Living the Law - 250309

SPEAKER 1 Hello, I'm Lazio Crescentini. Welcome to Let God Speak. God's law is expressed in the Ten Commandments in only 16 verses in Exodus, chapter 20. Yet the principles of the Ten Commandments filtered through all situations in the life of the Israelites. They were living the law. Stay with us as we discuss how these timeless principles of the Commandments applied to the civil laws that governed all aspects of Israelite life. On our panel today, we have Rod Butler and Gayl Fung. SPEAKER 2 Hello. SPEAKER 1 Welcome. SPEAKER 3 Thank you. SPEAKER 1 Before we start our study, let's open with a word of prayer. Our Father, who's in heaven, thank you so much for a beautiful day you've given us. But where we can study your word, we ask you be with us now as we go through the commandments you've given us. Let us learn more. It's my prayer. In Jesus name. Amen. SPEAKER 2 Amen. SPEAKER 1 The four chapters from Exodus 19 to Exodus 23 are pivotal in the history of the Israelites. They describe the renewal of God's covenant, giving the Ten Commandments and giving the civil laws called the Book of the Covenant to the new Hebrew nation. We know about the Ten Commandments, but what is the book of the covenant? Today we are going to discuss what it was and its purpose. And for our first question, Gayl, would you mind answering that? And it is, what do the laws of a nation say about the character of the government that looks after that nation? SPEAKER 3 Well, the laws reveal the ideals, goals, intents and character of the government. And in Egypt, we see Pharaoh, he introduced a law to kill all the baby boys. So this reveals that Pharaoh had a character that had evil intent. But in contrast, God's law, it reveals his character of goodness, love and righteousness because he wants to protect his people. So God's law never changes. And Paul writes about that in Romans. Just reading Romans, chapter 7 and verse 12. And the Bible says, therefore, the law is holy and the commandment holy, just and good. SPEAKER 1 Yes. Isn't that amazing to hear that God's law is so holy and good. But after God gave the Ten Commandments to the people, he then gave Moses the judgments. So, Rod, what are these judgments? SPEAKER 2 Well, these judgments were. They were the local regulations and ordinances and laws that would apply to this new Hebrew nation. And they start in chapter 21 of Exodus. And I'll just read chapter 21 and verse one. And it says, now these are the judgments which thou shall set before them. And for the next three chapters, that's 36 verses in chapter 21 and 31 in chapter 22. And 33 in chapter 23, it's 100 verses, we have all these local ordinances and regulations that would apply to society. And they covered all manner of things. They covered how to deal with slaves, property damage, material damage, death penalties. They covered things like stealing and life in society, festivals, all manner of how people would conduct themselves. There was a regulation, and these were given by God to Moses. And it was Moses job to teach the people. And they were the ordinances, they were the judgments, as it says. SPEAKER 1 Thank you so much, Rod. Makes me think as well. So why were these judgments, these civil codes needed? Gayl? SPEAKER 3 Well, a huge number of people came out of Egypt. There was the Israelites mostly, but there was also the mixed multitude. They were the Egyptians and their livestock. So. So I'm sure it was well over way over a million people. And the Israelites had been living as slaves in Egypt for centuries. And so their minds were blinded and debased by slavery and heathenism. So now they were a brand new nation and under the leadership of God. And so God himself, these judgments applied to the principles of the Ten Commandments to help them in their daily living, so they would know how to honor God. The regulations, they were for their peace and for their harmony as well, and to build up their society, to make it a bit of heaven on earth, we might say. So the judges were appointed as administrators of the law, and you had the priests, they were to teach it, and of course, parents in their homes, they were to teach their children. It says in Exodus 24:7, it says, it reads, the Bible reads. Then he took the book of the covenant and read in the hearing of the people, and they said all that the Lord has said we will do and be obedient. So the people agreed to all the requirements. SPEAKER 1 Thank you, Gayl. And that, that was written thousands of years ago. That's way past. But Rod, how is that relevant to us today? SPEAKER 2 Well, it's relevant to us today because the Ten Commandments were infused or permeated through these ordinances and statutes. And today we also are governed by the Ten Commandments because God's law stands forever. And so we've got to conduct our behavior in the way we operate in our society with the Ten Commandments coming through and how we conduct ourselves. So in that sense, they're relevant for us today. But the other thing is, what isn't relevant to us today are the penalties. Now, the penalties subscribed in these ordinances in many cases are quite severe. So we don't apply penalties. But the actual principles behind what was applied? We need to make sure that the Ten Commandment principles are applied in how we conduct ourselves, how we interpret laws and obey laws as well. SPEAKER 1 Okay, so if we take that in mind. So let's look at the Book of the Covenant, let's look at the Ten Commandments and see how that applies to our everyday life. So, Gael, what was the first two commandments that's referred to in the, in the Scriptures? SPEAKER 3 Well, the first two commandments which we find in the book of Exodus, chapter 20, they say that thou shalt have no other gods before me is the first one. And we see how that relates in Exodus 20, verse 23a, where just reading the first part of that verse, you shall not make anything to be with me. God wanted to be, needs to be first and foremost, always. And also reading In Exodus chapter 23 and verse 13, the Bible says, and in all that I have said to you, be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard that from your mouth. Actually, like I wrote this out in the new living translation as well, which is, pay close attention to all my instructions. You must not call on the name of any other gods, do not even speak their names. So God was very direct and very clear with his instructions. And so the second commandment also says not to make any graven images or anything in the likeness of God. And this can be referred to in the second part of Exodus, chapter 20 and verse 23, which reads, I'll just read from the beginning of that verse to make sense. You shall not make anything to be with me. Gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves. So God was very specific. And also in Exodus chapter 23 and verse 24 also reads, you shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do any do according to their works, but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars. SPEAKER 1 Thank you for sharing. The first two commandments Rot. What is the third and the fourth commandment? SPEAKER 2 Well, the third commandment is in regards to reference to God and in the, in the book of the Covenant, that sort of comes up in Exodus 22:28. And I'll just read verse 28 and it says, I'm reading from the new King James and it says, you shall not revile God nor curse the ruler. And so very, very succinctly it's saying, you don't curse God and the ruler. By the way, back in that society, the family heads were rulers, so you weren't to Curse your rulers too. Now that's good advice because Paul in the book of Romans talks about to be obedient to the government because God sets up governments and he takes governments away. So our role is to be obedient, provided they don't contradict the law of God. And that goes well for us as citizens. And so the third commandment there is very expressly stated. And I just noticed what Go was saying about they weren't even to mention other gods. It's interesting with marketing today. We know in marketing that it's very important to get the names of brand names in people's heads, because if they get brand names, they'll gravitate to that product. So God didn't even want people to talk about the gods of other nations, so they wouldn't be tempted to even inquire about them. And of course they had to be reverent. They weren't to revile God. So that was the third commandment. The fourth commandment is a very important commandment. It relates to the seventh day Sabbath. And that comes up in Exodus 23. And I'll read verses 10 to 12 and it says and six years. Just a bit of a. Before I get to it, this was going to be an agricultural society. The Hebrews, they had livestock, they were going to plant things and grow things. And God applies the principle of the Sabbath beyond just six days and you shall have rest. So it says here in verse 10 and 6 years, thou shalt sow thy land, and shall gather in the fruits thereof. But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still, and the poor thy people may eat, and what they leave the beasts, and the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with the vineyard and with the olive yard. Six days shalt thou do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest, that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid and the stranger may be refreshed. So God's applying this principle of a cycle, a seventh cycle of time, the yearly cycle through agriculture, the land have rest. But also equally, the seven day Sabbath was important. So you see how that Sabbath principle is being infused in their lifestyle in the way they were to live. SPEAKER 1 Yeah, thanks for sharing. If we look at that. So the first four commandments is our relationship with God, but now the the next six is our relationship to our brothers and our sisters, to people around us. So Gael, where is the reference to honouring our parents and not to murder? Where can we find that? SPEAKER 3 Well, we Find the fifth commandment. It talks about honouring our parents. And in Exodus 21, verse 15 and 17 tissue and he he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. Verse 17 and he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. So it was a very serious punishment to actually strike or curse your parent. And the sixth commandment, thou shalt not kill, is about respecting life and is covered in several places. Also in Exodus, chapter 21, just reading verses 12 to 14 he who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. However, if he did not lie in wait, but God delivered him into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee. But if a man acts with premeditation against his neighbor to kill him by treachery, you shall take him from from my altar, that he may die. And just also reading verse 23 but if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life. And verse 29, the same chapter. But if the ox tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death. So these were laws about preserving life. And if life was taken, then it was very serious, there would be compensation. SPEAKER 1 So that was up to the six commandments. So now if we look at the seventh, which is about marriage and our relationship to our spouses, and then we look at the 8th one is not it's about stealing. Right. So where's the references to that? SPEAKER 2 Well, the reference to the one which is to do with thou shalt not commit adultery, and that's in Exodus 22, verses 16 and 17. It was God's intention that this society there was to be no fornication or adultery. There was to be the sanctity of marriage. And it says here, if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refused to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of the virgins. So if there was an accident or whatever, then you were to marry that girl. It was to be the sanctity of marriage in the society. So that's where that comes in. And very, very clear, very explicit. Then in relation to number eight, which is to do with thou shalt not steal, that comes in Exodus 22, 1, 4. Now again we're Talking about an agricultural society, the Hebrews had livestock. So this is dealing with stealing of livestock. So I'll read the four verses. If a man shall steal an ox or a sheep and kill it or sell it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. If a thief be found breaking up and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. If the sun be risen upon him, there shall no blood be shed for him. For thou shalt make full restitution. If he have nothing, then he shall be solved for his theft. If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be an ox or an ass or a sheep, he shall restore double. So these are rules about what happens if you're caught stealing, what happens if you steal something and it dies. There's rules here for that. And the intention was, don't do it. It's not your property. You don't steal. SPEAKER 1 Thank you so much, Rod. And that brings us to the last two. Gael. So what do they refer to? SPEAKER 3 Well, it was respecting the reputation of other people by not bearing false witness and telling the truth. And we can read about this In Exodus, chapter 22:11, it says the Bible reads, then an oath of the Lord shall be between them both that he has not put his hand into his neighbor's goods. And the owner of it shall accept that and he shall not make it good. So very important. And we find also In Exodus, chapter 23, verses 1 through to 9, we find the principles of justice there for all. So the tenth commandment is not to covet. And it's about respecting ourself. And it's also being pure in mind and not coveting what belongs to someone else. So this permeated the whole covenant code. SPEAKER 1 Thank you so much. And I want to take us to Exodus 15:18 says, the Lord shall reign forever and ever. So the covenant was renewed with Isaac, it was renewed with Jacob. And now they were on their way to the promised land, the Israelites. And Rod, what was God's calling? What was his intention? How would they possess this promised land? How would they go into it now? SPEAKER 2 Well, it was never God's intention for them to have to pick up arms and fight their way into the promised land. It was God's intention that he would lead them to the promised land and give them to the promised land. The covenant was that he would give this land to Abraham's seed. And he renewed that covenant. So they had to have the faith that God would do that. And if you Refer back to, you know, Exodus 14:13 of the Red Sea. Moses says, you know, and I'll just read this, says, don't be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he shall accomplish for you today. So it was God's intention that the people had to follow the Lord because this was a society based on God as their king, God as their ruler. It was a theocracy, and they had to have the faith that he would do what he said. He was going to lead them to the promised land. They weren't to fight for it. SPEAKER 1 Thank you. And makes me think as well. So why did God tell Abraham, why did he promise Abraham that the land would be given to him, but only in 400 years? It's like, how does that come together? SPEAKER 3 It's a long time to wait. Wasn't reveals God's character. God is long suffering. He's merciful and gracious. And God was mercifully working for the Canaanites as well, because he gave them 400 years to repent from the way they were living and their ways. But sadly, they continued in their rebellion against God and his values. And when their cup of iniquity was full and was complete, then God was ready to give their territory to the new nation of the Hebrews. And that was going to be their new homeland. SPEAKER 1 Okay, so Rod, is it a big stretch to believe that God would give them Canaan without a fight? SPEAKER 2 It would take a lot of faith, considering the world they lived in. But you've got to remember what they just experienced. They had just been at the Red Sea. They had physically witnessed God delivering them from the Egyptian army. They'd crossed the Red Sea. They'd seen the Red Sea swallow up the army. So having just seen that and seen how they were delivered, is it not too much to ask? Just have the faith that God will lead them into the promised land. There'll be some other miracle that he'll perform so they can take that land without a fight. SPEAKER 1 Okay, so if they have that faith, Gael, like, how is God then going to drive the Canaanites out of the land now? How's it going to happen then? SPEAKER 3 Well, God told them, and God promised that he would drive out the nations out ahead of them so that Israel could possess this land. And in Exodus 23, verse 27 and 28, I won't read those verses, but there's by two methods is mentioned there. And the first is by sending terror and fear that would fall upon the nations that they would want to exit. And also with hornets Hornets that would drive the people away. So before the Israelites arrived in their new territory, their enemies actually would abandon the place and turn their backs and run. SPEAKER 1 So when we look at the commandments, to me it reveals God's character, his love and justice. And I want to take us to Exodus, chapter 21, verse 23 to 25. And it says, but if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, food for food, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for strip. This does not sound like a loving thing. It's pretty harsh. It's straight to the point. And is this promoting a bit of a revenge? Is this a different side from God? SPEAKER 2 These verses are often misunderstood. In fact, some people use these verses proof text that the God of the Old Testament is a different God of the New Testament. Love your enemy, as Jesus says. Well, this doesn't seem to what this is saying, but in actual fact, there's a lot of love in these verses because the whole point of these verses was to stop people taking the law into their own hands and feuds developing where tit for tat and the cycle of violence sort of accelerating each time went backwards and forwards the process. If you read just one verse earlier, it's talking about and he shall pay as the judges determine. So God's ideal in this book of the covenant was that when there was a problem, there was a crime or an injury, the judges would assess the situation and they would make a determination. If someone lost a tooth, then the judges would say, well, okay, well, you lost a tooth. Well, it's only fair that they lose a tooth. So the judges are giving the penalty. It's not people taking sides and ratcheting up the sort of emphasis. I mean, you think back in American history, you know, you got the McCoys and the Hatfields from Kentucky and West Virginia, you know, over 28 years, there were dozens of people killed because they just got backwards and forwards. That's what a feud can do. So this was designed to stop blood feuds. The judges were to get involved, they were to make a determination, and it was to be equally based. So there's actually a lot of fairness in this. SPEAKER 1 Okay, but Jesus spoke about it. Well, he referenced that. And that was in Matthew 5, 38, 39. It says, you have heard that it was set an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him. Also, why did Jesus say this in his Sermon on the Mount Gael. SPEAKER 3 Well, Jesus knew the purpose of the this law, and therefore he could apply it according to its original intention. And in Jesus day, justice had been very distorted by the rulers and Pharisees and they were twisting the law to suit their selfish ends. So the motive behind Jesus saying was to bring justice and reconciliation through the unbiased courts and to restore peace. So the proper application of these laws would find the right balance between justice and vengeance. SPEAKER 1 Okay, but Rod, it's still. I still want to answer in that sense where. Why did Jesus take it a bit further? Why did he say, turn the other cheek? SPEAKER 2 Well, loving your enemies, turning the other cheek, that was radical For Jesus to say that it's radical today to turn the other cheek. Absolutely, because people naturally, the human instinct is retaliate. The Christian has a higher moral calling. And one of the things when you, when you do turn the other cheek, you actually have an impact, a very strong impact on the person who wants to strike you. And Paul brings us out beautifully. I just like to read Romans chapter 12 and verses 20 and 21. It says, Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirst, give him a drink, for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. So you know, when someone does something bad to you and you turn the other cheek and you don't retaliate, you're actually bringing conviction to the other person that they've done the wrong thing and the Holy Spirit can work on their hearts. So it's radical today. But this is God can do this for us in our lives. SPEAKER 1 And like you mentioned earlier, like things happen still today, injustice is happening all around us. People are getting away with crimes, getting away with all kinds of things. And from our study today, Gayl, how would you respond to the injustice? SPEAKER 3 Well, when we suffer from injustice by others, we're not to take the role of judge or jury or executioner, else we may pervert the justice ourselves. We're not to seek revenge. And it's not up to us to repay the harm. If some evil is to be addressed, it is needed to be worked out by judges, as Rod has said. And also here in Romans 12:19, the Bible reads, beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath. For it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. So. So God doesn't want us to remain the victim. God wants to give us victory. And the only way to do that is we need to leave the vengeance to God. In the judgment. SPEAKER 1 Thank you so much. And quickly, I want to look at Matthew 5:48 and says Therefore you shall be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. Rot perfect. How can we be perfect? SPEAKER 2 Well, only God is perfect. However, if you think God is God is love and God's commandments, therefore are all given through that attribute of love. We can be perfect if we also conduct ourselves. Was love for our fellow man. Love for God. That's what the Ten Commandments are. Love for God, Love for fellow man. SPEAKER 1 Yeah, thank you so much and it's great to see how we can go through Scripture and we can see God's love in our lives. You know, work through that. So thank you so much for sharing and yeah, look forward to when we can do this again. Yeah so God wanted the Hebrew nation to be different from the surrounding nations. He wanted them established as a nation of who would live under his leadership and authority. Everyone would be subject to his law and reflect his character. They would be a witness for God to the surrounding nations. We too must be obedient to God's law. So we also will be faithful witnesses to those around us. We are glad you joined us today on Let God Speak. All our past programs plus teacher's notes are available on our website freeabnaustralia.org email us on lgsreeabnaustralia.org we'll see you next time and God bless. SPEAKER B You have been listening to let God speak, a production of 3ABN Australia television. To catch up on past programmes, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au. Call us in Australia on 02 4973 3456. Or email [email protected]. we'd love to hear from you.