The Principles of God Do Not Change

Part 26

First Commandment: Hear God’s Voice

The first commandment is not about “having no other gods before me”.

The first commandment is about hearing God’s voice and appreciating the fact that we have been saved from being alone and isolated from true love, and having to face death without any hope of something better in life. This commandment will have real meaning to us if God is our Savior and the Lord of our lives, because, if this is the case, we will know who is the Lord our God, and we will have a meaningful relationship with Him.

The first commandment also contains typology. As we have already discussed, typology is symbolism that has a broader application beyond the strict literal sense in which a type is used. In this case, there is meaning inherent in the first commandment that applies to us, as well as those who were brought out of the Land of Egypt at the time of Moses. The fact that the first commandment contains this symbolism (by using types) also means there may be other commandments of the Decalogue that have a broader application than the strict literal sense, which appears to apply only to the Israelites. It is important that this be borne in mind because, if we are inconsistent in interpreting the scriptures, we will find ourselves breaking faith with God. Our aim is to understand God, not to break faith with God.

When Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” He replied by quoting Deuteronomy, which reads:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength”’ (Deut. 6: 4-5).

The first commandment is not “you shall love your god” as many people seem to think. Your god could be anyone or anything. It is, firstly, hear, or listen to the words that God is speaking. For the Lord is One and there is no other God. Then it says, we are to love God and must know Him personally as Lord—not merely know of God and believe He exists. We need to love Him with our whole being and all our strength. If we do love God, we will keep His commandments and, because of this, live a life of much blessing. This is God's promise to us. This promise is found in Deuteronomy chapter six, verse three.

God’s Principles Do Not Change

We have the ability to make choices and take hold of God’s promises because we are gods, not animals. We each have a spirit, which was created to have fellowship with the God of gods—our God. This may seem strange, but Jesus Himself, called the Father not only our Father and His Father, but our God and His God, too (John 17:20). We are not mere animals with a soul; we are gods; we are spirit beings, designed to worship and have fellowship with the Father of spirits (Hebrews 12:9). Nothing has changed. The Father’s purpose has always been the same.

Many people claim that Jesus did away with the Old Testament and what is written in the books of Moses is no longer valid today. However, for those of us who actually read the Bible and note what it says, one of the remarkable discoveries we have been able to make is how the principles of God do not change. Another discovery is God Himself does not change in His requirements for having a relationship with Him. What was applicable to Adam and Eve is still applicable to us today. What was written in the Law of Moses that had significance for salvation is still applicable today. The fact that people were required to walk in the truths of God is still applicable today— even though they were given three thousand, five hundred (3500) years ago. There may be a cultural shift, but the truth remains. Hence, Jesus and the Apostles all quoted the Old Testament, even when it came to declaring the so-called new commandment, the first commandment, which is, we shall learn to hear the voice of the Lord God, and love Him with all our heart, our soul, our mind and our strength. This is the only way we can be delivered from the futility of being born—only to die.

Go to Part 1 Click HERE

Copyright  2012 H.Riches

The Ten Commandments Were Not Given To Abraham The Father Of The Faithful

Part 20

Not Given to the Fathers

Interestingly, in Deuteronomy chapter five, we learn that God made a covenant with the people of Israel, which was not the same covenant made with their fathers:

“The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive. The Lord talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire. I stood between the Lord¹⁶ [i.e. the Son of God] and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain. He said:

‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me’” (Deuteronomy 5: 2-7).

The fathers were Abraham,  and Jacob. This is quite clear in the Bible, as evidenced when Moses saw the burning bush that was not consumed and God commissioned him to go down to Egypt:

“God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:15).

It is very clear who the fathers are, and according to the scriptures, they had not been given the Ten Commandments as a covenant. Yet it needs to be pointed out that Abraham kept all of God’s commandments, statutes and laws, as well as keeping His charge and obeying His voice (Genesis 26:5). While this implicitly includes the Ten Commandments, there was no covenant like the Mosaic covenant made with Abraham, or Isaac, or Jacob. The scripture has no record of any covenant being made with any of the fathers charging them to keep the Ten Commandments,¹⁷ like there was a covenant made with the Israelites, who had been rescued from Egypt.—This does not mean we should break the Ten Commandments carte blanche, though, that grace upon grace might be extended to us (cf. Romans 6:1-2).

The covenant made with the Israelites after their rescue from the oppression of Pharaoh was for a good reason. God had to set up an appointed time to demonstrate His righteousness to all of Creation and legally lay claim to what was lost when Adam forfeited his right to reign on Earth to Lucifer, the now ex-Archangel; who is otherwise known as Satan and the Devil—among other names.

Some major cosmic declarations¹⁸ were taking place at the time of the Israelites deliverance from Egypt and these were seen in everything God commanded Moses to copy from the Heavenly Sanctuary (Hebrews 8:5). Much of what occurred during this period and what Moses was ordained to do was full of typology that represented greater truths about God’s purpose for humankind. God in His wisdom ordained this so that those who truly wanted to know Him would seek Him and find Him, while for others, the events that happened and the requirements of the covenant would seem like nonsense.

The Ten Commandments were given specifically to the Israelites, along with the sacrifices and redemptive model that Moses copied from the Heavenly Sanctuary. The aim was for these to become a tutor until the full truth was revealed (Galatians 3:24). The commandments, statutes, laws and charge that were given to Moses included the weightier matters of the law (faith, justice and mercy).

However, the blood of bulls and goats could not provide the efficacy of grace and truth that was needed for salvation. Neither could the blood of goats and bulls act as a shield to protect the sinner against the accusation of the Ten Commandments. This is why it is written that the Law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ—Jesus did what the Mosaic Law could not do through the blood of animals and provided salvation power through His death and resurrection. However, the many regulations of the Ceremonial Law did provide the knowledge of God and how men were to be redeemed from the bondage of sin and death.  As for the Ten Commandments, they have always been of value, except no human being appears to have been able to keep them—that is, apart from Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God.

To keep the Ten Commandments—and fulfill the Royal Law (James 2:8) by walking in the Spirit—a person needs to, first of all, understand that they have to heed the voice of God. This is what the first commandment is really about. We need to know who God is and obey His voice, which we do because He is our Lord. The reason God is our Lord is because He has rescued us from the slavery of sin and the bondage of death. If we do not know the reason why we need to know God, then it is impossible for God to be our Lord. Essential to knowing God and being saved from a life of futility is reasoning with God why we need Him in our life. God invites us to “come and reason with Him”.

Go to Part 1 Click HERE

Copyright  2012 H.Riches