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.
Copyright 2012 H.Riches
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