Exodus 20C. We have begun our study of Law in Exodus. Specifically, we are studying the first ten laws or commandment

Transcription

1 Exdus 20C We have begun ur study f Law in Exdus Specifically, we are studying the first ten laws r cmmandment Thugh the Bible teaches that the entire Law f Mses is indivisible, nevertheless the first ten laws are distinctive They deserve t be cnsidered separately frm the rest in the sense that they are very different in scpe and style They are at the beginning fr a reasn, and we d well t acknwledge and understand that reasn Hwever, their distinctiveness is nt an argument fr divrcing these cmmandments frm the rest f the law and expecting believers t keep them tday As we learned last week, the believer in the New Cvenant receives a new and better law written n their hearts by the Hly Spirit This new law replaces the ld by incrprating all f the requirements fund in the ld yet in better ways And it adds an infinite number f additinal cmmands in keeping with hliness The sanctificatin f a NT saint is accmplished by tw principle frces First, the Spirit f Gd indwells every believer as an agent f change, teaching, cnvicting and empwering believers int righteusness Secndly, the wrd f Gd is fuel fr the Spirit t use in accmplishing His wrk Withut a steady diet f the wrd f Gd, the NT saint will find his spiritual grwth stunted Yet even with Bible study, it still falls t the believer t respnd t the wrk f the Spirit and fllw Him int sanctificatin This is why the writer f Hebrews calls the wrd f Gd the swrd f the spirit 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Exdus 20C 2 f 20 S far we have examined the first tw cmmandments They were cmmands t have n ther gds beside the Lrd and t nt make graven images r idls that substitute fr wrship f the Lrd As we said, bth are clsely related Tgether they demand that we fllw Gd with ur whle heart This expectatin is als present in the NT law f Christ, which demands that we lve and bey Gd withut challenge r reservatin Tday we mve frward int the third cmmandments and beynd Let s re-read the third cmmandment in Exdus 20 Ex. 20:7 Yu shall nt take the name f the LORD yur Gd in vain, fr the LORD will nt leave him unpunished wh takes His name in vain. This cmmand is directed at restricting Israel s speech r cmmunicatin cncerning the name f Gd The name f Gd was spken t Mses and repeated within Israel As we learned earlier, the name was I AM and has a certain sund in the Hebrew language Hwever, the natin became s cncerned with the pssibility f vilating the third cmmandment, they adpted a practice f never speaking His name at all And in written frm, they remved the vwels f Gd s name in the Hebrew language t prevent the prnunciatin f His name After the vwels were remved, Gd s name became YHWH, which has becme knwn as the "tetragrammatn" This shrtened frm f Gd s wrd is cmmnly prnunced Yahweh, but in reality we d nt knw hw Gd s name was prnunced As a result f this traditin, it became impssible t take Gd s name in vain within Israel, at least in the literal sense f a misuse f the actual name f Gd But that didn t prevent men frm vilating the spirit f this Law 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Exdus 20C 3 f 20 Jesus cndemned the Pharasees fr thinking they were hly by aviding swearing by things they felt had spiritual significance while aviding ther things that they thught ran aful f this cmmandment Matt. 23:15 We t yu, scribes and Pharisees, hypcrites, because yu travel arund n sea and land t make ne prselyte; and when he becmes ne, yu make him twice as much a sn f hell as yurselves. Matt. 23:16 We t yu, blind guides, wh say, Whever swears by the temple, that is nthing; but whever swears by the gld f the temple is bligated. Matt. 23:17 Yu fls and blind men! Which is mre imprtant, the gld r the temple that sanctified the gld? Matt. 23:18 And, Whever swears by the altar, that is nthing, but whever swears by the ffering n it, he is bligated. Matt. 23:19 Yu blind men, which is mre imprtant, the ffering, r the altar that sanctifies the ffering? Matt. 23:20 Therefre, whever swears by the altar, swears bth by the altar and by everything n it. Matt. 23:21 And whever swears by the temple, swears bth by the temple and by Him wh dwells within it. Matt. 23:22 And whever swears by heaven, swears bth by the thrne f Gd and by Him wh sits upn it. Ntice they were willing t swear by the temple but if they swre by the gld in the gld in the temple, they were sinning accrding t their wn rules Likewise, they wuld allw themselves t swear by the altar but nt the ffering Jesus pinted ut that their rules were stupid and cntradictry If they desired t take an ath by binding themselves t sme representatin f Gd, then they were effectively binding themselves t Gd Himself, in vilatin f the third cmmandment They were swearing by Gd, which was a diminishment f Gd s name And it as presumptuus t expect that Gd wuld hnr such pledges anyway As Jesus said 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Exdus 20C 4 f 20 Matt. 5:33 Again, yu have heard that the ancients were tld, YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD. Matt. 5:34 But I say t yu, make n ath at all, either by heaven, fr it is the thrne f Gd, Matt. 5:35 r by the earth, fr it is the ftstl f His feet, r by Jerusalem, fr it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. Matt. 5:36 Nr shall yu make an ath by yur head, fr yu cannt make ne hair white r black. Matt. 5:37 But let yur statement be, Yes, yes r N, n ; anything beynd these is f evil. S merely frgetting the literal name f Gd isn t a barrier t vilating this cmmandment Like all the cmmandments f the Law, this cmmandment is present in the Law f Christ in a greater way Besides Jesus instructins nt t swear aths n Gd s name, the NT writers expand the intent f this cmmandment t include any speech that is degrading James 3:5 S als the tngue is a small part f the bdy, and yet it basts f great things. See hw great a frest is set aflame by such a small fire! James 3:6 And the tngue is a fire, the very wrld f iniquity; the tngue is set amng ur members as that which defiles the entire bdy, and sets n fire the curse f ur life, and is set n fire by hell. James 3:7 Fr every species f beasts and birds, f reptiles and creatures f the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. James 3:8 But n ne can tame the tngue; it is a restless evil and full f deadly pisn. James 3:9 With it we bless ur Lrd and Father, and with it we curse men, wh have been made in the likeness f Gd; James 3:10 frm the same muth cme bth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ught nt t be this way. The Law f Christ teaches us that when we speak ill f anther persn, wh was created in the image f Gd, we are vilating the spirit f the third cmmandment The OT Law stipulated that we ught nt t diminish the name f Gd in any way 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Exdus 20C 5 f 20 But the NT Law extends this cmmandment t its full purpses The name f Gd is mre than a wrd Names in scripture are the embdiment f a persn, their character, reputatin and their wrk The Lrd s name represents His gdness and the perfectin f His wrk S when we speak degrading things abut anther persn, smene created in the likeness f Gd, we are degrading the Lrd s wrk and therefre the Lrd Himself The furth cmmandment is fund in vs Ex. 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, t keep it hly. Ex. 20:9 Six days yu shall labr and d all yur wrk, Ex. 20:10 but the seventh day is a sabbath f the LORD yur Gd; in it yu shall nt d any wrk, yu r yur sn r yur daughter, yur male r yur female servant r yur cattle r yur sjurner wh stays with yu. Ex. 20:11 Fr in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested n the seventh day; therefre the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it hly. The Lrd cmmands the natin t bserve a sabbath day n the last day f each week, which is Saturday in the Jewish calendar The ccasin fr this cmmandment is the Creatin itself The Lrd asks Israel t repeat the actins the Lrd tk fllwing the cmplete f Creatin After the Lrd spent six days creating all things, He ceased frm His wrk n the seventh day That final day was therefre set apart frm the ther days in that it was different frm the rest f the days The first seven days were days in which wrk was dne But the seventh day was a day in which nly rest frm wrk tk place Therefre that day is hly, the Lrd declares 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Exdus 20C 6 f 20 The wrd hly simply means set apart frm sin S the final day f each week is set apart frm the rest, just as the Lrd Himself is set apart frm sin The nature f this cmmand is simply t abstain frm any frm f wrk The wrd wrk in this case means cmmn labrs The rdinary ways men wrk t sustain their lives The Law itself expunds n varius ways in which wrk must be curtailed We ve already seen the Lrd tell Israel nt t gather manna n the sabbath Later Israel will be tld nt t gather wd, kindle fires, r bear heavy burdens amng thers But verall the expectatin is that men simply rest in the wrk that had already been dne during the prir days, as did Gd The Pharisees and lawyers tk this cmmandment and greatly increased its burdens n Israel ver the centuries These added restrictins grew and grew t the pint f ridiculus Tday, rthdx Jews wh bserve a sabbath will refrain frm even turning n a light switch in the hme S n Friday afternn, they will turn n all lights in the hme t preclude the need t turn them n during the sabbath day Like the rest f the Law, this cmmandment n lnger applies fr the NT saint tday Thugh the Lrd s sabbath existed frm the days f Creatin, the Law f Mses was the first time the Lrd mandated men fllw His example Sme teachers argue that since the sabbath existed frm Creatin, then it is a law that didn t g away when the Law f Mses was fulfilled by Christ 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Exdus 20C 7 f 20 S, believers tday shuld bserve a strict sabbath n Saturdays as did the Jews under the Law But there is n example in scripture f Gd rdering any man t bserve a sabbath prir t the giving f the Law, nr d we see any man practicing a sabbath prir t the giving f the Law Even the rder cncerning gathering manna is cnsidered t be an early preview f the delivering f the law t Israel Furthermre, Gd has never required Gentiles t bserve a sabbath And the NT teaching specifically states that n sabbath day exists fr the Christian Rm. 14:5 One persn regards ne day abve anther, anther regards every day alike. Each persn must be fully cnvinced in his wn mind. Rm. 14:6 He wh bserves the day, bserves it fr the Lrd, and he wh eats, des s fr the Lrd, fr he gives thanks t Gd; and he wh eats nt, fr the Lrd he des nt eat, and gives thanks t Gd. The believer is free t bserve a sabbath day r nt But we d nt sin if we wrk seven days a week Nr d we sin if we bserve a sabbath day n Sunday r any ther day f the week Paul teaches that each shuld d as they feel cnvicted, because the Law f Christ des nt demand such an bservance Nevertheless, this law is stil fund in the Law f Christ in a new and better way, as are all the Laws f the Old Cvenant Paul teaches hw in Clssians Cl. 2:16 Therefre n ne is t act as yur judge in regard t fd r drink r in respect t a festival r a new mn r a Sabbath day Cl. 2:17 things which are a mere shadw f what is t cme; but the substance belngs t Christ. Paul says that the cmmandments f the OT Law like the dietary restrictins and festivals and seasnal bservances and even the Sabbath Day itself were all shadws 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Exdus 20C 8 f 20 A shadw is anything in scripture given in a lessr frm t represent a smething f greater spiritual significance cming in the future In this case, Paul says the greater spiritual significance is Christ Himself S dietary rules and festivals and the Sabbath Day were carefully cnstructed by Gd t teach abut Christ During the Creatin accunt, the Lrd takes a day t rest, which is a strange statement when yu think abut it Why wuld the Lrd need rest? Surely, He never tires, since He is all spirit Nw we understand that His rest wasn t a matter f physical rest fr Gd...it was t teach us abut Christ S what d we learn abut Christ frm the Sabbath? The Sabbath in the Law teaches that a man s wrk can end And that rest frm wrk is a gd thing, smething that men lk frward t each week But under the Law, that rest had a limit Befre lng, the sabbath ended and the wrk resumed It was a temprary rest and therefre it was ne that culd never truly satisfy The kind f rest men lng fr is that which never ends On the ther hand, the Lrd has never gne back t wrk His sabbath cntinues t this day He is still resting frm His wrk f Creatin S it leads men t a questin...hw can we share in THAT rest? Hw can we share in the Lrd s rest, the ne that never ceases? Hebrews gives us that answer 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Exdus 20C 9 f 20 Heb. 4:1 Therefre, let us fear if, while a prmise remains f entering His rest, any ne f yu may seem t have cme shrt f it. Heb. 4:2 Fr indeed we have had gd news preached t us, just as they als; but the wrd they heard did nt prfit them, because it was nt united by faith in thse wh heard. Heb. 4:3 Fr we wh have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST, althugh His wrks were finished frm the fundatin f the wrld. Heb. 4:4 Fr He has said smewhere cncerning the seventh day: AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS ; Heb. 4:5 and again in this passage, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST. Heb. 4:6 Therefre, since it remains fr sme t enter it, and thse wh frmerly had gd news preached t them failed t enter because f disbedience, Heb. 4:7 He again fixes a certain day, Tday, saying thrugh David after s lng a time just as has been said befre, TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS. Heb. 4:8 Fr if Jshua had given them rest, He wuld nt have spken f anther day after that. Heb. 4:9 S there remains a Sabbath rest fr the peple f Gd. Heb. 4:10 Fr the ne wh has entered His rest has himself als rested frm his wrks, as Gd did frm His. The writer was cncerned fr sme within the church wh hadn t cme t faith but were merely hanging arund the crwd And the writer uses the term rest as a descriptin f cming t faith in Christ In v.3 he teaches that by believing in Christ we can enter (r share in) the Lrd s rest The Lrd speaks abut disbedient nt entering His rest The Lrd s rest is the rest He established when He ceased frm all wrks This is the permanent rest that everyman lngs fr A rest that never ends and allws men t cease frm all their wrks 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Exdus 20C 10 f 20 But in Hebrews we learn that the ultimate intent f the Sabbath was t picture a spiritual rest, nt merely an earthly rest frm labr As the writer says in v.10, we cease frm ur wrks when we believer By entering int the New Cvenant, we enter int the Lrd s sabbath, never again bearing a burden f wrks fr salvatin We rest in the wrk f Christ n the crss S the Law f Christ als has a sabbath law requiring rest We keep that law thrugh ur faith and reliance in Christ s wrk And therefre, NT believers d nt bserve the shadw f the sabbath, that is a physical rest n Saturday Instead, we bserve the greater Sabbath, which is t rest in Christ everyday Nw t the fifth cmmandment Ex. 20:12 Hnr yur father and yur mther, that yur days may be prlnged in the land which the LORD yur Gd gives yu. The fifth cmmandment requires that Israel shw respect fr their parents The wrd fr hnr literally means smething weighty r burdensme, but it can als be used euphemistically t mean smething f hnr and significance I think bth sense are applicable here As children we are t hnr ur parents authrity This hnr means beying, respecting and trusting them fr n reasn beside the fact they are ur parents Then as we becme adults and they cme t depend n us at sme pint, we bear that burden gladly We hnr them by cntinuing t respect and defend them 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Exdus 20C 11 f 20 We may nt always agree with what they think r say, but as much as pssible we shw deference and respect fr their views and their needs This cmmandment is the first t include a prmise f blessing fr bedience Since the cmmandment was given t Israel by the Cvenant, the prmise is limited t Israel as well If Israel cntinues t bserve this cmmand, their bedience will prlng their time in their land This prmise is interesting fr tw reasns First, the fact that the Lrd is prmising t prlng Israel in their land implies that He knew Israel wuld ne day be required t leave the land The natin was eventually dispssessed frm the land They were scattered int the natins as a result f idlatry and disbedience under the Law Secndly, the Lrd says the key t Israel aviding that punishment was strng, gdly families Therefre, we cnclude that a breakdwn in the family was the starting pint fr the sin and idlatry f Israel And this eventually leads t the natins judgment under the Old Cvenant The family structure is the lwest cmmn denminatr within sciety frm which Gd rules ver the hearts f peple When the family unit becmes weak by tlerating disrespect, disbedience, rebellin, and dishnr, the stage is set fr a crruptin f sciety as a whle This was Israel s fate and it s certainly happening in ur wrld tday, as Paul predicted 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 Exdus 20C 12 f 20 2Tim. 3:1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will cme. 2Tim. 3:2 Fr men will be lvers f self, lvers f mney, bastful, arrgant, revilers, disbedient t parents, ungrateful, unhly, 2Tim. 3:3 unlving, irrecncilable, malicius gssips, withut self-cntrl, brutal, haters f gd, 2Tim. 3:4 treacherus, reckless, cnceited, lvers f pleasure rather than lvers f Gd, As with the earlier cmmandments, the Pharisees preached bedience t this cmmandment while disbeying it in practice And Jesus called them ut fr it Matt. 15:4 Fr Gd said, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER, and, HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH. Matt. 15:5 But yu say, Whever says t his father r mther, Whatever I have that wuld help yu has been given t Gd, Matt. 15:6 he is nt t hnr his father r his mther. And by this yu invalidated the wrd f Gd fr the sake f yur traditin. Matt. 15:7 Yu hypcrites, rightly did Isaiah prphesy f yu: Matt. 15:8 THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. Matt. 15:9 BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, ı TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN. The Pharisees recgnized that hnring parents meant prviding fr their financial need when circumstances warranted But t avid parting with their mney, the Pharisees made an exceptin if the mney had been given t the temple instead Jesus said this was a hypcritical rule cntrived t aviding ding ne s duty because the law required that bth parents and Gd be hnred, nt ne r the ther Hw has this cmmandment been imprved upn in the the Law f Christ fr the NT believer? First, it s simply repeated in several places 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

13 Exdus 20C 13 f 20 Eph. 6:1 Children, bey yur parents in the Lrd, fr this is right. Eph. 6:2 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first cmmandment with a prmise), Eph. 6:3 SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH. And a prmise has been extended t the NT saint as well, thugh in a new frm Believers are prmised t enjy a lng life rather than time in the land Hw wuld disbedience t this cmmandment lead t a shrter life? First, there is always the pssibility that the Lrd might execute supernatural judgment against us fr disbeying ur parents Like my mm used t say t me when I misbehaved, I hpe yu have twins just like yu! But even natural experience tells us hw rebellin t parental authrity can lead t a shrter life Nt respecting a parent s wisdm can lead t accident, injury, danger, disease, and assrted calamities Like Adam in the garden, when we set aside the instructins f a wise parent, we set urselves n a rad t destructin As Mark Twain nce said: When I was a teenager, I was amazed at hw little my father knew and when I turned twenty, I was amazed at hw much he had learned The Law f Christ als bradens this cmmandments Jesus taught that believers becme part f a new family, the Bdy f Christ, and we gain new relatinships we must hnr and bey And these relatinships take precedence ver even ur natural family relatinships 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

14 Exdus 20C 14 f 20 Mark 10:28 Peter began t say t Him, Behld, we have left everything and fllwed Yu. Mark 10:29 Jesus said, Truly I say t yu, there is n ne wh has left huse r brthers r sisters r mther r father r children r farms, fr My sake and fr the gspel s sake, Mark 10:30 but that he will receive a hundred times as much nw in the present age, huses and brthers and sisters and mthers and children and farms, alng with persecutins; and in the age t cme, eternal life. Ntice that Jesus speaks f the disciples being frced t leave natural family behind fr the sake f the Gspel Jesus is speaking abut pririties, nt abslutes N believer is autmatically required t turn their back n their natural family in rder t be a disciple f Jesus But if the natural family makes an ultimatum and the believer is required t chse, then the believer shuld chse Jesus And when this happens, the believer will inherit a new family, the family f believers in the bdy f Christ This new family must be hnred just as we d ur best t hnr ur natural family We bey ur elders and authrities ver us in the church We respect and share the burdens lder members f the fellwship just as we might ur wn parents And if pushed t chse, we must hnr the family f Gd ver ur earthly family The sixth cmmandment cmes next Ex. 20:13 Yu shall nt murder This cmmand prhibits the unlawful taking f a human life This cmmandment says nthing abut the killing f animals Murder is, by definitin, the unlawful taking f a human life by anther human Animals can t murder ne anther and we can t murder an animal 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

15 Exdus 20C 15 f 20 S this cmmandment deals specifically with a man taking anther man s life Sme think the sixth cmmandment utlaws all frms f killing, including capital punishment and acts f war But there is a difference between lawful and unlawful killing bth in scripture and in ur laws, which descend frm the Law f Gd Murder is the unlawful taking f human life The wrd murder is ratsach in Hebrew But Hebrew uses anther wrd fr lawful killing: harag Lawful killing is a taking f human life in keeping with the rules f law Fr example, Gd s law prvides fr the taking f human life when certain serius crimes have been cmmitted And in war, Gd prescribes fr the killing f cmbatants - and even entire cities - t further His purpses in establishing Israel r eradicating sin S when we act under the rule f law t carry ut justice r t participate in war, we are nt autmatically cmmitting murder Hwever, if gvernment has becme crrupt r cruel Or if war is cnducted in unjust ways, then killing can becme murder again The questin is whether ur act f killing is justified and prper accrding t law If the Jew was cmmanded nt t murder, then why did individual men kill in war and why did the Law itself allw a persn t take anther persn s life at ther times? The cnfusin cmes in cnflating the rights and respnsibilities f gvernments with thse f individuals An individual has the right t take anther human life nly in defense f self r thers, accrding t law 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

16 Exdus 20C 16 f 20 The NT eches this right fr men t be prepared t defend neself with deadly frce if need be, even Christians This is hw Jesus encuraged the disciples t be prepared fr rugh times after His crucifixin Luke 22:36 And He said t them, But nw, whever has a mney belt is t take it alng, likewise als a bag, and whever has n swrd is t sell his cat and buy ne. Luke 22:37 Fr I tell yu that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS ; fr that which refers t Me has its fulfillment. Luke 22:38 They said, Lrd, lk, here are tw swrds. And He said t them, It is enugh. The Greek wrd fr swrd in this passage refers t a small dagger, which was cmmn carried by an individual fr selfdefense purpses Apart frm that case, hwever, an individual has n right t take life If we take life ther than in self-defense, we d it unlawfully Therefre we cmmit murder and vilate this cmmandment When peple act as gverning authrities, hwever, they have the pwer t take human life as punishment fr crimes r in times f war The key t understanding the difference is t remember that Gd is the giver f life Therefre He als has the authrity t determine when it may be taken And Gd has authrized human gvernments t take human life at times accrding t His specific instructins. Fr example, beginning in Genesis 9 after the fld, the Lrd delegated authrity t human gvernment t take life fr capital crimes Gen. 9:6 Whever sheds man s bld, By man his bld shall be shed, Fr in the image f Gd He made man. As Paul explains as well in the New Testament: 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

17 Exdus 20C 17 f 20 Rm. 13:3 Fr rulers are nt a cause f fear fr gd behavir, but fr evil. D yu want t have n fear f authrity? D what is gd and yu will have praise frm the same; Rm. 13:4 fr it is a minister f Gd t yu fr gd. But if yu d what is evil, be afraid; fr it des nt bear the swrd fr nthing; fr it is a minister f Gd, an avenger wh brings wrath n the ne wh practices evil. When Paul reminds us that gvernments bear the swrd, he is speaking abut the right t execute men fr crimes This right was given by Gd t gvernment s it may act as a minister f gd Nt that all gvernments act prperly tward their citizens, f curse, but the institutin f gvernment is smething GOd established fr gd Imagine what kind f wrld it wuld be if evil men were nt restrained by gvernments with their curts and judges and jails and even executiners Secndly, we knw that Gd cmmanded Israel at times t prsecute war against ungdly peples wh std in the way f Gd s purpses in Israel Remember, all men die and the day and manner f death is appinted by Gd If yu die in yur sleep, Gd tk yur life If yu die n a battlefield at the hands f a sldier whm Gd sent t kill yu, Gd tk yur life Gd is n mre guilty f a crime when he takes yur life in yur bed than when He emplys the services f a sldier S when Israel waged war in Canaan accrding t Gd s directin, they were acting lawfully (nt murdering) because the Giver and Taker f life had directed their actins Nevertheless, Jesus wrds and the Law f Christ d braden the prhibitin against murder in challenging ways Perhaps Jesus mst famus speech bradens this cmmandment, thugh is a subtle way In the Beatitudes, Jesus said 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

18 Exdus 20C 18 f 20 Matt. 5:21 Yu have heard that the ancients were tld, YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER and Whever cmmits murder shall be liable t the curt. Matt. 5:22 But I say t yu that everyne wh is angry with his brther shall be guilty befre the curt; and whever says t his brther, Yu gd-fr-nthing, shall be guilty befre the supreme curt; and whever says, Yu fl, shall be guilty enugh t g int the fiery hell. The NT Law f Christ prhibits unlawful killing just as the OT Law did, but Jesus takes that law cnsiderably further He says that the intent f the sixth cmmandment was t require respect and lve fr all persns S that even if we refrain frm killing smene, yet if we still hate them in ur hearts, ur physical restraint buys us nthing We are still cnvicted just by ur thughts and desires The Law f Christ demands that we take cntrl f even ur attitudes tward ther peple Even a careless wrd spken against smene is a harm that vilates this cmmandment Then a few verses later, we read Matt. 5:38 Yu have heard that it was said, AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH. Matt. 5:39 But I say t yu, d nt resist an evil persn; but whever slaps yu n yur right cheek, turn the ther t him als. Matt. 5:40 If anyne wants t sue yu and take yur shirt, let him have yur cat als. Matt. 5:41 Whever frces yu t g ne mile, g with him tw. Matt. 5:42 Give t him wh asks f yu, and d nt turn away frm him wh wants t brrw frm yu. Matt. 5:43 Yu have heard that it was said, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate yur enemy. Matt. 5:44 But I say t yu, lve yur enemies and pray fr thse wh persecute yu, Matt. 5:45 s that yu may be sns f yur Father wh is in heaven; fr He causes His sun t rise n the evil and the gd, and sends rain n the righteus and the unrighteus. Matt. 5:46 Fr if yu lve thse wh lve yu, what reward d yu have? D nt even the tax cllectrs d the same? 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

19 Exdus 20C 19 f 20 While the OT Law prhibited murder, in ther places it permitted certain types f nnlethal retributin fr crimes cmmitted against persns The purpse f this frms f justice under the Law was NOT t encurage retributin but t limit the degree f retributin Fr example, a man was blinded by the negligence f anther, he had the right (but nt the requirement) t demand that the ffender lse his eye as well The intent f this rule was t ensure that any punishment fit the crime Our 8th amendment t the Cnstitutin is built upn a similar principle But the Law didn t require that the injured persn take every pprtunity fr retributin The victim culd frg taking retributin, which the Law f Christ says is the way t imitate the Father Jesus says frgiveness and mercy are the mre perfect way that mirrrs ur Father in Heaven The NT Law demands that we be perfect like the Father by shwing mercy and frgiveness fr persnal attacks rather t seeking retributin This desn t mean we may nt participate in the criminal justice system r defend ur lives in self-defense Ntice in v.44 Jesus is speaking abut thse wh persecute us The pint is that when we are singled ut fr ur faith, we shuld expect mistreatment but shuldn t hld it against the persn Just as Jesus said nthing against thse wh persecuted Him S the Christian is cmmanded in t guard urselves in persnal relatinships frm shwing malice r disrespect Instead, we shw frgiveness and mercy, even in situatins where we might have right t retributin 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

20 Exdus 20C 20 f 20 Nevertheless we may act within the framewrk f gvernment t take human life lawfully And we retain a right t self-defense r t defend thers frm harm But as with the OT Law, we always have the ptin t frge the pprtunity fr retributin When persecuted fr ur faith, we may even decline t defend ur wn lives Martyrdm can be an apprpriate respnse t persecutin, as many disciples have chsen ver the years Yet self-preservatin is als reasnable, just as Paul chse t flee frm Jewish persecutin n mre than ne ccasin Next week we finish the first ten laws and mve n t the ther laws 2013 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.