hou halt ot bey he en ommandments? fter dam and ve sinned in the arden of den, od set in motion is plan for a avior. e planned for the avior to be not only the on of od, but also the on of an. od planned for the avior to be a descendant of braham, saac, and acob (also known as srael). Because the avior was to come through the sraelites, od wanted them to be a special people who were set apart, and who were different from all the other people of the world. o help the sraelites be a special people, and to prepare them for the coming avior, od gave them unique laws and guidelines. aken together, these laws were called the Law of oses. or several hundred years after giving the Law of oses to the sraelites, od continued to reveal messages to them through is spokesmen, the prophets. ur ld estament is a combination of the history of the sraelites (as well as pre-sraelite history), the Law of oses, and od s messages through is prophets. hroughout the entire ld estament, od s main message was: avior is coming. adly, the sraelites often were very stubborn. any times, they decided not to follow od s rules, or listen to is prophets, and so they were not ready for the avior when e did come. od did not plan for us to follow the laws of the ld estament after esus died. But, the ld estament still is important and valuable to us. n the ew estament book of omans, aul wrote that the ld estament was written for our learning (omans 15:4). nd, in one of his letters to the hristians at orinth, aul wrote that the events recorded in the Law of oses were written for our instruction or admonition (1 orinthians 10:11). lthough we are not bound by the ld Law, we can learn many things from the examples recorded in the ld estament. he fact is, learning from the ld estament can help us better understand the ew estament and its message that the avior is coming again. 2 iscovery anuary 2012, L,., 2011, LL V ou can find a picture of them in many unday school classrooms the en ommandments. e are probably all familiar with most, if not all of these commands, such as: ou shall not murder. n xodus 34:28, we read where oses was with od for forty days and nights, and e wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the en ommandments. hese commandments would be the ewish law for many generations to come. But remember, od gave this law only to the sraelites. he entiles (people who were not ews) were not under this special covenant with od. t was as if there was a wall separating the ews and entiles, and the laws they were each to obey. ow we have a law that is for both ews and entiles. he ew estament provides us with a better covenant. But does this mean we can go out and steal or kill, since we aren t under the en ommandments? bsolutely not! esus included most of those commandments in is ew Law. e obey many of the same rules that the ews did before hrist was crucified. But some of those laws, like observing the abbath and keeping it holy, we no longer are required to keep. ren t you thankful for the new and better covenant we have today? o what has changed since that time? hat law are we under today? re we still supposed to follow the en ommandments? ortunately, the Bible tells us. n olossians 2:14, we read how hrist wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. nd e has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. phesians 2:14-15 goes on to say: or e imself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in is flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances. ho is this person that has wiped out the old commandments, nailing them to the cross? ho has broken down the wall of separation that used to exist between the ews and entiles? hose law do we follow today? he answer: esus hrist and is ew Law! hen esus died on the cross, is last will and testament went into effect. o today, everyone is under the ew Law! esus nailed the ld Law (including the en ommandments) to the cross., L,., 2011, LL V anuary 2012 iscovery 3
LL he noble ram was without flaw, and was the absolute finest of the flock. t had been hand-raised by the shepherd to be the best. he shepherd led the ram into town, through the gates, and down the street to the tabernacle of meeting. he shepherd gently placed his hands upon the sheep s head, and with his own blade killed the magnificent animal. tear welled up in the shepherd s eye as the priest began his ceremonial duties. he blood was sprinkled all around the altar. he animal was cut and placed on the altar, where it was burned. n the ld estament, od required the people to make sacrifices to im. Because sin separates us from od (saiah 59:2), these sacrifices were used to keep people in a right relationship with im. But these offerings were only a temporary solution for the world s struggle with sin. or it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins (ebrews 10:4). o, how do hristians today deal with sin? wo thousand years ago, esus hrist was led out of the city and down the street to a place called alvary. e was beaten, whipped, and nailed to a cross. is blood was shed, and e died on that cross for you and me. hrist was offered once to bear the sins of many (ebrews 9:28). e was the ultimate sacrifice. o other sacrifice will ever have to be made on man s behalf. he question is: ill you recognize esus as your sacrifice by obeying is ord? an you imagine taking a lamb to worship with you on unday morning and giving it to the preacher, to offer it on an altar outside the front door of the church building? hat would be very strange; in fact, it would almost be scary to us. But in the ld estament, that was the way things were done. he priests were the only ones allowed to offer sacrifices to od in the emple or the abernacle. n fact, it was a very special thing to be a priest under the ld Law. nly men from the tribe of Levi could serve as priests (ebrews 7:5). ne evil king named eroboam decided he wanted to allow anyone to be a priest. he Bible says that he made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi. Because of this sin, and many others that eroboam committed, od punished him severely. n the ld estament, only the sons of Levi could go before od and offer sacrifices. But the ew estament tells us that things are different today. he book of ebrews explains that esus came and changed the priesthood (read ebrews 7:11-12). ow, everyone who believes and obeys hrist is a priest of od (1 eter 2:5,9). eople from every tribe or nation can be priests, regardless of their skin color or nationality (alatians 3:28). od also changed the sacrifices that is new priests offer. he followers of hrist do not offer up bulls and goats on a stone altar, because the sacrifice of esus on the cross has the power to cleanse all sins (1 eter 2:24). o, what do the new priests offer to od? he book of ebrews tells us: Let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to od, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to is name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices od is well pleased (13:15). 4 iscovery iscovery anuary anuary2012 2012, L,., 2011, LL V 10 ommandments atching he en ommandments were special laws of od given to the sraelites. hese laws, as well as all the others in the ld estament, lasted only until esus died. hen the ew estament became the law for all people. Below are some of the ew estament passages that tell us od still wants us to follow the principles found in most of the en ommandments. atch the commandments on the left with ew estament passages on the right. ommandments en ommandments inscribed on stone tablets in the aleo-ebrew script 1. ou shall have no other gods before me. ew estament rinciples 2. ou shall not make for yourself an idol.. Laying aside falsehood, speak the truth, each one of you, with his neighbor" (phesians 4:25). 3. ou shall not take the name of the Lord your od in vain. 4. onor your father and mother. 5. ou shall not murder. B. o you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of od? o not be deceived. either fornicators nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites will inherit the kingdom of od (1 orinthians 6:9-10).. ut to death your members which are on the earth evil desire, and covetousness (olossians 3:5).. oncerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other od but one (1 orinthians 8:4). 6. ou shall not commit adultery.. Little children, guard yourselves from idols (1 ohn 5:21). 7. ou shall not steal.. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification" (phesians 4:29).. hildren, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right (phesians 6:1). 8. ou shall not bear false witness. 9. ou shall not covet.. Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor (phesians 4:28).. he law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed od which was committed to my trust (1 imothy 1:9-11)., L,., 2011, LL V anuary 2012 iscovery 5
ty t v c e ag 1. nother name for acob 2. n the ew estament, hristians assembled to worship od on this day 3. he Law given to the sraelites 4. he testament under which od required animal sacrifices 5. eans that od uses natural laws to accomplish is purposes 6. nly men from this tribe served as priests 7. od s main message in the ld estament 8. ne of the main messages of the ew estament 6 B V V iscovery anuary 2012. Law of oses. srael B. he avior is coming again. ld estament. unday. Levi. avior is coming. rovidence 1. hen died on the cross, is last will and testament went into effect. olve, nd, and rcle L L Z Z 2. he ew estament says that the ld estament was written for our (omans 15:4). 3. esus was a descendant of braham,, and acob. 4. od gave the en ommandments to the. 5. he ew estament teaches that everyone who believes and obeys hrist is a of od (1 eter 2:5,9). 6. n the early church, hristian worship on unday involved, praying, teaching, giving, and partaking of the Lord's upper. 7. hose who were under the Law of oses could do no work on. 8. separates man from od (saiah 59:2)., L,., 2011, LL V ryptogram atchng (-toe-gram). ear igger oug, hy is the book of sther in the Bible, since it doesn t mention od even once? amantha ajicek, Valley ark, ear amantha, od works in many different ways. n the book of xodus, od worked through oses to part the ed ea and turn a rod into a snake. uring the times of the ew estament, od gave esus power to heal sickness, raise the dead, and cure blindness. But miracles were only one way in which od worked; e also works through providence. rovidence means that od uses natural laws to accomplish is purposes. or instance, in cts 14:17 the apostle aul told his listeners that od gave them rain from heaven and fruitful seasons filling their hearts with food and gladness. ow had od given them food and fruit? id e miraculously drop apples out of the sky or turn stones to bread? o, od used the natural forces of the world to accomplish is purpose. od is always at work behind the scenes to make sure that good defeats evil in the end. hen we read the book of sther, we never read od s name. But many of the things that happened in the book could not be just luck. ake, for instance, the time that ing hasuerus could not sleep, and his servant just happened to read the records of the time that ordecai saved the king s life (sther 6:1-3). n fact, the entire book of sther shows that od s guiding hand was behind the scenes to save the ewish nation. sther s guardian, ordecai, once said to her: ho knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (sther 4:14). is statement showed that he was seeing od s possible plan for sther. n your life, you will not be given the power to raise the dead or turn sticks into snakes. But you can know that, even though od does not part the skies and talk directly to you, e is with you every step of the way. he book of sther reminds us that we do not need to see od (or even read is name) to know that e is not far from each one of us (cts 17:27)., L,., 2011, LL V anuary 2012 iscovery 7
L,. 230 Landmark rive ontgomery, L 36117 (800) 234-8558 (rders) (334) 272-8558 onprofit rganization.. ostage ontgomery, L ermit o. 513 2012 pologetics ress, nc. ll ights eserved ditor: yle Butt,.. ssociate ditor: ric Lyons,.in. Layout and esign: ob Baker,.d. V aturday or unday? ne of the most noticeable differences between the ld estament and the ew estament revolves around the abbath day. he abbath, which is aturday on our calendars, was the day when od rested from creating the heavens, the arth, and all that is in them. e blessed it and marked it as a holy day (enesis 2:2-3). n the en ommandments, od said: emember the abbath day, to keep it holy. ix days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the abbath of the Lord your od. n it you shall do no work (xodus 20:8-10a). hose who were under the Law of oses could do no work on aturday. hey could not even cook their food on the abbath (xodus 16:23). ome people think that since od commanded the sraelites to keep the abbath day holy in xodus 20, we should worship on aturday instead of unday. thers say that since we worship od on unday, it is a holy day and under the same commandment of rest. s either of these ideas correct? s hristians, we are no longer under the commandments of the ld estament, and we do not have to obey the commandment to rest or worship on aturday. e have examples of hristians meeting together to worship on undays (read cts 20:7-12; 1 orinthians 16:1-2), but nowhere in the ew estament are hristians commanded to worship on aturday. aturday is no longer a holy day. t the same time, even though unday is a special day for hristians, we are not commanded to observe this as a day of rest. unday is not the hristian abbath, because there is no hristian abbath. ven though it may be a worthy tradition to rest on unday, hristians are not commanded to do no work on this day. o what is unday for? he Lord established unday as the day hristians meet together and worship im. e are shown that singing, praying, teaching, and giving are all part of our unday worship. he fifth part (or act) of worship involves remembering esus death on the cross by eating the Lord s upper (cts 20:7). hese are the only commands for hristians on unday. od freed us from a commanded abbath rest, but promised those of us who are hristians an eternal rest with im in heaven (read ebrews 4:1-11). 10 : 1. ; 2. ; 3. ; 4. ; 5. ; 6. B; 7. ; 8. ; 9.. atching: 1. (srael); 2. (unday); 3. (Law of oses); 4. (ld estament); 5. (rovidence); 6. (Levi); 7. ( avior is coming ); 8. B ( he avior is coming again ). ryptogram: t is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. LV,, L: 1. esus; 2. learning; 3. saac; 4. sraelites; 5. priest; 6. singing; 7. aturday; 8. in. 8 early ubscription ees in.. unds nly nited tates of merica: ndividual rate: $14 each Bulk rate (at least 5 to same address): $10.00 each. lub rate (at least 10 to different address paid together): $12 omeschool discount 10% off above rates iscovery anuary 2012, L,., 2011, LL V