14/07/13

Law and Commandments of God

Psalms 37:31 - The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.


Psalms 37 speaks of the righteous being righteous because the Law of God is in his heart. It says because the Law of God is ion his heart he has wisdom, speaks justice and his walk in the Lord is firm, the properties of a righteous person.

Christians confuse between the Law of Moses and the Law of God and not only that, most are ignorant about the difference between the Law of God and the Commandments of God (most may have not even dreamt of the second one).

What the Jews called as Law of Moses were not the Law / Commandments of God given through Moses but the things they did according to their understanding of the Law / Commandments of God given through Moses. It other words it were the traditions and teachings of the Jews which they tagged to Moses. So when the Jews said Law of Moses it did not mean what the Lord spoke through Moses but meant their traditions.

Firstly we need to understand the Jews never understood the books of Moses or the Prophets. We see a perfect example in Saul/Paul. Paul was educated in the Law of Moses and was taught by the best of the best teachers of the Jews. Not only the teacher was respected but even his students were highly respected, that is why the people took Paul's consent (kept their robes at his feet) to stone Stephen. In his letter to the Romans, Paul talks of the comparison between the Law of Moses and of the Law of God in great detail.

Coming to the Law of God and the Commandments of God, if one notes in the tablets given to Moses they held both the Law and Commandments of God (Exodus 24:12). If you ask me brother what is what is the difference between Law and Commandments? In English it is difficult to explain for both words refer to the same. Moreover in the Hebrew to English translations in word 'mitzvah' is translated as commandments instead of law and the word 'towrah' which means commandments is wrongly translated as law.

In simple words law is fixed and unchangeable while commandments are directions to keep the law or principles. Commandments may be many but law or principles are not many. Statutes on the other hand are things that are done until the understanding behind it is revealed. Statutes differ from traditions because traditions are customs or things/ practices done as a rule continuously with or without understanding. Also the understandings behind traditions do not truly lift a person spiritually according to the law but instead goes against the law and puts the person under bondage of the custom.

According to the Bible the Lord has only 2 principles or laws and these are the ones Jesus spoke as 'New Commandments', the Greek word 'kainos' translated as new means fresh or un-used. Jesus said this because the Jews never knew the Law of God or understood the Commandments of God.

The Frist Law is to do with our relationship with God and the Second is to do with our relationship with the people of God (not people of the world but people of God - God tolerates and has mercy for those who are not His, but His inheritance is not for them).

One thing we should get very clear is that everything that the Lord instructs us will never ever go against these 2 Laws of God. Every instruction of God holds up these 2 Laws, when we follow them they help us abide by the 2 Laws.

God says in today's message, for a person to be righteous he or she needs to have these 2 Laws written in their hearts like the words written on the stone tablets by the Finger of God.

The Holy Spirit is the Finger/ Hand of God and it is the Holy Spirit who engraves these Laws into our hearts, so it is only by power of the Holy Spirit that we can abide by them and walk in the path of righteousness.

Let us every day meditate on these 2 Laws of God, remembering them all the days of our lives so that we may grow in wisdom, justice and walk firmly in the ways of the Lord.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, we pray life is all The Family that is You as our Head and we your people as the Body. Lord let everyone of your sheep know this and walk in the 2 Laws that hold this Family together. There have been many who tried to add heads to this Body (Family) or break the Body (Family) but You God have and will make all their attempts futile. It is your Righteousness and Love that hold us together. Lord help us meditate on these 2 Laws every day of our lives...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference ]
Exodus 24:12 - And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.

Romans 2:25-29
25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 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.

Matthew 22:36-40
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

John 13:34 - A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

1 John 2:7 - Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

1 John 2:8 - Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

2 John 1:5 - And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.

James 2:8 - If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

Romans 13:8 - Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)