Why read the Old Testament law?

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not!...Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
Romans 7:7 & 12

As we read through the Bible each year, as is typically the case in late February, we are reading the Old Testament (OT) law.  Reading the Law can seem tedious.  Believers commonly wonder what the relevance is since we are “not under the law.”  Maybe these statements will help:

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable…” (2 Timothy 3:16)  That includes the OT law!

We are not under the condemnation of the Law, but the law has not been completely set aside.  There are three aspects of the Law: Ceremonial (religious), Civil, and Moral.  The ceremonial law has been fulfilled by Jesus.  The ceremonial law is not binding on us.  Because we are not ancient Israel, the civil laws that governed that ancient nation are not binding on us either.  The moral aspect is timeless and is binding on all people at all times.  In addition, though the particulars of the ceremonial and civil aspects of the law are not binding, the moral principles, even of the ceremonial and civil law, are still pertinent.

Keeping the moral law is not a means of salvation (no one but Jesus has ever or can ever keep the law perfectly).  Rather, the first purpose of the law is to condemn us so we will cry out to God for mercy—which is available only through faith in Jesus.  Beyond that, the law still reveals the holiness of God, and to a limited degree, restrains evil.

Lastly, when I read the Law, I am grateful to be a New Testament believer because the details of the OT law are indeed burdensome.  Remember these things when you are reading the OT law.

God is very picky about how He is worshipped

…do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.'  You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done… Deuteronomy 12:30-31 

God not only condemns the false worship of false gods, He utterly rejects those who claim to worship Him in the ways in which people worship their false gods.  This tells us two important truths:

First, true and false worship exist.  The idea that it doesn’t matter who, or what, or how one worships as long as one is sincere, is altogether false.  The only true worship is worship of the only true and living God according to the ways He has required in His Word.

Second, any and all worship of any other god besides the one and only true and living God is utterly false and is rejected by God.

Third, the God of the Bible is not only the only God who may be worshiped, we must never worship the true and living God according to the methods the world employs in the worship of their false gods.  God not only hates what they do, He hates it when so-called Christians do these things claiming that they are worshiping Him.

Consider how many entertainment-based, carnival-like, pep-rallies in our day in many so-called churches are presented and thought of as worship.  True NT worship must be firmly grounded in reverently singing praises, praying, hearing His Word preached, and in the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  When anyone adds to, or subtracts from these, or does these without reverential fear of God, the result is not worship.  And it will be rejected by God.

We do not worship the cross

And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. Numbers 21:8-9

Israel sinned by complaining against God.  God’s method of discipline (this time) was a plague during which “many died” (v.6)  But just as God was faithful to discipline His rebellious people to redirect them, God was faithful to provide a remedy for their suffering and deaths.  God directed Moses to erect a pole with a bronze serpent on it.  As the people looked at the bronze serpent, they would be healed of the plague, and live.

Jesus referred to this account in John 3:14-15, saying that serpent on the pole was a type of His own crucifixion.  Just as those who looked at the serpent were “saved” from the consequences of their sin, so are those who “look” to Christ” as the only remedy for the consequences of our sins.  “Looking to Christ” is more than physically looking at a cross or crucifix.  It means trusting in Jesus as the one and only Savior.  Have you looked to Christ in faith?  If so, your sins are forgiven.  If you have not, you will suffer the consequences of your sin.  Praise God for His grace to save!

An interesting footnote:  Rather than worshiping God for His grace, the children of Israel idolatrously worshipped the bronze serpent! (2 Kings 18:4)  We do not worship the cross—we worship Jesus who died on the cross.

Worship according to His Word, not our whim

Thus Moses did; according to all that the LORD had commanded him, so  he did.
Exodus 40:16

I do not even know how many times these words, or words similar to these, are recorded in God’s instruction regarding the tabernacle, the priests, or the sacrifices in the Law.  Let’s just say LOTS!

What difference does this make?  The first and most obvious is the importance of obeying God.  Moses took obedience to God very seriously.

But in addition to that rather obvious and generic observation, consider the subject matter.  The instructions about the tabernacle, the priests, and the sacrifices are about worship.

How important is it that we worship God precisely according to His instructions?  Why?  Because worship is not our idea, it is God’s.  He alone is in a position to say how He is to be worshiped.  If we have any discernment at all, we must know that we are to worship God according to His instructions.  How we worship God is not up to our preferences or innovative ideas.

Granted, we do not worship God according to the Old Testament sacrificial system because all those particular details pointed to Christ, were fulfilled by Christ, and therefore set aside by Christ.  To worship in that manner now would be a blasphemous declaration that Jesus is insufficient!

But while the particulars of OT worship are not pertinent, the principles most certainly are.  Here are a few of those principles:  Worship as directed in scripture, adding nothing.  Worship in humble, reverential awe.  Sing.  Attend to the reading and preaching of scripture.  Pray.  Encourage one another.  And be sure it is about glorifying Him, not entertaining us.

May God say of us that we worshiped according to His command.

Can we always expect plenty of water?

Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. Exodus 17:1

Whoever said following the Lord is smooth sailing?  “Sorry, it ain’t so, Joe!”

God delivered the children of Israel from their 400-year bondage in Egypt.  (This is a picture of “salvation.”)

But once on their way, (and note they were following “the commandment of the LORD”), they were without water.  Being without water is far more than an inconvenience.  Without water people die—in a matter of a few days!  And they were following the Lord. Hmmm…

God’s people complained, wishing they had never left Egypt (v.2-3). 

God did supply them with the much needed water, but only after Moses cried out to the Lord (v.4, & 6).

Here is what we do well to learn from this, and many other similar life-examples throughout scripture.

Even after God saves us, life continues to present us with challenges—sometimes serious challenges!  This will remain true until we are safely home with God in Heaven (Revelation 21:3-4).

Rather than complaining and accusing God and His ordained leaders, we need to do as Moses did: seek the Lord (v.4).

For what purpose does God do things in this way?  Why not just always provide “plenty of water?”  He wants us to trust Him even in the midst of diversity.  He wants us to know and remember what life is if it were not for His loving-kindness.  God does provide, but  He wants us to trust Him.

“Honest men” don’t need a Savior!

But we said to him, “We are honest men.”
Genesis 42:31

Jacob’s sons were recounting to their father their communication with the number two ruler of Egypt, who, unbeknown to them at that point, was their brother, Joseph.  Years earlier, as you may remember, they had plotted to kill their brother but decided to sell him instead, leading their father to believe his beloved son, Joseph, had been killed by a wild animal.

When they faced Joseph in Egypt, who recognized them (but not they him), they insisted to Joseph that they were “honest men.”  Now as they filled their father in on what happened in Egypt, they told him how they had told the man in Egypt that they were “honest men.”

Ironic, isn’t it?  They told Joseph, who they sold, and then their father, who they lied to about what happened to Joseph, “We are honest men.”

Proverbs 20:6 says, “Most men will proclaim each his own goodness.”  And yet God tells us the truth about our fallen sinful hearts in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.”  And in Romans 3:10, “There is none righteous, no, not one.”  And again in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

If we would be more biblical, we might ought not to think and speak “of ourselves more highly than we ought” (Romans 12:3).

Unless we know of our sinfulness, we have no knowledge of why we need a Savior.  “Honest men” don’t need a Savior!  Praise God that when we do acknowledge our sin, Jesus Christ is mighty to save those who trust in Him instead of their own imagined goodness.

Our children and grandchildren

Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws." Genesis 26:3-5

When the Lord God pronounced His blessing on Isaac, He stated that he was blessing him “because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”  What should we make of this?

First, we know that salvation is not conferred through genetic bloodlines.  (John 1:12-13)  Therefore, Isaac was not promised salvation because of Abraham’s obedience.

Second, not only was Isaac not saved because of his father’s obedience, Abraham was not saved because of obedience either.  Salvation is of the Lord, by His grace through faith, not of works. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

So then, what should we make of this?

First, it is not about salvation, it is about God’s blessing.  Obedience brings blessing.

Second, besides gaining God’s blessing for themselves, the obedient faithful life of parents nets blessing (not salvation) for their children as well.

What do we want for our children and grandchildren?  The very best, of course.  Though we cannot guarantee it we can make it more likely as we obey God’s voice, keep His charge, His commandments, statutes and laws.  Our children will be blessed because we do.

We need a Savior

Then the LORD said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
Genesis 8:21

After the Great Flood, God promised never again to destroy the earth with a flood, sealing the covenant with the rainbow.  But notice God’s words in the remainder of the verse: “although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.”

Remember before the flood that God was grieved at the sinfulness of men.  In Genesis 6:5, God said of man, “every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

Even after the Flood, even after Noah’s sacrifice, even after God’s promise never to flood the earth again, man’s sinful condition was not put away.  The imaginations of our hearts are still evil from our youth.

The painful reality is, the human condition since the Fall of man (Genesis 3) renders all human beings sinful Romans 12).  Punishment has limited impact on behavior; it does not change our hearts.  Because we are sinful people, we need forgiveness, not just punishment.  We need a Savior.  Praise God, He has supplied Himself as our Savior.  And as our Savior, taking punishment for us, we are granted forgiveness and new hearts.

Believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.

Reading the Revelation (for all its worth!)

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
Revelation 1:3

As we finished our daily readings for 2021, we ended by reading the Revelation.  Note the following about reading the Revelation.

• There is no “s.”  the book is call the Revelation, not Revelations.

• There is a promised blessing to those who read the Revelation (1:3).  Having a reading plan will direct us to read the Revelation—which many skip because it is not easy to understand.

• The promised blessing is not only for those who read the Revelation, but on those who “keep,” [obey] what the Revelation says.  Note that there are numerous thins the book calls us to do.

• The Revelation is actually the “Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1)  It not the revelation of the “end times,” or of the “Antichrist,” or of a “seven-year tribulation at the end of time.”  To get the most out of the book: read it looking for Jesus!

• And a word about how to read the Revelation: Read several chapters at a time and get the big picture, refraining from dissecting details based on popular “end times” books.  The big picture message of the book is that:

  (a) The Lord is the Lord of His Church, and over all else. 
  (b) The Lord’s people are to resist this world and remain faithful to Him as “overcomers.” 
  (c) This life is filled with “tribulations.” 
  (d) The Lord is coming again. 
  (e) When He does, He will judge all people.  Some will end up in “a lake of fire” experiencing His wrath forever, and others will end up in the “New Heavens and the New Earth” blessed forevermore in His presence.

"We don't need no education!"

None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.
Hebrews 8:11

This verse is problematic as it seems to say that Christians do not need to be taught—until the verse is put back into the context!  This verse cannot mean there are no teachers under the New Covenant (NC) since the New Testament (NT) clearly teaches that Christ has given the Church teachers who are to teach believers (Ephesians 4:11-16).

The overarching theme of the book of Hebrews is: “Jesus is superior to the things the Old Testament Jews held so dear.”  The context of this passage is that the New Covenant (NC) is superior to, and has made the Old Covenant (OC) obsolete.

To make that point, we read that the OC was based largely on the Mosaic Law, written on tablets of stone that had to be taught and enforced.  The superior NC is written on the tablets of believers’ hearts.

So what does this verse mean?  Some say this refers to after Christ’s Second Coming, when there will be no need for teachers in the New Heavens and the New Earth because we will be in the Lord’s actual presence.

I do not think that is what the verse is referring to because we are already in the NC.  Rather, it refers to the fact that under the OC the people only knew what they were taught by human teachers, but now that NC believers are filled with the Holy Spirit Who teaches us (John 14:26), and since the Law of God is written in our hearts, He teaches us much more directly—though He often does so by speaking through the teachers Christ has given to His Church.

The point of the passage is not that we do not need to be taught, but that the way NC believers are taught by the Holy Spirit is superior to the way Israel was taught under the OC.

He came to “save His people from their sins"

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

Many, if not most people today sense no real need for Jesus.  He is written off as irrelevant.  He is not so much hated as He is ignored; not so much maligned as He is dismissed as a non-issue.  Why?  Simple.  It is because He came to meet a very real need that so few are able or willing to admit they have.

What are the needs people tend to think of as most pressing?  Economic reform, technological progress, the elevation of self esteem, educational programs, an ecological salvation of the planet, equality and tolerance of all ideas as equal—these are the things that would make Jesus a hit in modern society.   But He did not come for any of these.  He came, quite simply, to “save His people from their sins.”

“Sins?  Are you kidding?  Sin is not a problem.  The only problem we have with sin is those narrow-minded religious bigots who insist that human beings are sinners in need of a Savior!”

That is what the world thinks about the primary problem Jesus came to solve.  Unless and until people understand that we are all sinners, there isn’t going to be much in the way of a “felt need” for a Savior.

He came to “save His people from their sins.“  Confess your sin and ask God to forgive you and restore you on the basis of Jesus’ sinless life and death in your place that was followed by His resurrection from the dead.  He came to “save His people from their sins.”

The best and the worst in the Christmas story

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem… Matthew 2:1 

Matthew 2:1-12 tells about three kinds of people, represented by three characters in the Christmas story. 

HEROD hated Jesus.  He wanted to kill the newborn King of the Jews.

THE WISE MEN traveled a long distance at great inconvenience and expense to worship the newborn King.  Their seeking paid off as they found Jesus, worshiped Him, and offered Him gifts.

THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND SCRIBES knew all about the coming Messiah.  When asked for details about His birth, they knew from scripture the exact location.  Sadly, they did nothing with what they knew.  The wise men traveled a thousand miles while the chief priests and scribes wouldn’t make a five-mile trip from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.

Who is the best of these three?  Obviously, the wise men.

Who was the worst?  Herod?  In the end, was Herod any worse off than the chief priests and scribes?  No.  Those who know, but refuse to go are just as lost as those who hate the Lord.

I pray you are like the wise men, seeking the Lord no matter what the cost.  And while I have confidence that you are not like Herod, I pray that we religious people who know all the right answers are not like the chief priests and scribes who know all the right answers, and yet fail to seek, find, and worship Jesus.

God's perfect timetable

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Romans 5:6

Waiting is not one of my favorite things to do.  No matter what I am waiting for, it seems that I am ready before it happens.  Because I am so efficient and prepared for whatever may come?  No, because I am impatient!

God’s first promise of a Deliverer was made in Genesis 3:15.  He promised to bless the nations of the world through the Seed of Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, & 22:18.  The Deliverer was foretold to come from the tribe of Judah in Genesis 49:10.  The promise was restated again regarding the Son of David.  These [and other] instances of God’s promise regarding the Savior were not fulfilled until much later, when the virgin from Nazareth gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem.  Why the wait?  It wasn’t time until it was time.

Regardless of what we are waiting for, God’s timetable [though not the same as our own] is always right!  He is never early or late.  Here are three applications.  

First, let’s try to be patient when we do not see what we want when we want it—God knows best.  

Second, while anxiously awaiting the Second Coming of Christ, let us rejoice that the long wait affords time for more people to receive Christ.  Aren’t you glad He waited for you?  

Third, regarding those who we fear will never respond to the gospel, while there is no guarantee, let us hold out hope, that it is simply not yet His time.

Caesar or Jesus?

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
Luke 2:1 

The first name mentioned in the Christmas story is not Mary or Joseph, or even Jesus.  It is Caesar Augustus.  This man was great by virtually any measure.  He was the adopted son of Julius, who in effect founded the Roman Empire.  Augustus was a great military commander, defeating his arch rival Mark Antony for control of the empire.  He was a great religious reformer; one who believed that immorality and a lack of religion threatened the very fabric of Roman society.  He enacted many laws that promoted religion and morals, proclaiming himself the high priest of the religion of Rome.

This great man said he wanted the people of the empire to be counted, and that each had to go back to his own ancestral home to do so—and the world did as Augustus bid them.  Out of the millions of people who populated the Roman Empire, Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem where their son Jesus was born. 

Augustus certainly never read their names on any census form—they simply were not important.  And yet, when historians mark the date of Augustus’ death, they say he died in 14 A.D.  The death of this once great man is dated in time based on the birth of the One not important enough to find a room in Bethlehem that holy night.  Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but Jesus endures forever.

Thanking God for, what?

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials…
James 1:2

This week is Thanksgiving. 

Though we ought to be thankful year-round, Thanksgiving is a wonderful reminder of how much we have to be thankful for.  Of course, we tend to give thanks most readily for pleasant things.

But James reminds us that even our trials and tribulations, great or small, are also reasons for joyous thanksgiving.  Why? 

Not because they feel good in the moment, but because we know God is in control of all things—and because He purposes “various trials” for our good.  Trials test our faith.  Trials grow our patience.  Trials make us more like Christ.

So enjoy the pleasant things this Thanksgiving, but take a special moment to rejoice even in your trials.

Signs & wonders, and changed hearts

“He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.”  Matthew 27:42

How many times did Jesus’ spiritual enemies promise to believe Him? A bunch! They said these things though they had already seen Him do signs and wonders.  But they continued to ask Him to perform signs and wonders, promising to believe.  An observation and a suggestion:

First, signs and wonders do not cause anyone to believe. The Pharaoh who witnessed the plagues in Egypt but never believed is proof of that!  Rather than causing anyone to believe, if they do anything, signs and wonders confirm the faith of those who already do believe.  Because many of us feel desperation for non-believing family and friends, we are tempted to pray that when trials take place in that person’s life, that trauma, or a subsequent deliverance from the trauma by Lord will cause them to believe.

Second, knowing that people only believe because God graciously changes hardened unbelieving hearts into tender believing hearts, pray instead that God would demonstrate His mercy by changing their hearts—as only He can do. And don’t stop praying as long as that unbelieving friend or loved one is alive.  Who knows what God may do, or when!

Why did Cain kill his brother Able?

Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
Genesis 4:8

Why did Cain kill his brother Able?  Because God respected Abel’s worship, but not Cain’s (Genesis 4:3-7).  The first murder recorded in the Bible was about worship, and was therefore the first instance of religious persecution as well.  Incredibly, these were the first two offspring of the first two parents in human history, yet one killed the other as an act of religious persecution.  Religious persecution is not new.  And it continues to this day.

So we ask again, why did Cain kill his brother Abel?  Because he was resentfully angry that God respected Abel’s worship that he offered in faith (Hebrews 11:4).  Those who do not come to God through faith in Jesus Christ, or who do not worship God according to His Word hate those who do.  Their hateful anger is aimed at God for not accepting them on their own terms.  And as a result, since they cannot attack God directly, they take it out on God’s people.

As we give special attention to praying for the persecuted Church this Lord’s Day, let us understand why persecutors hate God, and by extension hate God’s people.  Let us pray not only for the persecuted, but for their persecutors.  And let us love God unwaveringly, so that if (when?) persecution comes our way, we will not falter but remain ever faithful.

Are you one of ten?

Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are  the nine? Luke 17:12-17

 Ten lepers were healed.  Only one returned to praise Jesus.  What lessons can we learn from this?

It is evident that there are many who seem to be seeking God, when in reality they are only seeking answers to their problems.  What happens to these?  Sometimes they receive no answer and dismiss God because, “He failed to deliver the goods.”  In other cases God does deliver.  But having received what they want, these people promptly forget Who healed them.

Have you ever heard anyone say, “If God did this or that, I’d believe”?  It is not true.  They are lying.  God does all kinds of wonderful things in people’s lives.  People tend either to disregard what He does because He didn’t do what they wanted, or they take what He gives and continue to disregard Him.  Only a few actually regard the Lord and all that He does in their lives.  These return to worship and offer thanks.

Which kind are you? 

Do you want to be with Him?

Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. 
Luke 8:37

Jesus had just performed a great miracle by casting many demons out of a wild man.  The man was instantly seated in his right mind, and everyone there saw what had happened.  What would we assume everyone would be excited and want to see Jesus.  But no!  They wanted Him to go away!  Why?  Because “they were seized with great fear!”

What kind of fear was this?  It was an awareness that Jesus was unlike anything they had ever encountered!  Unbelievers want nothing to do with Jesus, who is Almighty God!

Contrast that with (v.38):

“Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.”

Those who have received His loving and gracious touch, unlike those who are afraid and want Jesus to go away,  want nothing more than to “be with Him.”

May we who know the Lord and have received His marvelous grace long to be with Him!

He is seeking His lost sheep

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”
Luke 15:4-5

Jesus was being criticized for interacting with sinful people.  He answered His detractors with a parable about the search for lost sheep.  Note the following:

• There is not as much attention focused on those in the flock — they are safe.  There is special attention given to seeking the one that is lost.

• The shepherd “goes after” the lost sheep.  I like the phrase, “goes after.”  It speaks of hot pursuit.

• The shepherd pursues the lost sheep “until he finds it.”  The hunt is not for a period of time, after which, hope is lost and the search abandoned.  No, the shepherd seeks until he finds his lost sheep.

• When the sheep is found, the shepherd carries it home.  He doesn’t scold or beat the sheep.  He carries it.  Think about that.  The lost sheep is probably a bit shaken up — maybe wounded to some degree.  There will be time for lessons about not wandering later.  For now, the shepherd gathers his sheep into his arms — and carries it.

• Though the shepherd’s patience has been tried through the ordeal, and he rejoices that the lost sheep has been found.  He is not as put off with having been put out as he is relieved that the lost sheep has been restored.

This is why so often Jesus was, and is, seen in the company of sinners.  He is seeking His lost sheep.