2009-11-20
Good Morning God’s Treasures,
As we continue with comparisons of MT 7: 12 [the Golden Rule] from Christ’s Sermon on the Mount with other Scriptures, we can see the far-reaching implications of our Lord’s words. Today, we will examine the Golden Rule against MT 22: 34-40 [The Great Commandment] and RO 13: 1-8 [Duties toward state authorities and one another]. This analysis can also be described as that between law and love.
Let’s begin with the law. If a person lives up to DT 6: 4-5 and LV 19: 18, he is living up to the law. DT 6: 4-5, “Here, O Israel, the Lord our God; the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.” LV 19: 18, “Do not take revenge on anyone or continue to hate him, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” We should live up to the law as stated here as a matter of conscience, rather than by force or under duress. This goes back to the understanding that one’s faith can’t be forced upon him by another. Faith doesn’t come by legislation either. This has been tried and has failed, as evidenced by the strong eastern Orthodox faith of the Russian people despite 70 years of indoctrination by the Communists to be atheist. We must remember that our own country was founded in response to the desire for religious freedom. So, in view of DT 6: 4-5, what does determine our faith? I believe the Holy Spirit on the Father’s instructions places Himself in the hearts of those the Father has chosen to have faith in Him and His Son. There have been so many examples, including my own, of people not likely to become true believers in the Lord Yeshua from the human perspective, who have anyway. MK 10: 27, “Jesus looked straight at them [His disciples] and answered, ‘This is impossible for man but not for God; everything is possible for God.’” The great difficulty with living by the law alone is giving in to the tendency to be legalistic, to get hung up on form, missing the content of God’s teaching. This has happened to the traditional Jews, especially the Orthodox ones.
So, we must examine the other component of this discussion, love. The New Commandment of JN 13: 34-35 goes hand in hand with the Golden Rule [MT 7: 12], The Great Commandment of MT 22: 34-40, and our God-given duties toward the state and other people in RO 13: 1-8. JN 13: 34-35 [Christ speaking], “And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so that you must love one another. If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are My disciples.”
There are some additional Scriptures that reveal God’s consistency in His teaching and His connection to the Son-His second personality. JN 14: 9b, 11, “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father…Believe Me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. If not, believe because of the thing I do…” God has been trying to teach us His love from the time mankind first were created. We must never forget the Protevangelium, GN 3: 15, which gives away the layout of mankind’s history. “I will make you [the serpent, Satan] and the woman hate each other; her offspring and yours will always be enemies. Her offspring will crush your head, and you will bite their heel.” Biting ones heel brings pain, but doesn’t destroy him. Crushing one’s head is sure death. And one more example of God’s love comes in GN 3: 21, “And the Lord God made clothes out of animal skins for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.” For this to happen, blood was poured first in a sacrifice that foreshadows the forgiveness and salvation that would eventually come from the sacrifice of His Son, my Lord Yeshua [Jesus Christ]. Realize that these Scriptures are teaching the same precepts from both the OT and NT. Claim HE 13: 8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, an forever.” Consider JN 1: 1-4, “Before the world was created, the Word [Jesus Christ], already existed; He was with God, and He was the same as God. From the very beginning the Word was with God. Through Him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without Him. The Word was the Source of life, and this life brought light to mankind.”
Obeying the law out of conscience and loving God and others because we are commanded by God to do so, helps to complete and mature us a believers. It markedly changes our thoughts and behaviors. RO 12: 1-2 is lived out. “So then, my brothers, because of God’s great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service and pleasing to Him. This is the true worship that you should offer. Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by the complete renewal of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God-what is good and is pleasing to Him and is perfect.” Now, repeat the Golden Rule and see if this whole series of Scriptures isn’t a perfect fit with it. We learn from God how to please Him. He has never made that a secret.
PRAYER: O Lord, we come to You today as people who want to please You. You have showed us how to do this, but we can’t do it without Your divine intervention. In other words, we are “poor in spirit.” The choice to treat others as we would want to be treated seems easy enough. But some of those others are our foes. You have told us in EPH 1: 18-20, that once we came to faith, we are given the same power to do spiritual warfare that You used to raise the Lord Yeshua from death to life. That’s huge, but all too often we forget to use that power or even that we have it. So today, we ask you to help us to obey MT 5: 44-45a, “But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may become the sons of your Father in heaven.” This is not easy for us to do, because of the emotions that get in the way. We don’t have an easy time paying taxes either. The evil one knows our vulnerable areas and goes right for them. He is crafty, as we learn in 1 PET 5 :8, “Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” We must be firm in our faith in You and the Son. For when we are, and when we learn to pray first in times of trouble, You will let us know the best thing to do. We must avoid holding grudges [2 COR 10: 3-5; EPH 4: 26-27] and live according to Your teaching in MT 5: 23-24. “So, if you are about to offer your gift to God at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with your brother, and come back and offer your gift to God.” If we look at these and so many other teachings You and the Son have given us, we will find that they always fit within the Golden Rule. This was true in ancient times, is true now, and will always be true in the future. That is the eternal nature of Your Word. We thank You for all your teaching, and we hope You will intervene and give us the courage to follow it. We are eternally grateful for Your availability to us and for Your many blessings. We offer You praise for Who You are and what You do. In the holy and mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen
Next week, there is more to say about the analysis of the law and love from these three verses and passages, MT 7: 12, MT 22: 34-40, and RO 13: 1-8. God gives us many spiritual jewels for our treasure chests. We stand grateful to Him. In the meanwhile, it occurs to me to mention two important concepts: Christ’s Atonement on the cross, so that we can be saved, and our need to remember to praise and thank God for all He is and all He does for us. The former is the supreme act of unselfishness on the part of the Father and the Son. The Father could have tried to protect His Son from the awful pain and suffering He endured on the cross. The Son could have refused to obey. Neither personality of God did these things. Even as far back as GN 22: 9-18 when Abraham obeyed God and was about to sacrifice his only son of the promise, and in LK 22: 42 when Christ prepared to offer Himself up on the cross and He obeyed, we were blessed for all eternity by the Father’s generosity and love for us. We must be faithfully obedient to Him, for that is the only way to eternal life. Nothing on this earth is more worth it. We would be ungrateful and selfish children, if we forget to praise and thank our Father for all He and the Son do for us. I am reminded of PS 40: 1-4, one of my favorite passages. I waited patiently for the Lord’s help; then He listened to me and hear my cry. He pulled me out of a dangerous pit, out of the deadly quicksand. He set me safely on a Rock and made me secure. He taught me to sing a new song, a song of praise to our God. Many who see this will take warning and will put their trust in the Lord.” So, I end this devotion with my urgent request that none of us forgets to thank and praise the Lord for all His is to us. I know His response will be to send us His blessings and peace. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn