It is written that Jesus said: "man shall not live by bread
alone but BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD"
(Mat.4:4).
Jesus was not uttering something brand new, for He was
quoting what the books of Moses had said, namely the book of
Deuteronomy, and specifically chapter 8 and verse 3.
Those words by Jesus as pretty plain and easy to understand.
No theology degree from some school of learning needed to
interpret those words. They mean what they say and say what they
mean. Christ was saying that men/women who are called to serve
the Eternal God, are to conduct their lives in all its various
forms of thoughts, actions, and deeds, the way of life, by
letting the WHOLE of God's word teach and guide them as they
live. They are to walk the walk of the word of the Lord. Jesus
expects His followers to read and study ALL of God's word, and
let that whole word shape their speech, conduct and thoughts.
What an undertaking! Pretty serious stuff Jesus was talking
about. He was saying that the children of the heavenly Father
were to read every book of the Bible to LEARN and be INSTRUCTED
in HOW TO LIVE in all aspects of life here and now.
The Old Testament is not just a collection of different
historical events, songs, and psalms, poetry, and old laws,
written down just to entertain us when we feel we need to be
entertained. What Jesus said led to the apostle Paul saying these
words: " For whatsoever things were written aforetime were
written FOR OUR LEARNING......Now these things were OUR
EXAMPLES.......Now all these things happened unto them for
types(marg. of KJV) and they are written for OUR ADMONITION, upon
whom the ends of the world are come......All scripture is given
by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness "
(Rom.15:4; 1 Cor.10:6,11; 2 Tim.3:16).
So the Christian desires to do as Jesus taught, to live by
every word that comes from the mouth of God. The Christian starts
to read the Bible, beginning with the first book - Genesis. But
soon he is into the books of Moses such as Exodus, Numbers,
Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, that contain ALL THOSE MANY LAWS,
STATUES, PRECEPTS, and JUDGMENTS. Some are to the modern space
age mind, VERY STRANGE, OUT OF DATE in many respects, NOT
really applicable in our culture and society and context of
living. And there are SOME MANY. Then we have the New
Testament, with OTHER laws, some of which seem to alter the old
laws found in the books of Moses.
A little confusing to the average Christian's mind. How can
you apply the words of Jesus in Matthew 4:4 and clear away the
smoke, the haze, the WONDERING about WHICH laws, statutes,
precepts, judgments, ARE FOR US TODAY TO FOLLOW AND LIVE BY?
I hope this article will serve you and many others in
answering and helping you find the correct way as to HOW indeed
to live by every word of God.
A FOUNDATIONAL KEY
We need to keep in mind at all times that this study of
living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, is
JUST THAT. It entails EVERY WORD OF GOD! It may be that the
answers to some of our questions are found WAY OUT in another
part of the word of God. In fact we shall see that is the case
for some of our answers. So, this HOW TO LIVE, WHAT LAWS TO
FOLLOW, is a study of the WHOLE word of God, from Genesis to
Revelation. We must read and meditate, study and search, ALL the
words that proceed from the Lord, as given to us and as found in
the Bible.
TEN BASIC CATEGORIES TO HELP YOU KNOW
HOW TO LIVE BY EVERY WORD OF GOD
Some laws, commandments and the like, may fall under one or
more of the following basic categories. One or more should be
used to answer your questions on any given law, commandment,
statute, or precept in the Bible, and how, if in any way it
should be applied today for the Christian. The list is NOT in the
order of importance.
1. MORAL LAWS (i.e."You shall not murder" - "Honor your father
and mother.")
2. SACRIFICE LAW (i.e.The physical rites for the
Priesthood, Tabernacle, and Sacrifices).
3. NATIONAL LAWS (i.e. The 50th year of Jubilee for the nation).
4. HISTORICAL/NATIONAL/CULTURE LAW (i.e. Man dies and his brother
marries his wife to raise up children).
5. CULTURAL CARNALITY LAW (i.e.Laws regulating more than one
wife - Polygamy).
6. PHYSICAL LAWS (i.e.Clean and Unclean foods; Plague in the
physical building).
7. NEW TESTAMENT DIRECT ALTERATION (i.e. Physical circumcision).
8. EXAMPLES AND/OR COMMANDS OF THE NT (i.e. Cannot lust after the
opposite sex in the mind).
9. THE SPIRIT OF THE NT (i.e. Spirit leading the Church to ordain
7 as deacons in Acts 6).
10.NOT EFFECTED BY ANY OF THE ABOVE (i.e.The weekly 7 day
cycle).
ONE MORE IMPORTANT POINT
With all the above, and I shall expound each quite
thoroughly presently, we need to remember the VERY IMPORTANT
section of scripture as found in Deut.17 and verses eight through
thirteen.
Please read those verses carefully. The point to see for
our study is that the word of the Lord is NOT all encompassing.
The Bible is not a text book that covers EVERY situation in life,
every circumstance that may arise, every problematic disputation
that many need to be solved from time to time, through the course
of life within the community of God.
Within that body of people, we today call the Church of God,
there will need to be JUDGMENTS made by the leaders of that
community, based upon the laws and principles, examples, and
whatever else can be gleaned from God's word in order to
arrive at the correct sentence of judgment.
You will notice this is not some high handed, authoritarian
mind set that is here being talked about, where leaders rule with
a pompous, self-righteous, vain ego of dictatorial cult
leadership. The sentence of the law is to be taught to the
enquirer, and to those who are coming for help because the matter
is too HARD for them.
You will notice in 1 Timothy 3 the qualifications for those
who will oversee the church of God is very demanding. They are
to guide and teach, to take care of the church of God. They are
to fulfil the role of what you are reading about in Deut.17 at
times. They are to judge HARD matters and bring the sentence of
the law, when there is possibly no SPECIFIC law stated in the
word of God concerning the matter.
EACH OF THE TEN POINT
It's time to move down each of the above ten points I've
given you. We need to expound and amplify each one so you will be
able to use them as tools whereby you can read the Bible, all of
it, in order to do as Jesus said - live by EVERY WORD that
proceeds out of the mouth of God.
1. MORAL LAW
This is perhaps the least difficult category for most people
to deal with, the one that gives, on the whole, the least amount
of trouble for Christians to understand in the light of having to
live by every word of God.
Most can see that the Lord instituted MARRIAGE, for an
example, at the BEGINNING, with Adam and Eve, the Lord Himself
bringing them together as husband and wife. Then reading on in
the book of Genesis, it is clear from examples given that
taking another man's wife in sexual union, adultery, was WRONG,
that is was displeasing to the Lord and even sin.
Coming to Exodus and the other books of Moses, it is pretty
simple to see the command that "you shall not commit adultery"
and "you shall not covet your neighbors wife" law .
Reading on through all the Bible to the end of the book of
Revelation, it is clear that the law of adultery continues, never
being "done away" or allowed to be practiced in the Christian's
life without it being a sin against God, and earning the death
penalty.
Most Christians will see that laws and commandments such as
ones called "moral" laws, are in effect, and remain in effect to
the end, while there are flesh and blood people on this earth.
Even the unconverted world, the majority at least, can see that
it is not good for their society if people murder each other,
steal from each other and the corner store, and practice many
other morally wrong ways of life, that unchecked and wilfully
allowed would soon have our nations in utter degradation and
moral free for all, to the point that our society would totally
break down and collapse.
2. SACRIFICE LAWS
Again in the main, most can understand the obvious
implications here with the laws governing sacrificing and the
system of ancient Israel that went along with it, namely the
Priesthood and the Temple.
As the Temple and Levitical priesthood came to an official
and literal end in 70 A.D. with the destruction of the Jerusalem
Temple by the Roman armies, the Christian has generally no
problem realizing physical sacrificing in a central location
through a literal priesthood in a literal Temple, has no
importance or bearing on living today by every word of God.
The book of Hebrews portrays to us in plain words that these
physical sacrifices and the priesthood/temple that went along
with them, was to COME TO AN END, TO PASS AWAY, for this present
age. That side of the sacrificial laws gives no trouble, and
Christians think little about them in any physical living way of
life. Even the Jews(except possibly for a minority sect) realize
those physical laws are not for today. Many Christians do no
know, for they have never heard, that the strict Orthodox Jews
believe another Temple in Jerusalem cannot, should not, will not,
be built unto the MESSIAH comes in glory. It is He they say who
will again build the Temple. And without a Temple, there can
be no sacrificing by a priesthood. Exodus 35 to 40 and Leviticus
1 to 10 were for the Old Covenant. They are not for us today in
this present age. There are of course many other such passages as
those in other parts of the OT.
Yet what is not often understood are some of the laws that
were also part of the sacrificing system, needing that system to
complete the law. For us to live by every word of God we need to
see how this interlocking law worked, then we shall understand
how some laws in the OT are not for us to observe today.
Examples are often the best way to teach and make the point
stated easy and clear to comprehend. Hence I will use many
examples from here on out.
THE NAZARITE VOW
Numbers chapter 6. Please read from verse one to verse
twenty one. The first number of verses tell you what the man or
woman putting themselves under a Nazarite vow could NOT do. The
duration of this vow was voluntary. The individual set the length
of time.
Now notice what is written starting with verse thirteen.
When the days were FULFILLED, the length of time the
individual had allotted themselves to be under this vow was now
at an end. Did they just say, "O, well time is up, it's over,
back to normal again" and proceed to "get back to the norm"? No,
it was not to be done that way. It was not at all to be that
simple. It was quite an elaborate ceremony that the person had
to go through, and notice what and who it involved.
It involved, set in stone, no buts or maybe or perhaps about
it. To sign off from this vow involved physical sacrifices, the
priesthood and the temple!
This law of the Nazarite was absolutely TWO FOLD - a
beginning part with of course its duration to the end and the
rules for that part of the vow, and an ending part with the rules
for that section of the vow. BOTH parts were a MUST! That was
the law of the Nazarite vow. It took both parts to make the law.
Now AFTER 70 A.D. with the end of the Temple, the Levite
priesthood, and physical sacrificing, the Nazarite vow - that law
- ALSO CAME TO AN END! It is today IMPOSSIBLE to observe that
law, as there is no Temple in Jerusalem with a priesthood
performing animal sacrifices. Today, at this present time, you
cannot observe the nazarite vow even if you wanted to!
Oh, you could take the principles I guess of the vow, and
dedicate yourself for a time to serving the Lord in some special
way, but the specific law of the Nazarite vow as laid out in the
book of Moses IS NOT FOR US TODAY!
So living by every word of God for the Christian during this
present age DOES NOT include the Nazarite vow.
TEMPLE PURIFICATION SACRIFICE LAWS
Lev.12. As we read through the whole Bible it becomes very
plain that God is PERFECTLY PURE HOLINESS - RIGHTEOUS AND
SINLESS. With ancient Israel the Eternal was dealing with a
people that were in the main, CARNAL, without the Spirit of
God leading, guiding and helping them. The Lord had not chosen to
give them all, His Spirit(see Numbers 11). He did decide to have
them build a Tabernacle, as the book of Hebrews tells us, like as
to the one in heaven. God would come and live among Israel
WITHIN that Temple or Tabernacle of congregation.
There are certain functions of the human body that although
created by the Eternal, and so in that sense perfect and holy on
a physical level, are regarded even by humans as physically
unclean to be openly displaying them in a public manner to all
and everyone around us. The process of human elimination is such
that we keep those functions private in the main. A woman flowing
during her monthly period is another bodily function that is kept
private as much as possible from others. It is natural, it was
created by God, it is pure in that sense but it is unclean and
impure from a certain physical point of view.
When our pet dog is in heat, it is natural, it is the way
the Lord made dogs, it is pure from that point, but nevertheless
when our dog is in heat we do not want it jumping up on to our
lovely new chesterfield, for it is unclean from a certain
physical viewpoint.
The Lord in dealing with a majority of carnal people in
Israel, within the context of a Tabernacle that He would dwell
within, and that they as a physical sinfilled people would come
before to worship Him, took some physical functions of the body
to teach them PURITY AND HOLINESS from IMPURITY. Leviticus 12 is
one example - the purification of the woman after childbirth.
Such a function by the body was created by God, so perfectly pure
from that view, but from a human perspective, such cleansing is
impure and must be looked after with care and privacy. I think we
all understand there are certain things of the human body we do
not want deposited just anywhere.
Such a law as Lev.12 was to teach a carnal people lessons of
holiness by using physical carnal functions of the body. Certain
laws like this kept people(and there were ones for men also) from
entering the Tabernacle of Holiness, where the Holy perfect God
was dwelling at times.
Such laws were very much tied up with the physical
Tabernacle, and with physical sacrifices, for after the
fulfilment of the required stipulations of the law, there was the
required animal sacrifice.
These kind of laws were great teaching tools for holiness,
no uncleanness(from a human perspective) was allowed in the
presence of a Holy God. For a carnal minded people these laws
would constantly remind them that they could not approach the
Eternal while unclean, even while physically unclean. It would
serve a purpose in also teaching a deeper lesson, namely, that
they should be mentally and of heart, humble and clean of
attitude when approaching the throne of God.
As the Temple, Levite priesthood and animal sacrifices are
no longer, together with the New Covenant fact that God today
lives within each member of the body of Christ via the Holy
Spirit, the Christian is not under obligation to live by these
particular laws in this age.
3. NATIONAL LAWS
CITIES OF REFUGE
Numbers 35:9-28. Six cities were chosen for the
administration of the law of MANSLAUGHTER in Israel of old. This
law shows us the importance that the Eternal places upon human
life. We may think it rather severe, but it certainly taught
Israel the value of human life and the value of being VERY
CAREFUL at all times, so we are responsible persons in how we
live in relation to the lives of others.
This law was a NATIONAL law. It was part of the written
constitution of the government of the nation of Israel. One of
the laws of the land. A part of the court system of the land.
Now stop and think! Putting this kind of a law into the
context of an individual Christian living today, what are you
going to come up with, for obeying it? Why, for an individual
Christian, even for a local church congregation, IT IS NOT
POSSIBLE TO OBSERVE THIS LAW!!
Try, next time you see someone in a car kill another person
on the road, going over to them, or meeting them in court, and
telling them to go live in a certain town until the President
dies. Try telling the relatives of the one who died that if the
person responsible for the death of their loved one steps out of
the city limits, they can kill them, and see what the courts and
police of our land have to say to you.
I think you get the point. A single Christian or church
organization CANNOT put this law into effect.
It is a NATIONAL LAW! Only the NATION can establish and
enforce such a law today, or any day. This kind of law in the
word of God cannot be established or obeyed by the individual
child of God. Not even the church of God can establish and obey
such a law as this one. It was given by God to a NATION, to be
part of its constitution and laws of the supreme court of the
land.
LAND SABBATH LAWS
Lev.25. This was also given to Israel as to be part of their
NATIONAL constitutional laws. They were laws that ALL had to
obey. Everyone in the agriculture business was obligated to
observe these laws. Such laws were tied up with other laws of the
nation, note verse 10. God would bless the nation in a miraculous
way, see verses 20,21.
The individual Christian today could not possibly enforce
these laws upon the nation they live under.
Certain principles can be taken from these laws and applied
by the farming Christian in our lands. Resting the land is good
farming practice. Many farmers out west still rest a section of
their land each year, one section one year, another section
another year, and so on till all land has had a rest.
But the specific land rest laws as written in the books of
Moses, were for the NATION of Israel. They were national laws,
and not intended to be applied today by individual NT Christians.
4. HISTORICAL/NATIONAL/CULTURAL LAWS
MARRIAGE TO BROTHER'S WIFE UPON HIS DEATH
This is somewhat like the above law but with some
differences. Please turn to Deut.25 and read verses five to ten.
A man dies without leaving any children. His wife is now a
widow. The dead man has a brother who under this law was to marry
his brother's wife and raise up children, the firstborn taking
the name of the dead brother, so this brother's name would
continue in Israel(verses 5,6).
There was a provision by which the brother could refuse to
take this widow to be his wife(verses 7-10). Probably the most
famous example of this taking place is in the book of RUTH, and
how Boaz married Ruth.
This was a NATIONAL law of the land, a part of the
constitution. It was on the books of the land for all people who
found themselves in that particular situation. If you today as
an individual Christian would try to enforce that law, even in
your own family, well I think you know how far you would get.
Most of the time not very far at all, unless the other parties
were all in agreement. It is not a law that individual Christians
need concern themselves with. It was for a nation who had that
law as part of their national court statutes.
It was probably a law that back in that HISTORICAL period,
and that CULTURE of time, was not unusual, certainly not thought
about as unusual as we in our culture of North America think it
is today. The whole culture of marriage back in that period of
history was in many way quite different than our culture of
marriage. Parents were much more involved in arranging marriages
for their children. You had the "dowry" practice in marriage and
many other customs that we today in Britain and the USA think
rather strange and even odd. But for them at that time and in
their culture, such practices were thought of as quite normal.
So this law instituted by the Lord in Israel was probably
accepted without a second thought. Israel was a young nation.
People were much more conscious about family trees and continuing
family names back then, than we are today. It would seem that at
this time in history even God was more concerned with this fact
than He is today for the nations of Israel.
It was a way of preserving the people of Israel, and
inheritances in families. A way of keeping certain things moulded
together in a close knit nation with many laws that jig- sawed
together to produce the whole under God.
Today such laws are not needed in our nations as they were
under the economy of ancient Israel.
Then again, it is a law for the nation, NOT FOR INDIVIDUAL
CHRISTIANS to enforce or try to obey.
CORNERS OF THE HARVEST FOR THE POOR
You can read about another law that would fall under this
category in Leviticus 19:9,10; Deut.24:19-22. God instituted in
Israel under the OC a law for the POOR of the land. It was then
an HISTORICAL NATIONAL law. It was part of their constitutional
laws of the whole land. When they harvested they were to leave
SOME for the poor to gather and eat thereof. They were not to
pick every single grape on the vine, or every fig on the
tree.
It was a CULTURAL law also, because they were a farming
community in the main. So it was to be a part of their
work-a-world culture. It was to be national culture practice, as
a way of life in Israel. Everyone would be raised with this law,
it was known by all in the nation, it was a national way of life.
Now you put yourself as an individual Christian today, doing
the same thing. The grain farmer leaves the corners of his field
unharvested for the poor to glean. Well first of all, the poor
would not know about what they could come and glean unless a sign
was posted. And some have indeed done that very thing. But today
when it comes to GRAIN, say wheat, most poor would not bother to
go to all the trouble of gleaning and grinding and baking, as
they can obtain welfare and buy their baked products from the
supermarket. Some poor may come to pick fruit left on the trees,
but by and large, it just is not the cultural thing to do anymore
for most people in our modern city life.
This particular law as outlined in the above verses, would
at best be a judgment call on the part of the individual
Christian produce farmer, to obey in the letter or not. Certainly
it could be obeyed, and would not be wrong to obey by such a
Christian, if he thought he could make it work as it was intended
to work for the culture of ancient Israel. In some areas of some
countries it could well work just fine. The other way is to take
the PRINCIPLE of this national culture law and apply the spirit
of it, which says, the POOR of the land should be helped if you
are in the position of being able to help them. This was
certainly upheld by the church of God in the days of the apostles
- see Gal.2:9,10.
TITHE FOR THE POOR
Deuteronomy 14:28,29. Whatever you want to say about this
tithe, one thing is clear, we are talking about a tithe and it
was for certain people WHO NEEDED some extra help, and it was
EATING. So it would correspond today to our FOOD STAMPS or
FOOD BANKS for the needy and the poor.
It was ancient Israel's WELFARE PROGRAM in the main. It was
a NATIONAL CULTURAL law of the land.
Yes, certainly individual Christians could follow this law
if they so chose. There is nothing preventing them to so learn
how the Jews understood and practiced this law and observe it
themselves, giving help in a physical way to the needy.
But the main point I want you to see is that this was a
national historic law that was given to Israel in the time of
Moses to be the basic welfare law of the land. It was part of the
constitutional laws of the country. Today our nations of the
West have taken the spirit of that law and are fulfilling it
through the welfare programs we have established as our national
laws. We all through our taxes help fund this poor tithe law.
Some have estimated that the tax payers contribute more than a
tenth or tithe to maintain this help to the needy and poor.
Certainly the Church of God should not be trying to impose
this law upon its members for the law is already in place as
instituted by our governments. On the other hand the NT does
tell Christians to serve and help their brothers and sisters in
Christ in literal and practical ways as needed.
5. CULTURAL CARNALITY
LAW OF THE FIRSTBORN FOR TWO WIVES
Deut.21:15-17. Here we see a law regarding a man with more
than one wife, commonly called Polygamy. It is not the place or
the time to discuss the subject of Polygamy. I do have an article
covering that subject for those interested in the topic as
to what the word of the Lord teaches on the matter. But I will
say that from the BEGINNING(as Jesus often said) it is clear that
God intended a ONE man ONE wife at ONE time marriage bond. That
was God's IDEAL for men and women. The Lord could have created a
few women out of a few ribs from Adam if He thought the ideal for
marriage was a man with more than one wife. But that was NOT the
case. The ideal for the King over Israel was that he should not
multiply wives to himself (Deut.17:17).
The fact is that the Eternal was dealing mainly with a
CARNAL group of people. A nation of persons that for the
MAJORITY, DID NOT HAVE the Spirit of God with them. Only a
selected few were given the Spirit, see Numbers 11, and
especially verse 29.
You will remember what Jesus said to the Pharisees in
Matthew 19 concerning DIVORCE, and as to why Moses allowed it for
many reasons. Jesus said that from the BEGINNING it was not so,
but because of the carnality of the heart, divorce for just about
any reason was allowed. It was not God's IDEAL, it was ALLOWED
because of the hardness of their hearts.
So with having more than one wife. It was not so from the
beginning, it was not God's ideal, it was because of their carnal
heart, ALLOWED!
By this time in history, way before for that matter, many
people of the earth, without the Spirit of the Lord, wanted more
than one wife. There is something in the carnal heart of the male
that for many, desires the beauty of more than one woman. Under
these circumstances God would allow the Israelite men to have
more than one wife. He would allow them to be like many other
cultural carnal people around them, at least in this respect. BUT
in allowing this cultural carnality of more than one wife, He
would set down certain laws to regulate certain aspect of this
practice.
God knew that under this marriage there would be other
aspects of carnality also shown, one being the fact that
favoritism to one wife above another wife would manifest
itself in various ways. The carnal mind in such a situation
probably would love one wife more than another wife, and the
children of the one loved the most would get special favors, and
treatments.
The firstborn son was to be acknowledged as the firstborn
for inheritance purposes, even if he was born of the wife that
was not loved as much as another wife.
Under the Old Covenant DIVORCE for all kinds of reasons was
ALLOWED. Under the Old, more than one wife at one time was
ALLOWED. It was never God's IDEAL, it was not so from the
beginning. The New Covenant, the Spirit poured out into all true
Christians, such allowances and liberties are brought back to a
more original ideal. Jesus did give some circumstances for
divorce, but having more than one wife at one time, it not
allowed under the NT church age.
PLEDGE TAKING
Deut.24:10-13. Reading this in the KJV may seem hard to
understand. You take a pledge from someone, out of his house.
Something that is your pledge that what you have lent to him will
be returned. But you are not to keep his pledge overnight. You
are to deliver this pledge back to him for the night, so he can
sleep in his own raiment.
The Bible Commentaries will explain all this. It was the
CULTURAL practice back in those days, that if you were to borrow
something from your neighbor, for two or more days, you would
give them something important to your comfort, as a pledge that
what you were borrowing would be returned to them. Something like
what we call a SECURITY DEPOSIT today in our culture. I am a
landlord, and when a tenant moves in to one of our apartments we
take a security deposit of a certain amount of money that they
get back when they move out and have left the apartment in as
good a shape as when they moved in.
Back in the days of ancient Israel, it was a cultural
practice that if you borrowed something from a neighbor, and you
were poor, the most important thing you could give him for a
pledge was your BED ROLE, what you slept in. The carnal mind was
such that the lender would probably say: "you'll get this back
when you return to me what you have borrowed." God knowing the
workings of the carnal mind, said it would not be so, but the
lender would each night return the bed clothes to the borrower.
This would be the righteous way to transact such
lending/borrowing arrangements.
This cultural practice is pretty well none existent in North
America today. So this specific law in the book of Moses,
Christians would not be under as expected to obey. Now our
culture may employ other types of practices for lending and
borrowing, but this one here in Deuteronomy may never be applied
at any time in the Christians life. If our culture never uses
this specific pledge law then God does not expect the Christian
to observe it.
MARRIAGE - DIVORCE
Deut.24:1-5. I have already alluded to the subject of
divorce under the Old Covenant. Because of the hardness of the
hearts of the carnal people of Israel, God ALLOWED under the laws
of Moses, for divorce on a wide and broad spectrum. In so doing
though, not to make marriage a travesty and a laugh, as it would
ultimately become through cultural carnality taking its course,
God did set a few laws within that law, as can be seen from this
passage before us.
When a man took a wife he was not to go out to war nor enter
any business, but to have a whole year with his wife at home.
Wow! A year long honey-moon ! Well the culture of the day
could allow for such things back then. And as carnal people who
did not have the Spirit of God, it was probably needed if the
marriage was to last, for God had already allowed for divorce on
a wider scale than before because of their hard heartedness. So
having a year long honey-moon may have strengthened the marriage
so cultural carnality of divorce would be less prominent.
Not only do we live in a culture and society today that
makes it just about impossible for the average man to take a year
off work to be with his new wife, but under the New Covenant
Spirit this section of scripture is NOT to be applied by the
Christian. Jesus made it clear in Matthew 19 and other passages
that what was ALLOWED under Moses, is not allowed under the New
Covenant, but only in certain exceptions.
Many of the old cultural carnality laws in the books of
Moses the Christian today will not live by. They were for THAT
culture which was basically carnal, unconverted, and devoid of
the Spirit of the Lord in their minds and hearts.
SLAVERY LAWS - THE BUYING AND SELLING OF PERSONS
There is not one scripture in the word of God that tells us
the Eternal called such practices as RIGHTEOUS, HOLINESS, or
JUST. The practice of slavery probably goes back not far from
the beginning of the human race. Certainly when some of the
large empires came on the scene after the scattering of the
people from the tower of Babel, slavery and the buying and
selling of persons was not far behind.
In the books of Moses we find God simply addresses this
issue with certain laws to regulate, and give some kind of human
benevolence to what is really a cultural carnal practice. He
never states He approves of it. Obviously He ALLOWED it in
Israel just as He allowed many other things because of the
hardness of their hearts. If I may be allowed to indulge in some
paraphrasing of what God was saying to Israel, I think it was
something like: "I realize you are a people that are carnally
minded, that I have not given My Spirit to except for a few. I
realize you will WANT to, and WILL practice in your life some of
the ways of the nations around you. One of those ways will be
the practice of slavery and the buying and selling of persons. I
shall ALLOW you to be so carnally minded and to practice this
cultural way of life, but in ALLOWING it, I will impose certain
rules and regulations that will give this practice at least some
compassion and benignity."
The laws God gave to Israel regulating the buying and
selling of persons, were instituted for a people that wanted to
practice this cultural carnality way of life. Certainly the
individual Christian or the Christian community today is under no
obligation to practice and live by these laws. In fact the NT
Christian community will not live by such laws, for they were
only ALLOWED to be practiced by God, by a carnal people, because
of the hardness of their hearts. The Christian has a new heart,
moulded and shaped by the Holy Spirit, and wherein such cultural
carnal laws cannot be rooted or formed.
Living by Every Word of God...How?
6. PHYSICAL LAWS
There are many physical laws stipulated in the books of
Moses. Some as we have already seen were directly connected to
the Tabernacle/Temple worship together with animal sacrifices to
be offered upon being completed. I have talked about such laws as
the physical cleansing of a woman after childbirth.
Yet there are other physical laws different from those
physical laws, some of which have no connection with the Temple
or animal sacrifices. Such laws would be the CLEAN and UNCLEAN
food laws of Lev.11 and Deut.14. Please read these sections of
Scripture. Note how God is emphasizing HOLINESS, Israel was to
be HOLY as God was HOLY, even in matters of DIET!
You will notice there is NOTHING in these passages of
scripture to say these laws were tied to the priesthood,
tabernacle, or sacrificing of animals.
Then as you read all of the word of the Lord you will find
the CLEAN and UNCLEAN creatures existed in the days of NOAH, way
BEFORE Moses and the giving of the Old Covenant to Israel.
Also the New Testament must be considered, and this is where
CARE must be taken and HONESTY, for some passages in the NT have
been taken to say these food laws were merely ceremonial and not
creationally designed to be GOOD or NOT GOOD for the human body
to eat. It is a very true saying: "You are what you eat." We are
made of atoms and molecules that must be replenished by the atoms
and molecules of the food we eat. The human body was created in
such a way that to feed it and try to live on a diet of wood and
grass.....well we would soon be six feet under the wood and
grass, turning back to dust.
There are certain PLANTS that if eaten would do two things,
either make us sick in a literal way, or KILL us!
So knowing those facts of this physical life, should it be
thought a STRANGE thing that the Eternal would have laws
concerning DIET that if obeyed would produce HEALTH and if
disobeyed would produce a body not as healthy as it should and
could be.
Once more, it is not the purpose nor the place to expound
all the truth of this subject and the truth of some verses in the
NT that are often given to teach that the food laws of the books
of Moses are "done away." Needless to say, that is NOT the case.
The laws regarding DIET in the Old Testament are VERY MUCH for
the Christian today, and they are laws that the child of God
would do well to HEED and OBEY!
As we are to live by every word of God, that would include
the PROPHETIC word also. There is a prophecy in the book of
Isaiah chapter 66 that is an END TIME prophecy, concerning the
coming of the Lord with FIRE and POWER to plead with all nations.
It is more than interesting to note that God is at this time
still upholding His food laws, and those rebelling against them
He will deal with in no uncertain way.
There are physical laws as in Lev.13,14, that although they
had some connection with the priest and sacrifice, upon
examining them, and many Christian man and woman in the medical
skill have done so, can hardly be said to be JUST ceremonial in
nature and so worthless for the Christian today under the New
Covenant. Surely the world HAS and is STILL experiencing the
terrible penalties in sickness and death, for not giving more
heed to some of the aspects of these laws. Certain aspects as
COMMON SENSE, but often common sense is not learned until after
the pain and penalty has been experienced.
We have the law of QUARANTINE expressed in such laws, which is as
the world knows VERY WELL, a MUST in the air borne disease of TB.
There is the health law of SANITATION also unfolded in such laws.
The men in the ARMIES of Israel were to carry a little spade
with them on their exploits, you know to dig a hole in the ground
to deposit the result of a bodily function.
Sanitation is EXTREMELY important to health and the well-being of
any people. Such laws are not dependant upon a priesthood, a
Temple, or animal sacrifices. They work and are in force and
effect even when the ones just mentioned are not. Any people
finding themselves in a situation(say after an earthquake) where
sanitation becomes a large problem, soon know the dire results
with the outbreak of diseases that are in the main the result of
poor or no sanitation. There is another old saying that goes:
"Cleanliness is next to godliness." And when it comes to the
physical, it is true, for the Eternal God knows what is good for
the human body to maintain it free from disease, sickness, and in
keep it in tip-top healthy shape.
Many aspects and certainly the PRINCIPLES of these physical
laws are for Christians, individually and collectively, as well
as the nations of the earth, to LOOK INTO and OBEY today! In so
doing much sickness in the world could be avoided.
7. NEW TESTAMENT DIRECT ALTERATION
VOWS, OATHS, SWEARING
Numbers 3; Deut.23:21-23. Oaths and Vows were laws under
the Old Covenant, they were ALLOWED and permitted. There were
rules and regulations regarding those laws.
One of the important points to remember and to apply in
governing your life by trying to live by every word of God is:
Does the NT have a DIRECT ALTERATION to any of the Old Covenant
laws of Moses or even before Moses for that matter?
We must read all the word of God to learn how to live by all
the word of God. So it is important we read the NT to see if
there are any passages that clearly ALTER a law found in the Old
Testament.
When it comes to the law of OATHS and VOWS for the Christian
TODAY under the New Covenant, we do INDEED find verses in the NT
that DIRECTLY ALTER those laws. Such laws are NOT to be followed
or obeyed or lived by today for the Christian!
Matthew 5:33-37, " Again, you have heard that it has been
said by them of OLD TIME, You shall not foreswear yourself, but
shall perform unto the Lord your OATHS. BUT I SAY UNTO YOU, SWEAR
NOT AT ALL; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the
earth, for it is His footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is
the city of the great King. Neither shall you SWEAR by your head,
because you cannot make one hair white or black. BUT LET YOUR
COMMUNICATION BE, YES, or NO: for whatsoever is more than these
comes of evil."
Now that is pretty straightforward, little to interpret
here. Jesus DIRECTLY ALTERED the laws concerning Oaths and Vows
and Swearing as under the Old Covenant, for the Christian under
the New Covenant. The Christian today is NOT to enter into any
OATHS, VOWS, or SWEARING !
James 5:12, " but above all things, brethren, SWEAR NOT,
neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by ANY OATH: but
let your yes be yes, and your no be no, lest you fall into
condemnation."
The laws of our land(at least in Britain, Canada, and the
USA) allow for you as a Christian to AFFIRM and not to have to
swear on the Bible. I hope most of you know that fact. If you
find yourself in court for any reason, and you are asked to put
one hand on the Bible and raise the other while you swear to tell
the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, YOU DO NOT
HAVE TO COMPLY! You can tell them that as a Christian you will
AFFIRM. And you do not have to put a hand on the Bible to do that
either.
A number of years ago, I was in court. The lady came forward
with a Bible to do what she had probably done thousands of times
before. This was in a small town, where obviously she had never
encountered someone who would not swear on the Bible to tell
the truth. I said to her that I did not do such a thing, but
would be quite willing to AFFIRM as a Christian that I would tell
the truth. She blinked, her mind no doubt going blank, and
repeated what she wanted me to do, that is swear on the Bible. I
once again, told her I would affirm to tell the truth. This time
she not only blinked again, but stuttered, paused and stuttered,
only to repeat she wanted me to swear on the Bible.
It was obvious by now to me that this poor lady that was
turning red with embarrassment in front of the Judge, did not
know there was a provision in the laws of the land that
Christians did not have to swear on the Bible in courts of law
but could affirm to tell the truth. As she is telling me for the
third time to swear on the Bible and looking over at the Judge at
the same time, the Judge knowing what I'm going to say, finally
stepped in to tell her that I did not have to swear on the Bible
but could affirm to tell the truth. He took over for her and
asked me to affirm, which I readily did.
I once had a Judge ask me where in the Bible did it say we
are not to swear. He knew the law of the land that I as a
Christian did not have to swear on the Bible but could affirm to
tell the truth, yet maybe he had never encountered it before, so
he politely asked me where he could find the no swearing verse. I
politely gave him the answer, and he seemed quite pleased to have
it.
The same holds true for legal documents. If at the end of
them you see SWORN on this day.....etc. all you need do is cross
out the word "sworn" and replace it with the word "affirmed." My
wife and I have had to do this a number of times in our life when
dealing with legal documents.
It can be quite a WITNESS to the world at times when as a
Christian we live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of
God.
PHYSICAL CIRCUMCISION
Romans 2:28,29. "For he is not a Jew, which is one
outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the
flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one INWARDLY; and circumcision
is that OF THE HEART, in the SPIRIT, and not in the letter, whose
praise is not of men, but of God."
1 Corinthians 7:19, "Circumcision is NOTHING, and
Uncircumcision is NOTHING, but(what is important) the keeping of
the commandments of God."
Galatians 5:6, "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision
avails any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which works by
love."
The Jerusalem conference of Acts 15 led to the official
presentation of the truth that was already being taught by Paul
and others, that physical circumcision was NOT required to be
saved.
What we see in the above NT scriptures is BOTH an ALTERATION
and even a "done away with" law concerning physical circumcision.
True NT circumcision for the Christian was not in the flesh
but in the HEART. It was a SPIRITUAL matter, not something
physical. There was in that sense an ALTERATION from the flesh
to the spirit. Made very CLEAR by the words of the NT.
Then going even beyond that, the above words in 1 Cor.7:19 make
it plain that physical circumcision EITHER WAY, doing it or not
doing it, IS NOTHING today!!
Now, I will probably get some flack from some who want to
uphold physical circumcision as a "good" thing health wise. Such
can argue all they like, but Paul made it very clear that
physical circumcision is NOTHING! Look, when was circumcision
introduced by God? Was it from the beginning? Was it with Adam?
No! It was with ABRAHAM! A number of thousands of years had
gone by from the beginning and MEN DID NOT PRACTICE CIRCUMCISION.
We have no record as coming from God that any were to so
practice.
If the nations before Abraham were obeying all of God's
health laws, then there would have been health WITHOUT
circumcision. God did not make the male, He did not create the
male CIRCUMCISED! For thousands of years before Abraham males
got along just fine without circumcision thank you, so did
Abraham himself before God introduced it to him, and ordered it,
for him and his seed.
My mother did not believe in circumcision, so guess what.
Yes you've got it. Oh, it takes a little more work on the part
of parents to teach certain cleanliness habits to uncircumcised
males as they grow from small children to adults, and a few other
things we shall not go into here, but you can read about them in
the clinical sex books on the market. Health wise I stand as one
to prove that the words of Paul are very true. Circumcision is
nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing.
The old law of physical circumcision is ALTERED and even
"done away with" as for Christians under the New Covenant to have
to observe. So it is written in the New Testament.
8. EXAMPLES AND/OR COMMANDS OF THE NT
ATTENDANCE AT SABBATH SERVICES
Luke 4:16; Acts 17:2. What we would call today "going to
church on the Sabbath" is given to follow by the Christian today
from EXAMPLES in the NT. We can certainly see that Jesus made it
a custom to attend "church" services, as we read through the
Gospel accounts.
So also the apostle Paul as we follow his journeys in the
book of Acts. And we have a more direct command from Paul as
found in Hebrews 10:24-25, which with the above would include
assembling on the Sabbath if possible.
Jesus observed the Festivals of God, the ones He gave to
Israel in Leviticus 23. This can be seen again from reading the
Gospels. Paul and the apostles likewise in the book of Acts (Acts
2:1; 18:21; 20:6,16). There may not be any direct command in the
NT that says, "You shall observe the feasts of Leviticus the
twenty-third chapter." But there is NO verse(although some try
to use a few) in the NT that says, "The feasts of Leviticus
23 are now under the New Covenant, not to be observed." When
EXAMPLES by Christ and Paul are given to show they continued to
observe these feasts under the NC, then those examples, WHEN
other things are "all weighed together" to prove the point fully,
do portray a picture that should be followed by the Christian of
the NT age.
REMEMBER THE LORD'S DEATH WITH BREAD AND WINE
Matthew 26:17-29; 1 Corinthians 11:20-28. Here we see both
example and command. Jesus ALTERED the NT Passover service from
a festive meal of roast lamb to the relative simple symbols of
bread and the cup(the fruit of the vine). Paul also was inspired
to say that people were to "examine themselves" and then to eat
those symbols.
ANGRY WITH YOUR BROTHER AND LUST IN THE MIND
Matthew 5:21-30. Under the Old Covenant certain laws were in
effect that were quite letter of the law specific. One was
MURDER, another was ADULTERY. Jesus comes along under the NC and
with direct command goes one step further with those laws. He
goes to the heart and spirit of those laws. He teaches that now
to have a wrong attitude and mind and heart within such laws
against your neighbor or the spouse of your neighbor, was just as
guilty as if they had committed the literal act itself.
John was also inspired to give instruction on the "spirit"
of the NT law command. He that did not love his neighbor, or
hated his neighbor was a murderer, and no eternal life was in him
(1 John 3:14,15).
RETURNING GOOD FOR EVIL
Matthew 5:38-41. In some situations we are under the NT commands
NOT to seek rightful justice. There will come times when others
may do things to us that could warrant justice on our part to be
persuasively sort for. Sometimes such temptation for revenge
and justice must not only be passed over, but doing good from us
to our enemy must come forth. This is not to say a Christian is a
"door-mat" for everyone to wipe their dirty boots on. Paul did
appeal to the Roman Authorities at times when the religious Jews
wanted to wipe their muddy shoes on him, as we see from the book
of Acts. Yet there were times when Paul and Peter and other
servants of the Lord, endured evil from men and returned good.
The situation, circumstance and the Holy Spirit, will lead and
guide you to know when justice on your part needs to be put to
one side and simple goodness returned to those who may have done
you wrong.
COMMANDED TO SERVE WHEN IT IS POSSIBLE
1 John 3:16-19. The very context of these verses show that
John did not have in mind the literal giving of your life for a
brother/sister, although some have indeed done that very thing.
The NT command is not that we just love in WORD, and in some
inner mental mind set, but if we see our brother with a physical
need and we HAVE the physical goods, whatever they be, to help
them in their need, WE MUST DO SO! If we do not John can hardly
envision that person having the love of God in them. It would
just not be the way the love of God flowing into and out of a
person would practice his Christian life.
Of course the "good Samaritan" parable given by Jesus is the
capstone to serving others when it is possible for you to do so.
That parable was both an example and a command for the child of
God to follow in this age.
9. THE SPIRIT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
Acts 6. This is really the NT category of Deut.17 I talked
about in the first part of this study. It allows for the leading
and directing and inspiring by the Holy Spirit within the
community of God, to make judgments for the betterment of the
whole body, or the body of a local congregation or groupings of
congregations, depending on the circumstances of the time and the
needs of the people. It may also apply on a more individual
basis where hard matters are an issue and certain judgments must
be handed out.
The example of Acts 6 and the choosing of seven by the
church and apostles to wait on tables, or to be more specific in
this situation, serve the widows with daily needs, to administer
physical necessities to them as the need arose. This judgment to
so organize had no SPECIFIC law as such from the books of Moses.
You will find in Acts 6 the apostles did not quote a book,
chapter, and verse of the OT to specifically authorize them
to make this judgment. Maybe it could be argued there are
PRINCIPLES in the OT to cover the establishment of "servers" or
"deacons." But none are given or alluded to by the apostles.
Then on the other hand, and this is an important hand, there are
no scriptures in the OT to oppose this judgment decision either.
What is one of the most important factors here, probably THE
most important factor of all? It is this: The working decision
of the judgment MUST NOT contradict the teachings of God that are
still in effect for the individual and collective Christian
community to observe. Let me give you an example as to what I
mean.
The church, be it a local or a grouping of churches, its
ministers or its whole membership, cannot, because of a situation
say concerning travel, decide to hold the feast of Tabernacles in
the 6th month instead of the 7th month. They cannot sit down and
say, "Well for our members the way most are with their jobs, it
would be better to have the fall Festivals in the 6th month."
Such a judgment would directly break an iron clad law of God that
the fall Festivals are to be in the 7th month.
Any so called "leading by the Spirit" over such matters
should send bells ringing off in a Christian's mind, if any group
of persons made a judgment as I've outlined above. The obvious
question would be WHOSE spirit is such a judgment coming from? If
it is not from God, then we are left with only one other possible
answer.
Acts 6 was breaking NO command, law, statute, precept, of
God. Certain situations in any given age will arise for any given
congregation of God's people, that were not there before, and a
judgment must then be rendered if it is of sufficient importance.
Today, we could possibly use an example of a church
congregation having a media outreach of the printed word. A
church that has the funds to produce a magazine, booklets and the
like, to send near and far, maybe around the world. We have
nothing in the OT or the NT on the matter in any specific way. To
do such an undertaking requires manpower and skilled leadership
over different departments of that manpower. The church with the
final blessing of the ministers(Acts 6 principle) may be involved
in the choosing of the skilled leaders over this publication
outreach. There is no establishment and example and law of this
publication work found in the Bible, but on the other hand it is
not AGAINST any law or commandment in the Bible either.
The Spirit leading in the church and body of Christ will
guide into the right judgments on such new specifics for a new
situation and age in the life of the people of God.
This must also be applied at times on a personal individual
basis for a minister or group of ministers. Another example will
explain.
Back in the 80's when I was in Ontario, near the city of
Toronto, a young man in the congregation came to me for help and
for counsel. He told me he was homosexual. I talked to him for a
number of hours that day. He wanted to know what God's stand was
on homosexuality. At the end of it all he said he understood. I
told him the thing that God hates the most is someone who
PRACTICES homosexuality. For we all have our different sins of
the mind we must root out and clean out, and fight against. Some
weeks went by and then he came to me again to talk more about the
same subject. This time he told me other things he did not tell
me the first time. He had and was still visiting with and
spending time with other homosexuals who were practicing this
sin. Then he told me he was thinking about moving into the city
of Toronto. Well for you that do not know, and think Canada is
lily white when it comes to sin as compared to the USA, this will
shock you. The city of Toronto has the SECOND largest homosexual
community in North America, next to San Francisco.
He still seemed like he wanted help from me to overcome
homosexuality and wanted me to tell him what he should do.
I told him I would tell him what he should NOT DO. I told
him that if he was to stand any chance of overcoming this sin, of
never practicing it, he had to GIVE UP his homosexual friends,
get away from them, put them out of his life. Then I told him
that if he moved into the city of Toronto to live, it would be
the end of his life in the church and walk with God.
Now to give that judgment, about not moving into Toronto to
live, I could not quote any Bible verse that said: "No Christian
having problems with homosexuality shall live in Toronto." On
the other hand there was no scripture that said I could not
render such a judgment if everything pointed to that being the
best judgment under his circumstance. I had to act as given in
Deut.17 and this category we are looking at here of the leading
of the Holy Spirit under the NT age.
I had to see the overall teaching of the word of God on this
matter, understand the present situation of the area we lived in,
the facts of the city of Toronto, the facts that this young man
was too close to this sin for comfort at the present, and render
my judgment. I am sorry to tell you, he did not listen to me. He
did move into Toronto to live, would not give up his homosexual
friends, and our church congregation never saw him again.
The Spirit of the Lord must be allowed to LEAD, to TEACH, to
render JUDGMENTS where such judgments may never have been
rendered before in quite that manner for that situation of the
time. But remember the Spirit of God will NEVER contradict the
words of the Eternal that we are still to apply and live by as
Christians today.
10. NOT EFFECTED BY ANY OF THE ABOVE
As we use the above 9 categories to help us determine HOW we
are to live by every word of God, we also need to remember that
there are some things that are NOT effected by ANY of those
overall categories.
Let's take the example of FASTING, say on the Day of
Atonement. It is not governed by SACRIFICIAL laws, or by NATIONAL
laws, for you as a individual can fast without it being a law of
the nation. It has nothing directly to do with HISTORICAL
National laws as far as you personally being able to fast on the
festival of Atonement. It has nothing to do with CULTURAL
CARNALITY laws. You do not have to live in a certain culture to
decide to fast on this or any other day of the year. There is no
NT DIRECT ALTERATION to do with fasting per se. In fact we find
NT statements like as when Jesus said, "WHEN you fast" not IF
you fast. So EXAMPLES and COMMANDS under the NT would be used
for fasting.
The DAYS of the week or month, are not effected by any of
the above nine categories. SACRIFICING, having a Temple with a
priesthood, does not effect the days of the month as to whether
those days are there or not. When the Temple was not in existence
during the 70 year captivity of Judah in Babylon, the days of
the week did not end, they continued as ever before. Not
performing animal sacrifices on certain days or no days at all,
does not "do away" with the days themselves.
The months of a year are un-effected by any of the nine
categories above. There is no ALTERATION in the NT that would
tell us something like: "You shall from this point on begin the
first day of the year in the middle of summer." Living under a
nation that has its own National culture calendar does not effect
the calendar Moses and the leaders of Israel had. The one does
not have to effect the other in any foundational way. Two
calendars can co-exist alongside each other just fine, the Jews
have been doing it for centuries with the Hebrew and Roman
calendars.
The above TEN categories must be used with each other and
with WISDOM in logical ways. To jump the gun and say, "everything
I can find that has any connection with physical sacrifice, I
will take as not having to be observed today because animal
sacrificing does not have to be observed(and cannot be observed
as there is no Temple in Jerusalem)" will lead you to "doing
away" with not only every day of the week, but every day of the
month and year also, as animal sacrificing in ancient Israel was
to be performed on every day of the year. When the Jews were in
captivity for 70 years in Babylon and were not able to practice
daily animal sacrificing, they did not believe the days of the
year had ceased to exist and that time was no more.
The festivals of Leviticus 23 have the tabernacle,
priesthood and sacrifices attached to them. This does not by
itself and automatically mean that just because there is no
Temple, priesthood and sacrifices today, the festivals are thrown
out the window also. The Jews sure do not think this is the case,
not at all. The baby does not have to get thrown out with the
bath water. Care must be taken.
There may be PORTIONS of a law in the Old that has been
changed in the New, while leaving the rest. It could be one
aspect or portion of a law or two or more aspect of the law that
has been changed, while the foundation of the law remains.
Again I use the Festivals as an example.
Under the OC the Feasts of God were to be observed in a
central location in Israel, at the place where God placed His
name. At first it was in Shiloh, and later that place was in
Jerusalem. Jesus comes along under the NC and in John 4 tells the
woman at the well that the time was COMING and even NOW was, that
Jerusalem would no longer be the only place to worship God. There
was an ALTERATION to this ASPECT of the law. He did not say the
Festivals of God were "done away" only the specific aspect of a
central location in Israel to observe them and worship God
through them at this location WAS ALTERED under the NC. The basic
foundation of the festivals THEMSELVES would remain solid and
firm as before, but the portion of that law concerning a central
location in Palestine would become VOID and not applicable to NT
Christians.
We see from 1 Corinthians 5 that the Gentile/Jewish church
at Corinth were observing the feast of Unleavened Bread and
literally putting the literal leaven out of their homes during
this feast as was commanded under the OC. From this EXAMPLE in
the NT we are taught that THIS ASPECT of the festival law is
STILL to be followed by Christians today.
Now another aspect of the festival law must have JUDGMENT
applied to it. I refer to the aspect of observing the Feast of
Tabernacles in make-shift booths, made from the branches of trees
(see Lev.23:41-43; Nehemiah 8:14-18). As this was to be done in
a central location (after Shiloh it was Jerusalem) in Palestine,
during the 7th month (our Sept./Oct) and as it was very pleasant
in the main at this time of the year in Jerusalem, it was no big
hardship for anyone, young or old. Now under the NC age we have
first of all the aspect of a central location in Palestine NOT IN
EFFECT, and secondly a WORLDWIDE membership of God's people
called and chosen from EVERY NATION, far and near, east and west,
north and south. WITHOUT ANY LIMITATION as to land surface. Do
you see what this means under our judgment here called for?
We have no SPECIFIC mention in the NT as to a judgment on
THIS aspect of the Festival law. Yet for TODAY one surely must
be made. God's people living in parts of the world where in
Sept./Oct. it would be very hard and severe weather to be out in
booths made from branches of trees, especially for the very young
and elderly, the Spirit of the law of the NT would I believe lead
to see that THIS aspect of the law of the feast of Tabernacles is
NOT in force today. Certainly if some in climates that favor
such booth dwelling for seven days WANT to experience tent living
during this feast, they have the liberty to so do. But I believe
the church of God has judged correctly for centuries now
that the aspect of Lev.23:41-42, and as followed in Nehemiah 8,
was for an OC people who dwelt in Palestine and were coming to a
central location in that land, and that Christians today are
under no obligation to observe that portion or aspect of that law
of the feast of Tabernacles.
The NT Spirit would have all persons, of every age, in every
land on earth, ENJOY and be BLESSED at the observance of the
feast of Tabernacles. Many young and old, and some inbetween,
living in some areas on this earth, would come to dread and very
much dislike the feast of Tabernacles, if they were absolutely
and only to observe it living in make-shift booths made from the
branches of trees. And God's festivals are to be a WONDERFUL
BLESSING for everyone everywhere, not an endurance trial.
I have given you the basic keys and points to use TOGETHER,
and the word "together" is of prime importance, for often it is a
combination of these categories that must come together to answer
the question of HOW do I live by every word that proceeds out of
the mouth of God.
Now you have them, keep them close at hand for reference.
Use them wisely as you prove all things and hold fast to that
which is good.
..............
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