The Apostle Paul went to extremes when telling the church of his day what God commanded them to do in order to spend eternity with Him and His Son.  Simply put, they were to know, believe and obey the Tora (Law) and the writings of the prophets.  The New Testament would not be codified for another forty years or so.  The Law and the writings of the prophets constituted the “Scriptures” He and the other apostles taught from as they turned God-hungry Israelites and Gentiles to the Lord.  Today those writings are referred to as the Old Testament–the covenant God made with ancient Israel.  Recall that Stephen was stoned to death for reminding the Jewish people of what God wrote in that Testament (Acts 6:5-60).  Recall also that upon hearing the gospel preached by Paul, the men of Berea “searched the Scriptures daily to see if what he was telling them was true” (Acts 17:11).  The Scriptures from which Paul was preaching was the Old Testament. In his letter to the Ephesians, he wrote that the New Testament Church was founded on the writings of both the prophets and the apostles (2:20).  He wrote to the Corinthians that what the prophets wrote was recorded and preserved “for our instruction upon whom the ends of the world have come”–the New Testament Church (1 Cor. 10:11).  Jesus came to “confirm the promises made to the (Israelite) fathers”–Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  We find those promises recorded in the Old Testament.

Jesus and the apostles repeatedly referred to the Old Testament when dealing with the Jews. and the “lost (scattered) tribes of the house of Israel.  Why did these New Testament messengers found the New Testament Church on the Old Testament Law and the writings of the prophets if they had been “nailed to the cross?”  What was nailed to the cross was the “handwriting of ordinances”–the sacrificial law that was hand-written on a scroll by Moses and placed BESIDE the Ark of the Covenant.  The Law, condensed into Ten Commandments, was written in stone by God Himself and placed INSIDE the ark which was guarded by angels. (1 Ki. 8:7).  So precious was this Law that a man was killed for having touched the Ark in which it rested (1 Chron. 13:9,10).  What made the Lord so protective of the Ark of the Covenant?  What is inside it tells us why He still holds its contents in reverence today.  So important and untouchable is the Law that not so much as a jot or tittle (punctuation mark) in it can be changed, not one word can be added to it or removed from it or altered in any way.  Also, there can be no interpretation of His Word, which is a sin (2 Pet. 1:20).  Peter was referring to the Old Testament.  Any deviation from that eternal Law is sin (1 Jn. 3:4), the punishment for which is spiritual death in this life and physical death following the resurrection of sinners (2nd resurrection) and the millennium (1000 years), following which unrepentant sinners will be cast into the Lake of Fire where they will be burned to ash and be walked upon by God’s Very Elect saints (Mal. 4:3).  Read The Three Resurrections.  Key word–Three.  Let us turn now to Deuteronomy chapter five. where Moses is reminding the Israelites–our spiritual and biological ancestors–of the Lord’s Rules of Engagement they, and the Gentiles who seek Him, must believe and obey in order to live eternally with Him.  Read Who and Where is Israel Today?  Key word–Who.

In verse one Moses, speaking under the power of the Holy Spirit, is reminding the Israelites that what he had spoken to them 40 years earlier (Exodus 20) were (and are) God’s statutes and judgments which they (and we)  must “learn,” “keep” and “do.”  Learning is accomplished only through study.  The Word “keep” is a military word meaning to guard, protect, obey.  The Word “do” means to practice, accomplish, manifest in one’s “walk” (conduct).

The subject of this series is found in the first two commandments in God’s Law.  In verse one He identifies Himself as the One Who had brought the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage.  In First Corinthians 10:4 He is identified as “the Rock that followed them (Israel), and that Rock was Christ.”  Prior to His conception He was known as “the Word” (Jn. 1:1-4,14) Who made up one half the Godhead.  The other God became the Father of Jesus of Nazareth.  As I point out in the series on abortion, God became Jesus’ Father the instant He was conceived.  Read the Abortion series by that name.   Before Christ’s conception, God and the Word were in heaven sharing equal status and power (Phil. 2:6).  Read Jesus of Nazareth.  Key word–Nazareth.

In verse seven the God of the Old Testament (the Word Who became Jesus Christ) said to Israel, “You shall have no other gods before Me.”  The Word “before” in this instance refers to a relationship in terms of priority.  For example, if I have an hour of free time, what do I do during that time: watch t.v., read a book, listen to music or study God’s Word.  What I do reflects my priorities.  The word “priority” contains the prefix: “pri,” meaning “before.” In Hebrew the word “before” is al or paneh,–meaning in front of, or having the priority in a relationship between two or more entities.  In this instance, God is telling us not to prioritize anyone or anything before Him, that He is worth more than all other entities combined.  To prioritize I might ask myself what I listened to on my way to work and coming home from work?  What did I do from the supper time till bedtime?  Did I watch hours of fantasy, sports or game shows?  Or did I set aside an hour or so to study the Word I must know, believe and obey in order to enter the Kingdom of God? (Jn. 12:44-50).  Do I “redeem the time” I have been allotted on earth and use it for my spiritual growth?  If not, why not?  What did I place before God?  What was more worthy of my time than the One Who bought me with His life’s blood?  What could be worth more than my Lord?

Admittedly, I was hooked on television, even though I knew early on what would happen to Americans when everyone had a t.v. and said so.  I knew the t.v. schedule–what came on and when, who the players were, etc.  I especially loved cop shows and sports.  Until, that is, I came to grips with the fact that I was putting things before God and wasting the precious time I had been given.  I asked God to take away the desire for everything He did not want me to be involved in.  He did so–instantly.  But only after I had wasted much irretrievable time that I could never get back.  If you are distracted by such things as socializing, entertainment, hobbies, recreating, etc.; if you are hooked on such things as I was. you are in trouble with God. Go to Him in total repentance.  Ask for deliverance from the evil spirits that are enticing you to waste your time and your mind.  Early on I believed that t.v. would be final power that would bring on the downfall of America.  Not so.  T.v. has been replaced by a much more controlling device–small, hand-held box inhabited by a variety of devils (demons) that trap their victims and, unless faced with a much greater power, will not turn their victim loose.  The boxes are the habitats of all manner of fallen spiritual beings commonly called demons–Biblicly known as “devils.”  The latest studies reveal that the typical modern child gazes into a box in a zombie-like trance on average10 hours per day.  The addiction does not o away with the age.  Even many old people like me are so attached to their “life sources” that they cannot leave home without them.  They are today’s cigarettes.  And Satan smiles.  L.J.

Memory verse: Isaiah 59:2–“Your sins have separated you from your God.”  Ever wonder why church prayers are so rarely, if ever, answered?  The answer: separation from God.  The cause?  Sin, which separates the believer from God so that He cannot hear the believer’s prayers.  Serial repentance for serial sin does not solve the problem.  Read 2 Chronicles 7:13-15.  Note verse 14 about turning from one’s wicked ways.  That turn must be permanent.  “Seek My fact” means to remove anything that stands “before Me” (Deut. 5:7),