at us during the praise and worship time. They split up that day, he moved out by afternoon, and it came to light that she had been having an affair with the drummer for the last year, whom she married after their divorce. It was about 48 hours from the dream to the finale. Then the praise and worship team was "given a break" and disbanded. That was a train wreck straight out of spinal tap.

The LORD is real. No fluff. No coverup. He sees things as they really are. He is not afraid of a social scandal. The LORD told me around that time that He had too many cheerleaders, standing on the sidelines looking pretty, and shouting all the right things, but they weren't even in the game. Jesus said it this way:

(Matthew 15:7-9 NKJV)  Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

We don't need to whitewash the Word of God. Keep it real. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, public humiliation was part of the torture. Yet, when we paint the crucifixion, we try to clean it up, and Jesus just looks a little bit sad... 

We tend to sanitize the scandal. Try to protect their reputation, sugarcoat it, and cover the sin over. But I find that the LORD is not polite towards sin at all and will gladly rip off the bandaid and give it some air. Jesus said:

(Luke 6:46) "Why do you call Me, LORD, LORD, and not do the things I tell you?" 

(Matthew 7:15-20 NKJV)  “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

(Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV)  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

We can do better. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You see everything, including things we like to hide. You are not fooled by our religious performance, and You are not impressed by our titles. Lord, I want to be real. Strip away the whitewash. Show me where I am honoring You with my lips but my heart has drifted. Wake me up when I am standing on the sideline looking the part but not actually in the game. Give me the courage to be honest with You, with myself, and with the people around me. I want to hear "well done, My good and faithful servant" and not "I never knew you." In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!