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Stirring The Deep

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Learning from Old Testament Laws PART 2…

Learning from Old Testament Laws

PART 2

 

Continuance from previous post …

Penalty of death for breaking the Sabbath Exodus 35:2

Because most of us struggle with sanctification without works, God designed a potent instruction tool, the Sabbath. God established the law of the Sabbath as a picture and foreshadowing of entering into His ultimate rest in Christ.  On the Sabbath His people were ordered not to do any work. The consequences of not honoring this day were severe. In Numbers 15:32-36, on the Sabbath, a man was gathering sticks in the wilderness; a seemingly low effort and harmless task. His penalty? Death. The Sabbath law was not to be taken lightly. Exodus 31:14

The day was established to remind us that God sanctifies us and not our efforts. Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. (Ezekiel 20:12) If we try even with the smallest effort, like picking up sticks, we are going against the will of God. Christ fulfilled the entire law including the Sabbath. The requirement of rest pointed to Christ who would be our eternal rest and free us from having to earn our righteousness by obeying the law. He became our rest and we became holy. We are no longer bound to any law because He perfectly filled each one. There is nothing we add to it and it is to our determent if we try to. We are to accept what He has done and rest in grace. We all fall into the performance trap, but the question is in what race are we trying to run, of works or grace?

Galatians 3:24-25, Colossians 2:16-17, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

From the severity of the consequences of the Sabbath Law, we can see how important learning and abiding by this truth is to God. It’s critical to our spiritual survival to rest from attempting to earn our righteousness. If we try to live by the law then that is how we will be judged. If we break one iota then we have broken it altogether and we are accountable. The man who picked up sticks that one afternoon was put to death. It is all or nothing. And no one can fulfill the whole law. We are human and we will fall short. This path, which the majority of the world attempts to walk, has one end, death. Conversely, if we live by grace then we are judged by grace, and we abide in freedom and perfect assurance of our salvation and sanctification.

Ezekiel 33:13, Romans 4:4-5

Christ saves and sanctifies. Most of us trust Him with saving our souls but when it comes to sanctification we intervene. If the core motivation to give to the poor, tithe, go to church, say a prayer, go to a Bible study, work for a ministry, and help with the homeless is to earn a high ranking in His kingdom or make us more worthy then our trust is in the wrong place. It’s clear by the consequences of breaking the law that God doesn’t tolerate us attempting to sanctify ourselves. It’s critical that we know this truth deep in our souls. Resting means we trust God to sanctify us alone. A good way to test if you are resting in Him is to stop doing those things for awhile and see what you feel in your soul. If you feel guilt, you are trusting in the wrong thing.

Galatians 5:4-5

Restrictions on eating certain foods Lev. 11:10

Eating represented eternalizing certain spiritual doctrines. Foods were symbolic of what was unclean, the philosophies contrary to God’s truth and ways and the ones those other beliefs come from. The restrictions on food were a constant reminder that what we take in (other philosophies) affects our bodies, minds, and spirits. If it is tainted then we are tainted.

The Israelites were commanded not to mingle with other nations because their philosophies and beliefs would influence them and lead them astray from God, which they did. Abstaining from certain foods was a constant reminder of this truth.

At the coming of Christ, life was able to go to all men so that all could enter God’s presence not just the Israelites. Anyone God purifies is pure. Acts 10:12-16 There are no more divisions in Christ, all can come to God through Christ. However, it is still critical for us not to mingle the truth of God with other philosophies. Matthew 16:6, 12.

 

Touching unclean animals Lev 11:8

Again this addresses staying away from other philosophies that aren’t of God because of our ability to be influenced by them. Without the Holy Spirit people had to stay completely separate from these other nations and ideas. They lacked discernment, wisdom and counsel. They easily gave into those ideas. The restrictions on animals represented that separation and served as a constant reminder.

To be continued …


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Eternal Truths of those CRAZY Old Testament Laws

Eternal Truths of those

CRAZY Old Testament Laws

An email was forwarded to me from a man who listed several points about the Word of God in a response to the claim by Dr. Laura that homosexuality is an abomination according to the Word of God. He addressed issues regarding the laws of the OT (Old Testament), in which he thought they were nonsensical. His point was to show the laws were absurd and therefore dismiss anything it may say about homosexuality. Many stumble at these issues so I felt it was important to talk about them. Here I address each of the topics he mentioned. I hope this brings some light though I realize there is much to learn.

Seeking with a mindset to truly know and not to lift ourselves above God allows us to be open to learn from Him. If we seek to know God as He is, then we will start to see the perfection in all His ways, and how all works together to teach us and instruct us. God is love. All He does is in love. As we seek to understand His truths with this mindset and trust the Holy Spirit to teach us, we see that is the case.

Before we get started a couple of points. The Word is written layer upon layer so that each passage holds layers of truth. It’s incredibly rich and deep, which makes seeking and learning an on going process. Second, those of the OT didn’t have the Holy Spirit to guide and to teach them, therefore they needed numerous external rules to live by. Third, the stories and events of the OT point to spiritual truths, eternal truths. The laws are symbolic and reminders of God’s truth. Each one pointed to a deeper spiritual truth, and those truths endure though many of the rules do not – as they were no longer need with the coming of Jesus and the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

God is God and we are not. We see a sliver. He sees eternity. He knows how all works together. We think we know better and we know best, we don’t. God knows our nature better than we do. He understood that the Israelites needed boundaries, rules, reminders of His truths to be constantly before them. He understood if you give people an inch they take a mile. God knows the human nature better than any. All the “rules” were for the Israelites protection and continuance of a nation. He needed to protect them because from that lineage Christ would come. At the manifestation of Jesus Christ not only was He the perfect fulfillment of the law but we are now able to receive the Holy Spirit to guide us so we didn’t need all those outward reminders. Further, God was building illustrations that taught eternal truths and many pointing to Christ. On with the issues …

Slavery Leviticus 25:44, Exodus 21:7

God allowed slavery for a reason to serve certain purposes. It caused history to play out in a certain way. We can’t understand the beginning from the end or the full purpose of its existence, because all we’ve know is history with it. Like today, our systems serve certain purposes though far from perfect. Some systems seem unfair, but that is our estimation. We aren’t qualified to judge, because we see only a sliver of time. We think we know what fair is. We haven’t a clue. We don’t see the beginning and the end. We don’t understand the fullness of our purpose here on earth. Ecc 3:11 We are trying to play God when we think we do.

In addition, the way the world is at any one time is to teach us spiritual truths and the “negative” teaches just as much as the positive, if not more so. Slavery in the physical taught us about slavery in the spiritual. If there was no slavery we would lack understanding. We can’t see the spiritual so the physical is there to teach us about it in a way we can understand.

The more important truth is we are all slaves either to God or to “Satan”. It’s the spiritual life that matters much more than the physical. The physical life is but a nit; the spiritual for eternity. We put far too much weight on the physical and not enough on the spiritual life. Many people today are slaves to greed, lust, and a whole host of things that are far worse than physical slavery. And it this internal slavery that Christ came to free us from. Freedom is an illusion to those who are slaves to this world.

Matthew 10:28 , 1 John 5:19, Titus 2:9, James 4:14

Animal sacrifices – Lev 1:9

Animal sacrifices pointed to Christ. God designed this world that life is to be given for life for there to be forgiveness; blood for blood. The sacrifice of the animals was to teach us about the seriousness of our sin – how it separates us from God and what is required for us to be reunited to Him – the life of another. For the Israelites, it was a constant reminder of their need for forgiveness and that it’s only life that can pay the price for sin.

With Christ, the eternal sacrifice, an animal sacrifice and having to do it over and over is no longer needed.

Further reading – Lesson in Sacrifice

To be continued ….


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Snowballing Effects of the Sinful Nature

Snowballing Effects of

the Sinful Nature

 

I posted a couple videos on Why Bad Things Happen to Good People? On YouTube, several people mentioned horrific instances and wondered why God, who is suppose to be loving, would allow such dreadful evils? Therefore, in their judgment, God must not exist; it’s simply life and chance. One person gave a video response about the father who locked up his daughter in the basement for 24 years and had several children by her. Thinking about this horrific event – this is what came to mind . . .

The majority of us tend to think our “little” sins are no big deal because compared to others’ sins we judge them less important. For example, I may say a lie here and there, but at least I’m not murdering! However, our “little” sins have ripple effects and if those sins are left unchecked, then those “little” sins snowball. They can snowball in our own lives, but it’s the passing along to other generations and those around us that we often don’t consider. What may seem like a small thing may feed a “bigger” sin in someone else. For example, in selfish indulgence I may flirt with someone married at work. What’s the big deal? The big deal is I’m telling others with my actions that is acceptable behavior. I can reinforce thoughts of infidelity in another. Then perhaps they go and have an affair with someone else causing pain and damage. My little sin could have fed that sin, see? Obviously, I wasn’t the only cause, but I could have contributed to it because I encouraged that train of thought. Now, we have no way of knowing how our actions affect others in a particular circumstance, but my point is we are all connected. We influence each others’ lives. We don’t operate in a vacuum. Our words, our actions have power. How are your behaviors, words, beliefs affecting others really? 1 Corinthians 10:24 Each person’s choice is based upon the combination of their experiences, previous choices, family, friends, culture, genetics, and situations. And much of that is influenced by others.

Horrific evils result from an accumulation of many “little” sins not dealt with in our lives, throughout generations, and in our society. Sins excused as no big deal. Sins give a foothold to evil – and when we open the door to let it in who knows what form it will take. So who is responsible? We say we never would do that terrible of an evil – but when we don’t address our own rebellion against God we are contributing to what could become a “bigger” sin.

These horrific stories should be a powerful reminder of the effects our little sins have. We are all connected. God isn’t to blame. The answer isn’t to turn away from God – it’s to draw near – the only thing that will heal this earth.

In thinking about this snowball effect, my fallen nature, and all the snowballing I’ve done, Paul’s exclamation came to mind . . .Romans 7:24 “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Then, Christ’s magnificence filled me. He set us free from this curse. The thoughts of His deliverance from being a slave to sin, mercy for not giving me the full effects of my sin or giving it to others, complete forgiveness and moving my sins as far as the east is from the west, the healing in me and the lives I have hurt along the way, and His new spirit in me that gives me a passion for His ways and His love overflowed my soul with gratitude. . . and it made me much more attentive to the “little” sins God shows me.

Apart from God we can’t know and give true love. This is what we are learning by all the pain and damage that is created from souls separated from God. That pain is to drive us to seek God; to open our eyes to the fact that going our way apart from Him doesn’t work. But instead many blame God – they have it backwards. We are the problem, not Him. Being separated from Him is the problem.

We all have rebelled against God Isaiah 53:6. We have all caused pain, damage, and added to the sinful state of our world. When we fully understand our sinfulness, the gift of God of giving His Son’s life as payment for our sins, for His healing, and His mercy toward us, then His love overwhelms us. 1 Peter 4:8, Psalm 57:10

Only by being born of God can we know and do what is truly loving and good. We need Him. We need to be deeply connected to Him. He is life.

We are choosing that evil we hate every day when we don’t choose God and His way. Matthew 24:12

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Why Bad Things Happen to Good People? (II)

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Part Two

In my previous post on Monday, I talked about the “good people” aspect of this question. Today I address the “bad things”. To subscribe to my videos go to my Youtube Channel, Stirring the Deep.

1 Peter 1:6-7 “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ”

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Why Bad Things Happen to Good People? (I)

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Part One

Below I share some of my thoughts on why bad things happen to good people. I’ll post the second half on Wendesday.

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Why Bad Things Happen to Good People

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People

 

The problem with this statement is there are no good people. Therefore, goodness doesn’t protect us as this phrase implies. I think this is the lesson in the book of Job: not that bad things happen to good people, but that no one is good in the eyes of a holy God so we shouldn’t rely on our perceived goodness. Mark 10:18

In the last chapter, I think the verses Job 42:5-6 reveal what the book is about “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.” Why is Job repenting if he is blameless? Why does he abhor himself if he is one of the most upright men to live?

I believe he finally realized that his goodness and righteousness were nothing compared to a holy God. Instead, we are completely dependent on God’s mercy in every facet of our lives. It isn’t about our goodness because we have none. It is about God’s mercy that covers us. Psalm 33:13-22

The fact that we can never earn our goodness or be truly good is why Christ came. We need someone to stand in our place and do what we never could – fulfill the holy requirements of God. When we accept Christ we accept His life in place of ours. Then God sees us with the righteousness of Christ. It is an incredible sacrifice and amazing gift that affects every area of our lives now and for eternity.

People aren’t divided between good and bad since we all fall short whether feet, inches or centimeters. When we think of “bad” stuff happening, the division lies between those who are God’s people and those who aren’t.

Without God

For those without God in this world (Ephesians 2:12) they are susceptible to the whims of this world, a world governed by evil and death. (1 John 5:19) They suffer by the work of their own hands and by the ways of this world that breed death. Only God is life. Any life apart from Him manifests death despite people trying to convince themselves otherwise.

With God

For those with God, all that happens to them serves the purpose of drawing them closer to Him. Trials, afflictions or sufferings have the ultimate goal of moving us into a more intimate union with God built upon truth and love. God is constantly calling us deeper and deeper into Him. This is why we can sincerely praise God in our troubles, because they aren’t just fostering pain and suffering, they are bringing about newness of life that is united to Him if we are seeking God in them.

God doesn’t want us to remain in these troubled states that is why He promises deliverance from troubles, trials, and afflictions. Yet, difficult times, suffering, and afflictions, have a way of making us call out to God, to trust, to seek Him with passion and fervor in a manner we otherwise wouldn’t do. “Bad” stuff gets our attention, makes us seek, ask, and go deeper into Him and His truth where we find true freedom and deliverance. But for us the bad isn’t bad, it is good if we seek His truth in all things. (Romans 8:28) Even if we are experiencing the consequences of sin, those situations serve the purpose of motivating us to turn from our ways and to His. Only His ways bring life. Everything in our lives is a lesson and an opportunity to draw closer to God if we will seek Him and His truth.

Since God has been the center of my life, my Lord, everything that has happened has brought me closer to Him, which wasn’t the case before. Before I created paths of destruction piling up pain upon pain, now all that happens moves me further into abundant life inside out. Though difficult, hard times have a completely different meaning and purpose. Through them I learn that what I thought was life wasn’t. It was bondage. Then God brings me into true life.

This life isn’t about how good we are; it is about depending and trusting on God’s mercy alone and nothing of ourselves. When we do we will draw near to Him in truth as He desires and our lives will continue to move out from under death and destruction and into life and true abundance.