3 posts tagged “matthew”
"You are to hold a sacred assembly in the seventh month, on the first day of
the month, and you are not to do any daily work. This will be a day of
jubilation for you." Num 29: 1
Isn't it amazing that the Lord has to tell us to rest? Not only does He
tell us to rest, but He actually made it a command! It's as if we would not
rest unless there was some penalty involved.
When I was a kid, I hated school. I did all I could to avoid my school
work
right up to testing time. Whenever it came time for testing, my
laziness caught up with me. The test was about to expose my lack of
initiative.
School grades are indicators of progress
not intelligence. No matter how
smart I may have thought I was, that was not the point. I had not seized
the opportunity to improve.
When test time came around, I spent all my energy developing schemes to
cheat. Maybe, I would write notes on my arms. Perhaps, I would look at
someone else's paper. Somehow, I would cheat the system, because I thought
I was smarter than the system.
Did you know it takes twice-as-much energy to cheat, as it does to study?
How smart is that? Plus, how much anxiety carries on, until you get your
grade?
You know what the kids who studied a little bit every day do, the night
before the test? They rest. They don't have to cram. They don't have to
cheat, and worry how their schemes will go undetected. They simply recite
what they have learned.
Why do we have to be commanded to rest? Possibly, it's because we've been
lazy in our daily devotion to the Lord. Perhaps, we have cheated God, and
we are lacking what He provides to the faithful. Maybe, we are busy trying
to be our own providers, instead of trusting God.
Whatever the excuse, whatever our situation, we are commanded to rest.
Jesus said, "Come unto me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give
you REST." Matt 11:28
The faithful should celebrate His rest, and the sinner turn from his ways
and enter into it.
Blessings.
Steve Wiggins
"And these are the commands the Lord gave Moses for the Israelites on Mount
Sinai" Lev 27: 34
Many years ago, when I read the Torah for the 1st time, I was shocked to
learn that God gave Moses more than 10 commandments! He gave 613, to be
exact. These are not the commands of men, but from God, Himself.
To be certain, the "10 Commandments" act as overriding principles, while the
remaining 603 commands act as practical situational guides, teaching Israel
how to honor God by living-out the 10 Commandments in day-to-day life.
In religious Judaism, several literary sources are drawn from. First, there
are the Torah and Haftarah. (The Law and the Prophets) aka: the Tanakh, or
"Old Testament". These are the Divinely-inspired scriptures.
In His sermon on the mount, Jesus said, "Don't assume that I came to destroy
the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For I
assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter will
pass from the law until all things are accomplished. Therefore, everyone
who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches people to do
so will be called 'least' in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices
and teaches these commandments will be called great in the kingdom of
heaven." Matt 5: 17-19
In addition to the Tanakh, there are other Jewish literary sources: Talmud,
Mishna, Kabbala. These are volumes of rabbinical teachings and
interpretations of the Tanakh. Imagine all the great Christian teachers,
Moody, Spurgeon, Piper, Laurie & Lasseigne… Imagine, all the greats, every
sermon, compiled throughout the ages. Well, that's basically what these
extra-biblical volumes are: commentaries.
The problem rabbinical Judaism faces is that so much of its religious
practice is based on the teachings of men. Most rabbis spend the majority
of their studies buried in the commentaries.
The reason I have challenged you (and myself) to aggressively read the
bible, is because the "Church" tends to have the same problem. It tends to
study teachers above the scriptures. Paul addressed this problem, even in
the early church. 1 Corinthians 1: 10-17
We should study the bible so we can weigh bible teachers, not the other way
around.
Blessings.
Steve Wiggins
Exodus 29
“Slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe, on his son’s right earlobes, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Sprinkle the remaining blood on the sides of the altar. Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle them on Aaron and his garments. In this way, he and his garments will become holy, as well as his sons and their garments.” Exodus 29: 19-21
Atoning for sin is bloody business. It is ugly and it involves death. Mankind has a way of excusing its own sin, rather than dealing with, head-on. All people, in all cultures, feel guilt.
The fact that men naturally feel guilty testifies that there is a moral law from which to judge right & wrong. If there is a moral law, there must be a moral law giver…God.
The problem is not as much that men don’t know they sin. It is that they overlook their own sin, while exposing the sin of others.
The closer people come to God, the more they feel “convicted”. Some respond by repenting, others respond in anger.
“If the world hates you, understand it hated me before it hated you.” John 15: 18
From the giving of the law to Israel, God prepared a way to atone, or cover their sin. Sin kills, so someone or something has to bear the punishment, leading to death. The blood of the sacrifice reminds men of how heinous their sin is. Today, sin is only atoned for by Jesus, and received by following Him. Acts 4: 12
For Aaron and his sons, the ear was touched with the blood, that it might be consecrated to hear the word of God; the hand, to perform the duties connected with the priesthood; and the foot, to walk in the path of righteousness.
All followers of Jesus are called to be “priests” (servants). Messiah’s blood consecrates every part of us: ear, hand and foot, and is extended to every member of His kingdom. Matthew 26: 28, Ephesians 1: 7, 2: 13
Blessings.
Steve Wiggins
