Exodus 20B. The Law was not given to provide personal salvation. Theological purposes

Transcription

1 Exdus 20B Last week we tk a pause in ur study f Exdus t understand the purpse f Law in Gd s plan fr Israel and the believer in general We learned three general principles fr understanding and interpreting Law The Law is a single entity given t Israel as part f a cvenant The Law was nt given t prvide persnal salvatin The Law by itself cannt prduce sanctificatin in the life f a saint Secndly, we studied the ten purpses fr the giving f the Law t Israel Thelgical purpses Natinal purpses Individual purpses Lastly, we examined hw a Christian shuld understand and apply the Law knwing we are living under grace Because the Lrd fulfilled the Law n ur behalf, we are n bligated t keep the Law urselves Christ s perfect bedience under the Law is credited t us n the basis f faith And therefre, we cannt imprve n Christ s perfectin, and are therefre under liberty instead f the burden f the Law It was at this pint that I addressed an bjectin we cmmnly hear frm Christians taught t believe the Ten Cmmandments still have authrity ver Christians The bjectin was that if the entire Law were set aside, are we suggesting Christians are permitted t murder, steal, lie etc.? The questin tries t make a pint by shwing that since it s ridiculus t suggest murder is nw OK, then the questin by itself prves the Ten Cmmandments are still in effect My respnse ffered three arguments against this lgic 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 20B 2 f 17 First, n Christian has ever felt a license t murder simply because they learn they are nt under the OT Law Christians still knw instinctively that these things are wrng S this tells us that we dn t rely n the Ten Cmmandments simply t understand what is sin Secndly, I repeated ne f ur guiding principles, that the Ten Cmmandments cannt be separated frm the ther 603 Laws Therefre if we argue that the Ten Cmmandments are still required, then we must als be willing t live by all 613 laws As Paul said t the Galatians Gal. 3:12 Hwever, the Law is nt f faith; n the cntrary, HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM. Clearly, n Christian wuld argue fr a return f the entire Law Finally, I said that preserving the Ten Cmmandments des nthing t prevent Christians frm cmmitting murder r sinning in any ther way In fact, scripture teaches the ppsite Rm. 5:20 The Law came in s that the transgressin wuld increase; but where sin increased, grace abunded all the mre, Every Christian has brken every ne f the Ten Cmmandments repeatedly in ne frm r anther, whether by thught r actin S we can t claim the Ten Cmmandments are key t leading Christians away frm sin and tward righteusness Laws by themselves nly serve t name ur sins, nt reduce them Nw as we mve frward int the Law itself, we must set a framewrk fr hw we will study the Law With 613 laws, the questin naturally cmes hw will we study all f them in a timely fashin? My apprach will be methdical, thugh a bit unique 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 20B 3 f 17 First, we will address the law in sectins gruped by purpse r theme S in many cases we will read large sectins at a time Then we will summarize the requirements and purpse f these statues in Israel s day Secndly, we will examine the text fr its symblic meaning, In many cases, the OT Law prvides pictures f Christ and His wrk f redemptin In ther cases, we will see symblic meaning in the way the OT Law freshadws the greater sanctificatin available in the New Cvenant In rder t understand that last pint, we need t cver ne final preparatry tpic: if Christians are nt bund by the Law f Mses, hw des Gd regulate ur behavir tday? What is the framewrk f ur sanctificatin? We find the answer in 1Cr 9, in a passage where Paul seaks abut changing his lifestyle t accmmdate the expectatins f different grups f peple 1Cr. 9:20 T the Jews I became as a Jew, s that I might win Jews; t thse wh are under the Law, as under the Law thugh nt being myself under the Law, s that I might win thse wh are under the Law; 1Cr. 9:21 t thse wh are withut law, as withut law, thugh nt being withut the law f Gd but under the law f Christ, s that I might win thse wh are withut law. When Paul lived amng Jews, he acted as ne wh was under the Law (meaning under the Msaic Law) because this was expectatin f a Gd-fearing Jew Jews were bund by their cvenant t live under the Law f Mses S Paul returned t a lifestyle f living accrding t the Law s he culd be acceptable t Jews and gain a hearing fr the Gspel Nevertheless, ntice that Paul says even when he lived this way, he still understd he wasn t required t keep the Law f Mses It was a chice t further the needs f the Gspel 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 20B 4 f 17 He was chsing t live as if under the Law But then Paul says when he lived amng Gentiles, he stpped living under the Law This statement is further prf that Paul understd he had n requirement as a Christian t keep the law If Paul had believed that Christians were bund t keep the Jewish Law, he wuld never have set it aside even fr the sake f Gentiles But then Paul gives us a key pint t remember He clarifies that even thugh he wasn t living under the Law f Mses when arund Gentiles, Paul wasn t withut any law at all As a Christian, Paul was always under the law f Christ All Christians are subject t a new spiritual law that regulates ur behavir just as the OT Law regulated the life f an OT saint Our law is called the law f Christ, Paul says in 1Cr 9:21 Fr believing Jews, this new law replaces the Msaic Law And fr believing Gentiles, the Law f Christ is ur first expsure t law and hliness The Law f Christ is a better law than the OT Law, which we can summarize in three primary ways First, the Law f Christ was delivered in a better way The Law f Mses came as part f a cvenant mediated by angels It was written n tablets f stne It was delivered t us by a man, Mses And because f the way it was delivered, the cntent f the Law was limited t the 613 cmmands written by the finger f Gd But the Law f Christ came as part f a new and better cvenant, mediated by Christ Himself It is a cde written n ur hearts It was delivered by Gd Himself, in the frm f the Hly 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.

5 Exdus 20B 5 f 17 This new law written n hearts is the fulfillment f a prmise Gd made t Israel and t every believer in the New Cvenant Jer. 31:33 But this is the cvenant which I will make with the huse f Israel after thse days, declares the LORD, I will put My law within them and n their heart I will write it; and I will be their Gd, and they shall be My peple. Secndly, the Law f Christ is greater than the OT law in scpe The Law f Christ incrprates every expectatin f the ld but then ges far beynd it regulating things the OT Law never addressed Fr example, the OT Law said we cannt murder But Jesus said that true hliness requires nt even harbring hate fr anther persn The OT Law said nthing abut hate The OT Law frbid adultery But the NT Law f Christ says that lusting in the heart is als sin The OT Law said nthing abut lusting And the OT laws fr sabbaths and sacrifices and ther rituals are als represented in the Law f Christ, but in new and better ways (which we will learn as we examine the law in detail) This is why the Law f Christ has never been written dwn r enumerated entirely It is literally impssible fr the Law f Christ t be cmpletely written ut n stnes r therwise It s statutes are t vast, t numerus; in fact its statutes are infinite We can n mre write ut the Law f Christ than we culd write dwn every pssible number 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 20B 6 f 17 The Law f Christ has an infinite list f statutes because human experience - and therefre, the ptential fr human sin - is als limitless While we can t catalg the Law f Christ, we can rely n the brad strkes reflected in Jesus teaching and the Apstles letters As Jhn wrte: 1Jhn 3:24 The ne wh keeps His cmmandments abides in Him, and He in him. We knw by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whm He has given us. Jesus did summarize his Law when asked Matt. 22:37 And He said t him, YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND. Matt. 22:38 This is the great and fremst cmmandment. Matt. 22:39 The secnd is like it, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. Matt. 22:40 On these tw cmmandments depend the whle Law and the Prphets. Finally, the Law f Christ is superir t the Law f Mses because it is accmpanied with the spiritual pwer t cmpel ur bedience Our new new law is administered by the Hly Spirit, Wh indwells us frm the mment f faith First he educates us cncerning what is righteus Jhn 14:26 But the Helper, the Hly Spirit, whm the Father will send in My name, He will teach yu all things, and bring t yur remembrance all that I said t yu. And secndly, He gives us the pwer t vercme ur flesh Rm. 8:2 Fr the law f the Spirit f life in Christ Jesus has set yu free frm the law f sin and f death. Rm. 8:3 Fr what the Law culd nt d, weak as it was thrugh the flesh, Gd did: sending His wn Sn in the likeness f sinful flesh and as an ffering fr sin, He cndemned sin in the flesh, Rm. 8:4 s that the requirement f the Law might be fulfilled in us, wh d nt walk accrding t the flesh but accrding t the Spirit. Finally, He cnvicts us f sin, which causes us t cnfrm urselves t the Law f 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 20B 7 f 17 The OT Law existed nly as a witness t cndemn men fr their sin And it did nt have pwer t cmpel righteus behavir It acted like a finish line that n man culd ever reach, serving t remind us f ur failures But the Law f Christ is like a wind t ur back as we run It pushes us alng in the directin f hliness This is the prcess f sanctificatin that prduces fruit in a believer s life Irnically, the Law f Mses culd be read and understand by anyne, but it was pwerless t create righteusness in anyne While the Law f Christ has the pwer t bring righteusness, but it cannt be seen and is nly understd by a faithful heart Because the Law f Christ is experienced thrugh faith by the Spirit rather than by fllwing a list f cmmandments and rules, it is ften called a law f liberty 2Cr. 3:17 Nw the Lrd is the Spirit, and where the Spirit f the Lrd is, there is liberty. We have liberty in ways the OT saint never experienced Since we are cvered by the bld f Christ, we need nt cncern urselves with animal sacrifices again The temple, the priesthd, the tithes and the sabbaths f the OT Law are replaced with better things under the Law f Christ Therefre, many restrictins f life impsed by the OT Law are remved by the Law f Christ Mrever, this new Law f Christ, being accmpanied by the Hly Spirit, affrds us the pwer t act righteusly Whereas the ld Law had n pwer except t reveal and cndemn sin The new law pssess true pwer t bring sanctificatin S as we study the Law, we will take time t seek parallels in the NT Law f 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.

8 Exdus 20B 8 f 17 We need t ask hw des this hliness requirement translate int the life f a NT believer Fr each stature f the OT Law, we will ask if the Law f Christ repeat the requirement? Des it expand upn the requirement? Or des it fulfill the requirement by transfrming it int smething new and better? With that backgrund, we can mve int the law itself, beginning with the first ten statutes, called the Ten Cmmandments Mses has been standing at a distance frm the peple f Israel at the base f Mt. Sinai in the muntain range f Hreb The Lrd descended n the tp f the muntain in a clud with lightening and He speaks with a vice that sunds like thunder In Exdus 19:24 the Lrd tld Mses t g dwn and tell the peple f the warnings nt t intrude past the barriers arund the muntain And then in that same verse, the Lrd tells Mses t return up the muntain nce he was dne speaking t the peple That s where Mses stands as we enter chapter 20, at the tp f the muntain with the peple dwn belw As Mses enters int the presence f the Lrd s Shechinah glry, he receives the first ten statures f the Law f Gd The number ten means testimny, as s the first ten laws are given a special designatin s they may testify They testify t the hliness f Gd And they ultimately testify t the sin f man While the OT accunt desn t specify hw these Laws were delivered, ur NT gives us that answer The Lrd used angels t deliver the Law t Mses, accrding t Galatians 3:19 Hebrews 2:2 als says the Law was spken thrugh angels t Mses 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 20B 9 f 17 When the NT says the Law was delivered thrugh angels, it means that Mses tk physical custdy f the Law frm an angel Mstly likely, the physical tablets were created and transferred t Mses by angels We re tld this at the end f the giving f the Law t Mses Ex. 31:18 When He had finished speaking with him upn Munt Sinai, He gave Mses the tw tablets f the testimny, tablets f stne, written by the finger f Gd. The transfer f these stne tablets was frm the Lrd t angels and then t Mses Hebrews teaches that Gd used angels as mediatrs fr this cvenant because smene had t stand between Gd and sinful man S Gd used lessr mediatrs fr the cvenant f Law He reserved fr His Sn the hnr f serving as mediatr fr the New Cvenant in His bld These first ten cmmands are the best knwn f the 613 statutes, and they are the mst sweeping in scpe In fact, these laws are unique in all the ancient wrld, in particularly because they are stated in the secnd persn All ther ancient laws we knw were expressed in the third persn A man shall... r n man shall... The third persn tense reflects the way such laws were usually the prduct f a cmmunity f peple r traditin The laws were a reflectin f what sciety itself cnsidered best But these laws were expressed in the secnd persn, reflecting that they were authred by One in authrity ver thse wh must abide by them They read yu shall r yu shall nt The laws themselves are nt subject t the scrutiny f men 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 20B 10 f 17 Men didn t create them, s men are nt free t change them r ignre them Let s read the first ten laws Ex. 20:1 Then Gd spke all these wrds, saying, Ex. 20:2 I am the LORD yur Gd, wh brught yu ut f the land f Egypt, ut f the huse f slavery. Ex. 20:3 Yu shall have n ther gds befre Me. Ex. 20:4 Yu shall nt make fr yurself an idl, r any likeness f what is in heaven abve r n the earth beneath r in the water under the earth. Ex. 20:5 Yu shall nt wrship them r serve them; fr I, the LORD yur Gd, am a jealus Gd, visiting the iniquity f the fathers n the children, n the third and the furth generatins f thse wh hate Me, Ex. 20:6 but shwing lvingkindness t thusands, t thse wh lve Me and keep My cmmandments. 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. 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. 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. Ex. 20:13 Yu shall nt murder. Ex. 20:14 Yu shall nt cmmit adultery. Ex. 20:15 Yu shall nt steal. Ex. 20:16 Yu shall nt bear false witness against yur neighbr. Ex. 20:17 Yu shall nt cvet yur neighbr s huse; yu shall nt cvet yur neighbr s wife r his male servant r his female servant r his x r his dnkey r anything that belngs t yur neighbr. As chapter 20 pens, Mses says the Lrd As cmmnly as peple may say the ten cmmandments, in reality there isn t universal agreement n what the ten cmmandments actually are r even hw they were distributed n the tw stne tablets 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 20B 11 f 17 The Jewish histrical view saw the first cmmandment t be the statement in v.2 I am the Lrd yur Gd This was cnsidered a cmmandment in the sense that it was a truth t be remembered and hnred Then the secnd cmmandment runs frm vs.3-6 and encmpasses bth nt having ther gds and prhibiting the wrshipping f graven images The rest f cmmandments fllw until the tenth cmmandment in v.17 In that verse, tw frms f cveting are cmbined int a single cmmandment Furthermre, Jewish traditin hlds that the first five cmmandments were written n the first stne while the secnd tablet cntained the remaining five laws The Cathlic traditin sees the first cmmandment as starting in v.3 and incrprating everything thrugh v.6 S the instructins against idlatry and wrshipping graven images are seen as a single cmmandment Then t still arrive at ten cmmandments, Cathlics divide v.17 int tw separate cmmandments Cveting a neighbr s wife is the ninth Cveting a neighbr s prperty is the tenth The prblem with this apprach is that it ften results in truncating the first cmmandment In any list f the ten, the first cmmandment is ften abbreviated t simply state have n gds befre me The prhibitin against graven images is mitted Therefre, many Cathlics never learn that Gd cnsiders wrshipping statues f saints r even f Jesus Himself t be a sin Cathlics als hld that each tablet cntained five cmmandments each 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 20B 12 f 17 Finally, mst Prtestant traditins see v.3 t be a cmmandment f its wn Then the secnd cmmandment is the prhibitin f wrshipping images And the tenth cmmand is all f v.17, as in the Jewish traditin Regarding the split f the cmmandments n the tablets, many Prtestants see the first three laws n the first tablet and the remaining seven n the secnd tablet The first three laws regulate ur relatinship with Gd The next seven regulate man s relatinship with man It is als pssible that each tablet held a cmplete cpy f the ten cmmandments The Bible tells us that the tablets were written n bth sides, frnt and back Therefre, perhaps each tablet had all ten cmmandments In that case, Mses was given tw identical tablets s that by the testimny f tw witnesses, all sin will be cnfirmed The tw tablets serve as tw witnesses, s t speak, f man s sin We will fllw the Prtestant traditin in the curse f examinatin f the tablets, s we will study the first cmmandment as v.3 alne Israel is tld t have n ther gds befre the Lrd The term befre was nt intended t suggest we can have multiple gds s lng as Jehvah is first amng them The phrase means t have n gds apart frm the Lrd Israel was cmmanded t be mntheistic Gd was appinting a single peple, and in return He demanded they acknwledge Him as the nly true living Gd Thrughut their histry, Israel has repeated vilated this cmmandment They have wrshipped pagan gds f varius kinds 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 20B 13 f 17 They have even sacrificed children t these false gds The Lrd says Israel played the harlt in prstituting themselves t many suitrs, thugh the Lrd was husband t Israel Hs. 4:12 My peple cnsult their wden idl, and their diviner s wand infrms them; Fr a spirit f harltry has led them astray, And they have played the harlt, departing frm their Gd. The secnd cmmandment fllws clsely frm the first in vs. 4-6 Israel was t make n image that culd substitute fr the Lrd Ntice in v.4 the prhibitin is against making any idl in the likeness f anything in heaven, n earth r under earth r in the water That means Israel culd nt create idls t resemble Gd Himself r angels fr the purpse f wrship And neither culd a likeness f any earthly creature r created thing culd be made fr wrship Images themselves are nt wrng, since Israel was later cmmanded t create images f angels But these images were nt t be wrshipped Incrprating images in wrship is related t the first cmmandment, because it is anther frm f idlatry In the case f the first cmmandment, the issue was Wh a man wrships In the secnd cmmandment, the issue is hw a man wrships In v.5 the Lrd adds that wrshipping such things wuld invke Gd s jealus anger The Lrd knew that incrprating manmade bjects in wrship necessarily diminished the Creatr And it pened the dr t vilating the first cmmandment by replacing the Lrd altgether 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 20B 14 f 17 Christians have been given similar prhibitins in the Law f Christ, accrding t Christ s wn teaching, but ur standards reach even mre demanding levels First, we are tld t lve the Lrd with all ur heart, sul, mind and strength The wrd all emphasizes the exclusive nature f ur relatinship with Christ If all ur heart, sul, mind and strength is devted t Christ, then there is nthing remaining fr ther gds Secndly, we are tld nt t serve ther masters, like mney And we are t guard urselves frm such things if they becme idls, things that substitute fr a dependence upn the Lrd Jhn repeats this cmmand in the New Testament 1Jhn 5:21 Little children, guard yurselves frm idls. It s pssible t trivialize the cncept f an idl by calling any distractin r temptatin an idl It s true that many pleasures and wrries f life can becme stumbling blcks fr Christians, as Jesus said Luke 21:34 Be n guard, s that yur hearts will nt be weighted dwn with dissipatin and drunkenness and the wrries f life, and that day will nt cme n yu suddenly like a trap; Luke 21:35 fr it will cme upn all thse wh dwell n the face f all the earth. But it s anther thing altgether t be taken away by an idl An idl is smething that substitutes fr the Lrd in ur life That s a serius matter Thugh many (all?) Christians fall prey t temptatins and stumble at times in their walk with Christ, relatively few succumb t genuine idlatry We have ne example in Paul s first letter t Timthy 1Tim. 1:18 This cmmand I entrust t yu, Timthy, my sn, in accrdance with the prphecies previusly made cncerning yu, that by them yu fight the gd fight, 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 20B 15 f 17 1Tim. 1:19 keeping faith and a gd cnscience, which sme have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard t their faith. 1Tim. 1:20 Amng these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whm I have handed ver t Satan, s that they will be taught nt t blaspheme. They rejected keeping the faith and suffered shipwreck They cmmitted idlatry, as evidenced in their blaspheming S the first cmmandment f the OT Law has a clear parallel in the Law f Christ fr Christians The bigger challenge fr mst Christians, hwever, is the secnd cmmandment Accrding t the Law f Mses, men culd never pray t a statue, even a statue f the Lrd Even paintings f Jesus wuld be utlawed by the Law f Mses fr the same reasn But as we determined, the Christian is nt under this Law But what des the Law f Christ say n the matter f graven images? The Law f Christ declares that we are nt t rely n the physical - even physical lcatins - t fcus ur wrship f the Lrd Jhn 4:19 The wman said t Him, Sir, I perceive that Yu are a prphet. Jhn 4:20 Our fathers wrshiped in this muntain, and yu peple say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ught t wrship. Jhn 4:21 Jesus said t her, Wman, believe Me, an hur is cming when neither in this muntain nr in Jerusalem will yu wrship the Father. Jhn 4:22 Yu wrship what yu d nt knw; we wrship what we knw, fr salvatin is frm the Jews. Jhn 4:23 But an hur is cming, and nw is, when the true wrshipers will wrship the Father in spirit and truth; fr such peple the Father seeks t be His wrshipers. The greater Law f Christ takes the secnd cmmandment regarding images and bradens the requirement t mve wrship entirely int the spiritual realm 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 20B 16 f 17 The Old Law prhibited graven images, and then it stipulated the days and places and even the manner f wrship fr the OT saint The Law f Christ says that wrship requires nthing mre than the Spirit and the Truth And in this way, wrship becmes a daily activity and ever-present expressin f every believer s heart Days, places and even the frm f wrship make little difference in the age f the Spirit This is why Paul wrte: 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. But when we regress back t placing frm f wrship abve spirit and truth, we are mving in the directin f incrprating graven images int wrship We might nt erect statutes in ur sanctuaries r put pictures n the walls But when we demand certain musical styles r liturgy prgrams in rder t wrship, we are cmmitting a sin equal t wrshipping graven images We have taken the physical and placed it abve the spiritual We are wrshipping manmade structures r the traditins f ur denminatin rather than wrshipping the Lrd thrugh His Spirit and by His truth And we are at risk f prvking a jealus Gd Finally, the secnd cmmandment includes an interesting statement frm the Lrd cncerning the cnsequences f idlatry in Israel When Israel cmmitted idlatry, they were vilating the cvenant and turning their back n the Lrd 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 20B 17 f 17 When Israel cmmits this sin, the Lrd prmises t visit this iniquity upn later generatins This is a prmise unique t the first and secnd cmmandments, insfar as it relates t idlatry Idlatry in all its frms is a sin s grievus that it will prvke the Lrd t visit the cnsequences f that sin thrugh multiple generatins f families This was a prmise cntained in the Law f Mses, s it is limited t the natin f Israel We can see plenty f evidence f this prmise played ut in the histry f Israel Idlatrus generatins f Israel were generally fllwed by generatins that suffered the Lrd s judgment There is n direct parallel fund in the New Testament Nevertheless, we shuldn t test my cnclusins 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.