First off let me say, this is not a good day – for anyone in your family. The oldest child, Josh Duggar, 33, has been found guilty of downloading and possessing child pornography. Each count carries a penalty of up to twenty years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.
I truly feel for the victims – the siblings of Josh Duggar, and the children, probably unknown to him, who he flagrantly exploited by downloading and possessing the photos and videos of them.
I feel for Anna and her children having to endure such an ordeal. I truly pray that the Lord protected these children from any abuse at the hands of their father.
As for Anna, she stood by Josh through it all, but it’s now time to see this for what it is. Josh has shown a propensity for this type of sexual behavior, starting with the abuse of his sisters and a family friend, which he admitted to the mother of the girl he was courting at the time, the abuse of the marriage when he admitted to the membership in the Ashley Madison adultery website, and now this – the child pornography. The behavior has been escalating – and there’s no reason under the name of Heaven that she should have to live with that.
Regardless of what the IBLP, your parents, Anna, or Jim Bob Duggar say, you have scriptural reason to leave the marriage. The Apostle Paul specifically denounced spousal abuse. Many pastors look at 1 Corinthians 7.13-16 a little more widely to include spousal abuse.
Anna, you were abused by Josh for years, and it’s high time to let him know, in no uncertain terms, that you’ve given him a second, third an many other chances – and he has abused your trust, your marriage and the trust of your children.
Put all of this aside Anna, Matthew 5:31-33, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that divorce is permissible in cases of adultery. That in itself gives you the scriptural reference and reason for telling Josh – and his family – to take a hike, the IBLP be darned! yes, you forgave the Ashley Madison adultery, but this adultery of the eyes – with children, is yet another level. Matthew 5:27-30 speaks directly to this.
What did Jesus say about hurting children? In Luke 17:2, Jesus said, It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. The very least, he needs to lose his children – and I were you, I wouldn’t let him with 500 feet of them. These children are your top priority – not Josh, and certainly not the rest of the Duggar clan, or the IBLP.
It needs to end, and end now. Filing for divorce would not be a sin, it would be a good step in regaining some control back. It might provoke a “wake up” call to Josh.
To Josh, I say that you have shown no signs of contrition or repentance. Your apologies several years back mean nothing if there was no change. In Matthew 3.8, it is written, Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance… Repentance means to turn from the sin. It’s based on the Hebrew word “shuv” – to turn, repent. Your continual escalation of sexual sin and exploitation of children – as well as their abuse, shows clearly that there was no Teshuvah – there was no real repentance. It was just enough to get the producers of 19 Kids… off your (and Jim Bob’s) back.
It also shows your pride – and God hates pride. He brings down pride. Get the message yet?
I counsel you to get on your knees in that cell, and truly repent. Don’t repent because you were caught, repent because you are truly sorry for your actions, the pain you’ve caused your siblings, your family, your wife and children, and the children you’ve exploited.
You have no place to look, but up.
2 Samuel 12 portrays Nathan telling David about his sin with Bathsheba and his sin of murdering her husband. He was immensely remorseful and repentant, but there was also a price to pay. There were earthly consequences (the child died), but there were also spiritual consequences. God was mighty angry with David, and if you read 2 Samuel, you’ll find that God was going to punish David for his sin – including that of pride – and punish him good.
It led him to write Psalm 51.
God brought you down, Josh. God exposed you. You thought that you could get away with it, just like before – God wants repentance from you Josh, not you trying to get out of it. Pay your earthly consequence, and make it a testimony. Learn a hard lesson from it, and help others. Dad’s not there to bail your butt out a jam anymore, like the other times – now, it’s all on you. You need to seriously repent and you need to get serious with the Lord that you claim to serve.
If you’re really not truly saved – if you’ve just been paying Jesus lip service, you just a huge wake up call, Josh!
And as for you, Jim Bob, as patriarch of the family, are are ultimately responsible for this mess.
You first made a deal with the devil, by signing a deal with TLC. This channel, and it’s parent network, Discovery Networks, cater to everything that goes against the Word of God. You looked for a way to profit off of your family.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:26, For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? That’s exactly what you did here. You sold your family and that of their safety to the devil.
Josh took his cues from you. You, as patriarch – your pride was front and center, and it showed. Josh, in turn, as patriarch of his family, was doing the same. I pray that the other sons and husbands don’t take the same cue and do the same.
Derek Dillard, who married your daughter Jill, did her a huge favor, by exposing her to the issues of the IBLP. You didn’t like, and still don’t care for Derek. Why is that? Was it because he was ready to expose the truth to Jill? Well, he did, and Jill was ready to testify.
The same with a few other husbands of your daughters. Why did they distance themselves from the series? Because they knew that they were working with the “world” – casting their pearls before swine.
A few of these husbands were aware of the molestation of their wives at the hands of Josh, and the surrounding coverup. I feel for these men too.
Jim Bob, you are just as responsible for this mess as Josh is. Instead of sitting him down and forcing him to take responsibility for this mess like a man, and repent before God, you did everything in your power to cover this up and to keep pertinent testimony out of the record – testimony that shows your son’s escalating sin, without remorse or repentance. You’re one heck of a role model – not!
Give up that state senate bid in Arkansas. You have no business there until you too, clean up your act, and repent before a holy God.
Too many preachers and people who call themselves Christians are going be here after the rapture trumpet blows. Are you and Josh going to two others on that broad road, or are you going to get things right?
The #Heb10 Church 