Great are those who teach and obey the commandments

"Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away,not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-19

Why do people tend to view the "law of God" negatively rather than positively? Jesus' attitude towards the law of God can be summed up in the great prayer of Psalm 119: "Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day."

For the people of Israel the "law" could refer to the ten commandments or to the five Books of Moses, called the Pentateuch or Torah, which explain the commandments and ordinances of God for his people. The "law" also referred to the whole teaching or way of life which God gave to his people. The Jews in Jesus' time also used it as a description of the oral or scribal law. Needless to say, the scribes added many more things to the law than God intended. That is why Jesus often condemned the scribal law because it placed burdens on people which God had not intended.

Jesus made it very clear that the essence of God's law - his commandments and way of life, must be fulfilled. God's law is true and righteous because it flows from his love, goodness, and holiness. It is a law of grace, love, and freedom for us. That is why God commands us to love him above all else and to follow in the way of his Son, the Lord Jesus who taught us how to love by laying down our lives for one another.

Prayer
"Lord Jesus, grant this day, to direct and sanctify, to rule and govern our hearts, minds, and bodies, so that all our thoughts, words, and deeds may be in accord with your Father's law and wisdom. And thus may we be saved and protected through your mighty help."

Daily Scriptures

Play in the Hole

Last month my wife and I rented a house by the beach. Our kids and their families joined us. We had an awful lot of fun.



My two grand-daughters are 3 and 5 years old. There were times when the adults wanted to just sit and rest by the ocean, but the kids needed constant supervision. Without someone watching them, they would wander into the water, wander down the beach or play with the crabs.



Playing in the Hole

Telling them not to do these things was fruitless. However, digging a hole in the sand, letting it fill up with water and telling them to play in the hole amused them. They spent several hours playing in a hole, doing what I wanted, not doing what they wanted.

Today’s reading is Galatians 5:16-26. Some Christians in Galatia believed that because Jesus died for their sins, they had free reign to do as they please. Paul is reminding the Galatians that if they are in the Spirit, then they should live in accordance to the Spirit.  A Christian should not live a life of constantly succumbing to desires of the flesh.

The 10 Commandments tell us what we are not to do. (Okay, they tell us to honor our parents and worship God.) But what are we to do?

If we live in the Spirit, then we do what Jesus Christ did. We love God and we love our neighbor as ourselves. We make disciples of people, and we teach them the Word of God.

When we do these things, we live in the Spirit. We don’t have to worry about breaking the Ten Commandments.  

When we do these things, we don’t do what we want to do. Rather, we do what God wants.

God wants us to play in the hole.

We Have Work to Do

My grand-daughters, aged two and four, live seven hours away. We don’t get to see them very often. On the long weekends we do see them, it is easy to keep them well behaved, and it is a blessing to be with them.


Barney to the Rescue!

 

A year ago Brenda and I babysat them for a week. The first few days were a lot of fun, but then boredom set in. When told what not to do, they would go do it. Telling them not to put a fork in an electrical outlet or not to pull the dogs’ tails only seemed to encourage them.

 

Fortunately we found that giving them something to do, instead of telling them what not to do, solved the problem. Barney the Dinosaur coloring books and trips to the zoo helped us maintain sanity!

 

Trips to the Zoo Worked Too!

Today’s story, Deuteronomy 5:12-22, is second half of God giving Moses, and hence, the Israelites, the Ten Commandments. Mostly, these commandments tell us what not to do.

 

Like my grand-daughters who have a difficult time not doing what they are told, I have a difficult time following the Ten Commandments. I see a sign that says, “Wet Paint, Do Not Touch”, and I want to touch the paint to see if it really is wet. I have a hard time when told not to do something.

 

Perhaps I take solace in knowing I am not the only person like me. But I take more solace in knowing that Jesus died so I don’t have to worry about not being able to do certain things.

 

But, if I am not supposed to do certain things, what am I supposed to do?

 

Just like I gave my granddaughters something to do to keep them out of trouble, God gives us work to do.

 

We are to “go and make disciples” and “teach them to obey.” We are to “love the Lord” and to “love our neighbors as ourselves.” And we are to “take and eat”, that is take communion!

 

Yes, through Jesus, we have work to do.

 

That is why we Pray, Give and Go!

How we say “yes" to God

“Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today.  Learn them and be sure to follow them.  The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.  It was not with our fathers that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today.”  Deuteronomy 5:1-3

[To read about the giving of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5:1-22, click here.]

A little covenant theology, anyone?

OK, now that it's just you and me ... let’s look at three covenant “basics” and then apply them today.


Covenants.  Since the fall of man, God has made “agreements” with his people through covenants.  Unlike mutually forged contracts, God’s covenants are not negotiated, rather he alone sets their terms.  Our involvement lies in our response: we accept his terms or we reject them; we enter into his covenant, or we don’t; we say “yes” to God or we say “no” to God.

Covenant terms.  God speaks in two types of covenants terms: promises and commands.  Typically, both types are delivered together, one nestled within the other.  When God called Abraham, for instance, he began with a command: “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.”  Then showing his love for Abraham, God encouraged him for his task with rich promises of descendants, a land and a blessing.

So in the Ten Commandments God gave to Moses, we can already see two covenant basics in operation.  Clearly, God did not negotiate with Moses; rather he commanded while Moses dutifully took notes.  But what about encouragement for the people of the Exodus?  Had God no covenant terms of promise for them?

Yes, he did.  He had already delivered them.  Ten promises, to be exact.  They’re found in Exodus 6:6-8:  (1) I am the Lord, (2) and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.  (3) I will free you from being slaves to them, (4) and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.  (5) I will take you as my own people, (6) and I will be your God.  (7) Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.  (8) And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.  (9) I will give it to you as a possession.  (10) I am the Lord.

In these Ten Promises – three of which are “I am the Lord” – God expressed his love and compassion for his people.  And into this reality did he then give them the Law, the Ten Commandments.

Saying “yes” to God.  So God speaks in unilateral covenant terms of promise and command.  Ours is to respond.  So how do we enter into his covenants?

It depends on the covenant terms.  We say “yes” to God’s promises by believing them and entrusting our entire lives to them.  And we “yes” to God's commands by obeying them, doing what he tells us to do.

Looking, then, at the Great Commission in Matthew 28, let’s apply our three covenant basics.  When Jesus unilaterally commands, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you,” we say “yes” by obeying him.  And when, in encouragement, he unilaterally promises, “And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age,” we say “yes” to such loving assurance by believing him.

It is in the power of God’s promises that we keep his commandments.  Believing, we obey.  Today.