Home thoughts from abroad.wordpress.com

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: 23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.

24 “‘Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honoured, I will come to you and bless you. 25 If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. 26 And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts may be exposed.’

I often think about these words from a hymn, regularly sung in church when I was a child:

‘There is a way for man to rise, to that sublime abode:

An offering and a sacrifice, a Holy Spirit’s energies,

An advocate with God.’

The previous verse has posed the question:

(‘O how shall I, whose dwelling here

is dark, whose mind is dim,

before the face of God appear

and on my human spirit bear

The uncreated beam?’)

As we saw yesterday, although God is a God to be feared – an awesome God – there is a meeting place between God and people, and this is at the ‘altar’. The altar prefigures the Cross, where ultimately God made it possible for Him to come to us in blessing (24).

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).

‘Let us not be among those who avoid the near presence of God, but of those who are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Let us exercise our right to draw near to the throne of grace and stand in the very presence of our Father-God, because we have a great High Priest who is passed through the heavens.’ F.B.Meyer: ‘Devotional Commentary’, p.45.

(Here is a great sermon from Alistair Begg, on keeping the cross central in preaching: https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/sermon/jesus-christ-and-him-crucified-basics/)

Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”

‘He who fears God has nothing else to fear.’ C.H.Spurgeon.

Early on in my ministry, I read a book entitled ‘Worship the Lord’ by Jock Anderson. I seem to remember one chapter being entitled, ‘Awe and intimacy.’ Biblical worship involves both elements. Perhaps, in this New Covenant era, we tend to veer more towards the intimacy. This is a most precious reality made possible by Jesus’ sacrifice for us, and it is to be prized. But we mustn’t let the pendulum swing further than it should in that direction. The God of the Bible is to be ‘feared’, in the sense that we are to revere Him and be in awe of Him. If He were to display His presence and power at the next church service we attend, we might respond a little more like the Israelites did at the foot of Mount Sinai. Of course, the salvation Jesus bought for us makes all the difference in the world, but an awe-filled reverence should combine with a joyful, grateful closeness.

‘The greatness of God rouses fear within us, but His goodness encourages us not to be afraid of Him. To fear and not be afraid – that is the paradox of faith.’ A.W.Tozer

When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”

20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”

21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

Reading this earlier today, I couldn’t help but contrast them with other words in the New Testament:

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.(Hebrews 10:19-25).

How wonderful this is, and what a difference Jesus makes!

Come near to God and he will come near to you.(James:4:8a).

God wants us to be close to Him, desires that we have a relationship with Him. He wants us to know Him. We don’t even begin to understand what a privilege this is. This quote from J. Oswald Sanders is worthy of our serious reflection:

“We are at this moment as close to God as we really choose to be. True, there are times when we would like to know a deeper intimacy, but when it comes to the point, we are not prepared to pay the price involved.”

A short, simple Steve Green song packs a punch with its brief message: ‘You want to, now will you?’

What’s stopping you?

“You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.”

With this tenth commandment we come full circle (see verses 3,4). Paul, in both Eph.5:3-5 and Col.3:5,6 equates covetousness with idolatry.

Many years ago, I saw an advert in a newspaper for a new model of ‘Ford Granada’ (so that dates it). The way the ad described it, I just had to have that car! Now I couldn’t afford it. In fact I couldn’t  imagine ever being able to have it, and I certainly didn’t buy it. Thankfully, I was quickly able to take a step back and analyse what the advertisement was doing to my insides. I didn’t need that car – or any other for that matter. But day by day we are bombarded by many subtle (and not so subtle) messages, designed to make us want what we do not need. So much of what is pumped our way by the media, in various forms, causes us to envy and covet – if we do not stand guard over our hearts.

The world will again and again show us ‘Bathsheba’, and if we do not train ourselves to look away we will be sunk!

How we need to heed the words of Jesus:

“Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).

“The tenth commandment is where the Decalogue ends, but it is, in fact, the point at which every breach in the law begins – when by our ‘own evil desire’ we are ‘dragged away and enticed’ (Jas 1:14). King David violated the sixth and seventh commandments (2 Sam.12:9), but his sin began with the lust prohibited by the tenth (2 Sam.11:2): possibly he could not have helped seeing Bathsheba, but he could have helped looking! King Ahab (more than ably assisted by his wife Jezebel) sinned comprehensively against the sixth, eighth and ninth commandments (1 Kings 21:1-16), but the root of the evil was in his covetousness (vv.1-4). ‘Improper desire’, says Murphy, ‘is the root of all evil. It can seldom be reached by human legislation, but it is open to the Searcher of hearts. The intent is that which, in the last resort, determines the moral character of the act. This last “word” is, therefore, the interpreting clause of the whole Decalogue (Rom vii.7).’ “ Alec Motyer: ‘The Message of Exodus’, p.230.

“The tenth commandment, therefore, shows how hard it is to keep any of the commandments. One can easily say: “I have never stolen.” But can one also say: “I have never lusted after a woman; I have never coveted another person’s possessions”? The fact is, none of us can keep these commandments perfectly (Psalm 14:2-3; Romans 3:10-12). We need a new heart, and that is what Jesus came to give us. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander (Matthew 15:19).

…the tenth commandment is a great gift from God, because it acts like a warning light; it signals us to turn from a sinful act before we actually commit it (Romans 7:7). Then, with the Holy Spirit’s help, we can overcome the temptation and avoid the sin. The law itself does not give us the strength to obey it; only the Holy Spirit working in our hearts can do that (Romans 8:3-4).” Tom Hale: ‘The Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.245.

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.

No doubt the primary meaning has reference to answering under oath in a court of law. However…

‘Telling the truth in court is, of course, sacrosanct, but it would be hard to prove – or even imagine – that the more general associations of tale-bearing, innuendo and direct ‘character assassination’ are not equally prohibited. In imitation of the ‘God who does not lie’ (Tit.1:2), his redeemed should be people of the truthful word.’ Alec Motyer: ‘The Message of Exodus’, p.230.

We would no doubt agree that we should not tell lies about others. At least, I hope we would. But what about those stories we are prone to tell ourselves about what other people are thinking and doing? Maybe some personalities are more prone to this than others. I’m sure that at least some who read this will know what it is to invent stories and believe them. We suffer at our own hands.

Of course, it may well be that certain things we perceive are true. There may be an element of clear-sighted discernment involved. (Maybe even prophetic revelation). But it strikes me that we should not tell lies about others – not even to ourselves! May God help us.

As someone said, to despise truth is to despise the God of truth.

PRAYER: Lord, keep me honest. You know my weakness even better than I do. Don’t allow me even to lie to myself

“You shall not steal.

As I recall, it was only a video recorder and a little bit of jewellery that was taken. We had only been out of the house for about thirty minutes, but the shock was palpable, and it lingered. To think that someone had broken into our home and taken away that which was our’s and not their’s!

Sadly, it happens all the time – probably taking place somewhere every day of the year – and is another mark of a society/culture/world out of step with its Maker.

‘The Decalogue does not go in for a ‘league table’ of sins-as is evident by the way in which it puts an offence against property alongside offences against life, marriage and truth. Currid notes ‘the lack of specifics’ following the prohibition of theft; the command ‘simply transcends any conditions or circumstances’, whether it is a matter of carrying off goods or kidnapping people and whether the thing stolen is valuable or trivial. In a word, Scripture respects private property and demands integrity over the whole range of personal, economic and commercial relationships.’ Alec Motyer: ‘The message of Exodus’, p.229.

That said, Tom Hale notes:

‘God owns everything in the universe; when we steal, we steal ultimately from Him. Furthermore, when we steal we hurt our neighbour; but God commands us to love our neighbour (Leviticus 19:18; Mark 12:31).

The person guilty of stealing was required to compensate the injured party in accordance with the value of the stolen property. The death penalty was never demanded for theft, because God puts much higher value on human life and on marriage than He does on property.

Stealing can take more subtle forms: to deprive a person of his or her rights is stealing; to withhold just wages is stealing; to neglect paying a debt is stealing; to defraud a neighbour in any way is stealing (James 5:4).’ ‘Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.244.

I think, for example, of the form of theft involved in plagiarism, when we pass someone else’s work off as our own. Is this not also a form of stealing? All theft is wrong

Believers should be known for their honesty. This moves us seamlessly into the next command.

“You shall not commit adultery.

‘In God’s order of priority, the sanctity of human life is followed by the importance of the marriage relationship…As a whole, the Bible reveals that God desires the establishment of harmonious marital relationships and that neither partner should do anything to undermine this.’ T.D.Alexander: ‘The New Bible Commentary’, p.108.

The Old Testament makes no distinction between crimes (committed against people) and sins (committed against God). In Amos 1:3-2:4 we find a long list of what we would call today ‘crimes against humanity’, but they are exposed as sins against the Lord, and He will punish. In Psalm 51:4, in view of his sins of adultery and murder, David can say to God, “Against you, you only, have I sinned.” We know he had sinned against Bathsheba, using his power and position to take her for himself; he had sinned against her husband, Uriah, by stealing his wife and having him killed, for no other reason than to cover his guilt (which, of course, he could not do).

According to Genesis 5:1,2, the image of God was reflected in the first man and woman, united in marriage. In their togetherness they bore the name “man”. So one of the things adultery does is to defile this image. God is the covenant-keeping God, but ‘Marital infidelity involves going back on one’s pledged word and therefore is a departure from the image of God.’ Alec Motyer: ‘The message of Exodus’, p.229. God is not like that. He is always faithful; He always keeps His Word.

It’s interesting that the next commandment is: “You shall not steal” because adultery is a form of theft, as already noted above.

Jesus had a very high standard for sexual behaviour. As in the case of murder, He was concerned with what was in a person’s heart (Matthew 5:27,28). Adultery is not only the act; it can also be in attitude.

‘Marriage,’ said the cynic, is like a besieged city: all those on the inside want to get out, and all those on the outside want to get in.’

Thankfully, that is not totally true, but there is some truth in there. What we can say is that marriage is under attack, and it behoves all of us who are married to guard our hearts, and seek God’s grace to be lovingly faithful in the marriages He has given us. The aim is that they may ‘preach the gospel’, and display to the world something of the wonder and beauty of Christ’s relationship with the church (see Ephesians 5:22-33).

“You shall not murder.

It could not be clearer could it? Yet these last few months, an evil tyrant who claims to believe in God (seems to believe, in fact, that God is on his side), endorsed by at least some members of his state church, has been authorising the mass murder of thousands upon thousands of innocent victims. (Yes, I do think also of the many in the Russian army he has consigned to premature death with his bloodthirsty orders).

God has vetoed killing, but, tragically, history is full of it.

‘The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.’

Genesis 9:6 makes clear that the creation of humankind in God’s image makes murder a sin and crime, and it provides justification for the death penalty.

Tom Hale writes: ‘The word “murder” means to “kill deliberately”; it does not apply to accidental killing. It may or may not apply to killing because of loss of self-control; such cases are difficult to judge. The term “murder” does not apply to the killing of animals. It does not apply to killing a person in self-defence or to executions carried out by legitimate state authorities.’ ‘Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.243.

What should be of interest and concern to us is that Jesus taught that murder is not only an external act but an internal attitude (Matt.5:21,22; 1 John 3:13). That is disturbing because I know I can become very angry with certain people – even with some fellow-Christians.

Many preachers in by-gone ages emphasised the importance of preaching the Law in preparation for the Gospel. It catches us in its powerful searchlight, and we know we have no excuses. It convicts of sin and shows us our need of a Saviour. I therefore say again, ‘Where would any one of us be apart from the grace and mercy of God?’ We are all law-breakers.

PRAYER: “Scatter the nations who delight in war” (Ps.66:30b). I can pray this with zeal; I know you can too.

“Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

‘When we step out of the arena of ‘duty to God’, we step into the arena of duty within the family, our foremost area of obligation in the world.’ Alec Motyer: ‘The message of Exodus’, p.227

The Bible is relevant to children.

The Bible does address children.

The fifth commandment speaks directly to children.      

 I became a Christian as a young child, and I knew undoubtedly, in my heart, that I was converted. I didn’t understand the whole Bible. (I still don’t…and don’t expect to while I remain on planet earth). But I did grasp enough to know I was a sinner, and Jesus had died for my sins, and I needed to ask Him to save me. My heart still burns – as it did back then – at just the thought of it.

Alec Motyer has something important to say about the position the fifth commandment holds within ‘the decalogue’- the list of ten:

‘…our first duty after our obedience to God (commandments 1-4) is within the family and, in the same way, this is our primary area of obligation before we consider our obligations to other people (commandments 6-10). The fifth commandment belongs neither in the first group nor in the second, but in its distinctiveness it recognises our first and primary earthy obligation…So, then, if we are to think biblically about the Ten Commandments, we do not have two ‘tables’ or sections but three. God comes first, the family comes second, and the community around us third. When we come out from God’s presence, our primary obligations are towards our families, and the obligations to the world around us are secondary’ (pp.219/220).

In the Bible, we see how the ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal’ dimensions of life work together. John says: ‘anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen…Whoever loves God must also love his brother’ (1 John 4:20-21). Jesus said the second ‘great’ commandment is ‘like’ the first (Matt.22:39). So obedience to the first must be reflected in obedience to the second. Human relationships matter deeply, and the first set of relationships mentioned in this list concern home life.

PRAYER: Lord God, may it be that in our homes we put you first, and then live in the overflow of that in our love for one another.