David’s flagrant sin with Bathsheba may be called a blasphemy ( 2 Sa 12:14 ), but a more likely translation is that David has “made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt” (NIV). Instead of testifying by lifestyle to the character of the Lord, David’s action confirms the blasphemous belief of the nations that the Lord is no different from any other national god.
Blasphemy is a term that appears in both the Old and New Testament. According to Smith’s Bible Dictionary, blasphemy in its technical English use signifies the speaking evil of God and in this sense is found in Psalms 74:18, Isaiah 52:5, Romans 2:24, etc. But according to its derivation, it may mean any sort of slander and abuse: reference 1 Kings 21:10, Acts 18:6, Jude 1:9, etc. Blasphemy was punished by stoning, which was inflicted on the son of Shelomith (Leviticus 24:11). On this charge, both our Lord and St. Stephen were condemned to death by the Jews.
In the New Testament, blasphemy may be:
- Of evil-speaking generally, (Acts 13:45); The Jews contradicted Paul “and blasphemed,” the Revised Version, margin “railed.” (So in the King James Version of Matthew 15:19 = Mark 7:22; Colossians 3:8, but in the Revised Version (British and American) “railings”; Revelation 2:9 the Revised Version, margin “reviling”; so perhaps in 1 Timothy 1:20; or Hymeneus and Alexander may have blasphemed Christ by professing faith and living unworthily of it.)
- Against God: (i) uttering impious words (Revelation 13:1-6); (ii) unworthy conduct of Jews (Romans 2:24) and Christians (1 Timothy 6:1); (iii) of Jesus Christ, alleged to be usurping the authority of God (Matthew 9:3 = Mark 2:7 = Luke 5:21), claiming to be the Messiah, the son of God (Matthew 26:65 = Mark 14:64), or making Himself God (John 10:33-36).
- Against Jesus Christ: Saul strove to make the Christians he persecuted blaspheme their Lord (Acts 26:11). So was he himself a blasphemer (1 Timothy 1:13).
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
The sin of “Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” is referenced in Mark 3:22-30 and Matthew 12:22-32 just after Jesus had performed a miracle of casting a demon out of a man, healing the possessed man of blindness and muteness. The witnesses of this exorcism began to question if Jesus was in fact the Messiah they had been waiting for. A group of Pharisees, hearing the discussion of the Messiah, quickly attempted to quell any developing faith in Christ saying: “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons” (Matthew 12:24).
The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, (Matthew 12:32; Mark 3:28) consisted in attributing to the power of Satan those unquestionable miracles which Jesus performed by “the finger of God” and the power of the Holy Spirit. It is plainly such a state of wilful, determined opposition to God and the Holy Spirit that no efforts will avail to lead to repentance. Among the Jews, it was a sin against God answering to treason in our times.
Therefore blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has to do with slandering Jesus Christ of being demon-possessed instead of Spirit-filled. This distinct type of blasphemy cannot be reproduced today. The Pharisees were in a distinct moment in history: they had the Law and the Prophets, the Holy Spirit stirring their hearts, and the Son of God Himself right in front of them. Never before or since then in history had so much divine revelation been given to men. If anyone should have identified Jesus for who He was, it was the Pharisees. Yet they chose rebellion. They deliberately accused the work of the Spirit to the devil, even though they knew the truth and had the proof. Jesus declared their intentional blindness to be unforgivable. Their blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was their ultimate denial of God’s grace.
