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Photo by Michael Steinberg: https://www.pexels.com/photo/gold-bars-366551/The last nine weeks we have studied a commandment a week. Tonight we come to the Tenth and final of the Ten Commandments:
Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not COVET thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.
When God gave the Tenth Commandment, He was very specific. The believer is not to “covet” (Hebrew ḥāmaḏ, pronounced khaw-mad’) that which God has given to another. God said:
“You shall not DESIRE your neighbor’s WIFE (or husband)”
This leads to adultery.
“You shall not DESIRE your neighbor’s employees”
This harms another’s business.
“You shall not DESIRE your neighbors vehicles”
Appreciate the tractor or car God has given you.
“You shall not DESIRE anything of your neighbors”
This leads to theft.
It is not wrong to desire. God created us with desire – but we are to desire the proper thing.
We Are To Desire – And Cherish – What God Has Given UsGod created us with desires. When God created the Garden in Eden the Bible says:
Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is PLEASANT (TO BE COVETED, Hebrew ḥāmaḏ, pronounced khaw-mad’) to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Word Study: God made things PLEASANT, ḥāmaḏ, right after He made man (Genesis 2:7). God made us with desires, then built a Garden to put us in that would satisfy our desires. Humans are called to cherish what God gave us – but not what God forbade us. To cherish the wrong thing is to commit IDOLATRY, as we are told in:
Ephesians 5:5 (ESV) For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
What led to the first sin, the sin that caused the fall of humanity? It was when Adam and Eve, LISTENING TO THE DEVIL, began to ḥāmaḏ or COVET that which God said was forbidden. The Bible says:
Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be DESIRED (COVET, Hebrew ḥāmaḏ, pronounced khaw-mad’) to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Coveting leads to sinful behavior. James warned the Christian:
James 4:1-4 (ESV) What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Coveting anything other than the GLORY OF GOD leads to war and infighting. If we will seek God with our desires, wanting what He wants us to have, then we would be blessed. Israel never fully settled the Promised Land because they never put God first. Whereas Jesus told His Church to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33), God told His Old Testament Israel to put Him first. If Israel would covet God’s glory first, then God promised:
Exodus 34:24 … I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man DESIRE (COVET, Hebrew ḥāmaḏ, pronounced khaw-mad’) thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.
God said “Covet ME first. Desire only what I GIVE you. If you do so, I will protect what is yours. If not, you will lose your blessings”.Why did the first generation of Israel lose the blessings of Canaan, dying over 40 years in the wilderness? It was because they were never satisfied with what God gave them. They never thanked God for the blessings of His salvation. Anytime the life they were living got slightly uncomfortable, they began to moan, and to accuse their leadership and God Himself of hating them. When God sent the twelve spies into the Promised Land, they came out knowing it was “a land of milk and honey” (Exodus 3:5, 8) just as God promised them. Yet they complained because there were giants in the land. They complained that when God saved them, that He brought them out of Egypt, out of a land of milk and honey (Numbers 16:13-14). Israel did not count their blessings, but began to curse God and the leadership.
Exodus 17:3 … the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
They continued down this pathway until they brought the wrath of God on themselves. The Bible says:
Numbers 14:2-4, 27-38 (ESV) all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” … {God replies} …. 27 I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. 28 Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: 29 your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, 30 not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected. 32 But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’ 35 I, the LORD, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.” 36 And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land— 37 the men who brought up a bad report of the land—died by plague before the LORD. 38 Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive.
God Is Serious About His People Controlling Their DesiresThe first generation of Israel died in the wilderness because of coveting, which is idolatrousness. When God sent the second generation of Israel into the land, God told His people that when they went into the Land of Canaan, they were to never bring the cursed thing into their homes. What was “the CURSED thing?” It was the idols of the Canaanites.
The Canaanite false gods were created from stone or wood, and adorned with gold, silver, and precious stones. When Israel conquered a city they were to DESTROY, not covet the CURSED THINGS, but utterly destroy them.God warned in Deuteronomy 7:25-26 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not DESIRE (COVET, Hebrew ḥāmaḏ, pronounced khaw-mad’) the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God. 26 Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.
The “cursed thing” was anything that you COVETED above your love for God and His glory. The “CURSED THING” is an idol hidden among the people of God. Once Israel settled the Promised Land, if any city of Israel departed from loving God, and started COVETING anything more than God, then the Lord said:
Deuteronomy 13:15-17 Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword. 16 And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again. 17 And there shall cleave naught of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers;
As the second generation of Israel moved into the Promised Land, led by Joshua and loving God, they defeated every enemy they came against. Israel coveted only God, and His glory.
Then Israel came to the City of Ai (pronounced EYE).
Unknown to Joshua and Israel as a nation, a man named Achan was with Israel as they marched around Jericho. He was there when the walls fell down (Joshua 6:20), and witnessed the salvation of Rahab and her family from the rubble. God knocked the walls of Jericho down. God gave Israel the victory. Their next stop was Ai (pronounced EYE). Jericho was an armed and walled city, impenetrable according to those who knew. Ai was, in comparison, a tent city. It wasn’t much of a challenge. When Joshua decided to attack Ai, he just sent three thousand (3000) men (Joshua 7:4). This was going to be a cakewalk. But it WASN’T.
Israel was easily repelled at Ai. When Joshua attacked Jericho, an armed fortress, he lost no one. At Ai, Joshua lost 36 men. Joshua fell down before the Lord, and began to pray:
Joshua 7:7-9 … Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! 8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?
How did God answer Joshua? God told Joshua, “STOP PRAYING!”
Joshua 7:10-11 … Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 11 Israel hath sinned …
Quit praying. Quit crying out to Me. You have ALL sinned against Me. How did Joshua sin? Before Joshua attacked Ai, he didn’t pray and seek God’s counsel.Joshua sent spies out, and presumed upon God. God was not being glorified. Joshua was over confident, and arrogant. Then when told “we don’t need the whole army”, Joshua sent just 3000 men without consulting God. Pastor Dave Miller writes:
“Where did this presumption come from? What had Israel done to defeat Jericho? One thing. One thing only. They obeyed. When God said march, they marched. And the walls came a-tumblin’ down. It was not Joshua’s leadership or Israel’s military prowess that won the battle. It was God’s power. But now, Israel was taking credit for what God had done. “A mighty army like ours, having just defeated Jericho, will find little challenge against Ai.” … Remember this: In the power of God, no enemy is too big. Greater is he that is in you… But in the power of self, no enemy is too small.”
Before Joshua could pray, he needed to REPENT. Israel needed to REPENT. God will hear our prayers, but will not bless us until we REPENT. Had Joshua sought God before Ai, then God would have told him sin is in the camp. God now tells Joshua:
Joshua 7:11-12 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. 12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
Joshua coveted and took the glory of God, presuming on God. He sinned. Israel presumed on God by attacking Ai without God’s blessing. They sinned. A citizen named Achan stole idolatrous items, and his them in his family’s tent. Achan sinned. When confronted, Achan confessed:
Joshua 7:20-21 … Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: 21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
The 200 shekels of silver is worth $52.97. The gold of 50 shekels weight is about 550 grams, or 19.4 ounces. This would be about $38,712 today. What Achan took was under $40,000 in value today – a year’s wages for a middle class worker. It cost him his life. It cost him his family. It cost him everything. God is serious about coveting what He has not given us. We need to run from it!
Love God – Don’t Be Like SatanChristians are to be like Jesus, not like Satan. The Bible tells us that Satan is the original coveter. The Prophet said:
Isaiah 14:12-14 (NKJV) “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
Satan – the fallen Angel originally named Lucifer or the Shining One – made five “I WILL” statements. He coveted Heaven, seeking to enter it as his own. Satan coveted the worship of the angels, to elevate himself high above his brethren. Satan wanted to rule the earth. But most importantly, Satan wanted to depose God, and assume the Throne of Heaven for himself.
Though Satan deceived Eve, and has stolen dominion of the world from Adam, he only led a third of the angels of Heaven in revolt against God. Satan could not assume God’s Throne, though he tried.
Christians, we should covet – but only the things that God wants us to covet. The Apostle tells us to “COVET earnestly the BEST GIFTS” (1 Corinthians 12:31), to “COVET the Kingdom of God”(Matthew 6:33). We are to trust God with our desires. I end with these words:
1 Timothy 6:7-8 (ESV) for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
1 Timothy 6:9-10 (ESV) But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Greed and covetousness keeps us from the blessings God wants us to have. Let us be grateful for what the Lord has given us. Remember that “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35). May God bless the reading and preaching of His Word. Amen.
Photo by Rodrigo Santos: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-holding-lighted-oil-lamp-1585584/We’ve been working our way through the Ten Commandments. We’ve found out that the Ten Commandments are not just for the Old Testament, but that they apply today.
The FIRST Commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3), before the God of Scripture, was quoted by Jesus in
Matthew 4:10 (ESV) … You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve …
The SECOND Commandment, “You shall not make an idol to bow down to it” (Exodus 20:4-6) is found in:
1 John 5:21 (ESV) Little children, keep yourselves from idols …
The THIRD Commandment, “Do not take the name of God in vain” (Exodus 20:7) is in:
1 Timothy 6:1 (ESV) … the Name of God and the teaching may not be reviled
We found every commandment but ONE, the FOURTH Commandment, repeated in the New Testament. As Christians we realize some still keep the Sabbath, whereas others celebrate Christ on FIRST DAY, the day He rose from the grave. We are told in Romans 14:5-6 that we are not to judge one another on what day we celebrate the Lord. The Sabbath was a shadow (Colossians 2:16-17) that was fulfilled in Christ’s first coming.
As long as the believer sets one day aside to worship the Lord our God, whether Saturday or Sunday, we have fulfilled the FOURTH Commandment.
The first FOUR Commandments deal with our relationship with God, but the next SIX deal with our relationship to our fellow man. We are to honor our parents (5th Commandment, Exodus 20:12). We are not to murder (6th Commandment, Exodus 20:13). We are not to violate the sanctity of marriage (7th Commandment, Exodus 20:14). We are not to steal (8th Commandment, Exodus 20:15). Tonight we come to the NINTH Commandment:
Exodus 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
The Commandment Does NOT Say You Shall NOT LIEThe Ninth Commandment is often mis-stated as “You shall not lie”. That’s not what it says. It says, “You shall not lie ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBOR”. The Ninth Commandment is to humanity as the Third Commandment is to God. In the Third Commandment we are told:
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain
(Exodus 20:7)
One commentary notes:
“In the Old Testament, bringing dishonor on God’s name was done by failing to perform an oath or vow taken in His name (Leviticus 19:12). The man who used God’s name to legitimize his oath, and then broke his promise, would indicate his lack of reverence for God as well as a lack of fear of His holy retribution. It was essentially the same as denying God’s existence. … There is a larger sense in which people today take the Lord’s name in vain. Those who name the name of Christ, who pray in His name, and who take His name as part of their identity, but who deliberately and continually disobey His commands, are taking His name in vain. Jesus Christ has been given the name above all names, at which every knee shall bow (Philippians 2:9-10), and when we take the name “Christian” upon ourselves, we must do so with an understanding of all that signifies. If we profess to be Christians, but act, think, and speak in a worldly or profane manner, we take His name in vain. When we misrepresent Christ, either intentionally or through ignorance of the Christian faith as proclaimed in Scripture, we take the Lord’s name in vain.”
We take God’s Name in vain when we misrepresent Him. When we misrepresent our neighbor, bearing false witness against them, then we have violated the Ninth Commandment.
Though some say “Thou shalt not lie” is the Ninth Commandment, it is really “Thou shalt not lie ABOUT ANOTHER HUMAN”.Though the Ninth Commandment does not say “Thou shalt not lie”, the Bible is very clear that we as Christians are to “speak the Truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). We are to be truth tellers, just as our God is. The Bible says in:
Proverbs 6:16-19 (ESV) There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, 19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
God hates “a lying tongue” as well as “a false witness who breathes out lies”. God says:
Proverbs 12:22 (ESV) Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.
Proverbs 13:5 (ESV) … The righteous hates falsehood …
And God’s standard within the Church is:
Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
The lying tongue is a mark of the lost person. The WOKE crowd lies when it looks at a man, and say’s “that’s a woman”. No, that’s a lie. The WOKE crowd says “men can have babies”. No, that’s a lie. The WOKE crowd says “marriage is two consenting adults, regardless of their biological sex”. No, that’s a lie. The WOKE crowd says “sex is a cultural construct. You can determine your sex by how you feel.” No, this is a lie.
Lies belong to the lost, because the father of lies is Satan. Jesus told the Pharisees – who often slandered Him – that:
John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
The Devil, that fallen Angel called Lucifer and Satan, is “a liar and the father of lies”. It is Satan that first lied in the Garden of Eden, telling Adam and Eve:
“If you eat of the forbidden tree, YOU WILL NOT SURELY DIE. God knows that the day you eat of this tree, your eyes will be opened, AND YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD HIMSELF, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5, AP)
Adam ignored the truth that God spoke (The Sum of Your Word is TRUTH, O Lord, and EVERY ONE of Your RIGHTEOUS RULES ENDURES FOREVER – Psalm 119:160) and listened to Satan. Doing so, he plunged the world and his progeny into spiritual death. Since Adam brought sin into the world “and DEATH BY SIN” (Romans 5:12-21) humans have played with the truth to their detriment. The HEART OF THE WOKE MOVEMENT is found in Paul’s description in:
Romans 1:24-28 (ESV) Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
They “exchanged the truth about God for a lie”. They rejected God’s Bible, His clear teachings. They rejected the Messiah, refusing to repent and turn to Him in faith. Lies belong to the lost. The Bible says to the Christian:
Colossians 3:9 (ESV) Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
and again:
Psalm 58:3 (ESV) The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
Those who are saved by faith in Christ should NOT lie. Who will be not in Heaven, but cast into the Lake of Fire on judgment day? The Bible says:
Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
God does not condone lying – and particularly does not want you lying about your neighbor.
The Ninth Commandment Says You Shall Not Lie ABOUT Your NeighborExodus 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
When in American Law you make a false statement and present it as a fact about someone, you can damage someone’s reputation. The person you hurt can bring a defamation lawsuit. One commentary notes:
“Libel is an untrue defamatory statement that is made in writing. Slander is an untrue defamatory statement that is spoken orally. The difference between defamation and slander is that a defamatory statement can be made in any medium. It could be in a blog comment or spoken in a speech or said on television. Libelous acts only occur when a statement is made in writing (digital statements count as writing) and slanderous statements are only made orally.”
Among God’s Old Testament believers the Lord had a simple method for dealing with false witnesses. We are told in:
Deuteronomy 19:15-21 (ESV) “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. 16 If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, 17 then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. 18 The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, 19 then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. 20 And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. 21 Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
The often misquoted “Eye For An Eye And Tooth For A Tooth” was not about vengeance, but about false witnesses. If someone committed a crime in Israel, and it went before the Ruling Council or the Priests, if a false witness was discovered “then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst”. In short, the false witness got the EXACT PUNISHMENT that would have went toward the accused. If the accused was going to die, the false witness would die. If the accused was in danger of losing property, the false witness would lose the same amount of property. God said, “Do not pit them … life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot”. God made an example of the false witness, and purged evil out of Israel.
“A true witness delivers souls, But a deceitful witness speaks lies” (Proverbs 14:25).
“A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who speaks lies shall perish” (Proverbs 19:9).
God does not want us as believers telling falsehoods about those around us. If we do not know the truth, we should not “speculate” or “postulate”, but hush. What we say about others matters. There is never a time when bearing false witness against another will be blessed by God.
Are There Any Times When Lying Is Permissible?There is never a time when we can legitimately bear false witness about a neighbor, but it is permissible to speak a lie when saving lives. For instance, in Exodus 1 Pharaoh commands that the Hebrew mid-wives:
Exodus 1:16 (AP) … if it is a son {being born}, kill him, but if it is a daughter {being born} let her live …
When the mid-wives didn’t do this and the Pharaoh asked why, they lied. They said “the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them”. God honored the mid-wives for NOT killing the baby boys, though God did not address the lie. Later in Israel’s history when Joshua sent spies into the land of Canaan, the King of Jericho …
Joshua 2:3-7 (ESV) … sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” 6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. 7 So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.
Rahab purposefully lied to the King of Jericho in order to save the lives of the spies. Though the Bible does not address her clear lie, it commends Rahab for protecting the lives of the spies:
Hebrews 11:30-31 (ESV) By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
James 2:24-25 (ESV) You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?
Rahab feared God, and protected the lives of God’s spies. She knew where the spies were hidden, and told the soldiers who hunted for them that they had left the city whereas they were hiding on Rahab’s rooftop. She lied to save lives. Rahab was honored for her faith, and is actually in the lineage of Christ (Matthew 1:5).
Lying to save others lives may be necessary, but be aware there is no where in Scripture where God praises a lie. We need to understand that our God is the God of Truth. Jesus said in John 8:32, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” If you tell a lie, you have to remember the lie you told, or else you’ll be tripped up in time. During World War II Corrie Ten Boom as part of the Dutch Resistance helped hide Jews from Nazi soldiers, knowing that these people would be murdered if found. When discovered, Corrie and her family were put in concentration camps. Her entire family died to save the lives of innocent people.
I want to end with this note from one commentary:
“Our goal should never be to wiggle our way around the truth or search for an ethical loophole. When the psalmist describes the person who is privileged to “sojourn” in God’s tent and to “dwell” on his holy hill (Ps. 15:1–5), among the qualities cited is speaking “truth” in his heart, refusing to “slander with his tongue,” and being the sort of person “who swears to his own hurt and does not change.” “He who does these things,” David insists, “shall never be moved.”
May God touch your hearts with His Word. Amen.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-in-handcuff-holding-rolled-dollar-bills-6266297/Exodus 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.
Just four words in the English, but only two words in the Hebrew, the EIGHTH Commandment says:
lō’ gānaḇ (pronounced gaw-nab’)
The words mean “you shall not carry away or steal”. The earliest use of this word is found in the story of Jacob and his father in law Laban. Laban was aging, and wanted Jacob to stay with him and tend to his herds of goats and flocks of sheep. Jacob agreed to do so, but only if Laban gave him all the speckled or spotted goats and black sheep. Laban quickly agreed to this, as the animals that were spotted or the black sheep were considered inferior quality (Genesis 30:32-36). The majority of Laban’s flock was pure white, and the goats were pure white or black. So it seemed as if Jacob was making a lopsided deal. But Jacob was in communion with God, and the Lord told Jacob how to breed the animals so as to birth speckled animals (Genesis 31:10-12). Laban was trying to STEAL from Jacob, and God wasn’t going to have it. In the end, Jacob ended up with a greater herd of speckled and spotted animals.
God knows the DNA of every person, creature, and living thing. It was nothing for God to direct Jacob in the breeding of animals to enrich His people!Sadly, when Jacob took his leave of Laban, and carried his superior flocks and herds off, his wife Rachel “had STOLEN (gānaḇ) the idols that were her father’s” (Genesis 31:19). Rather than trust in the Lord as Jacob was learning to do, she superstitiously stole Laban’s idols, thinking they would bring blessing upon the household. Jacob allowed Rachel to keep Laban’s idols until Genesis 35:
Genesis 35:1-4 (ESV) God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.
By keeping idols, Jacob’s family was STEALING GLORY from God. They had to put away all their theft before God could change Jacob to ISRAEL:
Genesis 35:9-12 (ESV) God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.”
While Jacob had family members stealing God’s glory and worshiping false gods, God could not bless him as He wanted to do. With repentance comes blessing. “You shall not steal”.
People Rob From God When They Worship MoneyGod spoke to His people in:
Malachi 3:8-12 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.
God gives us blessing every day. He does not want us to worship that which He has given us, but to worship Him. In faith, we return a portion of our time and tithe (our money) to the ministry of God. In the early Church God established Apostles and Pastors who tended to the Church of Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 9:7-12 (ESV) Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk? 8 Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. 11 If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?…
1 Timothy 5:17-18 (ESV) Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”
When you hoard your money, stashing it away, greedily worshiping it rather than contributing to God’s Kingdom, you have in essense robbed God. Your treasure is not to be your bank account, but God your Savior. Jesus warned:
Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
When you leave this earth, your bank account will not go with you, nor will your home, your cars, your four wheelers, your fishing boats, or your businesses. When you stand before God every possession you have held onto a worship will not be with you. All that will be with you is your relationship with the Father through Christ. The Bible says:
Matthew 6:24 (ESV) 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. (see also Luke 16:13)
It Is Wrong To Rob God, But It Is Also Wrong To Rob GovernmentWhen Jesus walked this earth, a number of groups of people despised what He had to say. One day the Herodians (supporters of Rome and King Herod) and the Pharisees (supporters of the written Law of God and the traditions of the elders) came together to try and trap our Lord. Jesus had been teaching the Jews in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, and large numbers were gathered around Him.
Matthew 22:15-22 (ESV) Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.
If Jesus had answered “As a Jew, I don’t want to give to Rome”, the Herodians would have reported Him as a traitor to the nation. If Jesus had said, “Yes, we should pay our taxes to Rome”, the Pharisees would have said Jesus was a traitor to Israel. But Jesus merely had them hold up a coin. Every coin minted is minted by the government. Jesus asked, “Whose inscription is on the coin?”, to which they replied, “Caesar’s”. Jesus said:
render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, that is, Pay your Taxes!
render to … God the things that are God’s, that is, give glory and tithe to the Lord!
The government provides services to its citizens to protect them from foreign invasion and internal evil. The government has been given authority by God to protect not only the people of God, but all citizens so that they might hear the Gospel of salvation. When citizens do not pay their fair share the government cannot hire police, fire, and military services. As I am coming up on tax season (as we all are) I am aware that as an American citizen it seems like – at times – I’m taxed to death. However, taxes pay for services that we all need, whether we like it or not. The Bible tells us:
Romans 13:1-4 (ESV) Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. … 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
The One Who Steals – The Thief – Is Not SavedThose who are saved by faith in Christ do not follow their old pattern of life. The Apostle said to the Church:
1 Peter 4:15-16 (ESV) … let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. 16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
The thief brings suffering on themselves as well as others. Judas Iscariot, one of the Apostles chosen by Christ, “was a thief” (John 12:6). He started out down the wrong path by stealing from the treasury of the Apostles. After a time, the money Judas so wanted led him to selling Christ for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13; Matthew 26:15; Matthew 27:9). After realizing that he was instrumental in the murder of the Lord of Glory, Judas “hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5) and was buried in an unmarked grave in a place called “The Field of Blood” (Matthew 27:8). Peter said of Judas:
Acts 1:17-18 For {Judas Iscariot} was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. 18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
People who steal often believe that they are not hurting anyone – not really – but they are. They are hurting themselves, and those around them. An NPR article entitled “Major Retailers Blame Theft For Their Decision To Close Locations” noted:
“Target announced this week that it will close nine stores in locations where the company has experienced too much crime. Whole Foods and Nordstrom recently closed locations in San Francisco for the same reason. Shoplifting is a problem, and so are looting incidents…”
The largest retailer in the whole world is Walmart. It is closing half its stores in Chicago. One article notes:
“In December 2022, {Walmart CEO Doug} McMillon noted that theft rates at Walmart alone were “higher than what it has historically been” and called it a significant “issue” facing the industry.” Walmart closed 20 locations in 2023 nationwide. “Eight of the closures were in Illinois, two in Oregon, and two more in Georgia, per Daily Mail. The remaining stores were scattered across 12 states, with one closure each in Florida, Washington, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, Texas, Wisconsin, Virginia, Arkansas, and Hawaii. Walmart is one of 19 other retailers that closed a combined 2,847 locations as of Christmas”.
Theft by shoplifting and robbery closes stores down in high crime neighborhoods. Bed Bath and Beyond, Party City, and Rite Aid filed for bankrupcy because of theft. When stores close down in neighborhoods, liberals say that it is because of racism. No, it’s because people steal. There is a principal of retailing that states:
If your OUTGO exceeds your INCOME, your UPKEEP will be your DOWNFALL.Stores have tried combating this by locking up items most likely to be stolen. Sadly, customers will avoid such places. “Thou shalt not steal”. When you steal, you end up not only hurting others, but you also hurt yourself. God tells His Children – saved by faith –
Ephesians 4:28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
May God touch our hearts with His Word! Amen.
Photo by Elina Fairytale: https://www.pexels.com/photo/smiling-family-sitting-by-christmas-tree-5860054/The last few weeks we have looked at the Ten Commandments of God. To review, the First Commandment is that “You will have no other gods before Yahweh”. Our God is #1! The Second Commandment is that “You will not create any idol of any type to worship or bow down to”. For this one we show the picture of the bowing number 2. The Third Commandment is that we will not “Take the Name of Yahweh in vain – to dishonor God with your lips”. The number 3 looks like a set of lips. The Fourth Commandment is to “Remember the Sabbath”, or to take one day in seven and dedicate it to the Lord. As Christians we do this on Sunday. The number 4 looks like a book end for a Bible. Now we come to the Fifth Commandment:
Exodus 20:12 Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
A Lawyer asked Jesus one day, “What is the “Great Commandment” in the Law?” (Matthew 22:35-40). His intent was to “tempt”or test Jesus, so as to show Him to be a fraud. Our Lord didn’t hesitate. He said:
Matthew 22:37-40 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Our Lord divided the Ten Commandments into two great Commandments. When we look at the Ten, the first Four Commandments are summarized as “To love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, ALL your soul, and ALL your mind”. The last Five Commandments: you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet another’s property; are all summarized by “You shall love your neighbor as you want to be loved”.
The Fifth Commandment to honor your parents is a hinge that connects the two great commandments. Your parents teach you to love God with your ALL, and to love others the way you want to be loved. The civility of a nation is determined by whether this commandment is honored or not.
The Office of Parent Was Designed By GodTo Be Representatives For GodExodus 20:12 … HONOR thy father and thy mother …
Word Study: The word translated “HONOR” is the Hebrew kāḇaḏ, which means “to ascribe weight to, to give glory to, to recognize as rich or valuable”. The same word is used in:
Psalm 22:23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise Him: all ye the seed of Jacob, GLORIFY (kāḇaḏ) Him …..
Psalm 50:15 {God said} call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt GLORIFY (kāḇaḏ) Me …
Parents are not to be worshiped as we worship God – this would be a violation of the First and Second Commandments. But Parents are designed by God to be His representative on the earth. When God made Adam and Eve, the Bible says:
Genesis 1:28 (ESV) God blessed THEM. And God said to THEM, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
God blessed the first Couple, and gave THEM DOMINION or control over “every living thing that moves”. The husband and wife were to be a team, the father and mother, the PARENTS. They were to rule the earth and all living things under their control which INCLUDED THEIR CHILDREN. Parents were to teach their children to love God with their ALL (the first Four Commandments) and to love and respect OTHERS the way that they wanted to be respected and loved (the last Five Commandments).
Parents stand in the gap, teaching children to love God and to be good citizens.Pastor and Bible Scholar Steven J. Cole stated:
“If we are rebellious and disrespectful toward our parents who gave us life and sustenance, we will also probably be rebellious and disrespectful toward the Lord God, our creator and sustainer. Disrespect toward parents and God will also carry over into disrespect for all authority, and thus will result in a breakdown of law and order, leading to a disintegration of the very basis for civilized society. Thus the keeping of the Fifth Commandment is not some outmoded, quaint idea to be set aside without consequence. It is vital to the survival of our nation.”
The reason we as a nation are failing is because the Office of Parent has been destroyed by free sexuality and promiscuity contrary to the command of God. Children are taught how to relate to others in the home, long before they ever are released into the wild. Satan has so confused our nation that we no longer can identify what a woman is or what a man is. Children are fed a diet of books like “Jennifer Has Two Daddies” or “A Tale Of Two Daddies”, or “Heather Has Two Mommies”. They are told that the normal family can be two people of any gender, just as long as they “love” one another. What’s wrong with that? It is contrary to the standard of Christ.
The Pharisees asked our Lord Jesus about marriage and divorce one day. What was Jesus’ response?
Mark 10:6-9 … from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
God’s standard was to male them MALE AND FEMALE. The MALE AND FEMALE were to multiply, that is, reproduce. These PARENTS who are FATHER and MOTHER were to rule and guide the children. And the children were to honor and obey their parents as long as the parents did not direct them to violate the Laws of God. Though humans in a misbegotten desire to be “progressive” may twist and pervert the family unit, God said to “HONOR thy fatherand thy mother. Children are to be punished for violating the Ten Commandments, as these laws lay the basis for an orderly and civil society. How serious was God over parental guidance of the children? The Bible says:
Exodus 21:14-15 … if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die. 15 Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.
God considered a child who so disrespected their parents so as to strike them to be as worthy of death as a premeditated murderer! God said in:
Deuteronomy 21:18-21 (ESV) If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, 19 then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, 20 and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21 Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
Why so harsh? The Parent is the first authority that the child will know. The father and the mother, as God’s representatives, are to teach the child to respect authority and to live civilly with others. The child who will not respect authority in the home will grow up to be the adult disrespectful of order in society.
Both Father And Mother – Though They Themselves Are Imperfect – Are To Be HonoredProverbs 1:8 Hear, my son, your Father’s instruction, and forsake not your Mother’s teaching.
Proverbs 23:22 Listen to your Father who gave you life, and do not despise your Mother when she is old
Illustrate: Children who are not raised to respect the authority of their father AND mother grow up to be adults who are confused and lawless. They make bad employees, terrible companions, and frightful lawbreakers. I stood watching a child destroy DVD covers at a local Walmart one day while the mother watched. When the young boy of color started tearing up the THIRD DVD I politely asked him, “Son, is that YOUR property?” The mother glared at me, grabbed his hand, and stomped off. I will guarantee you that the mother who does not teach her child to respect the property of others was herself a child who was not taught and corrected. Bad and spoiled children make bad and spoiled children.
Certainly parents will make mistakes. Parents, though called by God to represent God to the child, are imperfect. But even if imperfect, the child is still under the command:
Ephesians 6:1-3 (ESV) Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”
One of the earliest examples of disrespect toward a parent is found in the Noahic Account. When the flood waters receded and God blessed Noah and his family, the Bible says that:
Genesis 9:20-21 (ESV) Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent
Noah, a man who found “Grace in the eyes of God” (Genesis 6:8), a man who faithfully preached of coming destruction while he built an Ark – 120 years!, “planted a vineyard”. Making wine, Noah “became drunk”. That’s a sin! Believers are to …
Romans 13:13 … walk honestly, as in the day; NOT in RIOTING and DRUNKENNESS …
Those who are MURDERERS or those who pursue DRUNKENNESS are warned that THEY SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD (Galatians 5:21). Noah should not have gotten drunk. Yet even believers in Christ, recipients of Grace, fall short at times. This is not to justify what Noah did by any means. “Do NOT BE DRUNK WITH WINE, for that is excess; but BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT” (Ephesians 5:18). No, Noah had no excuse. As a man of God he should not have gotten drunk. As a parent, a father with three young boys, he should not have gotten drunk. But Noah failed God, just as we all do at time. He failed miserably, and ended up drunken and unclothed. The Bible says:
Genesis 9:22-24 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him …
One of Noah’s sons Ham came and found his drunken, naked father stretched out. His father had sinned against God. Rather than cover his sin, out of respect for his father, the Bible says that Ham goes outside and tells his other brothers about it. The commentaries I have read said that Ham was mocking or making light of what his father had done, and then went outside to enlist his brothers into doing the same. When Shem and Japheth heard what Ham had to say, rather than mock their father they took a blanket and, walking backwards out of respect for their father, they covered his sinfulness. When Noah woke up, he cursed his son Ham, saying:
Genesis 9:25 “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”
Noah did not curse HAM, but he cursed HAM’S SON CANAAN. Why is that?
Canaan was cursed rather than Ham, because disrespect of the parent is transmitted – like disease – from generation to generation.Because the effects of violating the Fifth Commandment pass down from generation to generation. Ham had no respect for his father, and by gazing at him and mocking him, tried to enlist his other brothers into doing the same. Ham’s son Canaan would see this, and pass this same disrespect down to his children. Canaan and his children would settle in a land called “Canaan”. The people of that land would be so sinful and out of control, that when God sent His people Israel into that land He told them:
Deuteronomy 20:16-17 (ESV) In the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you.
I have read commentaries that detailed the Phallic Religions of Canaan. They often committed group orgies while false priests beat on human skin covered drums. Children were sacrificed in the fire to appease their gods. When God examined the cultures of those Canaanites, He wanted Israel to not just push them out of the land. God said:
1 Samuel 15:3 (ESV) Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.
I’m sure as you read this you are thinking this is horribly excessive. And yet, when the Fifth Commandment goes out the window, all the other Commandments are forfeited. Anarchy and hatred becomes the rule of the day. Children raised lawlessly are belligerent, and many times cannot be corrected. The Apostle Paul, writing of the degeneration he was seeing in the Roman Empire, said:
Romans 1:28-30 (ESV) … since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents …
Rome was not destroyed from without, but from within. Because children were not taught to respect authority, they grew up into adults that did not respect authority. In time, Rome was led by greater and more perverse children in adult bodies. Eventually Rome and all its glory died.
America is heading the same way, dear friends.
Parents Are To Remember They Represent God When Training Their ChildrenRight after the Scripture says:
Ephesians 6:1-3 (ESV) … Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”
It continues with … Ephesians 6:4 FATHERS, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Our society tells us that fathers are unimportant, that a child doesn’t need a father. Yet that is wrong. God makes children using fathers AND mothers, and both are needed to raise children. In August of 2022 the State Auditor of Mississippi, Shad White, released a study called “Dads Matter: The Taxpayer Cost of Fatherlessness”. In the summary we read:
“engaged fathers are critical for a healthy society. By comparison, fatherlessness creates myriad costs, both social and economic. Studies show that fatherless children do not go as far in school, have more health problems, and are less financially secure as adults. Other studies show fatherless boys are more likely to become men who enter the corrections system. Still more research shows fatherless girls are more likely to become teenage mothers. Both incarceration and teenage pregnancy are strongly associated with the high school dropout rate. ”
Mississippi spends approximately $180 million each year to incarcerate men from fatherless homes.
If that’s true in Mississippi, what do you think the total across the United States is? Fathers matter, and what fathers do matter. Fathers are commanded to “bring {children} up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord”. Whether a child can play “Grand Theft Auto” or some video game is of little consequence. Fathers are to be engaged in teaching their children, both sons and daughters, to love the Lord with their all. The Scripture says:
Colossians 3:18-21 (ESV) Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
We are to follow the pattern of the family as God has given it in the Scripture. The husband – a man – leads and loves the wife and family. The children obey their parents, both father and mother. And fathers are to encourage and train their children, teaching them the two Great Commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, strength, and love your neighbor as you yourself would be loved.
We Are To Imitate Jesus In Following The Fifth CommandmentOur Lord Jesus obeyed and honored His parents. In Luke chapter 2 when Jesus was about 12 years old, Mary and Joseph took Him to the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem. Part of a caravan, they left at the end of the Feast, but unknown to them Jesus stayed behind. When they discovered Jesus was missing, they returned to Jerusalem and found Jesus sitting in the Temple, teaching the Rabbis the Word of God. Mary asked Jesus, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” Jesus replied, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Jesus was honoring His Heavenly Father first. But the Bible says that:
Luke 2:51 {Jesus} … went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them.
Jesus, though “God with us” (Matthew 1:23), in His humanity was the Son of Mary and the stepson of Joseph. Jesus honored His earthly parents, just as the Fifth Commandment directs. One of the first miracles Jesus ever did was turning water into wine at a Wedding Feast in Cana of Galilee (John 4:46). Mary was related to the Bride and Groom, and was invited to be there, along with Jesus and His disciples. As the Wedding celebration proceeded they ran out of wine. Mary called Jesus to the side:
John 2:3-4 … the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
When Mary told Jesus they were out of wine, Jesus explained that it was not the best time for Him to do anything. Mary didn’t argue with her Son. She expected Him to make the wine situation go away. He was able. He is God incarnate. There is nothing Jesus can’t do but sin. Guess what? Jesus obeyed His mother. He HONORED her, as He should have. The commentaries note that Joseph was not at the Wedding Feast, possibly because he was deceased. But Mary as Jesus’ parent was to be honored.
When Jesus hung dying for our sins on the Cross, Mary His mother and the Apostle John stood at the foot of the Cross watching. Joseph was no longer with the family, so Jesus was the head of the household. Knowing that He would not be around to look after His mother, the Bible says …
John 19:26-27 When Jesus therefore saw HIS MOTHER, AND THE DISCIPLE STANDING BY, WHOM HE LOVED {John}, He saith to His mother, “Woman, behold thy son”. 27 Then saith He to the disciple, “Behold thy mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her into his own home.
Jesus honored His parents. Jesus heeded His earthly parents, and honors His Heavenly Father still today. He set the pattern for obeying the Fifth Commandment.
In ConclusionExodus 20:12 Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Children who honor their parents are promised long lives. But children who are disrespectful of their parents often find their lives cut short. The Bible tells us of King David’s third son Absalom. Absalom rebelled against his father, and actually tried to kill David so that he could take the Throne of Israel. In the Battle of Ephraim (2 Samuel 18:9-17) Absalom’s long hair got caught in the branches of a tree, and his mount left him dangling in the air. David’s General Joab found him that way, and together with ten other soldiers stabbed him to death. Absalom was 29 years old.
The Judge and Strongman Samson died at a younger age than he should have because he would not heed his parents. His parents told him to leave Philistine women alone (Judges 14:2-3). He wouldn’t listen, and only judged Israel 20 years, probably dying before he was 30 years old.
But Joseph, the son of Jacob honored his father, and forgave his brothers for their treachery. Loving God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength, Joseph lived with honor, and became the highest ruler in Egypt next to the King. Honoring his parents, Joseph became the key to the growth of Israel as a nation. The Bible says:
Proverbs 10:27 (ESV) The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.
Proverbs 30:17 The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures.
I’ll end with this illustration by Joy Davidman from the book, Smoke on the Mountain:
{There was} an old man who lived with his son and daughter-in-law because he had no where else to go. The old man’s hands trembled. When he ate, he clattered the silverware, often missed his mouth with the spoon, and dribbled some of his food on the tablecloth. The daughter-in-law hated having him there because he interfered with her right to happiness. So she and her husband took the old man gently but firmly and led him to a corner of the kitchen. There they set him on a stool and gave him his food in an earthenware bowl. From then on he always ate in the corner, blinking at the table with wistful eyes. One day his hands trembled more than usual and he dropped the bowl, which broke. “If you are a pig,” said the daughter-in-law, “you must eat out of a trough.” So they made him a little wooden trough, and he got his meals in that.
This couple had a four-year-old son they were quite fond of. One night the father noticed the boy playing intently with some bits of wood and he asked what he was doing. “I’m making a trough,” he said, smiling for approval, “to feed you and Mamma out of when I get big.” The man and his wife looked at each other for a while and didn’t say anything. Then they cried a little. Then they went to the corner and took the old man by the arm and led him back to the table. They sat him in a comfortable chair and fed him his dinner on a plate. From then on nobody scolded him when he clattered or spilled or broke things.
What you sow, you will reap. Honor your parents!
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-hands-on-holy-bible-267559/Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
The last few weeks we have looked at the Ten Commandments of God. To review,
The First Commandment is that God is to be first in your life.
The Second Commandment is that you are to make no idols, nor bow down or worship anyone other than the God of the Bible.
The Third Commandment is that we not speak or represent the God Who is in an empty or blasphemous way.
Tonight we’ll be examining the Fourth Commandment, to remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.
When we started this study, I showed you how the Ten Commandments are represented in the New Testament. For instance, the First Commandment was repeated by Jesus to Satan in:
Matthew 4:10 (ESV) … “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
The Apostle Paul chastised the lost peoples for violating the Second Commandment (Romans 1:23; Acts 19:26-35). The Fifth Commandment is referred to in:
Ephesians 6:1-3 (ESV) Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”
The Apostle Paul quoted the bulk of the Commandments in
Romans 13:8-10 (ESV) … the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
All of the Commandments are reflected in the New Testament under the New Covenant – all but one: The Fourth Commandment, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy”. Why is this?
The Sabbath Was A Shadow Of ChristExodus 20:8-10 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God…
Word Study: God told His people Israel to “Rememberšabāṯ (Shabbat)”. The Hebrew for “Remember” is zāḵar, which means “to be mindful of, to call to mind, to focus upon with intensity and purpose”. When God flooded the whole earth because of sin, after a period of time the Bible says:
Genesis 8:1 … God REMEMBERED (zāḵar) Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him on the Ark …
God FOCUSED on Noah and those with him on the Ark. Because of this focus, God caused the waters to recede, and the land to dry up so they could disembark. God then placed a rainbow in the sky as something to REMEMBER (zāḵar) so that world would no longer be destroyed by a flood. When God gave Israel the Old Covenant of the Law, He required that they have one day in seven to focus on Him and His gracious provision. As Israel worked and prospered, it was possible for them, as it is with us, to forget that it is God Who provided the good we have. We may toil the fields, but it is God Who blesses. God told Israel:
Deuteronomy 11:13-14 (ESV) … if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil.
Work is a good thing. Work was commanded, even in the Garden of Eden. But we must remember that our prosperity does not come because of our efforts, but because of God’s provision. He gave us life. He gives us minds. He gives us rain in due season, so that our crops can grow. So God decreed that Israel would have a day – the seventh day – where they would FOCUS ON GOD’S PROVISION, and give Him praise. On that day they were supposed to cease work – except where absolutely necessary – and spend time with the Lord.
The Sabbath – like CIRCUMCISION – was a sign to Israel of the Mosaic Covenant. The Scripture says:
Exodus 31:16-17 (NASB 95) ‘So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.’ 17 “It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.”
The Sabbath was specifically given to Israel. God said “I gave Israel My sabbaths to be a sign between ME AND THEM, that THEY MIGHT KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD WHO SANCTIFIES THEM” (Ezekiel 20:12, NASB 95. Also Nehemiah 9:14). The Shabbat (both the weekly and the special festival Shabbats) were given to Israel – not to the Gentiles. The Shabbat along with circumcision of males was specific to the Old Covenant.
The Apostle Paul tells us in:
Colossians 2:13-17 (ESV) … {God the Father} quickened {us} together with {Jesus Christ}, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
The Shabbat, like the rule of male circumcision, was a sign to Israel under the First or Old Covenant. The Shabbat was a “shadow of things to come” like animal sacrifice and the Temple Holy of Holies, the Festivals and Feasts. These things looked forward to the coming of the Messiah.
The New Testament NEVER commands Christians to observe the Shabbat. The Shabbat was not COMMANDED until the Law was given by Moses.Jesus came to replace the First Commandment with the Second, the “New Covenant in His Blood” (Luke 22:20). The Scripture says:
Hebrews 8:10-13 (ESV) For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” 13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete.
The First Covenant, the Covenant of Law, was EXTERNAL. The Second Covenant, the New Covenant in Christ’s Blood, would be INTERNAL.
Through the Spirit of God the believer in Christ would be born again, sanctified or set apart for the service of God. The Spirit of God would indwell the believer (Romans 8:9), drawing us to Christ and to the Father.
The Pharisees Did Not Understand The Transition Of Either Circumcision Nor Of The ShabbatThe Pharisees, the Conservatives who upheld the Law of Moses, were constantly at odds with Jesus over the Shabbat. When Jesus taught in the Synagogue of Capernaum on Shabbat, He was heckled by a man possessed of a demon:
Mark 1:24-26 (ESV) “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him.
The Pharisees were not upset that Jesus cast out demons on Shabbat. But when He and His disciples ate from the grainfields on Shabbat (Mark 2:23) the Pharisees said, “Why are You doing what is UNLAWFUL ON SHABBAT?” (Mark 2:24). Jesus replied:
Mark 2:27-28 (ESV) … “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
God gave the Sabbath for man to remember His goodness and grace. The Shabbat was a time for those under the Old Covenant to focus on God. But Jesus said “the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath”. The phrase “Son of Man” is a title for the Messiah (see Daniel 7:13), and Jesus called Himself the “Son of Man” (Matthew 8:20; Matthew 9:6; Matthew 11:19; Matthew 12:40; Mathew 13:37). Jesus said not just here in Mark, but in other texts like:
Matthew 12:8 … the SON OF MAN IS LORD EVEN OF THE SABBATH DAY ..
Luke 6:5 … the SON OF MAN IS LORD ALSO OF THE SABBATH …
Jesus is the fulfillment of the shadows of the Law, and the Fourth Commandment was a shadow of the Messiah. We find our rest in Jesus Christ. He is our Shabbat. We rest from useless sacrifices that can never fully pay for sin (Hebrews 10:1). Jesus …
Hebrews 10:12 (ESV) … Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
The Bible tells us that we who are under the New Covenant have a Shabbat, a rest that we draw near to – this is Jesus. We are told in …
Hebrews 4:9-14 (ESV) … So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. 11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Jesus Christ is LORD of the SHABBAT. He is our SHABBAT, our Sabbath Rest. Jesus satisfied the requirements of the sacrifices under the Law. Jesus satisfies the requirements of our High Priest. “How shall we escape if we neglect SO GREAT A SALVATION” (Hebrews 2:3)? We rest in Christ. We rest in His Word. He follow Him daily – not just one day a week. We rely upon Him every moment of every day. Jesus Christ is our Shabbat!
John 5:18 (ESV) This was why the Jews (the Pharisees) were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
I think it is significant that the Pharisees sought Jesus’ crucifixion for violating – they believed – the Shabbat. Jesus was crucified the day before Shabbat (Mark 15:42), the special Sabbath that followed the Feast of the Passover. The Bible tells us:
Leviticus 23:4-8 (ESV) These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them. 5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord’s Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. 8 But you shall present a food offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.”
The Feast of Passover is on the 14th of the month, followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a Shabbat, a Special Sabbath. Jesus died on the Feast of Passover, for “Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus was buried at the end of the Passover, just before the Special Shabbat of the Feast on Unleavened Bread. We are told in:
Luke 23:52-54 (ESV) This man {Joseph of Arimathea} went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. 54 It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.
John 19:31 (ESV) Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.
Dying for our sins as our Passover, Jesus went to the Tomb for Three Days and Three nights just as He declared (Matthew 12:40). The Bible tells us that Jesus rose the day following the weekly Shabbat. The women who loved Jesus came to the Tomb to finish anointing Christ’s body the day following Shabbat, the weekly Sabbath:
Matthew 28:1 (ESV) Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.
Mark 16:2, 9 (ESV) And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. … 9 Now when {Jesus} rose early on the first day of the week, {Jesus} appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.
If Jesus Is Our Shabbat, Why Do Christians Today Gather On Sunday?The Jewish Shabbat was from Friday at Sunset to Saturday at Sunset. The Bible tells us that Jesus resurrected from the Grave, and appeared to His disciples on the first day of the week:
John 20:19 (ESV) On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
After the Day of Pentecost, where God sent His Holy Spirit to the Church, the Church began to meet on the first day of the week:
Acts 20:7 (ESV) 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.
The Apostle encouraged the Church to
1 Corinthians 16:2 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.
The first day of the week began to be called “The Lord’s Day”. When John the Revelator wrote to the Church, he wrote the words of Christ “on the Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10), or on Sunday. There are other extra-Biblical sources that note the early Church met on Sundays. About 150 A.D. the early Church Pastor Justin Martyr wrote:
“On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together in one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read. … Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead” (Justin Martyr, First Apology, 67; ANF 1:186).
And another early Pastor, Ignatius of Antioch (Letter to the Magnesians, 8 [AD 110] wrote:
“those who were brought up in the ancient order of things [i.e. Jews] have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord’s day, on which also our life has sprung up again by him and by his death”
As the early Church was comprised of both Jewish as well as Gentile converts, there was often controversy between the two groups as to whether they were to observe the Sabbath and circumcision of males. The Apostle commanded the Jews and Gentiles to not quarrel over keeping the Shabbat, saying:
Romans 14:5-6, 8 (ESV) One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. … while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. …. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.
Some believers today meet on Sundays, whereas others on Saturday, or even Friday afternoon. The Apostles often went to the Jewish Synagogues on their Shabbat and preached to them, just as Jesus had done (see Luke 4:16; Acts 13:14; 13:42, 44; 16:13; 18:4).
Though many believers may believe that one day is better than another to meet, we are not to judge one another. Rather, as Christians we set apart one day a week to honor our Lord. As Baptists, we worship the Lord on Sunday because we recognize that Christ rose from the grave on Sunday. We are “New creations in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:17). He is our Shabbat.
We worship Jesus on “The Lord’s Day”, the day He rose from the Grave and made us New Creations.But we are not dogmatic, nor do we condemn others for gathering and worshiping on other days. Shabbat was a shadow, and Christ the reality. We serve and worship Jesus every single day – but celebrate Him as a Body, His Church, on Sundays. We remember the word of Scripture:
Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV) And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
If you as a Christian are weak on “meeting together” with other believers, encouraging then and being encouraged to shine for Jesus – then you will be a weak Christian. We need one another. We may not meet on the Jewish Shabbat, but we meet Sundays to worship the Lord. May God touch your hearts through His Word to commit to being faithful in honoring Him at His Church this year. May the Holy Spirit draw you into a closer walk with your brothers and sisters in the faith, for Christ’s glory. Amen and Amen.
The past two weeks we’ve been studying the Ten Commandments. The First Commandment is:
Exodus 20:2-3 … I am the Lord thy God … thou shalt have no other gods before Me …
God is to be number one in our lives. That’s the First Commandment. The Second Commandment is …
Exodus 20:4-5 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness … Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve (worship) them …
Remember that the number “2” looks like it’s bowing down. The believer is neither to bow down to or serve any god other than Yahweh, the God of Scripture. Tonight we’re looking at the Third Commandment:
Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Word Study Let’s break this down from the Hebrew. The word translated “take” is the Hebrew Qal Imperfect of the verb nāśā’ (pronounced naw-saw’), which means “to lift up, to bear, to carry off or take away”. God’s name is sacred. He gave His Covenant Name to those who believed in Him, who loved Him. When Moses asked God His Name, God told Moses:
Exodus 3:14-15 … God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
The Name Of God Defines GodThe Name of God defines Who God is. God is “I Am”. He is Eternal, without beginning or end. “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). God has no starting place. He was never created, but has always been the Creator. God knows all things. “His understanding is beyond measure” (Psalm 147:5). Dr. Adrian Rogers wrote:
“The name Jehovah is used some 6,800 times in the Bible. It is the personal covenant name of Israel’s God. In the King James Version of the Bible, it’s translated Lord God. Not only does it speak of God’s strength, but also it speaks of the sovereignty of God and the goodness of God. The root of this name means “self-existing,” one who never came into being, and one who always will be. When Moses asked God, “Who shall I tell Pharaoh has sent me?” God said, “I AM THAT I AM.””
God is eternal and UNCHANGING. He is I AM. “I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6). Our God DEPENDS ON NO ONE. His Name is I AM. “The Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.” (John 5:26). Our God is the pattern of all life. God’s Name is not “YOU ARE” but “I AM”. “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6). There is nothing that God cannot do except evil. Pastor John MacArthur writes:
“Although such power might seem frightful, remember that God is good. He can do anything according to His infinite ability, but will do only those things that are consistent with Himself. That’s why He can’t lie, tolerate sin, or save impenitent sinners.”
God knows and understands all things. His will will always be done. A.W. Tozer wrote:
“God perfectly knows Himself and, being the source and author of all things, it follows that He knows all that can be known. And this He knows instantly and with a fullness of perfection that includes every possible item of knowledge concerning everything that exists or could have existed anywhere in the universe at any time in the past or that may exist in the centuries or ages yet unborn.”
There is no where where God is not present. He is “I AM”. The fullness of His presence is all about us. God asks, “Am I a God at hand,’ declares the Lord, ‘and not a God afar off? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:23-24). Our God is the Perfect Standard of what is right and wrong. The Bible says “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He” (Deuteronomy 32:4).
I could go on and on. God reveals Himself to us, and does so by His Name.
God’s Name Is Not To Be Used In An Empty WayExodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain …
The phrase translated “in vain” is the Hebrew šāv’ (pronounced shawv), which means “to fill with emptiness, to falsify, to break a vow or make a lie with, to hold up as worthless or empty”.
1. Cursing uses God’s Name in an empty wayIt is common to hear the Name of Jesus Christ or “God” coupled with a profane word today. It is easy to understand why people do this. Those who know and fear God will respect how His Name is used. We shouldn’t expect unbelievers to live up to Biblical standards, for they are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). The lost are “walking according to the ways of this world”. The Bible declares that “people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means” (1 Corinthians 2:14, NLT). People who curse God’s Name have a greater problem than the cursing – they are lost and undone, and need Jesus.
It is a sin to use God’s Name in an empty, worthless way. Statements like “Oh my God” are sinful, unless we are addressing God. We are to reverence the Name of God. As one commentary notes:
“God controls the universe. A single word from Him creates worlds, puts planets in place, and sets galaxies in motion. He knows every hair on your head. The tiniest bird that falls does not escape His notice. This God, whom angels revere and demons fear, experienced unspeakable torture and horrors to redeem your life from eternal extinction. His name is neither an expletive nor a curse. It is holy. … You can use God’s name when giving thanks, offering praise, and in prayer. You can also lift up His name high by reflecting His love to others, as Jesus told us: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14 NIV).”
2. Misrepresenting God’s Word Uses His Name In An EMPTY WAYWe take God’s Name in vain when we hold up as Biblical truths those things which God never said. This happens quite frequently among professing Christians and religious people. Our Lord Jesus chastised the Pharisees for dong this. Quoting Isaiah 29:13, Jesus told them:
Matthew 15:7-9 (NKJV) Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
God’s Word gives us a very clear picture of Who God is. Those who love God want to keep His commandments. The Apostle said:
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
The Pharisees took the Word of God – which is given in the Name of God – and added hard and horrific restrictions that God never placed in the Bible.God warned His people to be only ambassadors, not editors of God’s Commands. He said:
Deuteronomy 12:32 (NKJV) Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.
God takes His Word seriously. When we modify the Word of God to suit ourselves, we are misrepresenting the character of God. God said in the last chapter of the Bible:
Revelation 22:18-19 … I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
When we modify the Word of God we distract from the richness of God’s Gospel, and can turn Christianity into a Do It Yourself religion. The Pharisees added restrictions that were never in the Law, such as …
A. Pharisees declared that you were only allowed to travel on the Sabbath “a Sabbath Day’s journey”, which the distance between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, about 2,920 – 3,034 feet (.55 of a mile to .57 of a mile). The phrase “Sabbath Day’s Journey” is only found in in Acts 1:12 – and there it is not given as a directive of God, but as a description of what the people had been taught.
B. You were not allowed to carry anything based on a poor interpretation of:
Jeremiah 17:21-22 (NKJV) Thus says the Lord: “Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; 22 nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.
If you read the context, God was chastising His people for working and doing business on the Sabbath. The “gates” of Jerusalem were how merchants came into that city to sell their goods. People would carry goods out of their homes to meet these merchants, buying and selling on the Sabbath. THIS WAS HAPPENING IN JERUSALEM, WHERE THE TEMPLE WAS. God told Israel:
Jeremiah 17:27 (NKJV) “But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.”
It is not sinful to CARRY something on the Sabbath – else Jesus would not have told the man He healedon the Sabbathto“TAKE UP YOUR BED and walk” (John 5:10-11). Jesus would not have commanded a person to violate the Law, as Jesus came “to fulfill the Law” (Matthew 5:17).
C. The Pharisees taught that you were not allowed to pick fresh corn on Sabbath day – even to fill your own belly (Matthew 12:1-8). Jesus corrected the Pharisees by quoting Scripture rather than the teachings of Rabbis.
D. The Pharisees chastised Jesus for healing people on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:10). Again, this is not found in the Scriptures. Jesus corrected the Pharisees. Other silly additions to the Law were: You could not SPIT on the Sabbath, for it would disturb the dirt and plow the ground. You could not swat a fly, for that was HUNTING. You could not look at your reflection, lest you comb your hair, which was work. If your house was on fire during the Sabbath, you couldn’t carry clothes out. However, you could put on multiple layers of clothes and wear them out of the house.
An interesting article I found stated:
“There were 613 commands in the Old Testament but the Pharisees created over 1,500 additional “fence laws” for the people to obey. They believed the best way to keep people from breaking God’s Law was to build a protective barrier around that Law, even though the Lord never told them to do this.”
By infusing Man’s word with God’s Word, the Pharisees made God appear graceless, tedious, and unloving. This drove people AWAY from salvation.Jesus recognized this when He said:
Matthew 23:13 (NKJV) … woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
The Pharisees were not only not going to Heaven, they were leading others to hell as well. The Law of God was given to show us the character of God – not just His holiness and righteousness, but His GRACE AND MERCY. The Law was given to highlight our need for the Savior Jesus Christ. The Apostle highlights this in:
Galatians 3:19-25 (NKJV) What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
Nominal Christians Take The Name Of God In VainThose who profess to be saved by the Blood of Christ, but who willfully and knowingly live contrary to the command of God, take the name of God in vain. “We are AMBASSADORS for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20, NKJV). We represent the Lord to a lost and dying world. When we do what we ought not to do willfully and without care, we represent a false image of Christianity.
There are a number of texts that bring this out. God told Israel:
1 Samuel 12:22 … the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people.
God called Israel out of Abraham. Though Israel failed God numerous times, God will not forsake Israel lest it misrepresent His name. Likewise, the Christian is commanded of God to follow after RIGHTEOUSNESS for God’s Name’s sake. In the well known Shepherd’s Psalm 23 we read:
“The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He LEADETH ME IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR HIS NAMES SAKE.”
It is a black mark on the Name of God when Christians do not walk in the Paths of Righteousness with Christ. The Bible says “If we walk in the light AS HE IS IN THE LIGHT … the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sins” (1 John 1:7). Our God calls us into salvation, commanding us to “cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light” (Romans 13:12). What do we have to do with what God has said is sinful? We are commanded:
Ephesians 5:11 … have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
We are a people who have been saved by the Blood of Christ and by the Power of the Holy Spirit. We are “delivered from the power of darkness, and have been translated into the Kingdom of the Son of God” (Colossians 1:13). We are the “children of LIGHT, children of the DAY” (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Let us live for Jesus while we have life. I close with these words:
Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Pastor and Evangelist Dennis Kabingue noted:
“Solomon, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, rallies God’s people to secure a good name. In the book of Proverbs, he wrote, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold” (Proverbs 22:1). In Ecclesiastes 7:1, he wrote, “A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.” If God is teaching His people to do their best to preserve a good name, this should make you think how much more God treasures His own name.”
God sent curses upon Israel because they would not give glory to His Name (Malachi 2:2). The prohibition of the Third Commandment not only includes abusing the names and titles of God in cursing, but also in the violation or twisting of His Word, the misapplication of His truths, and the pursuit of false doctrines. God will not hold anyone guiltless for degrading His Name. Those who do so can expect a payday someday.
Let us live to honor the Lord Who saved us. Amen and Amen.
Please turn with me in your Bibles to Exodus 20. As you’re turning there, I want you to see this clip from Cold Case Christianity:
View Clip Here
Introduction To The Ten CommandmentsThe first of the Ten Commandments is found in …
Exodus 20:1-3 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
I’m often asked “Why are there so many denominations in Christianity?” I like the way that J Warner Wallace said it,
“Because that’s who we are. That’s our nature as prideful, rebellious know it alls. We are all this way.”
It was human pride that caused the fall from Eden. Not God, but us trying to be gods. The devil told Adam and Eve:
Genesis 3:4 (AP) If you eat of the forbidden tree, you will surely NOT die. God knows that the day you eat of it you will be like Him, like a god. You will determine good and evil.
In our day today there is what is known as “An Epidemic of Despair”. The New York Times reported that “Nearly three in five teenage girls felt persistent sadness in 2021 … and one in three girls seriously considered attempting suicide”. There is rarely a day that goes by where I don’t see a death obituary that states “He or she died unexpectedly at home”. That’s code for suicide, or an unintentional death because of alcohol or drugs. The rise of “Woke Doctrine” in our society has fueled narcissism and borderline personality disorders. Why has this come about?
Because we have, as a society, divorced ourselves from the God Who made us and loves us.
For a person to be happy that person must understand that we cannot be God. It is impossible. In our songs – whether Country Music, Rap, or Rock – we sing about and set impossible standards of love for humans. Humans do not have the capability to love as deeply or as rightly as God does. We create graven images of God in our modern worship songs. As I listen to much of the Contemporary Christian Music I hear people sing things about God that are unBiblical, and are therefore a fantasy. God is defined by the Scripture He gave us, not by our wants and desires. When Jesus prayed for His Church, He prayed:
John 17:17 Sanctify them {O Father} through THY TRUTH. THY WORD IS TRUTH.
When our country was founded, our first Vice President (1789-1797) and the second President of the United States (1797-1800) John Adams stated:
“Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
Our founders knew this. God as the Founder of Israel also knew this. If Israel as a nation would be stable, its people must be “moral and religious”. They must have a relationship with the God Who made them. When Israel got to the base of Mount Sinai, around fifty days after they were saved from enslavement to Egypt, God constituted Israel as not just a loose conglomeration of people, but as a nation. The Ten Commandments were given as a basic constitutional structure for God’s people. Though God went further with the Law after the giving of the Ten Commandments (He gave them ceremonial laws, dietary laws, sanitary laws, and sacrificial laws to Israel), the Ten Commandments are the basis of stability for any of God’s people, whether Jew or Gentile.
Our Lord Jesus applied the Ten Commandments to the believer. When asked by a follower “what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”, Jesus replied:
Matthew 19:17-19 … if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. … Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
The Apostle Paul said:
Romans 13:8-10 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
James, the stepbrother of Christ, told us:
James 1:21-25 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
The Ten Commandments are found all throughout the New Testament. They are not to be ignored, but to be cherished as a gift that God has given to His people.
The Ten Commandments Are Not Chains, ButAre The Perfect Law Of LibertyExodus 20:1-3 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Evangelist Ronald L. Dart notes:
“Now I realize a lot of people don’t look at the Ten Commandments and think in terms of liberty. They have a habit of thinking that, well it’s kind of restricting, it keeps us from doing the things that we might want to do, but the problem is, a lot of things we might want to do will just put us back in slavery again. The Ten Commandments are introduced by this term, “I am the Lord your God that got you out of the house of bondage.” What we’re about here at Mount Sinai is liberty. Everything that follows is about liberty. … God didn’t bring Israel out of bondage to put them back in bondage again. Just read the introductory statement to the Ten Commandments of God, “I am the Lord your God, I brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” We aren’t going there again!”
To break the commandments of God is to break yourself.Again, I refer back to Eden. Had Adam obeyed the Commandment of God, we would still be in Paradise today, a place where there are no mosquitoes, no hard word, and no graveyards.
Death entered the world when Adam sinned, rejecting the Commandment of God. Death entered the kingdom of Israel when David ignored God’s Commandment, and took another man’s wife as his own. Eternal God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, adhered to the Commandments of God.
Jesus said in John 12:48-50 (NKJV) He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.
The command of the Father is EVERLASTING LIFE. The Bible says that
1 John 1:5 (NKJV) … God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
God did not save Israel from Egypt to enslave Israel, no more than He saves us to enslave us. God saves us to FREE us, to bring us into the LIGHT of God where we will have joy and peace.
This was the lesson that David learned the hard way. He would later prayerfully write:
Psalm 119:9-12 (NKJV) How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. 10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! 11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. 12 Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes.
The First Commandment Reminds Us OfThe Singularity And Uniqueness Of GodAs Israel remembers their salvation through the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian Army, God tells them:
Exodus 20:2 I am the Lord thy God
When Israel was in Egypt, they were exposed to the gods of Egypt. There were, according to one source I read, 44 male gods and 32 female goddesses in Egypt. Where Buddhism and Hinduism flourish, like India, there are some 300 million gods that are worshiped, and often the gods are at odds with one another.
Our God is not many, but ONE. God said “I am the Lord thy God”. He is singular, unified, and He wants a relationship with His people. When the second generation of Israel prepared to go into the Promised Land, God gave them the Law a second time in the Book of Deuteronomy. In that Book He wrote:
Deuteronomy 6:1-4 (NKJV) Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’ 4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
God told Israel “The Lord our God, the Lord is one!”. Then The Lord summarized the first four commandments of the Ten Commandments by saying, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength”. Our Jesus did the same thing with the Commandments. When asked one day,
“Which is the GREAT COMMANDMENT in the Law?”
Jesus replied (Matthew 22:37-40) “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
The Law of God – the Ten Commandments – is divided into two parts. Love God with your ALL, and love your neighbor as yourself. Treat others the way you want to be treated. But ALWAYS REMEMBER that God is God and we are NOT!
There is only ONE GOD, and He is the God of the Scripture, the God Who gave the Ten Commandments at Sinai. Our God is uniquely One.He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – but He is nonetheless ONE. Our Lord Jesus said,
John 10:27-30 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.
Jesus and the Father are ONE. When Jesus prayed for His Church, He prayed to the Father that “the Church may be ONE just as WE ARE ONE” (John 17:22). The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are uniquely One. Not three Gods, but One God in Three Persons. God told Israel:
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
God wants us to love Him before all else. God despises idolatry, because idolatry divorces us from what is meant to be our best. We were created to walk with God, not as gods, but as adopted sons and daughters. We were meant to rely on God, not on ourselves. The Bible tells us in two places:
1 Corinthians 8:4-6 … that there is no other God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
Idolatry is no more than a MAGNIFICATION OF HUMAN PRIDE. It is when we reject the true God of Scripture in favor of a false god that is more pleasing to our lusts and our own satisfactions.The late Tim Keller wrote in his book Counterfeit Gods:
“An idol is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, and anything that you seek to give you what only God can give.”
There are many today who profess to be Christian, but follow a god of their imagination not realized in Scripture. The God of salvation says “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me”. Why? Is it because God is jealous? Yes, He is. He made us to love us, and we will not be what we were fully intended to be until we fully love Him.
Idolatry began in the Garden of Eden, when Adam tried to make himself a god. It failed. Idolatry came to Israel soon after God gave them the Ten Commandments. God had told Israel:
Exodus 19:5-6 (NKJV) if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Israel heard this, and replied (vs 8) “all that the LORD has spoken, we will do”. And yet when Moses was 40 days on the Mountain, Israel demanded that Aaron (Exodus 32:1) “make us gods that shall go before us”. They worshiped a “golden calf”, giving this “god” credit for leading them out of Egypt. When God heard this from the Mountain, God threatened to destroy Israel and raise up a great nation out of Moses (Exodus 32:9). Had Moses not intervened in prayer, glorifying and honoring God, that nation could have died that day.
As it was, though Moses’ prayer spared Israel that day, this congregation would eventually die in the wilderness over a 40 year period because of idolatry.
When We Make The Primary Secondary, And The Secondary Primary, We Wreck God’s Work For Us
Why did Israel make the golden calf? They were driven by fear, impatience, selfishness. They loved themselves more than they loved God. We must always love God most. He must always be first in our hearts. God is the Giver of good things. I believe that God wants to give us good things. But that which God gives us must never be valued above the Giver of the good things. C.S. Lewis wrote about first things and second things. He said that first things are things that God designed to be first in our hearts – namely, loving Him; whereas second things are the good things that God has given us that are only good as long as they are secondary. I can think of a few illustrations.
I love my little dog Bella, I love her very much. I want no harm to come to her. But when she dies (and she will die) I will love God for the time He has given me with my pet.
I love my Church very much, but there will come a day I am here no more. Yet I will still love God for the time He has given me with my Church.
I love my children very much, but God saw fit to take one of my children away. Yet my love for God has no diminished, for He is the Giver of Children, that wonderful gift from Heaven. When Job lost all,
his servants,
his sheep,
his camels,
his sons,
his daughters,
Job said, (Job 1:20) Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.
God is in charge. What God gave, God took away. Does it not say,
Romans 8:28-30 we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
Israel was predestined to enter the Promised Land, for God had promised that land to Abraham by faith. Even though the first generation failed to enter because of idolatry, the second generation entered. God’s will will be done!
The Christian is predestined to be “conformed to the image of His Son”, for the glory of God forever. This is why “all things work together for good to those who love God”. If you love God, and cherish His Word, everything that happens to you happens for a greater good. God is in control – not us. We are to trust Him. “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32).
Israel was not saved by the Law, but by following Jesus through the Red Sea. Had Israel not followed the Lord, they would have never left Egypt and slavery. Jesus said, “Follow Me”. God says “Follow Me”. Faith follows God. Israel was not saved by the Law, but Israel was PRESERVED by the Law. While they obeyed God, they were protected and blessed.
Do not believe you can be saved, and not follow the Lord. Israel was at Sinai because they followed the Lord there. God told them:
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
The first generation of Israel will lose the Promised Land because of Idolatry. The second generation of Israel will gain the Promised Land because the Canaanites were idolatrous. So God warned His people:
Slide 11
Deuteronomy 12:29-32 (NKJV) When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, 30 Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ 31 You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. 32 “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.
Do you know why God dispossessed the Canaanites? Because their idolatry led them to sacrifice their children to their false gods. Americans do that today, and call it a “medical procedure” or “women’s health”. It is not. It is murder. It is idolatry. It is evil. God says, do not do that. Idolatry destroys your relationship with God and with others. It is the gateway to anarchy and absolute darkness. As Evangelist Dwight L. Moody said:
“You don’t have to go to heathen lands today to find false gods. America is full of them. Whatever you love more than God is your idol.”
May God lead us as American Christians to put Him first. Amen and Amen.
What does this mean, that “the Lord spake unto Moses face to face”? Does it mean that Moses saw God’s face? No, because just a few verses later God tells Moses:
Exodus 33:20 And {God} said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
The Bible tells us that “God is Spirit” (John 4:24). As “Spirit”, God has no face as we do. I can look on your face and live, but God’s face is part of His immensity. God is everywhere, infinite. He told the Prophet Jeremiah (23:23-24), “Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.” (ESV). King Solomon, purportedly the wisest man who ever lived, said “Will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27, ESV). God is everywhere. God is fully present everywhere. God is fully powerful everywhere. God is not like us. No, HE IS GOD!
The text tells us that “the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend”. This means that
Moses and God were intimate friends, just as Abraham and God were friends.
Isaiah 41:8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. (see also 2 Chronicles 20:7 & James 2:23).... Continue reading →
Let’s talk about Moses before we read our Exodus 3 text. The Bible has much to say about Moses. In the Gospel of John we are told that:
John 1:15-17 John bare witness of {Jesus}, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me {this Jesus} is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
God used Moses to bring the Law of Israel – but Moses, like all believers, was saved by faith. The Bible tells us that the purpose of the Law was to convict us, and teach us of our inability to be right before God in our own power. The Bible says: Continue reading →
Everyone has a duty to do. Moses was to hold up the “rod of God”. This was the same “rod” that Moses held over the Red Sea when it parted. This was the same “rod” that Moses struck the rock with a Rephidim. God has had Moses use this same “rod” over and over again. But now God is going to show Israel something very different. Continue reading →
God will avenge His people. We are not to do so. Beloved, every life has value. Every life is precious. Even that tiny baby yet residing in its mother’s womb. We who belong to Christ have been given life so that we can speak life and love. We are not given life so that we can kill. Let us love. Let us reach out and do as Christ would have us do. Let us be the Light that Christ wants us to be. Continue reading →
The Tabernacle, the furniture, the implements, and the sacrifices we SHADOWS of the Christ. The lamb without blemish that was slain taught Israel that the Lamb of God must be slain for their sins. The Burnt Offering emphasized the judgment of God poured out on His Son for us. Continue reading →
The people saw the shining of Moses’ face. The glory of God had literally rubbed off on Moses, and as they saw it they were frightened by it. The people were so frightened that they could not hear what Moses had to tell them. They were afraid to come near to him. Continue reading →
I was reading an article the other day written by a young Christian who thought that what made the Church was its music. Music is fine. I love music. I love all types of music. But you have music in a honkey tonk, in bars, at Walmart, and most stores. You have music in elevators. God’s people should be joyous, singing people. But if God is not in it, there is nothing. Continue reading →
image courtesy of publicdomainpictures.net Exodus 32:26 (KJV) Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. God’s … Continue reading →
The Word that Moses received from God on Sinai spoke of Christ. There are spiritual truths related to Christ and the Christian Way of life behind every sacrifice and every ordinance. The Apostle Paul in referencing the Old Testament said:
1 Corinthians 10:11 … all these things happened unto {Israel} for examples, and they are written for our admonition {nouthesia, to teach us} Continue reading →
The Law of God was never given to save anyone. Israel was saved from Egypt without the Law. The Law was given to establish order over a spiritless and rebellious people. The Law was given to keep order in God’s Israel. Not all of Israel is Israel, just as not all the Church is the Church. The Law was not given to Spirit Filled faithful believers. Continue reading →
image courtesy of publicdomainpictures.net
https://bibleteacherorg.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/exodus-14-t-17-water-tests-of-faith.mp3
Exodus 14:15-16 (KJV) And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: [16] But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
I was reading an article the other day where the Author suggested that the God of the Old Testament was different from the God of the New Testament. The reason – he said – is because if you read the New Testament you read about
**the BLIND seeing
the LEPERS cleansed
the LAME made to walk
The LUNATIC restored to a proper mind
The DEAF can hear
and the DEAD are raised**
The New Testament seems to be filled with love and hope. Yet he said as you read through the Old Testament you read how that:
**the Egyptians are drowned
the firstborn not under the Blood are killed
Nations undergo suffering
Canaan is invaded, and all are ordered dead**
There are parts of the Old Testament that shock our modern permissive sensibilities. But I want to stress to you all that God is God. He has not changed from the Old to the New Testament. He is, He was, and He will be the same forever.
Deuteronomy 4:35 (KJV) Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.
Deuteronomy 4:39 (KJV) Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.
Isaiah 43:10-11 (KJV) Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. [11] I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no savior.
There are hundreds of verses in Scripture that declare God has never changed.
The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament.
**The Grace that saved Abraham is the Grace that saves us.
The Grace that saved Israel from Egypt is the Grace that saves us.**
We are told in **Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, forever
Sin is just as destructive today, but God is just as good.**
Our God is good and faithful. He offers His love to whosoever will!
God Proves Himself Faithful When There Is Too Much Water As Israel stood at the edge of the Red Sea they needed to look upward and trust the God Who saved them. Moses is their preacher and leader.
God tells Moses to tell Israel **to go forward.
Do not look backwards to Egypt.
God did not save you to let the world destroy you, but look forward.
Look up. God is on your side.**
God tells Moses to do something strange, something that has nothing at all to do with common sense. He tells Moses to listen to Him by faith. The Lord says to Moses …
Exodus 14:16 (KJV) But lift thou up THY ROD, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
Moses you take that same Rod you used for the sheep in Midia, the same Rod that you used to kill that Egyptian taskmaster … lift that Rod you used (and misused) as I COMMAND and you’ll see a new thing!
Trust God with what He has put in your hand. If God leads you TO it, God will lead you THROUGH it. God has a purpose for you and your things. Let God guide you and you will be blessed.
Now come the words that disturb our modern, politically correct sensibilities. God tells Moses..
Exodus 14:17-18 (KJV) And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honor upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
If you read these words out of context it seems as if God is overly harsh. But Beloved, remember that God gave Pharaoh and Egypt TEN CHANCES to repent, and even now they will not repent.
**So God is going to show Egypt something.
God is going to show Israel something.
In fact, God is going to show US something.**
The Egyptians will follow their hearts, and suffer for it. There is blessing and promotion in following God, but death in following self and selfishness. God can part the sea for you, or crush you under its waves. Who will you follow? Will you follow God or your desires? Will you follow God or sin? Sins robs of the greatest gift, the Gift of God’s Presence. That is a poor choice.
The Egyptians are following the god of themselves.
They are letting the flesh drive them.
“**That which is of the flesh is flesh, and that which is of the Spirit is Spirit”.
“You must be born again”.**The Spirit must govern you, not the Flesh.
To follow God is life and peace.
To follow God is to see the impossible happen.
It happened just as God said. Israel went across on dry land, even in the midst of the sea. But the Egyptians, filled with the flesh, died in the midst of the sea. Why? The Scripture declares that the works of the flesh shall not prosper.
Galatians 5:19-21 (KJV) … the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that THEY WHICH DO SUCH THINGS SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
The Promised Land is not for those who love the world or the things of the world. The Promised Land is for God’s Children. The Promised Land is for those who trust in the Lord and do His will.
Last week I was asked if I was a Pastor by a strange homeless man. When I said I was this individual came up and began cursing me, trying to get me to respond in the flesh. I tried addressing him and telling him that he needed Jesus, but in the end I just got in my van and drove away. God would bless this man if he would turn to the Lord by faith, but he will not. His heart is hardened by sin, and by disobedience to God. He would not hear the Lord, nor His Gospel. And so he drowns in a sea of his own misery. That is what the Egyptians did. They made a choice to charge into the corridor of the parted sea, believing they had power over it. Only God can part the waters. Only God can save. He will save, if we will trust in Him.
When Israel came out of the Red Sea and saw Egypt crushed under its waves they sat on the shore of the sea and sang a song of praise unto God.
In Exodus 15:1-21 we see the first song of the Bible.
Exodus 15:1-2 (KJV) Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. [2] The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
The Red Sea is literally Red with the blood of the defeated. Yet God’s people sing and praise Him. His people unite in song to praise the Lord Who saved them. The Lord took an impossible situation and turned it around. The enemy ended up defeating themselves.
Did you know that most of the songs of praise unto the Lord in the Bible are in the OLD Testament, not the NEW Testament. Why? Because God overwhelmed His people with Grace, even in that “OLD” Book! We should call it the OVERWHELMING Testament!
I wish I knew the tune to this song so I could sing it. Hebrew songs are different from ours. Ideas are rhymed rather than words. Listen to the song (in part):
Exodus 15:3-6 (KJV) The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. 4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. 5 The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. 6 Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
That may seem like a harsh song, but Israel had been bitterly held in slavery for 430 years. Their children had been sold as slaves, molested, raped. God saved Israel with a great Grace, just as He saved us with a great Grace. God would have saved Egypt had they turned to Him. Yet they would not – and were destroyed.
Having been saved by a mighty hand you would think that Israel would trust God no matter what. Yet Israel is fickle. We are fickle. How often has God blessed us when something seemingly bad happens – and we doubt the Lord. God saved Israel from TOO MUCH WATER. Now God will put His people to the test to show us that …
God Is Faithful Even When There Is BITTER Water Exodus 15:22-23 (KJV) So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. [23]And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
**The word MARAH means BITTER.
MARAH was not Israel’s destination, but VICTORY.**
God saved His people from too much water. Now His people do as He commands – they go three days into the wilderness. Israel is obeying God. That’s the right thing to do. Beloved, when we obey God we may be challenged by life itself, but God is in control. We are to trust the Lord.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV) Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Psalms 56:3-4 (KJV) What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. 4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
When the people went three days into the wilderness and found no water they began to get bitter in their hearts. They began to QUESTION God rather than trust Him. God knows what they are thinking. God knows what you are thinking. Do not let the trials of life embitter you – trust Him. With bitterness in their hearts they found water in a place called Marah which means Bitterness. What does the Bible say about BITTERNESS?
Ephesians 4:31-32 (KJV) LET ALL BITTERNESS, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And BE YE KIND ONE TO ANOTHER, TENDERHEARTED, FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, EVEN AS GOD for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Israel became bitter against God, so God let them go to Marah or bitterness. When they got to Marah they found water – but the water was BITTER just as the people were BITTER. When you are bitter then it effects all that God can do for you.
**Exodus 15:24 (KJV) And the people murmured against Moses, saying,
What shall we drink?**
But Moses went to the Lord. We read:
Exodus 15:25 (KJV){Moses} cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him A TREE, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them
**The bitter waters were made sweet when a tree was cast into the water.
The Tree is a picture of the Cross.**
Galatians 3:13-14 (KJV) Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, CURSED IS EVERY ONE THAT HANGETH ON A TREE: [14] That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
When the Cross of Christ was cast into my life, the Lord took the bitterness and despair and made my life sweet. When I trust Him and obey Him even in the darkness of life He will be my Sunshine! He will be my Savior!
Now Israel has not yet received The Law at Sinai, and yet Moses says something very significant. I’ve read through this text many times and never noticed this till just now. Moses warned the people – those saved by Grace and not by Law (for the Law was not yet given):
Exodus 15:26-27 (KJV) And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. [27] And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.
God tells His people – those He has saved by Grace – “You must hear My Word and Do what I say if you want to be blessed”. Too many times the American Church has preached a salvation by Grace but has called none to RESPONSIBILITY. If you are saved by His Grace like Israel was, then you are His and not your own.
1 Corinthians 6:20 (KJV) For YE ARE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
When Moses threw a tree in the bitter water it was a beautiful image of the Cross of Christ. We enjoy the blessings of God because of the Tree. We drink of His waters because of the Tree. We have life because of the Tree. And we belong to Him because of the Tree. What was the watchword of the early Church?
Acts 5:29 … We ought to obey God rather than men …
It is God Who we follow.
It is Christ Who saved us.
It is His Spirit that leads us.
Right after Moses tossed a tree into Marah to make the waters sweet Israel traveled on to Elim (which means “Palms”) where they found twelve wells of good water and 70 palm trees – a wonderful oasis in the desert. Had Israel trusted God and passed on by Marah (Bitterness) singing they would have come to God’s abundance. The Lord knows what is ahead of us – will we trust Him or our senses? The Lord calls us to trust Him, to love Him, to follow Him, to do as He says. Jesus said:
Matthew 7:24-27 (KJV) Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
We are not just to HEAR, but to HEAR AND DO. We are to trust our Lord if He will bless us.
God Is Faithful Even When We Are Not So Israel leaves Elim, a place of abundance because of the Lord. Do they trust God? No. Coming to Rephidim we read:
Exodus 17:1-4 (KJV) And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. [2] Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD? [3] And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? [4] And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
The people were moving according to the commandment of the Lord, doing as God told them to do. Then they come to Rephidim … and find no water here. The name of the place should have given them a hint. “Rephidim” means “The Resting Place”. God is not going to bring Israel to “The Resting Place” and let them die of thirst.
They have just left Elim where there was a virtual oasis in the desert provided by God. Now they see no water. Do they trust God? No, they rebel against Moses and the Lord. Moses cries out to God, and the Lord tells him:
Exodus 17:5-7 (KJV)And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. [6] Behold, I WILL STAND BEFORE THEE THERE UPON THE ROCK IN HOREB; and THOU SHALT SMITE THE ROCK, AND THERE SHALL COME WATER OUT OF IT, THAT THE PEOPLE MAY DRINK. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. [7] And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
Moses is to take his Rod, the same Rod he struck the Red Sea with, and he is to stand before a Rock in Horeb.
**What is HOREB?
HOREB is another name for Mount Sinai.
It is the Mountain that Moses will receive the Law from God.
The Law has not yet been given,
But Israel has had an abundance of God’s Grace.
God told Moses,
“I will stand BEFORE YOU at Horeb, and you shall STRIKE THE ROCK”
Do you see the picture of the Cross?
Moses strikes the Rock, but God is BEFORE Moses.
God is struck. God our Rock is struck.**
Psalms 18:2-3 (KJV) The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. 3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
God led Israel to Rephidim, which means a “Resting Place”. But they refused to rest in Him. Saved from Egypt, they continued to live like the world. God gave them water from the Rock, but Rephidim became Meribah Massah which means “temptation and strife”. Saved from Egypt, they were not blessed. This generation of Israel would receive the Law from Horeb, and wander aimlessly in the wilderness until all were dead.
They would take a knee and run out the clock of life, so close to the Promised Land, but never entering in.
I grieve because so many Christians die never knowing the fullness of God. They leave this life and yes, enter Heaven because of the Blood of Christ. But the only find His joy and peace fully in Heaven. Christ came to save us to take us to His Promised Land. God came to bless us not just in the sweet by and by, but in the NOW. For God is good, and God is able, and God is to be trusted. Oh, that every person would understand that the blessings of life are only found in following the Lord where He leads.
For God is able.
Christ is able.
Let us serve only Him!