⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Exodus 20:8-11

God’s ownership of creation is not merely a statement made at the beginning of the Bible. It is a recurring theme that is repeated again and again. If you look thoughtfully upon the Biblical story of creation, it clashes dramatically with the general idea that God merely “found the earth” and all of its created matter. If we and all we see and know merely evolved, then perhaps the idea that man created God is operative. However, the complexity of creation coupled with the brilliance of it all makes it seem more rational that God is Creator. The idea of theistic evolution (the marriage of God with nature as parents) seems to stretch the point of reason.

The idea of a Sabbath rest was initiated with the Biblical accounting of creation. At the conclusion of God’s creating activity, He rested. This serves as a guideline for man’s conduct of his activities. Therefore, the idea of a Sabbath is the fourth of God’s commandments dealing with our relationship with Him. It was God’s declaration that the Hebrew culture that was to be molded by His law would differ from the secular world. God declared a day of rest following a six day work week. Continuous daily work was the order of the day for slaves and servants in the ancient world. God’s declaration of a day of rest was both for the reasons of worship and compassion.

¹⁰On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, ¹¹and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. ¹²When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” ¹³Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

¹⁴Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”

¹⁵The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? ¹⁶Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

¹⁷When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

Luke 13:10-17

The point with which Jesus seemed to infuriate the Pharisees frequently concerned the keeping of the Sabbath. The word Pharisee means separated. They separated themselves from society to strictly follow the law. They dressed differently, behaved differently and were zealous for the law. As with most zealots of all ages, they became focused on the letter of the law rather than the intention. For the Pharisee “no work on the Sabbath” meant just that. In the application of medical care, preventing death and maintenance of the status quo was acceptable but healing on this sacred day was prohibited. Work was defined by 39 different categories. Understand that this was not in the Hebrew Scriptures but was developed in their practice of the law and is referred to by Jesus as the “traditions of men.”

¹Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, ²“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

³Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’^[a] and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’^{[b] 5}But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ ⁶he is not to ‘honor his father^[c]‘ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. ⁷You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
⁸” ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
⁹They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.’

Matthew 15:1-9

What were some of these traditions? The wearing of a bow on the clothing of a woman on the Sabbath was considered as a violation of this day. The law says “you are not to carry a load” on this day. A simple bow was declared to be a load. A father could not lift his child.

It seems clear that God’s intention in establishing a day of rest was to celebrate and honor both the Creator and that which He had created. The Sabbath was made clearly for man and not the reverse. The intention of the law was to lighten the load of mankind but in the application of the letter and not the intent, it became an incapacitating burden.

Strict adherence to the letter was a dangerous precedent in warfare and the devout Jew would not defend himself if attacked on the Sabbath. Their enemies waited until the Sabbath to attack.

The resurrection of Jesus from the grave as verification of the trueness of His Messiahship resulted in a transformation of this commandment. Rather than a celebration of creation it was transformed to a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. The celebration day was changed from Saturday to Sunday. Overtime various restrictions have been added or removed as a portion of this special day. It is common parlance to designate this day as “The Lord’s Day.” The focus obviously switches from the original creation to a new creation (brothers and sisters of Christ.) The Sabbath and The Lord’s Day are clearly two separate days celebrating two different events.

Rather than taking guidelines from the Pharisees for the conduct of the Sabbath perhaps we should view the activities of the early church. They met to worship, pray, sing and share in corporate communion. Herein lies the true importance of the celebration of The Lord’s Day for this congregation. We meet as Saints. (The Bible’s designation of the reborn and not so called by the quality of our characters.) We share our individual talents to enhance our ability to worship (give God His worth.) The title of “Saints” is always plural and never singular in Biblical usage. By our gathering, we show the importance of honoring God and His Christ to our peers, the world, and to the generations that follow us. Such feeds our souls and moves us along on the path of sanctification. Such prepares us for the big event of being in the presence of God for eternity.

“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

Exodus 20:7

In our study of the Ten Commandments we have been informed that the True God of Creation is solitary. He is of unity and is tolerant of no rivals. It stands to reason because of God’s nature and His differing from His created, that we must be told of His nature and character. It is for these reasons that He must reveal to us who He is. Some grasp that as a result of this nature (of God), He has chosen to reveal to us who He is by Scripture. It is this scripture that gives us a biography of His Son which shows us exactly what God is like. His Son also serves not only as a revelation of God but as a Savior of mankind.

It is within these scriptures that God declares His solitary nature and His refusal to accept anyone else as an equal or subordinate. This is the first of the 10 Commands. The second is a prohibition of any attempt to symbolically represent Him in the form of an idol or graven image.

With these in place God declares that we are not to take “His name in vain.” The NIV translates this as “misuse.” At the heart of this stipulation is the knowledge that God and the discussion of God are sacred.

The vain or profane use of God’s name violates the concept of the sacredness of God and results in the dishonoring of God. To profane God is to lessen the honor due God and destroys the place of worthiness that His person not only deserves but demands as well. This warning against the use of the name of God renders profanity to be prohibitive. As a result the incorporation of the name of God in cursing or in outbursts of anger is a violation of this commandment. We all recognize it when we hear it and unfortunately profanity is common place in the modern day world.

Speech patterns are habitual. We generally talk like our parents, family, classmates, and associates. How you talk before a child in private will often be shouted from the housetops by this same child when it will be the most embarrassing.

Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

Leviticus 19:12

God views vow relationships to be sacred. That which we declare in a court of law or before a congregation at the baptismal fount or before the altar is to be kept in integrity. We are not to back up the giving of our word with the name of God unless the commitment is from your soul. Jesus speaks to this issue in Matthew 5:33-37.

Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ ³⁴But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. ³⁶And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. ³⁷Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

Matthew 5:33-37

God takes the issue of vows quite seriously whether or not His name is spoken as the vow is pledged. The declaration here is 2 fold. We must honor our declarations with faithfulness when dealing with God and the same trustworthiness extends to our relationships with our fellowman. A latter listed commandment deals more directly with our dealings with our neighbors.

Monthly within our worship we celebrate communion at the altar rail. The minister and the communion steward serve one another, and then all others within the congregation who declare themselves to believe on Jesus as the Christ, come forward as well. This symbolic meal is celebrated as commanded by Jesus and constitutes one of our two sacraments. We recognize that the elements are symbols of the body and life of Christ that were given for our salvation. This is a time of spiritual renewal when we once again step out to profess Jesus as Lord and recall our vow of allegiance to His person and His Kingdom. It is a sobering time in that we recall His suffering for our sins and His warning to count the cost before we declare Him Lord. But it is also a time of joy for we again grasp God’s love to gift His own Son for our salvation.

We are now five centuries or so beyond the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. We are indebted to many men and women who suffered persecution and even death at the hands of the Church and State. Their crime was to question the status quo. From this seismic upheaval of the religious and political world was the emergence of a Bible in the language of everyday people. Few knew Latin or Greek, including the priests who uttered words they had memorized but didn’t understand. The translation of ancient texts into German and ultimately English suddenly provided a text that the literate could understand. The worthiness of the Bible could no longer be hidden from searching eyes eager to learn of God and the truth of salvation. We fail to appreciate the sacrifice necessary to bring us this book that we all possess but sometimes neglect.

God gives in His directions to those who teach and preach His Word, specific instructions concerning the declaration of His Word. They are to neither add to nor take away from this work. Simply, the Bible is God’s Word and the main ideas are not subject to tampering. To do so takes God’s Word “in vain.”

The striking feature that we all must glean from the 3^rd of the 10 Commandments is that God places the aspect of words in a place of prominence. Words emerge from who we are within our heart. Jesus has warned us that only the pure in heart will see God.

Righteousness through Faith

²¹But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²²This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,^[a] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— ²⁶he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:21-26

August 1962 found me assigned to a MASH unit (mobile army surgical hospital) in the wilds of a foreign country called “South Carolina.” I was a member of an aggressor army with a non-surprising name suggesting the United Soviet Socialistic Republic. Our tents were set up in a large field and we treated the occasional soldier with an injury, stress related to heat, or some general malady. The maneuver lasted for about two weeks. During this time, the two combined armies experienced 9 deaths. 8 of these were accidental and one was judged to be murder. Even playing war is dangerous.

There were 5 physicians assigned to our unit. 2 were general medical officers, one was a general surgeon from Brooklyn, N.Y., and 2 were obstetricians. (No, we delivered no babies during the war games.) Despite being from Brooklyn, the general surgeon was understandable, but the need for instruction in southern culture was obvious.

The major keys to a successful practice of medicine are the history and physical exam. Gene, the surgeon, had never spoken “southern” before nor even heard such. So, I gave him a possible presentation in East Tennessee.  The patient said, “I was out in the field when I got swimmy headed, so I hunkered down but I creeled my ankle. It began to pone up and I was afeared that it might fester and beal, so I came on in.” Translation: “I felt faint and as I crouched I twisted my ankle and it began to swell. I feared it might get infected and drain so I sought medical advice.”  His response was “Oh.”

One of the Biblical words that we must understand is “justify”. In modern everyday usage it speaks of entitlement. If I contract to work for you, do so to our agreement, then I am justified to expect remuneration. However Paul’s use of the word in Romans has a different connotation. It means to be treated as sinless or cleansed. It is presented as a legal term defining one’s statue before God as the result of the justifying action (cleansing) by the salvific work of Jesus. We appropriate this cleansing action by faith in Jesus and not by works.

⁴But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:4-9

The understanding of grace is a critical word to allow us to comprehend how we sinners are made perfect in the eyes of God. Our standard for comparison is not another individual for all of us are flawed by sin. Romans 3:23 indicates that “all sin and fall short of the glory of God.” Our standard is the perfect Jesus and what we desperately need is the crediting of His purity to our account. This is accomplished by faith in Christ that is gifted by the Holy Spirit. So accomplished, God accepts us as being pure as is His Son Jesus. Why does God do so? It is the result of His graciousness. Grace is simply unmerited love. Love is gifted not in response to works or ritual but is given because of the nature of who God is. God loves us as His creation and accepts us as newly created humanity because of our acceptance of Jesus as our Sinbearer.

Our vocabulary progresses because we understand the language of Biblical salvation. Sinners, violators of God’s law by thought or deed; justified, treated as sinless, and cleansed by Divine action; Grace, unmerited love that pours from the heart of God because of who He is and not because of the sinners accomplishments.

Now we are confronted with the idea of mercy and the provocation of such by circumstance.

¹⁷ And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

¹⁸ Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

¹⁹ And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. ²⁰ But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

Exodus 33:17-20

Whereas the grace of God is without threshold and is gifted to the just and the unjust, mercy is meted out by choice. Simply , it may or may not be granted by God dependent upon His choosing. Recall that it is faith in Jesus as the Christ that saves us. This faith is gifted as a merciful act of God. What is it then that triggers God’s mercy that gives this essential aspect of faith so necessary for salvation?

The longest, most detailed sermon of Jesus which is recorded for us is the Mount Sermon contained in Matthew Chapters 5-7. This is a “believer’s sermon” and is not directed to those who do not know Him. Critical is the understanding that a proper attitude is essential for Kingdom participation and living. Underlying the proper understanding of attitude is that God is offended by pride and responds favorably to humility. At the heart of this is that we are created and not Creator. We are subject to judgment because of our disobedience. Disobedience is defined simply as sin. Sin is defined not by the law of the state or any secular power but as defined by the Bible. It is sin that separates us from God and destroys fellowship. We desire to sing “Have my own way” when the hymn directs us to “Have Thine own way, Lord.” Our response to sin determines where God gifts mercy to us or not.

Thank you for your mercy.

And God spoke all these words:

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

“You shall have no other gods before me.

Exodus 20:1-3

Dave and Charlie both worked for my father in retail establishments in LaFollette many years ago. Both were fairly clever men. I’m not certain which one made the statement that I wish to relate to you, so I must give equal billing. A customer asked one of them for directions. He replied after some thought that “I will have to start you out from the Royal Pool Room.” The implication was that no one began a journey before checking in at the Pool Room. The Royal was the civic communication center for LaFollette and one could receive the most up to date and helpful information there.

As background for Exodus, Chapter 20, God had recently rescued 2 million people from Egyptian slavery. The majority were descendants from Abraham and Sarah who were pagans that lived in southern Iraq hundreds of years before. God had established a covenant arrangement with this pair that was extended to their descendants. God was now making good His promise to them. God had promised them both a land and prosperity but both depended upon their obedience to God who had called them. He had given to Moses, His chosen servant, His requirements written in stone by His own hand. We know them as the 10 Commandments.

The first of the declarations was that he and he alone was worthy of worship and there would be no toleration of other gods as equals or subordinates. The truth of mankind’s history is that he will always worship. Even the most primitive of people on analysis have been shown to worship something that they consider superior to themselves. But what is God’s claim to be the One True God?

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Genesis 1:1-2

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:26-27

God in His autobiography in early Genesis does not attempt to prove that He exists but discloses that He is Creator of all that is visible and invisible and of mankind himself.

The why of mankind’s creation is revealed by the disclosure that he is created in the image of God. Man therefore can show love, procreate life and emulate the very light of God. Why would God create us knowing of our subsequent disobedience and fall from grace?  We are God’s love object and the means for fellowship and glorification of God.

Since God is our Creator, it is He who has the right of judgment over us. He therefore has the right to dictate to us that our worship must be directed to Him alone. He tolerates no rivals. At a later time, God laid out His credentials for demanding our worship of His person. In the Book of Job, Job demanded an audience with God requesting an answer to why he suffered. Beginning in Job, Chapter 38 God does not respond to the question directly but questions Job.

The LORD Speaks

Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said:

“Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?

Brace yourself like a man;  I will question you, and you shall answer me.

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?        Tell me, if you understand.

Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!    Who stretched a measuring line across it?

On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone-

while the morning stars sang together  and all the angels^] shouted for joy?

Job 38:1-7

The basic question relates to whether Job has the right and is qualified to question God. Job responds in silence for his knowledge is meager.

Before we step further back in time, let me mention one other critical point. Some have belittled the Old Testament as being myth and fanciful and not factual. If you have considered this possibility, let me pose a question before your mind. Can myth be God inspired? Cast your eye on

Job 38:16

“Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?

Now, Job had not ventured there nor you and I as well. In the 2003 February edition of the National Geographic Magazine, springs on the floor of the ocean were captured by underwater photography unavailable until this modern era. Up until this time, only God knew they were there. This fact alone makes the fictional nature of this book unlikely in my understanding.

Based upon His credentials as Creator of all that is good, God demands that He alone should be the focus of mankind’s worship. He is intolerant of all rivals and acknowledges no subordinate gods. This simply decries the acceptance of more than one object or person as being worthy of worship. God tolerates no rivals.

Within Christianity, we embrace the singular nature of God but declare that He is triune. God is of three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are not three Gods but God is of Three Eternal Persons who share fellowship with each other.

Recall that we are made in the image of God and consist of three parts: body, soul and spirit. God demands that we worship Him alone but contemplates our perfection so that we may be in eternal fellowship with Him by faith in Jesus as our Savior. It is God’s desire to save us from sin, Satan, and ourselves. His solitary worship is demanded.

¹ Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. ² Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.

Deuteronomy 4:1-2

⁹ Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. ¹⁰ Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.” ¹¹ You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. ¹² Then the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. ¹³ He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. ¹⁴ And the LORD directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.

Deuteronomy 9-14

Deuteronomy means ‘2^nd Law’.  It is the last book of the “Torah (teaching) in the God directed call of the descendants of Abraham. The need is not for new or additional laws but for a restatement of the same laws. We all learn by repetition so that learning, forgetting learning, forgetting, learning and remembering occurs. Recall that when God called the Hebrews from out of Egypt they had been slaves for 400 years and were carbon copies of the Egyptian culture. As such, it was necessary for the entire congregation to be taught of the God who rescued them. After their God directed escape, they cowered in fear at the foot of Mount Sinai as the Presence of God descended on the mountain top and gave Moses the law that they were to follow. This law contained 613 declarations. 365 were “thou shalt nots” and 248 were “thou shalts.” The general summation and condensation of these laws comes to us centuries later as the 10 Commandments. These are general principles to be followed and are not merely “the 10 Suggestion.” Deuteronomy 4:9 defines for us and the Church of Jesus the Christ our responsibility to following generations.

⁹ Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

Deuteronomy 4:9

Some of these laws are confounding to us and are a product of their own time.

¹⁹ “Bring the best of the first fruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God.
“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

Exodus 23:19

This is puzzling to us but was probably quite clear to the Hebrews. Perhaps the Egyptians or Canaanites used such in their pagan rituals. The importance escapes us now but was obviously worthy of Godly mention at that time. Other issues perhaps qualified then but not now as well.

Important issues are spelled out with great clarity. For example, the 18^th chapter of Leviticus details the extent of sexual sin that is not to be tolerated.

Unlawful Sexual Relations

¹ The LORD said to Moses, ² “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the LORD your God. ³ You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. ⁴ You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God. ⁵ Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.

⁶ “‘No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.

⁷ ” ‘Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her.

Leviticus 18:1-7

This chapter continues on for a total of thirty verses. What is clear is that sexual intimacy is restricted to God created and blessed marital intimacy. All other classifications are forbidden.

It is these laws which form the foundation for the Judeo Christian ethic that undergirds this country. Christianity is the extension of Judaism which was founded on these laws. Early Christianity parted from Judaism basically because of the acceptance of Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah and the fulfillment of the Old Covenant and its law. The acceptance of Jesus as the Promised Savior removes us from the judgment of the law but we are not free to do as we please, free of moral restraint. We pursue the idea rather than the letter of the law in obedience to the indwelling Holy Spirit of God. The motive for obedience progresses from a situation of judgment and fear to one of love for God and a quest for perfection in the eyes of God the Father.

The charge to those of Moses’ day to keep these laws before the young is as relevant now as when God first gave the personally engraved tablets to their leader. However, the opposition to these laws (10 Commandments) is intense and they have been judged to be dangerous for public view.

What are these commandments and why are they to be hidden from public view?

² “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

³ “You shall have no other gods before^] me.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷ “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

¹³ “You shall not murder.

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Exodus 20:2-17

Hearing them read and visualizing them yourself, is there anything overtly offensive in their content?  Surely a guide to the conduct of man before God and man as a neighbor to man is not an affront. But yet in our life-time they have been purged from public view. Not only have these laws provoked ironically, legalistic ire, but the mention of God in the public square has become an offense to sensitive ears. This is in a nation that was founded on the very principles that these laws propose. How has such come about in the past 60 years?

The first argument offered is that the constitution of the United States declares that there must be a separation of “Church and State.” As you read the constitution you encounter no such statement. Previous and perhaps present Supreme Court Justices have declared that the language of the Constitution implies such. From whence comes the implication of a separation of Church and State?

On January 1, 1802, President Thomas Jefferson responded to a concern by the Danbury Baptist Association that a particular Christian denomination would be declared a national religion. In a letter of this date Jefferson declared that the American people had determined that no national religion be established thus building a wall of separation between Church and State. This wall was to separate the church from the power of the state as a protection of religious freedom. What has transpired is the modern day interpretation that the State must be protected from the Church. This clearly restricts the Church to the private arena and does not allow it to speak freely in the public affairs of the nation. Tragically, such has aligned Government with the religion of Humanism whose opinions trump all other.

Is it any wonder that our great nation is in crisis? We have barred God and His Son from all public view championing the idea that such discourse is offensive and hurtful.

So, what are we to do? I suggest that we look at these commandments and decide concerning their relevance, not for this day and time only, but for all time.

Solomon Asks for Wisdom

¹ Solomon son of David established himself firmly over his kingdom, for the LORD his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.

² Then Solomon spoke to all Israel—to the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, to the judges and to all the leaders in Israel, the heads of families- ³ and Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon, for God’s Tent of Meeting was there, which Moses the LORD’s servant had made in the desert. ⁴ Now David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. ⁵ But the bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon in front of the tabernacle of the LORD; so Solomon and the assembly inquired of him there. ⁶ Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

⁷ That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

⁸ Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. ⁹ Now, LORD God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. ¹⁰ Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

¹¹ God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, ¹² therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”

2 Chronicles 1:1-12

Years ago Sports Illustrated had a feature article on a high school track athlete who seemed destined for stardom and accolades. His specialties were the dashes of 100 and 200 meters. He was phenomenal in the 100 but curiously his performance in the 200 was not extraordinary. He trained very hard but always seemed to die in the last 15 to 20 meters. His form would seem to break up but no additional conditioning seemed to help. An interested party taped him in both races and just as in the past he faltered badly after 180 meters in the 200. It was then that the videographer made an important discovery and offered some simple advice. He asked, “Don’t you think you should take a breath in the 200?”

Most sprinters take no breath during the 100. Everybody takes a breath in the 200. Focusing on the race itself, he had failed to breath for a spance of about 20 seconds. He invariably developed a desperate need for oxygen that he was not meeting.

Most everyone in the secular and theological worlds has heard of Solomon. His name is associated with both brilliance and physical wealth. The Bible clearly acknowledges that both were gifts from God based, it would seem, on his humility when he became King of Israel. All agree that Israel reached its zenith under his continued rule inherited from his father David. Both his fame and power were commiserate with his wealth. He became an international trader, botanist, writer, poet and judge. His touch was truly golden.

But as time passed, the humility of Solomon seemed to be replaced by a sense of pride. He clearly forgot the source of all his good gifts and he mounted and rode the stately steed of pride.

An old proverb states that if you “play with fire, you may well get burned.”

Solomon’s Wives

¹ King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. ² They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. ³ He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. ⁴ As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. ⁵ He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech ^[a] the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁶ So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.

1 Kings 11:1-6

He had 700 wives and 300 concubines who were slaves but otherwise had the marital rights of a free woman. The total number reached a 1000. It appears that he had 999 more wives than God intended. Surely the palace was a battle ground of competition and catty remarks. Did he keep them in a harem or did each and their children have separate quarters? Scripture doesn’t say. Why all the wives? It is contended that this was his major foreign policy. A nearby or distant king was unlikely to attack a land wherein his daughter was Queen. The ploy surely worked from one standpoint for Israel experienced national peace even if such was unlikely in the Royal Palace.

God’s response to Solomon’s behavior is contained in 1 Kings 11:9-11. God had become angry at the attitude of Solomon and as a result a portion of his kingdom would be torn from him and given to others.

The basic issue confronting Solomon was his violation of the first of the 10 Commandments. These commandments are so important that they are listed in two places within the Torah, Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.

Humanistic thinking is greatly influenced and affronted by these commandments and has gone to great lengths to keep them out of public view. These commandments are general, broad in their sweep, and concise in their presentation. They begin with a declaration of who the True God is.

² “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

³ “You shall have no other gods before me.

Exodus 20:2-3

At the time of this declaration by God, the world was filled with false worship much as it is now. At the heart of this declaration is understanding that there is only One God, the Great I Am. He has always existed and in His singular nature, He is unwilling to allow honor to be given to anyone but Himself. The problem is not that man doesn’t worship for he always has. The point is that his worship is generally misguided and is devoted to multiple gods or to himself. The latter problem of self worship is the rage at the present time and is the result of modern reasoning. The idea of absolute truth that is eternal and unbending has been replaced by relativism that accepts no certainty or dependable and unswerving truth. This has produced a setting in our time of hyper-individualism so that everyone’s ideas must be honored despite their lack of merit.

God says clearly to all that would listen, the Great Solomon included, that He will tolerate no rivals. He declares that He is the Winner and there are no second or third place finishers. He is solitary and must be worshipped as such.

Despite his wisdom and prosperity, Solomon forgot their source. They were gifts of God based on God’s love and Solomon’s initial attitude of humility. The same basic understanding applies to us. All good gifts come from God. He is the controller of days past, present and all to come. He not only expects worship but demands such. We are free to pick and choose as a portion of our makeup. Our choices do have consequences however.

The Fall of Man

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”

“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Genesis 3:1-7

“Good News, Bad News” jokes abound. They are ordinarily brief, easily understood and with a readily comprehended punch line. We are all aware of the “Bearden Clan” that fills the pews of this church. On occasion they invite others of their number to meet with them here for a party or get-to-gather. These are friends of, dare I say, fifty years. It has been my experience that the closest of friends in any educational environment are those that you make in high school.

They had been friends and teammates since high school. They no longer suited up for football or basketball but over the years they had found age group softball leagues and teams on which they could compete as members. Jim lost his best friend Bill. Jim was usually the pitcher and Bill the sure-handed shortstop. The two friends had often wondered if and hoped that there would be softball in heaven. A few nights after Bills’ death, Jim had a very vivid dream in which Bill comforted him. Bill was obviously in heaven and Jim asked of its beauty. “Unimaginable” replied Bill. Jim then asked “Is there softball in heaven?” Bill said, “I have good news and bad news. The good news is yes, there is softball in heaven.” Jim was elated but then he asked, “What is the bad news?” Bill answered, “You are slated to pitch next Tuesday.”

The Bible begins with the good news of creation. All that God creates is good. There is no mention that He shares this effort with chance and time. God declares that the state of man’s loneness is not good so God creates woman from man and establishes the basis for the whole of society and human life. The sacred God blessed union of woman and man serves as the foundation of society. Opposition to this basic concept places all who attempt to undermine marriage as being opposed to the wishes of God.

The bad news arrives in Genesis 3 with the disobedience of God’s created. As a result, we are introduced to and become a part of sin. The concept is that of Original Sin. Some chafe at this but I believe the concept is easy to follow. From this point forward, all born of the union of all Adams and Eves come as sinners. The explanations offered are two. First, their sinful natures are passed to us since they serve as the representatives of mankind. Or secondly, the concept has a seminal basis relying on our descendance from common ancestors.

This is the doctrine of sin that emerges from the Bible. This separates Creator from created.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”

He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

Genesis 3:8-11

More bad news is revealed as God requires an explanation. Implied is the revelation that God was in fellowship with man and woman and spent time with them in Eden’s Garden. This willful disobedience broke the fellowship between them and as a result, God expelled them from the garden and a death sentence became operative from that point forward. An important concept arises. God is the teller of truth and Satan is a liar.

Although not explained at this time but implied is the concept that God desired to teach them of His character to provide the proper basis for their fellowship. They would have known the true nature of God from personal experience but their disobedience caused a separation. So thwarted, God chooses to reveal His true nature through inspired individuals and as a result we have this revelation as the Bible. Contained therein are the laws of God that begin the revelation of the character of God.

Mankind’s trek through time is a rather sordid story and left to our own devises, there is no good news. And the Bible exposes all our warts and blemishes. Murder, hatred, incest, adultery, greed and the list of sins goes on and on. Left to our own efforts we have no way to resume fellowship with God and are separated from Him for eternity.

Now for some welcomed good news.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

John 3:16-18

God provides a way for mankind’s’ restoration of fellowship by the incarnation of His Son in human flesh to meet the requirements of justice and deemed by God. This activity encompasses the Doctrine of Salvation. The need for being saved (salvation) must be preceded by an understanding of the Doctrine of Sin. Simply, you must grasp that sin, defined by God and not man, causes a separation of God and man. Only God can rectify this. This is the Good News, the Gospel.

Saul’s Conversion

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

Acts 9:1-9

The New York City Police responded to a 911 call concerning an incident in Central Park. When they arrived on the scene they discovered a helpless turtle upside down, resting on his shell with his feet pointing upward. He had been mugged. The officers gently turned him over and asked him what had happened. The turtle then told them he had been mugged by a large number of snails. When asked for other details, he remarked that it all “happened so fast that he couldn’t give any details.”

Before us this morning is the critical 9^th chapter of Acts wherein Saul of Tarsus is ultimately transformed into Paul the Christian Evangelist. He simply goes from the primary persecutor of the early church to the greatest proponent of Jesus of Nazareth to be the true Messiah of God. Key for our understanding is to note that Saul must ask Jesus who He is. (Acts 9:5_“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. ) He has absolutely no understanding of who Jesus truly is. It is not that he has never heard the good news for he was there when Stephen testified before the Sanhedrin of his faith in Jesus. He has been instrumental in the deaths of many believers in Jesus and surely heard their testimonies for which they were willing to die. How and why did the transformation occur?

Acts 9:10-19 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.⁶I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

This tells us that Saul was changed but does not clearly define the process by which it occurs. We perceive that this transformation is by the power of the Holy Spirit but why Saul and not others who continue to deny Jesus as Lord and Savior? We all know them and they often arise in our closest friends or even in our own families.

Mark 3:20-21

Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

Clearly, Jesus’ own family thought Him insane and deranged and came to take Him home. Scan the listing of the books of the New Testament and you find that one is named ‘James’ and another ‘Jude.’ Both are thought to be brothers of Jesus who once considered Him to be mad but now declare Him to be God. Did they merely intellectually figure out who Jesus is and then come to faith? The Bible gives us no details about these 2 and perhaps others but Luke as the author of Acts allows us to be in the company of Saul for three days as his zeal is transformed from persecutor to believer.

All of God’s created humanity have eternal souls. Your soul as a creation of God cannot be destroyed. Our souls consist of mind, memory, will, conscience and affection. Have you ever been alone with your conscience and become party to tough love? Saul was as if dead for three days not eating or drinking. His world has been totally shattered. Rather than serving God, he was clearly in opposition to God. When Jesus interrogates Saul, he must ask “Who are you, Lord?” In the next 72 hours does Saul merely figure out who Jesus is and say “I believe!” No, scripture gives no hint that Saul figures out who Jesus is on his own.

In the doctrine of salvation is the critical realization that faith in Jesus comes not from analysis of who Jesus is but rather who we are in contrast. Quite simply, we are sinners who oppose God in the direction and leading of our lives. The necessity is that we not dismiss our sin as being trivial but we are crushed by it so we are no longer filled with pride. Key is

Ephesians 2:8

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

Did you hear that faith in Jesus is a gift and not the result of human effort? Because God loves us, He willingly by the Holy Spirit gives us faith to believe who Jesus is, not because we figure it out intellectually but because we are crushed by that which separates us from God. Faith is gifted because God independently loves us and provides the means for us to accept Jesus for who He truly is. This is the true mercy of God. God supplies us the faith to believe who Jesus is. Coming to grips with the critical nature of sin is at the heart of the issue.

Coming to Christ is gifted and depends upon recognizing who I am in contrast to who God is. He is Holy, the Eternal and Great I Am. I am earth and totally beholden to God to be otherwise. We don’t figure out who Jesus is on our own as the key to salvation. We do come to mourn our sin that separates us from God and then God in His mercy gifts us salvific faith.

Salvation is of God. The gift of faith by the Holy Spirit is given in response to humility and confession. Sin is the separating issue. Confrontation, realization, confession, repentance and the mourning of sin are necessary to receive the gift. God is willing to gift faith in the Savior based on His terms and not ours.

“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

John 14:15-21

John’s Gospel places Jesus in the upper room with His disciples. By the 14^th chapter, Judas has departed to inform on Jesus to His opponents so He may be captured without the threat of an uprising by the people. Chapters 14 through 17 are concerned with His will and testimony to the remaining 11 who have followed Him for 3 years. This is an emotion filled revelation by Jesus to those who are called upon to finish the work of bringing salvation to the world. Much depends upon their faithfulness and willingness to serve as witnesses to the cause of Christ. With their performance up until this time, Jesus would certainly be justified in harboring anxiety about how well they would do. His general tone is not one of anxiety but is more clearly one of assurance for when He departs He will send the Spirit of truth to bolster, teach and lead them in their efforts to free the world from sin. This is a fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:31-34:

“The time is coming,” declares the LORD,
“when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.

It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to^] them, ”
declares the LORD.

“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time,” declares the LORD.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.

No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the LORD.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”

This is the basis of the New Covenant that will come to bear on a believing man’s soul which is enacted by the very Spirit of God. It is not that God’s Spirit will rest upon an individual as was the case up until this time but that God the Spirit would reside within His very soul. The purpose was to rule upon the throne of the believer’s heart to direct life in a particular way. The goal of this arrangement was to create a new humanity that looked like Adam but thought and behaved as did Jesus the Christ.

Jesus concludes His prayerfulness with an appeal directed to all who follow Him as Savior and God. John 17:24-26

“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”     Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

He makes both of these appeals directly to God the Father. His desire is that we will know God as Father as Jesus has known Him and that we will make this salvation known to the world. The power that propels this is the indwelling Holy Spirit as well as the love of God that serves as the catalyst for making this news known.

Today is Father’s Day and just as was Mother’s Day, we make no special provision in the church calendar for the recognition of either day. I see this as a mistake for both roles of motherhood and fatherhood seem lessened in the eyes of society and perhaps the plight of modern day society seems to reflect the neglect of the importance of both. No one can deny that public and private morals, speech and purposes seem to have begun the descent on the slippery slope of humanism rather than the Spirit-led climb that leads to the Throne of God. We live in a time when that which is secular professes a need to be protected from religious thoughts and practices. Could it be that we have become educated beyond our basic intelligence?

No one denies the importance of a good mother and the love that she imparts to her offspring. Such is a taste of Heaven in an earthly setting. Fatherhood has been reduced to biology in many settings. Certain segments of our current society feel that the importance of fatherhood ends with conception. A casual look at society belies such a thought. Children who fail in the scholastic realm generally come from fatherless homes. Our prisons are filled with fatherless inmates. The monetary and social costs are staggering.

So, what constitutes a good father? A father gives a son a role model and a daughter a hero. Little girls are to be given a chance to enjoy a childhood. Little boys were never meant to become little girls. The sexes were God’s idea and are as they are for purpose. Children need and search for discipline. They are always checking boundaries. Their question is “Do you love me enough to guard and look out for me?” Sometimes their behavior is to determine if you care enough to watch out for them.

Just as motherhood is demanding and time consuming, fatherhood is always being observed by the father’s children or grandchildren. If your character is not consistent, children quickly discover it. They analyze your manner, your work ethic and your habits.

Long ago God installed the father of the household as the spiritual leader. Unfortunately, few of us have done as well as we should. If your children sense that God is important to you, they will take a very careful look at the circumstances. If not, they are much less likely to seek Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Fatherhood and motherhood are both difficult. There are no perfect fathers or mothers. However, that understanding does not excuse anyone from pursuing such a standard. It is important to accept the understanding that diligence in effort is no guarantee of a favorable outcome as a result.

What should our focus be fixed upon as we strive to be a good father? Our quest should be that our sons and daughters can sense and see who we desire to be. Our goal should be to resemble Christ. If successful, our rewards are potentially great. We have no greater challenge.

“Set up the tabernacle according to the plan shown you on the mountain.  “Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim worked into it by a skilled craftsman. Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases.  Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.  Put the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy Place.  Place the table outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lampstand opposite it on the south side.

Exodus 26:30-35

A great number of modern day families have made a journey to Florida to visit Disney World and the Magic Kingdom at Orlando. There is a lot to see and do and many vacations are spent in unique activities. There is both anticipation and wonder at what has been arranged to see and do.

My first trip to Florida was years before the Magic Kingdom but the anticipation was as keen then as now. “Florida” as a destination seemed adventuresome and exciting. I was seated in the back seat of a 1941Plymouth sedan, 2 tone cream and maroon mind you, with a sibling on each side. I recall the pine trees and little else in rural South Georgia as we sped southward. My father then announced that we were in Florida. What a disappointment for there seemed to be no real difference in Georgia or Florida. I was clearly the victim of advertizing and my own imagination. Reality was disappointing.

Over the past many weeks we have read and studied of God’s effort to introduce Himself to the descendants of Abraham that He has claimed for His own. We have looked at the great detail and care that have gone into the construction and preparation of a courtyard and a tabernacle set apart for their worship of this rescuing God. The details are elaborate and the finished product eye-catching and awe inspiring. We have moved through the massive courtyard dedicated to sacrifice that is open to the common people and those conducting worship. We then approached the Holy Place that only the priest could enter twice a day. We are now confronted with a curtain, a thick veil that bars entrance into the Holy of Holies, the abode of God. Only the High Priest may enter here and he may enter only on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Once he steps behind the curtain, all recognize that he has gone from earth, the abode of man, into Heaven, the abode of God. The Holy of Holies is a perfect cube of 15’ by 15’. What is behind the curtain?

Exodus 25:10-11, 17-20

25:10-11 The Ark “Have them make a chest of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it.

25:17-20

“Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover.  Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends.  The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover.

What is described for us is a wooden box overlaid with gold. The box or ark is to be covered with an atonement cover that is made of pure gold with two angels facing one another. The angels are to look downward toward the cover. The ark is to contain God’s testimony or covenant which God will provide to Moses.

The narration from this chapter builds to a climax and God then reveals His purpose for this elaborate ark and its cover.

Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you. There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.

Exodus 25:21-22

This is to be a meeting place for the perfect creating God and His created mankind. The symbolism is clear. The awe inspiring God of the Hebrews is holy and must be approached with great care and piety because of His unique holiness. To rush into His presence uninvited and unsanctified is to court disaster.

The content of this ark initially is limited to God’s testimony which will be inscribed on 2 stone tablets. We reason and know that these tablets will bear the 10 Commandments. They will establish God’s requirements for dealing between God and man and for man with man as well.

It is from the 10 Commandments (God’s Testimony) that we learn of the character and the holiness of God. We note that the ark itself has a cover that is interposed between the law as represented by the stone tablets and the High Priest who enters here with trepidation. An additional name of this cover is the Mercy Seat. This hints of another characteristic of God to go with His holiness and it is His mercy. The exactness of God is such that we should grasp that the pronouncements etched in stone are demands of God and not mere suggestions for our consideration. Knowing our frailty and lack of spiritual fortitude, God in His mercy does not cancel or rescind His demands but intercedes with His mercy. Without mercy none of His created would ever be able to enter His presence in fellowship.

Having stepped behind the curtain with the High Priest or Moses we must not tarry in this Holy spot. Retreat is quickly essential at this moment.

What we have discovered is that the tabernacle is representative of earth and heaven. A thick curtain separates the two. At this point in time we can see the need for this curtain to separate us who are not holy from He who is. The gateway for the understanding of the relevance of Jesus now begins to open. We will probe His uniqueness and purpose in the near future.