9/12/17 – Eph
6:2-3,
The Commandment, Pt. 2 - The
Purpose, Pt. 2
Pastor/Teacher,
Jim Rickard
Grace Fellowship Church
Grace Fellowship Church
1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
The Doctrine of the Ten
Commandments Related to the Church Age, Part II.
God’s purpose for the Decalogue in
regard to Israel is given in Exodus
Chapter 19, and 20:1-2, called
The Preamble to Israel’s Constitution. In vs.
3-6, we have the specific purpose of the Law.
Ex 19:3-6, “Moses went
up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you
shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: 4'You
yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on
eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself. 5Now then, if you will
indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession
among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6and you shall be
to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you
shall speak to the sons of Israel".”
From the mountain, God spoke some
of the most significant words found in the Old Testament, words which Moses was
to proclaim to the Israelites. Here we note several principles:
1. Israel’s history is proof of
God’s faithfulness to His covenant, for He distinguished the Israelites from
the Egyptians, delivering them and making them the special object of His care.
2. Israel’s deliverance was for the
purpose of being brought to God, so that the nation could be His prized
possession and to serve Him as a priestly nation. God purposed to bless the
nations by establishing Israel, His servant, as a mediatorial people, who would
be a “light to the Gentiles,” sharing with the nations the way of entering into
fellowship with God.
3. In order to maintain this
privileged status, Israel had to keep God’s covenant, (as defined by the Law).
Israel’s calling was to a position of both privilege and of responsibility. To
whom much is given, much is required. Thus, in order to enjoy fellowship with
God and to serve Him as His representative to the nations, Israel must reflect
His holiness and purity. Israel was thus given the commandments, so that Israel
would be distinct from the nations and God-like, so that they could fulfill
their priestly calling.
4. The Law was Israel’s corporate
covenant with God and her constitution as a nation. Repeatedly, the Law which
God gave Israel through Moses was referred to as a covenant, Ex 19:5;
24:7-8; 34:10, 27-28; Deut 4:23; 5:2. The three principle covenants of the
Old Testament were:
a. The Abrahamic covenant, Gen
12:1-3. The promise of an eternal people.
b. The Davidic covenant, 2 Sam
7:11-16; 1 Chron 17:10-14. The promise of an eternal kingdom with an
eternal King.
c. The Mosaic (or Sinaitic) covenant. The giving of the Law for Israel.
The first two covenants are
unconditional, yet the Mosaic covenant is different from the other two
covenants. This was a covenant which was provisional, conditional, and which
was to be replaced by a “new covenant,” which would be an eternal covenant, Jer 31:31-34; cf. Isa 55:3; 61:8; Ezek
37:26.
The Mosaic covenant was never given
as a means of earning righteousness by Law-keeping. The covenant was given to
the Israelites after God had delivered them from Egypt. The Law could not be
kept, except by God’s grace, and provisions were made, (the sacrificial
system), for men when they would fail to abide by the Law. The New Covenant was
promised because the Mosaic covenant could not be kept by Israel, Jer 31:31-34.
Therefore, the Law, (in its
broadest form; found in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible), was
intended to serve as a record of God’s faithfulness to His promises and to His
people. The Ten Commandments, along with the rest of the laws of God, were given
to serve as the covenant between God and His people, and as their national
constitution, by which the nation would be guided and governed.
Next we note that there are four
things to observe about the Decalogue.
1. The first thing is that the Ten
Commandments, and the entire Law, was a direct revelation from God. God
dictated these words, they were not mediated through any man.
2. The second thing to notice about
the Ten Commandment is that they are all, with two exceptions, negatives. Why
negatives? Because they are given in legal format and they were designed to
expose sin.
They utilize a construction in the
Hebrew known as the “absolute negative.” There are two kinds of construction in
Hebrew, the “relative negative” and the “absolute negative.” The relative
negative would mean, “do not do that,” as you would say to someone. The
relative means, “just do not do it now, but maybe you can later.” But if you
said, “never do that,” you would be using the absolute negative. In other
words, under no condition will you ever do this thing. The absolute negatives
are given because legal format is designed to expose sin.
3. The third thing to notice about
the Ten Commandments is that they are based on mental attitude, not overt
activity. This is explained in the Tenth Commandment. Look at Deut 5:21. That is not an overt
activity.
Deut 5:21, “You shall
not covet your neighbor’s wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house,
his field or his male servant or his female servant, etc.”
All of this is an inner mental
attitude, which proves that the entire complex of the Ten Commandments is
mental. This is what Jesus was trying to explain in the Sermon on the Mount, Mat 5. At that time, the Pharisees had
made the Law totally external, yet Jesus says, “No, you misunderstand this, you
totally misunderstand this.” The legalists, (Judaizers), decided they were
going to get saved by keeping the Law, so they had to make the Law easy enough
so that they could get saved. Therefore, the Pharisees said look, “Do not
murder, because if you do, the policeman might get you.” That is basically what
they said and Jesus came along and said isn’t that sweet, “You have heard it
said that ‘you shall not murder’, and that is when He launched into this, “if
you hate your brother you have already murdered him.” What Jesus was trying to
show them was, you cannot externalize these things; they begin on the inside,
in your mind, in the mentality of your soul.
4. The fourth thing to notice about
the Decalogue is that it is given in itself in treaty format in the suzerain
manner, (a treaty between a powerful king and his vassals). The whole book of
Deuteronomy is outlined in treaty format, and this little block of material in
the Ten Commandments is a treaty within a treaty, because
here it begins, “I am the LORD, your
God,” that is part of the preamble, “who
brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage,” that is
what I have done for you, the historical prologue; and the rest of it is the
stipulations. Therefore, the Ten Commandments are not just a moral code; they
are a code that is controlling a relationship that is legally defined. It is
not an absolute code that just anybody obeyed. No, the Ten Commandments are
given for the people within this covenant; the whole thing is set in a covenant
format.
Not only was the Law God’s
corporate mandate for the people of the nation Israel, but it was also God’s
personal revelation to individual saints. In addition to the public, corporate
role of the Law as Israel’s collective covenant and constitution, the Law also
had a private role to play in the life of the Old Testament saint. This role of
the Law is readily seen in the Psalms, specifically, Psalms 19 and 119.
Notice the crucial role the Law has in the life of the individual saint, as
reflected by the psalmist in Psalm 19:
Psa 19:7-11, “The Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8The
precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the
Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9The fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous
altogether. 10They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine
gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. 11Moreover,
by them Thy servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.”
Some of the specific ways which the
Law applied to the individual saint:
1. The Law was seen as a source of
personal edification, through which God spoke personally to the individual
saint: Restoring his soul, Psa 19:7;
Making the simple wise, 19:7;
Rejoicing his heart, 19:8;
Enlightening his eyes, 19:8;
Providing guidance, Psa 119:105;
Reviving him, 119:154; and
Convicting him of sin, 119:80, 126, 133;
Psa 19:11-14.
2. The Law was a revelation of
God’s character, Psa 119:138, 156.
3. The Law was a promise of future
salvation, Psa 119:166, 174. The
psalmists never view the Law as the standard they must keep in order to be
saved. In fact, they viewed salvation as something which the Law anticipated,
but did not produce itself. Thus, the Psalms look forward to a future
salvation, one which the Law itself will not bring about.
4. The Law was a consolation to the
sufferer, but it was not viewed as a means by which one could earn blessings or
avoid adversity, cf. Psa 119:67, 71, 75.
Rather than seeing the Law as the means to keep him from suffering, the
psalmist saw suffering as God’s means of bringing him to the Law.
5. From the Law the psalmist
learned that he could neither understand nor apply this revelation, apart from
God’s grace, Psa 119:68, 73, 124-125,
144, 169. The psalmist understood that the Law required God’s grace to
understand and to apply.
6. The Law was simple, yet
profound. It would not be grasped quickly and easily, but only through study,
prayer, and meditation, Psa 119:114,
123, 147.
If
you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I am here to tell
you that Jesus loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His life for you.
God the Father also loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His only Son
for you by sending Him to the Cross. At the Cross Jesus died in your place.
Taking upon Himself all of your sins and all of my sins. He was judged for our
sins and paid the price for our sins. Therefore, our sins will never be held
against us.
Right
where you are, you now have the opportunity to make the greatest decision in
your life. To accept the free gift of salvation and eternal life by truly
believing that Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised on the third day
as the proof of the promise of eternal life. So right now, you can pause and
reflect on what Christ has done for you and say to the Father:
"Yes Father, I believe that Your Son, Jesus
Christ, died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins."
If you have done that, I welcome you to the eternal
Family of God!
Grace
Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher: James H. Rickard
23 Messenger Street, Unit 3
Plainville, MA 02762
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© 2001 - 2017.
Property of: James H Rickard Bible Ministries
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