"And God spake all these words, saying, I-- I [am] the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
"II-- Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
"III-- Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
"IV-- Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates: For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
"V-- Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
"VI-- Thou shalt not kill.
"VII-- Thou shalt not commit adultery.
"VIII-- Thou shalt not steal.
"IX-- Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
"X-- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that [is] thy neighbour's." --Exodus 20:1-17
Note: Can you think of these ten commandments as God’s ten promises to us? When we repent He delivers us from the bondage of sin, as He delivered the Israelites from the bondage of the Egyptians. Thus, He gives us power to obey His commandments, to have them written in our hearts and minds (Hebrews 10:16). When we think of them this way it helps us to think of them as “the law of liberty” as one writer calls them in the new testament. It is not liberty to disobey them, but the power to keep them.
"Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book [it is] written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law [is] within my heart." – Psalm 40:7, 8
Note: The Psalmist loved God’s law. He found happiness is in obedience to these laws.Those who choose to follow Satan, think happiness is found in selfishness, but unless they repent, they will find nothing but misery in the end. Even on this earth, those who live for self cannot know true love, peace or joy. The law is written in the heart of those who accept the Lord.
"Master, which [is] the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." –Matthew 22:36-40
Note: Some have said that all we need to do is love God and our fellow man. Yet, the only way we can do this is by obeying then ten commandments in thought, word and deed. Jesus revealed how deep the commandments go when He tells that when men hate others they are the same as killing them. Our motives and feelings need to be renewed by the Lord, as well as our actions and words.
"And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe [and] to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Blessed [shalt] thou [be] in the city, and blessed [shalt] thou [be] in the field. Blessed [shall be] the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed [shall be] thy basket and thy store. Blessed [shalt] thou [be] when thou comest in, and blessed [shalt] thou [be] when thou goest out. The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do [them]: And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, [to] the right hand, or [to] the left, to go after other gods to serve them." – Deuteronomy 28:1-14
Note: The blessing of the Lord on the Israelites was based on obedience to His commandments. God knows how important our obedience is to our ultimate happiness. Sometimes we have to discipline our children to teach them obedience, but if we do it in love and with prayer for them and with them, they will learn to love to obey because they don’t want to disappoint or hurt us. This should be our motive for obeying God’s commandments. If our human nature gets the best of us, God forgives when we repent, and promises to gives us power for the victory over sins. Also, we can think of the law as a mirror that shows us our sins. It can’t save us, but it reveals our sins to us.
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." – Matthew 5:17-20
Note: If you have any doubt that the law is important, look at this text. Jesus said it is indeed very important. Some have tried to say Jesus fulfilled the law, so we won’t have to. Yet, He says He didn’t come to destroy it. He fulfilled it by living a righteous life. And, He is our example in all things.
"For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:" – Hebrews 8:8-10
Note: Here is another place in Hebrews that tells of God writing the law in our hearts and minds. This is through the process of sanctification. As the Holy Spirit works in our lives, we are changed, thus the laws is written there. God promises to do this for us. It doesn’t take place all at once, but it must take place.
"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;" – John 16:7-10
Note: Here we see the work of the Holy Spirit. He isn’t just our Comforter, He reproves us, He make us righteous. In other places we learn He corrects and teaches us. Yet, we must choose to let Him work in us daily.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." – Ephesians 2:8-10
Note: We are saved through faith in Christ. It is a gift from God. We cannot boast of works. Yet, this text goes on to say God works in us, so we will walk in good works. His law is put in our hearts and we walk with God. Genuine works is proof of our faith in Christ and His power to save us from our sins.
Conclusion:
Since God’s “ten promises” will be written in the heart of believers, we know He will do the work, in spite of our human natures. The laws of God regulate the whole universe, and so they must regulate our lives. May the loving Lord teach us to love His law.
No comments:
Post a Comment