A Blueprint for Cultural Reformation (Understanding the Ten Commandments)
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Connection with God (Part 1 - Belief)
Connection with God (Part 1 - Belief)
God never gives up, never gives in, and never abandons. He has given us in His Word the instructions for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3; 1 Timothy 4:8; 2 Timothy 3:16 ). The Law of God was not given just for Israel but for all humanity. Therefore, God has given to us a blueprint for cultural reformation or what we label as revival. In Genesis, man was given a Kingdom Cultural Mandate to define cultures according to the way of God as there was no other way. In Matthew 28:19-20 Christ once again gives us a Kingdom Community and Cultural Mandate in which to define cultural ethics, morality and norms of life. Yet, we to this day, cower as Christians to the intimidation of those who would claim moral superiority and authority in the name of ungodliness and anti-Christ as they force their immorality on us and our children and children’s children.
That book you hold in your hand and call the Bible is a divinely inspired canonized collection called the Tanakh תַּנַ״ךְ or B’rit Olam בְּרִית עוֹלָם meaning eternal covenant. It consist of three parts: The Torah (Law), Nevi'im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings). The Torah consist of the Books of Genesis (Bereshit), Exodus (Shemot), Leviticus (Vayikrah), Numbers (Bamidbar) and Deuteronomy (Devarim). In addition, you have the New Testament (B’rit Chadash בְּרִית חָדַשׁ meaning renewed covenant). To separate the two implies that there are two separate covenants from God and propagating the idea of Replacement Theology (Jews are out and Christians are in). However, you cannot have the new without the old. It is all one covenant and plan of God.
The Torah (Law) alone is over 3,313 years old. Throughout the Scriptures there are 613 (mitzvot מִצְווֹת - commandments) Mosaic laws. These are the laws given to Moses when he goes back to God, after having given the Israelites the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) or Law of God, and the people find ways around them playing ignorant. So, God breaks the Decalogue down in great and specific details.
Jesus did not eliminate the Law of God or Moses, but he fulfilled it all (Matthew 5:17). I heard a disc jockey on a Christian radio station the other day say, “It does not matter if you do or don’t do what God says, it does not change what He thinks about you.” What Bible is he reading? You would think he was Moses or Peter and given all authority to interpret God’s commands with his own Christian relativism.
Of the 248 positive commands, there are 126 currently applicable. And of the 365 negative commands, only 243 are still applicable. The laws of religious rituals and ordinances for redemption from the curse of the law are no longer a yoke because of the work of Christ and the cross. However, principles of intent in all of the law, still apply. Every moral response to God’s ethical standards still apply in every sense of the Law of God. (Illustration of running yellow lights - ignoring the conviction of the Holy Spirit.).
In Luke 16:17 Jesus says, “And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.” And in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” The phrase “to fulfill the Law” was a Hebrew idiom meaning to rightly interpret and set correctly the intent and understanding of God’s Law. If one incorrectly interpreted the Law of God they were said to have “destroyed the Law and the Prophets”.
In Matthew 11 Jesus warns of those who are unrepentant. Then He says this:
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
You might ask, “What yoke is He talking about? I thought as a Christian I was now yokeless?” He is talking about you living His life in righteousness, uprightness, right standing with God. You are now yoked to Him to live as He lived. To go and sin no more. Let me put it to you this way, Jesus did not come to suddenly make your immoral lifestyle morally acceptable. Sin is still sin to God regardless of what euphemisms today’s culture has chosen to call it. (Illustration of wedding ring; taking it off while you flirt with sin, then put it back on for Sunday).
Some would argue that the Gentiles being grafted into the Covenant of Abraham need only stick to four restrictions according to Acts 15:20. Yet, many Christian take great liberty in loosely embracing those four restrictions.
but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.
Basically, Acts 15:20 declares “Do not commit idolatry”, “Do not commit sexual immorality”, and “Do not commit murder” or drink the blood for life is in the blood according to Leviticus 17:10-11. These pretty much sum up a large portion of the “Ten Commandments”. However, the disciples were not saying that the Gentiles were not to follow the Law of God but were free from much of the Law of Moses (See Romans 3 ). in Romans 3 Paul is not saying that you no longer need confess, repent and live righteous. He is addressing the fact that when you do, you no longer need live consciously condemned as those who only had the blood of bulls and goats to atone for them. You have Christ. This authority was given to Peter when Jesus said to him:
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
The whole point of the Law of God is to make straight a path for a Holy God to re-connect with man and man with his loving Creator. It was the plan of a Father’s heart to restore his wayward children.
This Connection with God was a lengthy and generational process. From the time that man separated himself from God, God had initiated a plan of redemption and restoration. From the shedding of creations innocent blood to the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, God was in pursuit of renewed relationship with that which He loved most, you.
In the book of Exodus we see a similar process. We see God confront that which enslaves and opposes His sovereign authority. We see the blood of the lamb shed for the preserving of life. Deliverance comes to God’s people. Then there is a testing of their faith and a crossing over or commitment to God’s direction. Then a removing of that which is unholy and a time of consecration. During this time they encounter the cloud and fire of God, bread from heaven, water from a rock, and that which was bitter made sweet.
Both in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 God makes simple the blueprint for relational connection with Him, our families and our communities. We refer to them as the Ten Commandments (aseret ha-dibrot עשרת הדיברות - meaning “the ten matters of life”)
From God’s perspective He was not issuing a grocery list of “Do Not’s”. Instead, each is a statement of conversation between the Groom and Bride; between Jehovah and Israel; between the Creator and the created.
The first four have to do with your relational connection to God. From the beginning God desired that man dwell in the holy presence of God through an intimate covenant relationship. God made a covenant with man in the Garden of Eden but man broke it thus breaking the holy communion.
What is the first command? Many Christians would say it is that you should have “no other gods before Him”. But in reality, the first command is found in Exodus 20:1-2:
And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
It is a command of identification and assimilation. It is a command to “believe”. It is a call to a covenant relationship. It is a call to a way of thinking and living; a way of ethical surrender and moral embrace. In this command we see the authority of God, the grace of God and the goodness of God. We see His sovereignty and kavanah כַּוָּנָה (motive and intent) of redemption. He not only identifies Himself by who He is but what He does and why He does it. And in this is a call to man to set all his mental, emotional, spiritual, intellectual and physical faculties towards honoring and serving His will.
And in reality, the second command we often breakdown and separate as if it has no real correlation one to the other. In reality, they are a part of the same conversational statement about proper and improper worship to the Lord of all heaven and earth. Exodus 20:3-8 are the rest of the conversation. They are not just merely separate rules. They are the boundaries of the heart, mind, soul and spirit that are to be set on the Lord God in your daily living. It is your daily worship to honor Him with your entire existence. The Law of God does not bring condemnation to the one who loves the way of the Lord. Condemnation is from the enemy. It puts your failures in your face. But failure is never final with Christ. The Law of God through the Holy Spirit brings conviction. Conviction gets a bad rap. Condemnation comes after you sin. Conviction comes before. A strong sense of righteous conviction is like guard rails along the curve of a highway high atop a mountain cliff. It keeps you safely on the right path. Your belief in who God is leads you in the way.
“You shall have no other gods before me.
Have you ever told your kids no and they whine “But why?” And you say, “Because.” And their response is, “Because why?” The word “before” in Hebrew is ‘al עַל meaning “because of”. So it reads, “You shall have no other gods because of Me.” Why? Because there is no other god besides Him. And because He is Lord of all, there can be no other lord in this covenant relationship. You shall worship nothing or no one else.
And the phrase “you shall have” is attah l yhayah אַתָּה הָיָה meaning to belong to; become and live with; to be eternally committed to”. So the first command is, “ You shall not belong to and live in commitment with anyone or nothing else as a god because I am the only God and there is no other.” Therefore, everything else that follows in this conversation in Exodus is to reflect this belief and understanding.
I believe that the Body of Christ has lowered God’s standard of righteous conviction to a point that we are no longer governed by it and belittle the severity of transgression against it. When the church returns to God’s standard we will see revival.
I have said it many times over, if you are not living it, you do not really believe it. Do you truly believe Christian? Do you truly believe that He alone is the Lord Your God? Have you truly connected to Him? Does your life reflect that connection? Do your choices, appetites, desires and affections reflect this connection? The blueprint for cultural reformation and revival begins with you. Does your life look like God’s blueprint?
Connection with God (Part 2 - Worship)
Connection with God (Part 2 - Worship)
As we study the commandments of God here in Exodus 20, please keep in mind Christian, that these are a summary of the whole Law of God not the sum of them. These are an outline of the Shema in Deuteronomy 6 . In which you will find the intent of the Law of God in Deuteronomy 6:1-2 .
“Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.
Your flesh wants to focus on key words like “rules, fear and command”. But in this command are the blessings and benefits of living life God’s way such as possession of the land and generational succession and favor of the Lord.
If you apply these as the guidelines for living you will fulfill the commands of the Shema שְׁמַע as Yeshua stated in Mark 12:29-31.
Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
In Part 1 of “Connecting with God” in His blueprint for cultural reformation, we looked at the first command “to believe” in who God is and that there can be no other. In Part 2 we will look at the continuation of that conversation between God and humanity where God describes what believing looks like as an act of living worship. This is indeed Jesus’ point He makes in Mark 12:29-31 . It also gives further understanding to Paul’s statement in Romans 12:1.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Let’s look at Exodus 20:4-6 and begin to understand the plan of God to reconnect with us through His design of worship.
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
In verse 4 of Exodus 20:4-6, God makes it clear that they shall NOT make with their hands any carved image or likeness of creation that is in heaven, on earth, or in the waters (to include themselves). It is important to understand that the word “image” here is pecel פֶּסֶל meaning anything that is shaped or fashioned with the hands of man and the word “likeness” is temuna תְּמוּנָה meaning in the appearance of that which you see. Compare these with the same English words found in Genesis used by God when with His hands He created you and I.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Here Genesis 1:26, the word “image” is tselem צַלְמוֹ meaning in the shadow (tsel צֵל) of or after a pattern. In the Hebrew it is used to refer to an authoritative covering such as in a marriage covenant.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
The word for “likeness” is demuth דְּמוּת meaning to begat in the likeness of the Father in every aspect to include His thinking. God begetting you looked a lot different than you begetting an idol with your hands or your heart.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
So there is a stark contrast in the Law of God between man making a god and God making man. There is but one Creator. Therefore, there is but one sovereign authority and one pattern for how man should live. And that living is to be a life of worship to the one true and living God Almighty. To live any other way than God’s way is to live in the way of rebellion against God and in the way of idols (‘elil אֱלִיל worthless things; divination or deception). To turn to these in the Hebrew is conceptually the same as adultery (na’ap נָאַף idolatrous worship; breaking of covenant).
God states in His blueprint, “Do not bow down or serve them”. The word bow is in the context of prostrating oneself in worship. But the word for “serve” is ‘abad עָבַד meaning to be in bondage to; to esteem as a husband or provider and caregiver; to labor or live your life for.
When man creates his own gods or makes of himself a god he makes of himself the sovereign authority and bestows upon himself power. It does not matter if it is an object, to which he commits his devotion for his personal benefit or gain, or his own ideologies. Either way, he becomes a slave to his own depravity and disillusionment. He deceives himself with an idolatrous heart breaking covenant with God. But when a man or woman surrenders to God Almighty, God bestows upon him or her dominion over all as a son or daughter, not a slave.
God warned Israel of the enslavement of worshipping dumb idols.
They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
God did not leave us and our children without warning as well. But you can look at our culture and the church and see we have not heeded it. See the warning in the New Testament.
By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound. The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk,
In the words of Carman, “God wasn’t joking when He kicked them out of Eden. It wasn’t for no reason that He shed His blood. His return is very close and so you better be believing that our God is an awesome God.”
He is a jealous God. He is qanna קַנָּא not bearing any rivals as a true and good husband. He is jealous for that which is rightfully His by covenant. He will share His glory with no other. You were fearfully and wonderfully fashioned by His hand not that which your hands have created, toiled for, or seek to entertain.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
God says that He “visits” (poqed פָּקַד to strike; find wanting; to charge) the “iniquity” (‘awon עָוֹן perversion; depravity; rebellion) of the fathers on the third and fourth generations of those who “hate” (sone’a שָׂנֵא to oppose; to be an enemy of; to be evil doers).
Keep in mind that these commands were never meant to be a way to “get into heaven”. In the days of Moses, and Christ, the goal was never to get to heaven but to be reconciled with God. Through our generations, the goals of Christianity became a destination instead of an impartation and rewards rather than relationship.
David Guzik states, “The covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai was much bigger than the law, though that was its first and perhaps most dramatic aspect. Another aspect of the covenant was sacrifice, which was given because both God and Israel knew that it was impossible for them to keep this law perfectly, and they must depend on the sacrifice of an innocent victim as a substitute for the guilty law-breaker. In this sense, the Ten Commandments were like a mirror that showed Israel their need for sacrifice.”
So it is that the Law of God reveals to us our need for the redeeming work of Jesus Christ. Do away with the Law of God and make void the work of the cross. Disregard the ways of God in your heart and living one with another in this fallen world and you reject the power of the blood of Christ. Without living Christ you worship another with your life.
Finally God tells Israel, and us, that He shows (‘oseh עָשָׂה labors to reveal) His steadfast love (hesed חֶסֶד monogamous and unrelenting kindness, desire, mercy and affection to thousands who love Me and keep (shomere שָׁמַר guard and preserve) My commands.
Connection with God (Part 3 - Honor)
Connection with God (Part 3 - Honor)
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
The reference to the “eye” here is not just about ones generosity but about one’s single minded devotion.
David Guzik states, “Being single minded brings light to our lives, and we are also happier and more content when we focus on the kingdom of God and His righteousness, knowing that all the material things will be added to us (Matthew 6:33). But when we are double-minded, it is as if your whole body is full of darkness. We try to live for two masters at the same time, and it puts a dark shadow over everything in our life.”
“Money” used here is ‘aman אָמַן that in which one trusts. Where you place your trust is where you place your honor. Whatever holds the highest honor “Honor” (kabad כָּבַד - heaviest weight) in your life becomes the object of your worship. That which you esteem the highest honor will demand your obedience and devotion. It will take precedence and become preeminent (above all else; highest priority; Colossians 1:16) in your life. Thus, the essence of the next critical piece of the blueprint for cultural reformation.
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
The word “name” in Hebrew is Shem שֵׁם meaning glory. And the root word for “glory” is kabad כָּבַד - heavy weight. When you use Adonai’s (אדני My Foundation; My Lord) name in vain you dishonor God. You rob Him of His glory.
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.
We have degraded this down to just paying tithes or throwing something in the offering plate. Folks, God is talking about the heart of our worship. He is talking about the vanity of our lives words in light of our idolatrous hearts. He is talking about robbing Him of the glory and honor due Him and Him alone. He is talking about taking His name in vain. He is talking about saying you know Him with your lips but your life speaks something different.
And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
So what does it mean to “take in vain”? What does it mean to rob God of His glory and disregard His sovereign authority?
So many Christians think that using the English word “God” in the context of profanity is the sum of using His name in vain. Oh they may cuss a little but they are sure not to say the word “God” in the same breathe. But church, you are missing the point.
Vain or shav’ שָׁוְא is to commit evil; to be a lier; to bear false witness; to destroy another‘s reputation; to speak evil. It speaks of worthless conduct and to make something of value worthless and meaningless.
Church, when you speak evil of another who was created in God’s image, or fight amongst yourselves, or commit sexual immorality and sin against your own body, you are taking the name of the Lord God in vain. You are taking that which God valued and debasing it to something worthless. When you tell your children one thing about God but live another you have taken His name in serious vanity.
To take the Lord’s name in vain is to strip Him of His authority and divine sovereignty and to make of yourself the sovereign authority. To take the Lord’s name in vain is to do evil in the sight of the Lord unto your brother or sister. It is to rebel against God with your disobedience.
It is not just about what comes out of your mouth. Don’t get me wrong, that is as relevant as well. Cultural swearing or profanity is unbecoming of the Man or Woman of God according to Colossians 3:8. But it is about what is coming out of your heart. “For out of the mouth flow the issues of life.” For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
The command to honor the glory and authority of the Lord is a prerequisite to the commands to follow. If Israel did not believe He was God they would not worship Him as God and would not obey His commands. If they did not obey they would not know Him. And He would not have covenant with a people who refused to know Him.
Exodus 20:7 says that God will not hold those who take His name in vain “guiltless”. This means God will consider that person guilty as charged. In other words, God will see them as pasha’ פָּשַׁע transgressors or those who rebel against His law. It is a reflection of His Lordship and their “Character Score”.
Take out your credit card. Whose name is on that card? Hopefully, it is yours. That plastic is only as valuable as the money you have in the bank. But we live in a time when people have no money in the bank but they have a line of credit. So they run it up even if they cannot make the payments. They are subject to ridiculous interest rates. Then at some point, they really need something but are rejected because their credit score is in the negative! They are enslaved to their low credit score.
The worship of our lives reflects our Character Score. Let me explain what I mean. Some Christians credit score is higher than their character score. If your credit score is higher than your character score then Christ is not Lord of your life.
Your credit score speaks of your “faithfulness” in stewardship of that which you have been entrusted. The word for “faith” in faithfulness is ‘emet אֱמֶת or truth. Where you put your trust reveals what you believe is truth. What you believe is truth is where you put your trust. When you put your trust in anything but Jesus Christ but say that you are His, then you have used His name in vain. When you put your hope in anything but Him but say that you are trusting in Him, you have used His name in vain. When you give higher priority in your life to everything else but forsake your relational devotion and service to Him, then you have used His name in vain. When you seek your own desires and agendas apart from His commands and instructions for life, then you have used His name in vain. When you say He is your Lord but you do not love as He loved, you walk in darkness, you do not follow His ways, then you have used His name in vain.
If the Church would just honor His name instead of just singing about it or throwing it around like a buzz word or using it to market for personal profit; if we would stop using His name in vain, we might just see a true revival among us.
I do not care what deceptive doctrine or theology has convinced you that you can live a superficial Christian life with a low character score but have a big spiritual bank account for your heavenly ever-after, God said He will not hold those who use His name in vain “guiltless”. These commands still stand as sovereign absolutes. Have you used His name in vain?
Turn your honor back to Him. Give Him the honor due His name. In the workplace I sometimes have people say “G-d D____ (GD)” and then look at me and say, “Oh excuse me preacher.” Hear what C.S.Lewis says about God’s forgiveness that brings hope verses our giving God our excuses for using His name in vain:
"I find that when I think I am asking God to forgive me I am often in reality (unless I watch myself very carefully) asking Him to do something quite different. I am asking Him not to forgive me but to excuse me. But there is all the difference in the world between forgiving and excusing. Forgiveness says “Yes, you have done this thing, but I accept your apology; I will never hold it against you and everything between us two will be exactly as it was before.” But excusing says “I see that you couldn’t help it or didn’t mean it; you weren’t really to blame.” If one was not really to blame then there is nothing to forgive. In that sense forgiveness and excusing are almost opposites. Of course, in dozens of cases, either between God and man, or between one man and another, there may be a mixture of the two. Part of what seemed at first to be the sins turns out to be really nobody’s fault and is excused; the bit that is left over is forgiven....But the trouble is that what we call “asking God’s forgiveness” very often really consists in asking God to accept our excuses. What leads us into this mistake is the fact that there usually is some amount of excuse, some “extenuating circumstances.” We are so very anxious to point these out to God (and to ourselves) that we are apt to forget the really important thing; that is, the bit left over, the bit which the excuses don’t cover, the bit which is inexcusable but not, thank God, unforgivable. And if we forget this, we shall go away imagining that we have repented and been forgiven when all that has really happened is that we have satisfied ourselves with our own excuses. They may be very bad excuses; we are all too easily satisfied about ourselves." (C.S. Lewis, “On Forgiveness,” The Weight of Glory, 178-179)
Give God the glory due Him today. Make Him truly Lord of all your life.
Connecting with God (Part 4 - Rest)
Connecting with God (Part 4 - Rest)
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Rather than getting into a vain argument of what day God called the Sabbath and what day Christians worship on, let’s get some things straight and focus on what God is actually commanding. Hopefully, you will discover the truth and intent of God and not a calendar.
So, did the Roman Emperor Constantine change the Sabbath from the seventh day (Saturday - the day of Saturn Roman god of architecture) to the first day of the week (Sunday - the Roman god Sol Invictus “Unconquered Sun)?
In 321 A.D. Constantine decreed, “On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed” (Codex Justinian lib. 3, 12, 3; Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church Vol. 3, p. 380, Note 1).
The answer to our question is a resounding “No”. He modified God’s words but he did not and could not change what God had established. The Sabbath remains the seventh day regardless.
However, his pagan influence on the day of which the church observed Pasach or Passover was affected. But the day of which Christians gathered to worship may or may not have been influenced.
On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.
On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.
Well, it seems that the First Century church gathered and “broke bread” on the first day of the week or what we call Sunday.
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
The “Breaking of Bread” idiomatically is a reference originating back to the Tabernacle when the Twelve Loaves from each tribe of Israel had to be provided for the Holy Place and broken daily. This bread was called the “Bread of the Presence” and was significant in the process of sacrifice and offering during the priests communion with God. As you can gather, an entire sermon series could be preached on the significance of the Bread of Presence being broken daily as Christ is the “Bread of Life”. The question also arises whether or not breaking bread daily in the New Testament was a reference to the Passover Meal or merely fellowship around a common meal.
To the Jews no meal was common. The family dinner table was considered an altar and the meal eaten in gratitude reflected the same kavanah כַּוָּנָה or motive as the daily communion the priest had with God in the Holy Place. This brings us back to the commandment of the Sabbath.
Again, each command is not simply a singular command but a conversation of God’s intention for relational connection between us and Him.
The first command here in Exodus 20:8 is to “remember” or zakhor זָכַר meaning to make a permanent mark or impression; to pierce or penetrate and affix; to preserve; to keep (shamar שומר to guard) covenant.
The keeping of the Sabbath is that we might always remember, for generations, the goodness and covenant of our God. He alone is our protector, provider, and sustainer of our lives. It is to daily direct our trust to Him alone.
Sabbath שַׁבָּת means “to cease” or “a day of rest”. But it is also defined as a day of heart; a day of completion; to remove or take away as in the day of atonement. God called this day “Holy” or qadas קָדַשׁ meaning that He consecrated it and sanctified it as belonging to Him alone. This is key. It is a day where you focus on doing His business and pleasure instead of your own.
The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week. God alone established the days. In Hebrew seven or zayin ז meaning sword or weapon. The root meaning is sustenance, food or nourishment. So what is the connection between a sword and nourishment? The word for “war” is milchamah מלחמה and its root is lechem לחם or “bread”.
Thus the idiomatic concept that “bread is in the battle”. A fight must be fought to know peace. Christ has won the war. He is the sword and the Bread of Life. We can rest (nuahk נוּחַ settle down) in the assurance that the battle is won for those who partake of His covenant; those who eat his bread.
When the Scriptures say that God “rested”, we take that English concept to the point of defining the Sabbath in the context of making it a day of recreation and idleness instead of a day of worship. The problem is that you make it your day and not His. Thus, you miss the point entirely.
When it says God “rested” nuahk נוּחַ it means He settled down to deposit something. It means to draw a breath or to satisfy; to set in place. In Genesis 2:7 it says that God rested but then made man. In other words, God saw that all was good. All was in “order” (‘arak עָרַךְ Genesis 22:9).
So He “blessed” (berakh בָּרַךְ) it meaning that He knelt or stooped down to invoke increase as a Father to a son. God did not take a knee in protest or because He was tired. He reached down and imparted His blessing that His glory might spread throughout all creation (in expanse) to cover it with righteousness.
So, Adam and Eve were not without a covering. They were covered with the Shekhinah שכינה glory of God. They were covered in His righteousness. They could rest daily in the nourishment of His presence.
The command states that in six days God made the heavens and the earth. It should be plural as in Genesis 1:1 as the word “heavens” (shamayim שָׁמַיִם) in Genesis 1:6 is the firmaments or separation of the waters above and the waters below.
And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
The “expanse” (reqia’ רָקִיעַ ) is that which holds water. In Jewish culture there is an idiom referring to idolatry being as “broken cisterns that cannot hold water”. It is a reference to those who could not drink of the “Living Water” or the presence of God.
As such, “Living Water” referred to the source of all waters and that which sustains life as being God alone. Natural springs were often referred to as “living waters” and was the only water that could be used in a Mikvah מִקְוֶה for ritual cleansing. According to Dr. Wheeler, it was to remind them to not separate themselves from the Divine Presence of God.
But another controversy in this command is “what is work and what is not”. Jesus healed on the seventh day or Sabbath. His disciples harvested to eat on the Sabbath and were condemned by the Pharisees. So what is the real deal? That’s what I want to know. Because I want to honor God and not commandments of men or just religious traditions. Neither do I want to create my own justification through manipulation of the text.
The Hebrew word for “work” is m’laka מְלָאכָה and refers to your business and workmanship. The word begins with mem מ which in Hebrew is a definite article meaning “from”. All of our ability to work is from God.
Next, in the midst of the word is the aleph א which speaks of the redemptive work of Christ redeeming you and all you do unto God making it Christ’s workmanship and God’s business. And finally, it ends with the hey ה making it feminine singular and reflecting the breath of God that sustains you to work. He is the source of your ability. Therefore, He alone is the provider at the root of all things.
The root word for “work” is malak מַלְאָךְ which means a messenger of God (a prophet, priest, teacher, angel or one sent).
Each of these have a divine purpose or assignment by God to do something for His glory. Each of you have a divine purpose or assignment by God to do something for His glory.
The command says “do your work” but not on Sabbath. God rested from His doing. The word “do” is ‘asa עָשָׂה to press; squeeze; to bear a burden; to do right in the eyes of God. In context it is an idiom meaning to “carry no sin” and to allow God to exercise His sovereignty over you. Not just one day of the week but every moment of every day.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Are you seeking your pleasure instead of God’s? Are your days consumed with your delight instead of His? Are there occasional or frequent moments that are not honorable to the Lord? Are you going your way, doing your thing, and doing life your way? If so, you have broken this commandment. And not just one day but every day. You will not find rest (Shabbat שַׁבָּת) living your way or the way of this culture.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Connection with Family (Part 5 - Favor)
Connection with Family (Part 5 - Favor)
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
In this one command we find the totality of God’s desire - Family that Functions in His design.
If the father and mother will not honor God’s commands neither would the children. If the father and mother would not instruct and train the children to honor them as they honor God, then the children would not honor God when they grow and become fathers and mothers.
Here you can see the criticality of this command in the fulfillment of God’s generational promises? It only takes one generation to disregard the commands of God to negate His promises and destroy the functional design and intent of family.
The good news is, it only takes one generation to restore the foundations and honor God with obedience to His way for Him to bestow His favor upon them and their children's children.
In the Piel form of the verb kabad כָּבַד (glory) it means to make honorable and give glory. The child that does not revere their parents with honor will become an adult who will not give Adonai the glory due Him. The adult who does not give Adonai the honor due Him, God considers an adversary to the way of the Lord. He counts them among the generations of those who hate Him.
Let’s look at some of the descriptive definitions of a “father” ‘ab אָב. Brown-Driver-Briggs and Gesenius uses terms such as instructor, teacher, provider, protector, nourisher, one who molds and shapes the individual and the household, one who establishes the foundation and authority. Hebrews 11:8-10 gives us a visual image of what God and Abraham desires in the covenant of God’s family design.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
Folks, this passage speaks of family design and faithfulness to give honor among the generations of those who fear the Lord. Abraham obeyed meaning he honored God. As a result he was to receive an inheritance. A divine inheritance is that of eternal value that must be imparted and received generationally.
And we see here that within the “tent” of the community of Abraham lived three generations who would receive the inheritance if they honored the Lord. The word “tent” is halal הָלַל meaning to shine with God’s favor; the place where God is praised.
Hebrews 12:7-14 also gives us the image of a father from God’s demonstration and intention.
How about the mother? Mother is ‘em אֵם or ‘imme אִמֶּךָ but speaks of the unity of the father and mother as one with the mother being the “bond” of the family.
Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching,
Together, with the instruction (musar מוּסָר moral discipline) of the father and intimate bond of the mother as they honor God, the children are molded and shaped in honor of the Lord. So, what is the intimate bond of the mother? It is the Torah תּוֹרָה the prophetic teaching of the Law of God. It is to live in the divine instruction of the Lord.
In essence, parenting is the epitome of Biblical discipleship. If the discipler is spiritually and morally mediocre then so will be the fruit of which they produce.
Regarding Christ’s discipleship of us, A.W. Tozer states, “Being a disciple of Christ brings us to the day-by-day realities of such terms as discipline, rebuke, correction and hardship. To be admonished and instructed, to be punished and reproved, to be trained and corrected - no one chooses these things because they are neither pleasant or entertaining. But they are in God’s plan for our spiritual maturity.”
We have generations today raised by entertainment and entitlement and the result is they honor nothing or no one, much-less God. They have been given neither responsibility nor accountability. As a result they never develop into any level of maturity socially, morally, mentally, relationally, or spiritually.
This is why the command in Exodus 20:12 was not just spoken by God to children but to their fathers and mothers. Each and every member of the family must live in honor to the Lord for the favor of the Lord to function within the family.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),
Notice the Apostle Paul says “obey your parents in the Lord”. If the parents are not obeying the Lord the children will not either. And if you obey your parents in the Lord you honor the Lord. And regardless of where your parents are with the Lord, obey the Lord. For in honoring your parents you honor the Lord and are complete.
According to Dr. Doug Wheeler, Man אָדָם ‘adam is numerically 45 (אָ=1; דָ=4; ם=40). The word father ‘ab אָב is numerically 3 (אָ=1; ב=2). The word mother ‘em אֵם is 41 (אֵ=1; ם=40). Together the father and mother only equal 44 leaving a man incomplete. So where does the other 1 come from? the other aleph אָ=1 comes from God alone.
Within this command to “honor your father and mother”, God gives a promise. That promise is that if you live in His honor you get to live and live a life complete in Him. He says your days will be long in the land. This means that the land will not vomit you out and leave you homeless. The promise to Abraham was to make him a nation. The promise of that nation became Israel. The promise to Israel was a Promised Land. And when a generation of a nation no longer honors the God of Promise, the land will vomit on them and spew them out.
But you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you (for the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became unclean), lest the land vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
In fact, this command is also mentioned elsewhere in the Law of God.
Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.
The word “revere” is yare’ יָרֵא meaning to fear, stand in awe, to esteem with great respect and to admire. So parents, herein is a responsibility on your part. Are you worth admiring? Is your parenting worthy of respect?
No need to get offended and challenging my parenting or my moral character. I just ask the question you need answer between you, your children and your God.
Young adults, when you have children, what parenting model will you follow? I admonish you to follow the one set forth here in Exodus 20:12. Hear this same command again in Proverbs 7:1.
My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you;
Treasure (safan צָפַן to write upon your heart and guard) the commandments of the Lord. Store them up within your soul and let them be your guide that it may go well with you and your generations.
You might say, “Well what hope is there for me and my broken family? The same hope God gave to the people of old.
When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.
Choose you this day whom you will serve and obey. Choose you this day whom those within your tent will give honor to and whose hearts they belong. Call upon His name and cast off the excuses. Choose you this day that you and your household will esteem honor and glory unto the Lord God Almighty.
Connection with Family (Part 6 - Life)
Connection with Family (Part 6 - Life)
“You shall not murder.
You might have said to yourself, “I know I have not broken this commandment.” You might perceive that because you have not shot or bludgeoned someone to death that you have escaped the judgment to come of such a command.
Let’s look at the Hebrew concept of “murder” instead of the English which restricts it to a merely civil intent.
Murder ratzkh רָצַח meaning not only murder with intent but also death as a result of careless negligence. The definition further describes it as to break, bruise, crush or dash into pieces.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
In Ezekiel 21:22 speaking of the King of Babylon bringing “murder from his mouth”, it is the same word in which Gesenius references in Ezekiel 21:27 and Psalm 42:11 defining it as an outcry from extreme grief.
So how is this tied to family? Ezekiel 21:27 is an often overlooked Messianic prophesy. God is declaring the downfall of the Prince of Judah. According to David Guzik, it is a similar prophecy to that of Genesis 49:10 and following the exile there was not an actual king on the throne of Israel from the line of David until King Messiah.
King Messiah Yeshua brings us back to the original intent of the commandment and how we treat our brothers and sisters, our family, our neighbors.
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
Jesus defines “Murder” (ratzkh רָצַח) as selfish anger, insults, and degrading of another. He ties it to talebearing, false witness, envy, jealousy, resentment, bigotry and all the other motives of the heart that are seeds of enmity, offense and hatred towards another. These are all motives that produce “thoughts and intents of the heart” that then produce “words” of destructive nature to another’s soul.
The term He uses for judgment is mishpat מִשְׁפָּט or to pass a verdict on the intent of the actions that were chosen.
However, Jesus takes beyond actions to the heart of the matter. Jesus says, “BUT I tell you that if you are angry with your brother or sister you will be held accountable to God. Jesus deals with the very motive and emotion of the heart. He goes right to the juggler of your anger issues.
I do not need to give you an in depth Hebrew definition of unrighteous anger. We all know full well what it is and why it is not pleasing to God. We have all been either at the receiving end of the giving of hurtful and destructive anger. Each of us at some time have hung on to anger finding some sense of our own justice by holding on to resentment. But Jesus says, when we do this, we are liable for judgment.
The word “fool” has often been used very loosely and we often give our own definition to it so as to justify ourselves. Jesus is not using it in the context of a comedian or court jester. But in the Greek (muras μωρός) it is referring to perceiving and treating another human being like an animal. It is an insult to the intellect of another as if they have the neshamah נְשָׁמָה or soul of a dog. It implies they do not have the breath of the Creator as the rest of mankind. However, it also speaks of one who makes “hasty judgments”. And surely none of us have ever made hasty judgments to justify our anger and offense.
Let’s look at the “fool” in the Old Testament.
He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy.
Here we have two different fools. The first “fool” is kesil כְּסִיל meaning despises understanding, hates knowledge and is arrogant. The second definition is nabal נָבָל referring to a vile, wicked person of dishonor. This is the person to whom the Psalmist refers to as a fool in Psalm 41:1.
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.
So, it does not mean that we are not to identify wickedness and abomination against God as such. It does not mean that we call sin by some other name so as not to offend the perpetrator. But it speaks to the motive of our hearts. Does it mean that we are not to be indignant for God’s sake and be jealous for His righteousness? Absolutely not.
But no matter how you look at it, Jesus addresses our hearts motive towards our brother, sister or fellow human being. No matter what angle you come at it, your unrighteous self-indignant anger is never justified. Instead, it is the seed of murder. When you have an attitude of anger or spew vile or degrading, demeaning and cutting words you break, bruise, crush or dash into pieces the soul of another. You slaughter the heart and murder the soul.
Chazal חז״ל says that when you gossip you murder someone while they remain alive. It is said that when you gossip your murder three people - yourself, the one you gossiped about, and the one who listened.
But your words do not have to bring death. Instead, they can bring life. Proverbs 18:21 says death “AND LIFE” are in the power of the tongue. So, you have the power to bring life into any situation or soul.
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
I think Jesus sums up this commandment’s core intent in Matthew as He speaks to the religious leaders of the His day.
You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Careless words are words that tear down instead of build up. Words that provoke to wrath rather than righteousness. Words that stir strife rather than peace. Words that imprison the soul rather than liberate it in Christ Jesus.
Choose your words carefully. If indeed the power of the Holy Spirit. If you have hurt with words, repent and reconcile. If you have been hurt with words, forgive and be restored. In either case, murder is not the way of our Lord.
Connection with Family (Part 7 - Commitment)
Connection with Family (Part 7 - Commitment)
And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.
Like all of the Prophets of the Old Testament, Moses valued the presence of God above all else. But not so much with the people.
The Lord said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’ I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”
When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.’ ” Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.
The word ”ornament” is ‘adiy עֲדִי meaning jewelry or trappings; things which become idolatrous. So often we find our identity in our appearance (our hair, our dress, our jewelry, accessories, etc.). We wear necklaces that speak something out us, rings of our accomplishments, and even wedding bands of our commitment to covenant. Where did this jewelry that Israel had come from? They were slaves in Egypt. From the spoils of Egypt. Why did not allow them to take these things? Later the gold taken from Egypt was used to build the things in the Tabernacle. But some of it was also used to build a golden calf of an Egyptian god.
Israel chose possessions over presence. They received the promise but without the presence. What good is the promise without His presence? God is not coming back for a double-minded, two-timing, unfaithful bride.
“You shall not commit adultery.
“Adultery in the military is addressed under Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), also known as the 'General Article,’ which is a list of prohibited conduct that is of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces or is prejudicial to good order and discipline. Although adultery is often difficult to prove, commanders at the lowest appropriate levels are given great leeway in deciding what is considered to bring discredit upon their unit or what is prejudicial to its good order and discipline. It is also important to note that single service members can be charged with adultery if the person with whom they had intercourse is married at the time of the act. The maximum punishment according to Article 134 (Adultery) is a Dishonorable Discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for one year.” (UCMJ Article 134 - Adultery - General Article; Crisp and Associates; mymilitarylawyers.com)
Yet, we live in a time when this is really no longer enforced. In fact, throughout our culture it has become quite common and acceptable. Unfortunately, it is even extremely prevalent among professing Christians.
Adultery in Hebrew is the word naph נָאַף. It applies to male or female breaking marital covenant with either another male or female. It is the breaking of the covenant commitment to the vows of matrimony. In the same manner it is applied to the turning aside of Israel from the one true God to the worship of idols.
(asher ne-apah me-shebah ya-se-rael)
אֲשֶׁר נִאֲפָה מְשֻׁבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל “because rebellious Israel commits adultery
She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree.
What does God mean that Israel committed adultery with stone and tree? Idolatry!
In the Hebrew intent of the word, the definition of adultery is applied not only to idolatry but also zanah זָנָה or “to commit fornication” (sex outside of marriage; to be the harlot). In fact, in the Greek it is the word porneia πορνεία (where we get the word pornography) meaning any sexual immorality outside of God’s design (even if it is within a marriage).
The commandment “You shall not commit adultery” is about your purity, integrity and commitment to the covenant relationship. It is about staying within God’s design of pure and holy monogamous relationship with Him, as well as the opposite sex of which you enter into the covenant of marriage.
For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.
Church, according to the Scriptures, when you lust or fantasize you defile your inner most being. You pervert that which is sacred. You demean that which is innocent. Your adulterous heart is idolatrous. When you covet or harbor envy you plant the seeds of idolatry and adultery. Israel’s idolatry always led to their adultery against the covenant with God. The Hebrew word ba’al בַּעַל means husband. When Moses came down from Sinai with the covenant vows of the relationship His bride was worshipping another husband made with the covetous immorality of their material goods.
Part of the problem is that we perceive sex as merely a physical act and fail to see the internal and eternal consequences of perverted intimacy in any other form.
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
You might say, Pastor you set the standard far beyond what we can obtain and maintain. Would you prefer I water it down? When you stand before God and explain to Him that your Pastor lowered the expectation and redefined the commands so as to make it more palatable for the human condition. What do you suspect will be His response?
David rose from a despised shepherd boy to be one of the most blessed men in history. He had power, wealth, servants, family that few have ever known. He had the favor of God and an eternal promise to his generations. Yet, he was willing to lose it all for just one more look. A look that lead to lust. A lust that lead to losing almost everything.
The command “Do not commit adultery” addresses the seduction and enticement of anything that pulls your heart away from the righteous ways of the covenant relationship you vowed to the Adonai.
The warning is that even a hint of impropriety, immorality, or compromise will lead to your destruction and the consequences of the Law of God being violated. It is not a matter of if but when you face the consequences and who else will be impacted by them as a result of your choices.
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife.
Yes, it happened in the early church and continues to this day. But that does not change the commandments of God. His commands do not change regardless of our theological justifications.
I actually had a preacher tell me once that when Jesus said, “If you look upon a woman with lust that you have already committed adultery,” only applied if you were aroused in your flesh. If this were true, then just a little idolatry would be acceptable right? Just a little witchcraft is okay? Just an occasional drunkeness would not be a bad thing.
The first time I went to South Africa I had a young minister tell me that the Scriptures teach “all things in moderation”. Therefore, as long as you fornicate in moderation it is not sinful.
However, Ephesians 5:3 tells a different story.
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.
Notice the Apostle says not only sexual immorality but “all impurity” and “all covetousness”.
What is covetousness? In the Hebrew it is besa בֶּצַע meaning unlawful gain, wanting what is not yours, discontentment and selfish greed. It comes from the root basa בָּצַע meaning to be cut off. Cut off from what? Job 27:8 explains:
For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life?
This is what Jesus refers to when He says:
And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.
Do not let sinful stumbling blocks cause you to be cut off. It would be better to cut of that which offends the righteousness of God than to be cut off eternally from the Lord. Lose your trappings from God’s presence today.
Connection with Community (Part 8 - Integrity)
Connection with Community (Part 8 - Integrity)
Up to this point we have looked at this conversation between God and Israel in response to living in covenant with Adonai. Each responsibility to believe, maintain monogamous devotion in worship, and purity in relationship with both God and family all have a connection back to the Garden of Eden. Each is intended to mold and shape, not mere behavior, but the heart and soul of man for a redeeming work to restore man to holiness with God.
In the Garden, man failed to believe that God meant what He said and said what He meant. In the draw of idolatrous temptation for that which was forbidden, man forgot who he was in light of who God is. Man listened to a manipulative voice and murderous words of flesh rather than to the divine life sustaining voice of the Father. Man gave way to a desire outside of God’s design for the created rather than the Creator. As a result he broke covenant with God in his disobedience and committed relational adultery.
The harmonious community of God and family was broken. The unity of oneness (echad אֶחָד) had been lost through theft. How was it stolen through theft you might ask? The same way the enemy steals from you all the time. The same way we rob and steal from each other so often within the community of God’s chosen.
“You shall not steal.
We can start with the simplest and surface (P’shat פְּשָׁט) and see how well we rate. Have you ever taken into your possession, intentionally or unintentionally, anything material thing that was not given to you by another or that you personally purchased? Have you found something of monetary value that you did not earn or purchase and chose to keep it without any due diligence to find it’s rightful owner? Dear Christian, you may be a thief and have lowered the value of your integrity to that of a pen that you stole from the waitress.
Sounds like a pretty strong standard doesn't it? The word “steal” in Hebrew is ganav גָּנַב meaning to take away by deception. It means to deceive another or do anything underhanded. It means to deceive one’s heart, to not be forthcoming or entirely honest. Have you ever deceptively, for your own gain, not given the whole truth to someone. Maybe you maliciously left them in the dark just a little. Maybe you did not technically lie outright but you were not entirely honest. Yet, you convinced yourself that you were still upright in heart before the Lord. You persuaded your conscience that there was no real harm done. Surely it was no big deal any more than taking one single simple little bite from a dumb little tree in a big ole garden? Here we find the D’rash דְּרַשׁ or true meaning and intent of the command to “not steal”.
In Genesis 31:26 it says אֶת־לֵב לָבָן וַיִּגְנֹב יַעֲקֹב (et-lev Laben va-ganav Yacov) “and Jacob deceived Laban”.
Everyday this culture is doing the exact same thing to you and your children. In fact, it is happening throughout our entire culture and government all the way down to the destruction of entire communities and families. By this Biblical definition of stealing, theft is taking place on a mass scale in social media, the news, your workplace, in the church and right there in your own home. Your children may be stealing from you. You may be stealing from your family, and a large portion of this culture is stealing from you.
Unfortunately, untruthfulness runs throughout our lives as a daily norm. You may be self-deceived by a lot of things but how would you know? You are blind to your own self-deception as long as you are not honest with yourself and God about your living and choices that do not line up with His ways. As long as you do life your way, you are self-deceived. As long as you raise your kids your way and not Gods, you are self-deceived. As long as you do relationships your way, church your way, finances your way, you are self-deceived and robbing yourself of God’s blessings and God of that which is rightfully His by the covenant you made. Theft by God’s definition has become common place among us as we are not honest with one another in our hearts and with our words.
How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, who think to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their fathers forgot my name for Baal?
Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares the Lord. Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who steal my words from one another. Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who use their tongues and declare, ‘declares the Lord.’
Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the Lord, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the Lord.
The intent of the commandment is not limited to taking possessions from another. It’s intent also applies to robbing yourself of inner honesty, self-deception, or believing a lie. Once again, the Law of God reveals the heart. When we deceive ourselves we deny the truth. We rationalize that which is unjust and rob ourselves of the blessings of Father’s shalom שָׁלוֹם (True Peace).
Chezal (Rabinnical Sages) says that every sin ultimately constitutes theft from God. Rabbi Yitzchak of Gur explains that if you borrow something from someone for a specific use and use it for something other than that specified, you have stolen it’s use. For example, borrowing money for one thing but using it for another. In as much, God lends the soul the ability to see, hear, and speak for the sake of living a life pleasing to the Lord. When these are abused against our brother or sister, we have used them for a purpose unintended by God and it constitutes theft. not only have we robbed God of righteousness, we have robbed ourselves of holiness and our brother of truth.
In the same manner, when you listen to any other voice other than the voice of Father, and respond in any way outside of His good pleasure and desire, it constitutes theft of the peace, joy, and plan for your life that He has given. When the thief comes in and robs the house it “affects” (to put on a false appearance of something) the entire household. It also “effects” (causes a negative change) the entire family dynamic.
Eve blamed the serpent and Adam blamed God (“this woman You gave me...”). But they were the ones who chose to listen and take that which was not given. Do not steal from others, from your family, from yourself or from God. Do not let the enemy steal from you and your family. Walk in the integrity of the healing Christ has brought for your souls.
If you are Christ’s then you are not your own. You were bought and paid for with a price. And the price of Christ’s life and shed blood was not only for your eternal life but for the life you now live. For the life you now live is not yours but it is Christ who lives within you.
Stealing (ganav גָּנַב) arrogantly seeks to claim ownership of some “thing” disregarding the fact that “in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
What have you stolen? What has been stolen from you? It’s time to get it right church. It’s time to take back what the enemy has stolen and give all to God what is rightfully His.
Connection with Community (Part 9 - Truth)
Connection with Community (Part 9 - Truth)
There cannot be unity in a community where truth is aloof (distant or uninvolved). Truth is the foundation of trust in any business, relationship, team, family or community. When truth is violated trust is lost.
Unfortunately, the mindset of “telling the truth like it is” has become a common idiom even among Christians. There is an assumption that this is what is meant by being truthful or brutally honest even to another’s detriment.
Sadly, it is often a means to justify offending or maliciously getting revenge with a slight of fraudulent intent and pain afflicted on the soul of another. The Christian who practices such has a poor and deceived concept of truth. Truth has a name and it is not “me” or “I” it is “I AM” also known as Jesus the Christ.
When societies lose the value of truth they fall apart and are overtaken by corruption and immorality. Truth is essential to the ability to authentically communicate with others. When we say we are “telling it like it is”, what we most often really mean is we are telling it as we see it. In essence, we make ourselves the measure of truth rather than Jesus Christ and the Word of God.
Telling the truth also builds civil cooperation within communities according to Deuteronomy 25:15.
A full and fair weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
As well, Proverbs speaks of truth telling and its impact on social harmony.
Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you.
It is real easy to get sucked into the vacuum that truth is in the masses. Numbers do not equal truth. What do I mean? Just because one hundred people say it is true does not make it true. Just because you read it somewhere or say it on social media, does not make it truth.
The loss or lack of truth can have devastating consequences. This is the weight of God’s instruction to us in Exodus.
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
The essence of this command is truth and the well-being of the soul of others. It is to take seriously what you say about and involving others. It is to fully understand the impact of you words and accusations. It is to always consider that you are not omniscient (all knowing) and may very well not have all the facts that would result in false assumptions of another’s actions and motives. You may very well cause another to be the victim of your subjective false perception and misunderstanding.
In your self-righteous indignation you break this command through slander, tale bearing, creating false impressions, by flattery or even by silence.
Slander is malicious in it’s intent. Even though it may be cloaked in sarcasm or just stating the obvious of frustrations, it is invented and dispersed with the intent to do harm or point out the fault of another. The slanderer makes murder seem kind and a killer look like a gentleman. The murderer ends life quickly but the slanderer ruins a life’s reputation and causes a life of suffering. (Redpath, Alan)
When you continue to share discrediting and dishonoring words about another without having all the facts first hand, you are talebearing. But of course the Christian predicates this information by stating, “I believe this to be true.” Still, it is not justified. (Redpath, Alan)
But even in your silence upon hearing a falsehood about another you have broken this command.
Even still as Christians we have bought the lie that to speak our mind is Christian maturity rather than learning to control our tongues. (Redpath, Alan)
The Scriptures are not silent on the matter:
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.
Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.
All too often we can be like Dennis the Menace who whispered in his neighbor’s ear, “Now listen good. I can only tell you this once ’cause my Dad told me not to repeat it.” Or we preface our juicy info with “now don’t repeat this.” or “I didn’t really say this”. Or better yet, “Keep this in your prayers.” And then of course, if we put it on Facebook or other social media it doesn’t count because we did not technically say it with our lips. Oh how we deceive our wicked hearts when we weave our tales of hell fire.
And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
“Do not bear false witness.” What does it really mean coming from God’s lips? The word “bear” in this context is the Hebrew word ana עָנָה meaning to lift the voice, to speak, or to reply. However, it also means to read and listen in the context of contradiction and blame. In the good sense to bear or ana applies to one who answers the prayers of another by putting action with their prayers.
The word “witness” (ed עֵד) refers to one who gives testimony for or against another. It comes from the root word ‘ud עוּד meaning to repeat, say it again or invoke. It can refer to praise and exhortation or it applies to slander, gossip or talebearing, depending on the context.
There is no need to go deeper into the word “neighbor”. Because if you have to question who your neighbor is or is not, then you have missed the intent of God altogether. You are looking for justification with no intent to obey the Lord.
So, the key word becomes the word “false” (seqer שֶׁקֶר) meaning more than just to lie but it is also defined as “to prophesy things not received from God” or to deceive, defraud, wrong another and other acts of vanity. Gesenius goes on to define it as “being untrue to one’s faith and covenant with Adonai.” Kind of like professing to be a Follower of Christ but your life, choices, actions, words, and heart do not bear the fruit of a life surrendered absolutely to His Lordship.
God is very serious about what you say, vow, write, read, feel and even think about others. How you treat others reflects your commitment to Him. This is why He commands, “He that loves not knows not God for God is love” and “Love God with all and the second command like unto the first, love your neighbor even more than you would love yourself.” In fact, in Proverbs 6:16-19 God addresses the issue of “bearing false witness” or putting forth a testimony that is a lie.
There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
Notice how they all tie together. The effects of one feeds the other. They all come from the same root of a heart that bears bad fruit. The Apostle Paul admonishes us to avoid being such a person and breaking this commandment as we have been changed.
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Christians, they will know we are His by our love for one another. Love does not lie. Hear the love of the Lord in His promise to His people as He calls us to His way:
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
These commandments were not to oppress you. They were to protect, lead, and provide for you and your family. They are not simply a list of does and don’ts, they are a covenant between you and a Holy God. They are not to just be read to your children or posted on a piece of decor in your home, they are to be written upon you hearts and impressed upon your minds in such a way that they mold and shape your entire being and existence. These are the Laws of Love.
Connecting with Community (Part 10 - Desire)
Connecting with Community (Part 10 - Desire)
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
The word “Covet” (hamad חָמַד) means to desire or lust after. This command presents before every man and woman the contrast in in daily choices of ones heart and soul as presented to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden - the daily choosing between that which is pleasing to, and given by, God and that which is forbidden.
It reveals the desires that come from one’s nefesh (flesh) and one’s neshamah (innermost being). It exposes, warns against, and confronts the fallen nature and it’s inordinate, ungoverned, selfish, idolatrous and adulterous appetites.
The command is not limited to desiring things or possessions of your neighbor but even comparing yourself to your neighbor and allowing the roots of envy to grow in your heart such as referenced in Daniel 11:37 and Ezekiel 8:14 where they compared themselves to, longed for, or to be like the pagan deity Tammuz-Adonis.
Interestingly, in this command God spells out a few specific examples:
Your neighbor’s house
Your neighbor’s spouse
Your neighbor’s help
Your neighbor’s resources
Anything that is not yours
Each of these point back to the “desires that stem from what you see” (mahmad מַחמַד). Here we see the same issue that Adam and Eve gave in to in Genesis.
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Here in Genesis 3:6 the root word used for desire is ‘ava אָוָה meaning to crave so much that it causes you to turn away from something else and cause your heart to dwell on that which you crave. Interestingly, this word is found in ‘ahavah אַהֲבָה meaning to love with desire as with an intimate panting breath.
Desire is neutral in and of itself. When directed towards God it is good. But directed towards anything else, particularly that which is forbidden or belonging to another, it is perverted and sinful. But you must rule over it as God commanded Cain.
The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
What sin do you think God was warning Cain about? It was the sin of dysfunctional desire. It was covetousness. It was for more than what his brother Abel had, but it was because Abel had done that which was right and Cain chose to please self. Abel had received God’s favor, Cain had not.
We tend to pride ourselves if we look and long but don’t touch or take. But God does not play technicalities. He looks at the intentions of the heart. The eyes see it, the flesh wants it, the will finds a way and transgression takes it from there. But as soon as your mind is fixated and your heart has tasted envy, jealousy, or longing for that which is not yours, covetousness has planted it’s seed and started taking root in your discontentment, dissatisfaction and lack of gratitude for what God has given you.
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
This command to not covet is closely affiliated with “thou shalt not commit idolatry”. In fact, Jesus warns us against the spirit of covetousness.
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Let’s look at another example of extreme covetousness in the Scriptures and the destruction it brings.
Joshua 7:19–26 (ESV)
Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. And they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. And they laid them down before the Lord. And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.
God had given Israel many victories. The battle over Ai’ would seem to be the simplest of victories. But instead it cost them many lives. When Joshua asks God why the loss, God tells him about the sin of Achan. Neither God, Joshua, nor the people of Israel took the sin of Achan lightly. There is no sin that God takes lightly. All sin is destructive. The story of Achan reveals to us the incredible destructiveness of letting covetousness go unchecked in our hearts.
The Apostle Paul addressed it in Galatians 5:17.
For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
We live in a day when men seek to make truth relative and remove all restraints of the fleshly desires and appetites. Even in the church there is a doctrine that seeks to remove the moral restraints of personal convictions in the name of grace.
But Jesus addresses the restraint of covetous desire in Matthew 5:27-28.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
What is Jesus addressing here? The root of sin and the seed of iniquity - “Thou shalt not covet.”
You may not covet what your neighbor has physically. But if you have ever compared the gifts God has given you to that of another and thought less of yourself and how God could use you, that thinking is the soil in which the seeds of envy, jealousy, a competitive spirit, and covetousness grows.
If God has given you gifts, callings, and a responsibility to serve needs of others or the Body of Christ, and you refuse to serve where God has opened the door because you have better things to do, or you use them only for personal gain, then you have taken what was God’s and buried in your tent Achan. If you use the gifts God has given you for self pride, to build yourself a reputation, or compete with the gifts and anointing on others lives, then you are guilty of the sin of Achan.
Let us repent of our covetousness and no longer hinder that which God has called us to do in unity in the Body of Christ to build His Kingdom, not ours.
Connection with the Holy Spirit (Part 11 - Sin Not)
Connection with the Holy Spirit (Part 11 - Sin Not)
Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
From the very beginning God’s intent was to be relationally connected with His people. That we might commune with Him in unity. Jesus said this regarding His disciples, you and I, and all who would believe in Him:
And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
The interesting thing about Israel’s response to God giving them His Law, was that they were indeed in unity. They were in one accord that they did not want to hear it. At least, they did not want to hear it from God. They would hear from Moses but not God. Why?
The matter of their hearts is reveled in their own words, “Lest we die.” They did not desire that level of accountability with God because they did not desire that level of communion. Unfortunately, they could not see that life was in the way of the Lord and living contrary to it is the way of death.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The only way to commune with God is through monogamous consecrated covenant. Oh, what a sight it must have been to see all of creation responding to the voice of the Creator. Flashes of lightening, rolls of thunder, the earth trembling and the clouds of smoke filling the air around them as the voice of God came forth.
The word for “flashes of lightening” used here is lappid לַפִּיד meaning torches or great balls of fire. It is the same word used to describe Abraham’s encounter with God in Genesis 15 at the cutting of covenant between God and Abraham. This would explain the great clouds of smoke. What a difference between Israel’s response from that of Moses’. When Moses encounters God he is drawn closer to the flame in humble reverence. When Israel encounter’s the fire of God they run from it.
Israel could not hear the voice of God in the midst of it all because they did not fear it with a holy fear. What Israel wished would stop, Moses only wanted more of.
Israel’s response was much like that of Adam’s:
And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
So the people stood far off from God. How ironic? Adam tried to hide from God Almighty, the Creator of all. And here Israel thinks they can keep a safe distance from this same Almighty God.
Friends, you get to choose what kind of relationship you will have with the God of all Creation. But some form of relationship to Him you will indeed have.
Merriam-Webster defines “relationship” as the way in which two or more people, groups, countries, etc., talk to, behave toward, and deal with each other.
Moses admonishes the people that God did not come to destroy them but that He was for them. He desires to place a fear within them that they would not sin against Him, remain eternally separated from Him or need experience His divine wrath due to their wickedness. Moses’ explanation and admonishment expresses and reveals the grace and mercies of a holy God.
Following this, God gives the final command. The command of the altar. The altar is a place of death. Its intent is to seek to reconcile through restitution of that which was stolen. God created man in His image and likeness having eternal life and intimate relationship, but man took that gift of life which was given him and perverted it.
The altar is a place of reconnecting with the Spirit of the Living God. To commune with God you have to be connected to God through a holy and untainted covenant with God. You cannot just connect with a portion of God you have to connect to the entire person of God including His Holy Spirit.
And the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it. And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’
The fear God wanted from Israel was not one of dread, guilt, and shame but one reverence, holiness, and obedient covenant intimacy. God’s ultimate end was for them to know a pure, holy and eternal love. This is what is meant by 1 John 4:18-19.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.
So, Moses draws near as a mediator between a holy God and sinful man. This is a foreshadow of the Messiah Yeshua who would stand before you and God that you might be reconciled in holy covenant.
This brings us back to the law of the altar; the requirement for sacrifice and atonement. The word altar is mizbah מִזְבֵּחַ meaning to slaughter. So why does God include the command of the altar as part of this conversation? God gives us the clue when He says, “I cause My name to be remembered”.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This whole conversation is a revelation of the Messiah Yeshua, Jesus the Christ and the redemptive plan of God the Father. The altar could not be made with hewn stones lest the hands and hearts of man profane it and turn the altar itself into a vessel of idolatry. The altar could not be approached by steps because God did not want to pervert the altar with the “nakedness” of sinful man. Nakedness here comes from the root ‘ara עָרָה meaning to be “uncovered” or “exposed” as in Genesis 3:1 where the serpent was more crafty or naked (‘aram עָרַם) than any other beast of the field.
The altar of God must be a place where your fallen flesh nature, your crafty, rebellious and self-serving beast nature must be utterly slaughtered and laid on the altar to be burned and never embraced again.
This entire conversation culminates in the foreshadow of the work of Christ on the cross and your absolute participation and assimilation of His sacrifice into every area of your being and existence. This is the work of redeeming transformation.
Connection with the Savior (Part 12 - Tablets of Testimony)
Connection with the Savior (Part 12 - Tablets of Testimony)
Through this study you should have come to realize that we have not fully comprehended, or at least had only a surface understanding, of the intent of God in His commands found in Exodus 20. As a result of this increased understanding we pray that you have been admonished to draw closer to the Lord in a deeper relationship through Jesus Christ and the way of the Adonai.
In fact, let’s go even a little deeper in discovering the Christ.
It is extremely important to note that in Exodus 20:1 God starts speaking to the people of Israel. And when you get down to verse 18 God is still speaking. He is actually not finished speaking. In verse 18 Israel interrupts God and ask that God speak to Moses and Moses speak to them. The word for “thunder” used here is qoloth קוֹלת meaning voices. (Rabbi Tokajer, Eric; What If Everything You Were Taught About the ten Commandments Was Wrong, Pensacola, FL; MDN, 2020)
As we stated earlier, the list of commands given by God in this covenant conversation is not merely a do and don’t list. In fact, there are actually more than ten. Indeed, they are God’s commands. But what may really surprise you is that these given here in Exodus 20 are also addressed in Deuteronomy 5.
“These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
However, there are another set of commandments that God gave that reveal to us a richer understanding of the plan of God.
Let’s look at the unfolding of events within the Scriptural text:
In Exodus 19:3 God calls Moses to the mountain. And in Exodus 19:7 Moses gives the people the words of the Lord and the people affirm their obedience to it. In Exodus 19:8 Moses goes back to the mountain and reports to God the peoples response. There God gives Moses more instruction for preparation of the people for an event that will happen on the “Third Day” (Exodus 19:11). It was an event of holy consecration; of cleansing and the blowing of the trumpet.
In Exodus 19:16 the people meet God. And again Moses goes up to the mountain. There God tells Moses to go back down and come again only this time with his brother Aaron. In Exodus 20:1 Moses and Aaron are on some level of the Mountain of God with the people at the base. Then God begins to speak to the people these commands in Exodus 20. So, at this point these commands of God are given verbally to the people. But in Exodus 20:18-19, the people interrupt God and ask God to speak through Moses instead of directly to them. And in Exodus 20:22 God continues the conversation through Moses with the Laws of the altar and continuing through Exodus chapters 21-23.
At some point, Moses and Aaron return. In Exodus 24:1 God calls Moses and Aaron to the mountain but this time they are to bring Nadab, Abihu and seventy elders of Israel with them. Exodus 24:2 Moses alone goes further up the mountain. Then Moses comes down and tells the people what the Lord had commanded from Exodus 20:2 through Exodus 23. Again, this is all verbal at this point. However, Moses writes it down in a book. In Exodus 24:7 it is called the Book of the Covenant.
Then in Exodus 24:9-11 Moses and those with him see and commune with God. And in Exodus 24:12 God calls Moses up to the mountain again. This time to give him the tablets of stone with the Law and Commandments. Moses does not hew or carry these tablets. When he gets where God had called him, God has hewn the stones and written on them with His finger. But what has God written?
Exodus 24:13, Moses goes and takes Joshua to the mountain. For 6 days Moses was in the cloud of the Lord. On the seventh day God calls him out. There Moses was with God for 40 days and nights.
In Exodus 25, while Moses is with God receiving instructions for the Tabernacle, Priestly garments, tithes and offerings, building and function of the Tabernacle furniture, Sabbath observance and much more, in Exodus 32 God and Moses are interrupted. They are interrupted by the noise of Israel breaking what laws and covenant they have already been given. At this point, Moses breaks the stone tablets of which God has recorded their conversation of instruction. Moses literally breaks the tablets fashioned and written by the hand of God as well as the idol built by the people.
In Exodus 32:31 Moses goes back to God to seek forgiveness and to offer himself as a sacrifice for the atonement of their sin. Here we see a prophetic foreshadow (a Remez רֶמֶז or spiritual hint) of Messiah offered as a sacrifice for the atonement of our sins. In Exodus 33 Moses pleads with God again for the people and about the people.
Then in Exodus 34 God calls Moses again to the mountain. But this time Moses has to hew the stones and carry them up the mountain. Moses had to be an active participant in the “Covenant of Renewal”. God then tells Moses that He will write again exactly what was on the first two stone tablets. What a demonstration of God’s grace. (Exodus 34:6 God reveals thirteen attributes of God.
In fact, look at Exodus 34:28:
So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
So what did God write as the Ten Commandments on the two stone tablets known as the “Tablets of Testimony”? And what is the purpose of the commandments given in Exodus 34? These are different than the Book of Covenant included in the Torah תּוֹרָה (Divine Instructions) and Mitzvot מִצְווֹת (613 Divine Commands). He tells us in Exodus 34:10-26. And everyone of these point to and reveal to us Messiah. For the majority of Christians, we have been duped into believing that these commandments have not application to our lives. But I want to show you that this could not be further from the truth.(Rabbi Tokajer, Eric; What If Everything You Were Taught About the ten Commandments Was Wrong, Pensacola, FL; MDN, 2020)
The first command (Exodus 34:14-16) is a command of monogamous devotion and against idolatry. Only in verse 17 God specifically addresses molten idols or those made out of metals. Jesus addresses this in John 14:6.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The second (Exodus 34:18) is the keeping of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Passover.
And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
The third (Exodus 34:19-20) is the redemption of the firstborn.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
The fourth command (Exodus 34:21) is the keeping of the Sabbath. It is addressed specifically in Hebrews 4:4-11 as well as the following verses:
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
The fifth commandment inscribed on the stones is the keeping of the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) and the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) (Exodus 34:22). This fulfillment is prophesied in Jeremiah 31:30-32. It is also addressed in Hebrews 8:8-10 , John 1:1-14 and the following verses:
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
The sixth commandment found in Exodus 34:23-24 is the command of the three pilgrimage feasts. It is a command to present yourselves as holy before the Lord. According to Rabbi Eric Tokajer, the three feasts of pilgrimage tell the story of “Yeshua’s birth (Sukkot), death (Passover), burial, resurrection (Unleavened Bread), and return to rule and reign (Sukkot).”
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
The seventh command ((Exodus 34:25) is the command not to mix yeast with the blood of the sacrifice. In other words, you cannot present a holy sacrifice to God with sin in your life void of repentance. The sacrifice must be without spot or blemish. Jesus kept all the Law and was guilty of no sin. He was the perfect lamb slain for us.
knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.
The eight command (Exodus 34:25) addresses not allowing the Passover sacrifice to remain until morning. In Mark 15:42-47 Jesus’ body is removed from the cross and placed in a tomb before the morning came.
The ninth commandment (Exodus 34:26) is to bring to God the firstfruits.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
And finally, the tenth commandment (Exodus 34:26) includes the command not to cook the kid in the mother’s milk. This was a fertility ritual practiced among the pagans peoples of the land. This command warns us to separate ourselves from the unrighteous of the world that tempts us to be lured into its covetous ways for fleshly gain. It is a call to come out and stay out from among the unrighteous and have no fellowship with the ways of darkness.
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”
At the conclusion of these commands in Exodus 34 it tells us:
So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
Folks, these are Ten Commandments that still apply to your daily walk with Christ. And every one of them, all the Law of God points us back to Jesus Christ (Yeshua the Messiah) as we are told in Galatians 3:24.
So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
So what are we to do with this understanding? How are we to respond to Jesus Christ being the fulness of not just Ten Commandments but all the Law of God? We are to do just as the Apostle John did on Revelation 19:10.
Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
These commands were given to Israel so that they would fashion their lives in such a way of the Lord so as not to repeat the idolatrous mistake they had made before. This is Christ’s life, that we might live in righteousness and holiness and not sin against God. This is why it must be Christ who lives within you, not you. If traditions and ordinances would have saved the world why the death and resurrection of God’s only begotten Son? Don’t turn your relationship with Christ into a mere piece of cultural thing you do but deepen it by allowing the Law of God to fashion your daily life to His heart and mind. Let your entire life reflect Him who fulfills all the commands of God. Let your daily living and inner most being reflect that these commands are indeed fulfilled through Christ who now lives in you and whose life you now live. Be the tablets of which the Testimony of Christ is written upon in your hearts. Be His witnesses worthy of His sacrifice.