Category Archives: Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law

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Do Not Think That I Came To Abolish The Law

Many say the Law is no longer relevant now that Jesus has come in the flesh and died for us and risen. They declare some elements of God’s instruction invalid and others still valid. They keep “do not steal” but discard “honor the Sabbath”. They rationalize that it is not required “to get into heaven”, so it is optional.

Our salvation is indeed by grace, through faith, and not by works. That has always been true, old or new testament. Noone has ever been good enough. Those before Christ looked ahead and sacrifices of animals were foreshadowing of Messiah. Those of us after Christ in the flesh look back on His sacrifice as the means of reconciliation to God… of forgiveness. In all cases, our repentance is required, not just lip service to the Lord. We are to submit to Him and turn toward His ways. He has provided much instruction for us and none of it is obsolete.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Keep in mind that when 2 Timothy was written, there was no new testament and thus it referred to the old testament. Further, Jesus had died and risen already. This clearly attests to the value of the old testament even to those of us following Christ after His death and resurrection.

Further, we do not obey the Lord and His instructions to “earn our way into heaven”. What a selfish way of looking at His instructions and what a terrible way to minimize that Christ’s sacrifice was enough for all. We obey the Lord’s instruction because we love Him. It is evidence of our faith.

John 14:15

     15“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

John 14:233-24

23Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24“He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

Jesus did not make new commandments and instructions different than before and He never spoke out against the scriptures. From start to finish He was raised in the Law and went to Passover and even provided specific instructions that the Law was not going away until the end of the age, not even in a small way. Further, He told His disciples to teach everyone all that He taught them. He did not say, “now that I died and rose again, do this differently… all these things change”. Jesus confirmed it even after He rose from the dead.

Luke 2:39-40

Return to Nazareth

     39When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. 40The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

Matthew 5:17-19

     17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 19-20

19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Let us not discard the Law quickly. There are some parts that have been fulfilled such as Jesus sacrifice now nullifying the need for animal sacrifices which used to foreshadow His sacrifice. However, we have been taught to quickly to dismiss far too much of God’s word. Start with the premise that all is good for instruction and study and pray for the Spirit to provide you insight. Do not rely on common church teaching, but on the word of God itself.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassionate, Grace / Forgiveness, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Merciful, Repenting from Sin, Study the Word

Jehovah Provides A Way for Us To Be Cleansed From Our Sin

I will humbly admit that I do not clearly understand the full or intended meaning of Numbers 19. I recognize that my limited understanding of the Jewish people and their culture at the time the events in Numbers 19 occurred probably contributes to this lack of clarity. I do pray the Spirit opens the meaning of the scriptures to me and I take time daily to study, but the depth of the meaning and value in the Biblical text is incredible. It is worth looking hard for the treasure buried within.

I read a few commentaries on Numbers 19 for possible insight. Here are a few thoughts that seem appropriate to share. I encourage each of you to pray as well daily that the Spirit would open up your eyes to the meaning of scripture.

Sin leads to death. Thus, death can be a potent reminder of sin. When the people had to handle people or animals that had died, they were deemed ceremonially unclean. This can remind us that when they sin, it defiles them before God. Further, it is not simply that we become instantly clean again after a particular episode of sinning has ended.   It takes time and it takes some action on our part in accordance with God’s instruction. It also takes the death of another, one without flaw… a perfect one, to cleanse us of our uncleanness. In the case of Numbers 19, it is “an unblemished red heifer”.  Truly this looks forward to the death of Messiah for our sins. The only person to live a perfect, sinless life. We now look back on Messiah and His sacrifice. Rather than an animal sacrifice which foreshadows the cleansing of our sin through Him, we now seek cleansing and forgiveness directly in Jesus Christ based on His death which paid the penalty of our sin.

Jehovah provides a way for His people to be cleansed of sin and forgiven, drawn back in relationship with Him.

Our society today denies God and tries to eliminate the concept of sin. More and more, sinful behaviors and attitudes are deemed righteous. Society would rather paint being a follower of Christ who believes strongly in living according to the Bible as a “sin”. That is deemed worth attacking and hating, but not the sins we are called to reject by its teaching. We would do well to more clearly emphasize sin, and the need to be cleansed from it, in our society today.

Numbers 19

Ordinance of the Red Heifer

     1Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2“This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel that they bring you an unblemished red heifer in which is no defect and on which a yoke has never been placed. 3‘You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and it shall be brought outside the camp and be slaughtered in his presence. 4‘Next Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. 5‘Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight; its hide and its flesh and its blood, with its refuse, shall be burned. 6‘The priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet material and cast it into the midst of the burning heifer. 7‘The priest shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward come into the camp, but the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8‘The one who burns it shall also wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water, and shall be unclean until evening. 9‘Now a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place, and the congregation of the sons of Israel shall keep it as water to remove impurity; it is purification from sin. 10‘The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; and it shall be a perpetual statute to the sons of Israel and to the alien who sojourns among them.

      11‘The one who touches the corpse of any person shall be unclean for seven days. 12‘That one shall purify himself from uncleanness with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and then he will be clean; but if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. 13‘Anyone who touches a corpse, the body of a man who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from Israel. Because the water for impurity was not sprinkled on him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is still on him.

      14‘This is the law when a man dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean for seven days. 15‘Every open vessel, which has no covering tied down on it, shall be unclean. 16‘Also, anyone who in the open field touches one who has been slain with a sword or who has died naturally, or a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean for seven days. 17‘Then for the unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the burnt purification from sin and flowing water shall be added to them in a vessel. 18‘A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there, and on the one who touched the bone or the one slain or the one dying naturally or the grave. 19‘Then the clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify him from uncleanness, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and shall be clean by evening.

      20‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself from uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD; the water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him, he is unclean. 21‘So it shall be a perpetual statute for them. And he who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and he who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening. 22‘Furthermore, anything that the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’”

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Church / Body of Christ, Contentment, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Obeying God, Provider

God Calls Each of Us To A Mission and Provides What We Need

Jehovah makes it clear that He set aside Aaron and his sons to serve as priests and set aside the other Levites to a different role in support of God’s holy place and services. Each had specific roles and was not to do the role of the other. It strikes me as a good reminder that even today He calls us as believers to different tasks or missions. We are not all skilled in the same way and we are not all called to the same mission. Let us be content with what He calls us to do and let us be joyfully obedient… beyond content. Do not covet the calling of another, but support them if called to do so. What great ministry or church would succeed with only the one pastor or evangelist? God calls some to support those He puts in the lead. It is a worthy calling.

I am also reminded that He provides for those He calls. He did not call the priests and Levites to full time service and then also expect them to provide their own food or care for their own land. They are provided for by God and they need not get distracted with working their own land to survive, which would significantly divide their attention.

Truly all we have belongs to the Lord, but He calls each of us to give of our first fruits and best fruits for His kingdom. Even those who are called to His full time service are still instructed to tithe. The attitude of giving our first and best to the Lord is a great way to focus on Him as our Lord and provider and avoid getting distracted thinking only of ourselves.

Numbers 18

Duties of Levites

     1So the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s household with you shall bear the guilt in connection with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt in connection with your priesthood. 2“But bring with you also your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and serve you, while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 3“And they shall thus attend to your obligation and the obligation of all the tent, but they shall not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary and the altar, or both they and you will die. 4“They shall be joined with you and attend to the obligations of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; but an outsider may not come near you. 5“So you shall attend to the obligations of the sanctuary and the obligations of the altar, so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel. 6“Behold, I Myself have taken your fellow Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD, to perform the service for the tent of meeting. 7“But you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and inside the veil, and you are to perform service. I am giving you the priesthood as a bestowed service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”

The Priests’ Portion

     8Then the LORD spoke to Aaron, “Now behold, I Myself have given you charge of My offerings, even all the holy gifts of the sons of Israel I have given them to you as a portion and to your sons as a perpetual allotment. 9“This shall be yours from the most holy gifts reserved from the fire; every offering of theirs, even every grain offering and every sin offering and every guilt offering, which they shall render to Me, shall be most holy for you and for your sons. 10“As the most holy gifts you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you. 11“This also is yours, the offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the sons of Israel; I have given them to you and to your sons and daughters with you as a perpetual allotment. Everyone of your household who is clean may eat it. 12“All the best of the fresh oil and all the best of the fresh wine and of the grain, the first fruits of those which they give to the LORD, I give them to you. 13“The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the LORD, shall be yours; everyone of your household who is clean may eat it. 14“Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours. 15“Every first issue of the womb of all flesh, whether man or animal, which they offer to the LORD, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. 16“As to their redemption price, from a month old you shall redeem them, by your valuation, five shekels in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. 17“But the firstborn of an ox or the firstborn of a sheep or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and shall offer up their fat in smoke as an offering by fire, for a soothing aroma to the LORD. 18“Their meat shall be yours; it shall be yours like the breast of a wave offering and like the right thigh. 19“All the offerings of the holy gifts, which the sons of Israel offer to the LORD, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you, as a perpetual allotment. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD to you and your descendants with you.” 20Then the LORD said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land nor own any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel.

      21“To the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting. 22“The sons of Israel shall not come near the tent of meeting again, or they will bear sin and die. 23“Only the Levites shall perform the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the sons of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24“For the tithe of the sons of Israel, which they offer as an offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance; therefore I have said concerning them, ‘They shall have no inheritance among the sons of Israel.’”

      25Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 26“Moreover, you shall speak to the Levites and say to them, ‘When you take from the sons of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present an offering from it to the LORD, a tithe of the tithe. 27‘Your offering shall be reckoned to you as the grain from the threshing floor or the full produce from the wine vat. 28‘So you shall also present an offering to the LORD from your tithes, which you receive from the sons of Israel; and from it you shall give the LORD’S offering to Aaron the priest. 29‘Out of all your gifts you shall present every offering due to the LORD, from all the best of them, the sacred part from them.’ 30“You shall say to them, ‘When you have offered from it the best of it, then the rest shall be reckoned to the Levites as the product of the threshing floor, and as the product of the wine vat. 31‘You may eat it anywhere, you and your households, for it is your compensation in return for your service in the tent of meeting. 32‘You will bear no sin by reason of it when you have offered the best of it. But you shall not profane the sacred gifts of the sons of Israel, or you will die.’”

Let us embrace joyfully that which we are called to do. Each of us may have different roles but the whole body of Christ, working together, is useful to glorifying the Lord, which is our purpose and calling overall.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Trust In God’s Calling For You

We are all different. God has made us with different personalities, different passions, different skills, etc. He has made each of us for that which He wishes for us to pursue and accomplish on His behalf as part of the body of Christ. Take care to trust God, seek out His calling for your life, and be content … even joyful… with it. Envy not the role He has selected for others and seek not to force your own way for your own glory. When we focus our thoughts on ourselves instead of the Lord it is too easy to slip into rebellion with the Lord even if we try to position ourselves in ministry or the church.

Numbers 16:1-40

Korah’s Rebellion

     1Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took action, 2and they rose up before Moses, together with some of the sons of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, chosen in the assembly, men of renown. 3They assembled together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You have gone far enough, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”

      4When Moses heard this, he fell on his face; 5and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His, and who is holy, and will bring him near to Himself; even the one whom He will choose, He will bring near to Himself. 6“Do this: take censers for yourselves, Korah and all your company, 7and put fire in them, and lay incense upon them in the presence of the LORD tomorrow; and the man whom the LORD chooses shall be the one who is holy. You have gone far enough, you sons of Levi!”

      8Then Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi, 9is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them; 10and that He has brought you near, Korah, and all your brothers, sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking for the priesthood also? 11“Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD; but as for Aaron, who is he that you grumble against him?”

      12Then Moses sent a summons to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; but they said, “We will not come up. 13“Is it not enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to have us die in the wilderness, but you would also lord it over us? 14“Indeed, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor have you given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Would you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up!”

      15Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not regard their offering! I have not taken a single donkey from them, nor have I done harm to any of them.” 16Moses said to Korah, “You and all your company be present before the LORD tomorrow, both you and they along with Aaron. 17“Each of you take his firepan and put incense on it, and each of you bring his censer before the LORD, two hundred and fifty firepans; also you and Aaron shall each bring his firepan.” 18So they each took his own censer and put fire on it, and laid incense on it; and they stood at the doorway of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron. 19Thus Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the doorway of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation.

      20Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 21“Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly.” 22But they fell on their faces and said, “O God, God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the entire congregation?”

      23Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24“Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get back from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’”

      25Then Moses arose and went to Dathan and Abiram, with the elders of Israel following him, 26and he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing that belongs to them, or you will be swept away in all their sin.” 27So they got back from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the doorway of their tents, along with their wives and their sons and their little ones. 28Moses said, “By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these deeds; for this is not my doing. 29“If these men die the death of all men or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me. 30“But if the LORD brings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they descend alive into Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the LORD.”

      31As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open; 32and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions. 33So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. 34All Israel who were around them fled at their outcry, for they said, “The earth may swallow us up!” 35Fire also came forth from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense.

      36Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 37“Say to Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, that he shall take up the censers out of the midst of the blaze, for they are holy; and you scatter the burning coals abroad. 38“As for the censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into hammered sheets for a plating of the altar, since they did present them before the LORD and they are holy; and they shall be for a sign to the sons of Israel.” 39So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers which the men who were burned had offered, and they hammered them out as a plating for the altar, 40as a reminder to the sons of Israel that no layman who is not of the descendants of Aaron should come near to burn incense before the LORD; so that he will not become like Korah and his company—just as the LORD had spoken to him through Moses.

What more can be said to reinforce the point? Rebellion against God’s will is bad. It angers Him and glorifies no one. Seek righteousness with humility and be content with how the Lord chooses to use you.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

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Be Imitators Of God

Be imitators of God, walking in love and righteousness. Be apart from the world and its ways. Try to learn and live according to what is pleasing to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:1-21

Be Imitators of God

     1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

      3But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

      6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.

14For this reason it says,
“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.”

      15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Remember the Commandments of the Lord

In Numbers 15, we find record of a man who was executed for breaking the Sabbath day of the Lord. Let us take a moment to reflect on the context of the scripture. What was going on in Numbers 14 and 15 ahead of this record?

God performed mighty miracles to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, through the wilderness and to the promised land. With that in mind, when the people were confronted by intimidating natives in the promised land, they rebelled against God and refused to go take the land as He commanded. Then when He punished them and told them to go back in the desert for 40 years, some turned and disobeyed again… trying to take the promised land. They lost as God was not with them.

Here in the heart of a continuous flurry of disobedience from His people, a man is caught disobeying God’s Sabbath. God is slow to anger, but it would seem He saw that these people were rebellious, constantly doing things their way. The Lord set forth a punishment and guidance to try to reinforce to the people to remember and follow His commandments.

Numbers 15:32-41

Sabbath-breaking Punished

     32Now while the sons of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation; 34and they put him in custody because it had not been declared what should be done to him. 35Then the LORD said to Moses, “The man shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” 36So all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

      37The LORD also spoke to Moses, saying, 38“Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them that they shall make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a cord of blue. 39“It shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot, 40so that you may remember to do all My commandments and be holy to your God. 41“I am the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the LORD your God.”

We can debate and discuss why the Lord chose stoning in this instance, but we should take a clear message that the Lord wants His people to obey Him and His instructions. I am not proposing stoning anyone, but ask yourself… are you truly celebrating Sabbath as a day of rest as the Lord commanded? Are you obeying His other commandments and separating yourself from the ways of the world? or do you blend in with the culture and world around you?

Are you doing things His way or your way? Keep in mind that if you start by answering this question with rationalizing why His way is too difficult or “extreme”, these are red flags that you already know you are not doing things His way.

Pray for the Lord’s help to guide you and strengthen you in setting yourself apart for His glory. Study the Bible and obey what He commands.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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He Gives Us Over To The Stubbornness Of Our Hearts

Psalm 81 was written about God’s goodness and Israel’s waywardness… or behavior of going astray from God and pursuing ungodly things. God established Israel and provided for them through many mighty deeds and yet they continued to stray from Him to chase false gods and selfish pursuits. A Psalm like this one could very easily be written about the USA with a few minor changes to the historical references such as “coming out of Egypt”. Jehovah blessed our Christian nation at its birth and yet we as a nation continue to stray from God.

As a result of our rejection of Him as a nation, He gives us over to the stubbornness of our hearts and we now walk in our own devices… an immoral society overrun by sin which is normalized throughout the land. Many gods are worshipped… money, sex, power, sports, status, and perhaps most of all self. Coveting is the national pastime for many, always lusting after what others have rather than finding contentment with what God has provided.

Psalm 81

For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.

     1Sing for joy to God our strength;
Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob.

      2Raise a song, strike the timbrel,
The sweet sounding lyre with the harp.

      3Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
At the full moon, on our feast day.

      4For it is a statute for Israel,
An ordinance of the God of Jacob.

      5He established it for a testimony in Joseph
When he went throughout the land of Egypt.
I heard a language that I did not know:

      6“I relieved his shoulder of the burden,
His hands were freed from the basket.

      7“You called in trouble and I rescued you;
I answered you in the hiding place of thunder;
I proved you at the waters of Meribah.

Selah.

      8“Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, if you would listen to Me!

      9“Let there be no strange god among you;
Nor shall you worship any foreign god.

      10“I, the LORD, am your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

      11“But My people did not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not obey Me.

      12“So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk in their own devices.

      13“Oh that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!

      14“I would quickly subdue their enemies
And turn My hand against their adversaries.

      15“Those who hate the LORD would pretend obedience to Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.

      16“But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Pray for revival personally, in your family, in your local church, in your state, in the nation and across the world. Live out the revival in your daily life. Pray, study, spend time with our Lord. Ask for His guidance in your life and be prepared to give up your desires and your plans in favor of His. You may well find that what you desire was never really yours to begin with but only that which our culture indoctrinated you to pursue. What He wants for us is much better.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Loving / Kind, Obeying God, Traditions / Holidays, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

The Law Has Never Been About Legalism

The Lord wants His people to celebrate at His appointed times, but He also understands that there are occasions where His people may not be able to celebrate at the appointed time, not because they don’t want to, but because something prevents them from doing so. This is a great example where our Lord shows us that He has never intended “legalism” with regards to the law, even before Jesus died for us. The law is and always has been about loving God and loving others. It is not about being saved through the law. We obey our Father’s instructions because we love Him and respect Him. It is really not unlike a father who makes rules to help teach His children how they should act and how they should not act.

Numbers 9:1-14

The Passover

     1Thus the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2“Now, let the sons of Israel observe the Passover at its appointed time. 3“On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall observe it at its appointed time; you shall observe it according to all its statutes and according to all its ordinances.” 4So Moses told the sons of Israel to observe the Passover. 5They observed the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did. 6But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. 7Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of the dead person, why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the LORD at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?” 8Moses therefore said to them, “Wait, and I will listen to what the LORD will command concerning you.”

      9Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If any one of you or of your generations becomes unclean because of a dead person, or is on a distant journey, he may, however, observe the Passover to the LORD. 11‘In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight, they shall observe it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12‘They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break a bone of it; according to all the statute of the Passover they shall observe it. 13‘But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and yet neglects to observe the Passover, that person shall then be cut off from his people, for he did not present the offering of the LORD at its appointed time. That man will bear his sin. 14‘If an alien sojourns among you and observes the Passover to the LORD, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its ordinance, so he shall do; you shall have one statute, both for the alien and for the native of the land.’”

Another important validation of this concept is in Matthew 12. Jesus demonstrates there are more important things than just obeying the “law” at all cost and with no consideration for others or the situation at hand.

Matthew 12:1-21

Sabbath Questions

     1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. 2But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” 3But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, 4how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? 5“Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent? 6“But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7“But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

Lord of the Sabbath

     8“For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

      9Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 10And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse Him. 11And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12“How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

      15But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all, 16and warned them not to tell who He was. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

      18“BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN;
MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL–PLEASED;
I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM,
AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES.

      19“HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT;
NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.

      20“A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF,
AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT,
UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.

      21“AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE.”

Our Father loves us. He sets forth His instructions to help guide us in loving Him and loving others. His instructions were never meant to be legalistic. His instructions (aka “law”) are not burdensome or bondage.  They lead us on the path to closer relationship with Him. Let us pray for the Spirit to guide us as we study scripture and seek to apply it to our lives.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Grace / Forgiveness, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus Christ / Yeshua

Intent of the Law

In Galatians, Paul is addressing a church that seems to be slipping away from the concept of righteousness through faith in Christ and into legalism in being made righteous through adherence to the law. He takes time to lay out a logical argument for the role of the law. The law can not save us. The law, according to Paul, is like a tutor who leads us to Christ. Once we have Christ, we no longer need the tutor.

Let us follow up on this metaphor… once we have Christ we no longer need the tutor. If the tutor has been good and purposeful in leading us in regards to how we should live in right relationship with God and other people, and Christ then perfects us such that we no longer need a tutor… we would not expect there to be a dramatic difference in how we relate to people and to God. They are both leading / teaching us in regards to loving God and loving one another. Thus let us take care not to “toss away” the law as a guide in the name of “Christian freedom”

Psalm 19:7-8

   7The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

      8The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

Matthew 22:37-40

37And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

2 Timothy 3:16

16All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Matthew 5:17-19

  17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

With that background to caution us against “tossing away” the law as irrelevant or outdated… let us now appreciate how Paul tries to guide the Galatians that they must put their faith in Christ and not the law in order to be saved. It is faith and not perfect adherence to the law that makes us righteous.

Galatians 3:15-29

Intent of the Law

     15Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is only a man’s covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it. 16Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ. 17What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.

      19Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. 20Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one. 21Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. 22But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

      23But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.

Let us all pray for God to open up the scriptures and guide us in proper understanding of His instruction. Getting a proper understanding of the law and grace is very important and often confusing for many.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Government, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Idols / False Gods, Obeying God

I Pledge Allegiance…To Whom or What?

Some recent events have brought forth a lot of discussion and passionate responses in regards to who “must” or “should” stand during the national anthem and pledge allegiance to the flag of the USA. One thing is for sure in the internet age… everyone has an opinion and wants to shout it out, or type it out.

I think having a cultural debate on the importance of individual liberty as it applies in this situation is fine and can be good. Discussing and understanding opposing viewpoints is healthy. Sadly many just “shout down” the opposing viewpoint rather than conducting a civil and respectful debate. Anyone who disagrees is automatically wrong and to be despised as hateful or ignorant. This is not effective in winning anyone over to whatever side you are on. The issue is actually more complex than it may appear, at least to some.

There is clearly a strong cultural norm and reinforced teaching for generations that trains / teaches / indoctrinates people to stand for the anthem, put their hand over their heart and recite the pledge. Most of us probably know it by heart. For many it is almost instinct and they can’t imaging not doing it, but they never really choose to do it in the first place. It was just expected and forced throughout our schooling growing up and is not to be questioned. Let us take care to carefully consider those things about which people demand there can be no question and no debate.

There are a great variety of opinions and considerations that really have nothing to do with the specifics of the protests that recently started this cultural discussion. What does the flag mean to different people? what about the anthem? What does it mean in reference to respect for veterans and military? What about individual liberty to decide to stand or not stand, rather than being compelled to stand. If someone is compelled to stand, does that make them have more or less love for the nation?

Personally, I greatly appreciate my country. The USA is the best country in the world to live in because of individual liberty. It was even better when it functioned in the past more in line with the actual constitutionally defined government which limited the role of the federal government and maximized individual liberty and the liberty of the states to govern themselves.

Today, Christians may be persecuted. Small business owners may be sued for standing up for their Biblical beliefs. One prominent example is the baker who was sued for refusing to bake wedding cakes for homosexuals… though he offered them any other product they would want from his business. Should he be forced to do so because it offends someone else? This same question can be applied to standing for the pledge or anthem. Should individuals be compelled to stand so as not to offend someone else?

If it is a private business, then the owner gets to decide as terms of employment. However, people should take care when they respond with such hostility to someone who disagrees with them. There will often be times when a Christian disagrees with what culture demands and we would appreciate and greatly value a society that allows us our individual liberty to live according to God’s word and not cultural demands.

Again, I have great respect for the USA. But let us think carefully before we demand blind allegiance at all costs to a flag or anthem.  Propaganda and brainwashing work on these same principles (e.g. Rome under the emperors who considered themselves divine, communist Russia, Hitler’s Germany, etc.) It usually works best when people put the nation in a high position of unquestioned allegiance. In truth, by their actions, they put the nation above God in importance. This is why dictatorships and communism often try to suppress or control religion… so there is nothing more important than allegiance to the nation.

A pledge or promise, if it is to be meaningful at all, is a serious thing. It is not to be taken lightly.  If you consider this just a polite tradition, then it really does not mean much anyway. We should not just make pledges out of habit or without understanding the full ramifications of fulfilling that pledge. Why should we pledge allegiance to a “flag” or “nation under God”? Why not pledge allegiance directly to God Himself and then run our country as if we mean it? This would keep the focus on God Himself, as was the intent at our country’s founding.

A simple question to consider… Whom do you serve? You can not have two masters or you will love one and hate the other.

Matthew 6:24

 24“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. To the extent our nation does the same we will be among the most ardent supporters. I will respect and appreciate my country even as it deviates from this norm, but I can not give blind allegiance to the nation if I am to submit fully to Christ. I must challenge our nation when it deviates from God’s instructions.

I hope you take time to prayerfully and thoughtfully reflect on the subject at hand, which in truth is not simply respect for nation or veterans, but also respect for the individual liberty for which they fought and died that help to keep our nation great and provides us the opportunity to freely worship our Lord according to our individual belief rather than what is popular or demanded by culture.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.