Tag: adultry

51.e. Wilderness – 15.k. “‘You shall open wide your hand”

 

Deu 15:9-11  Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the LORD against you, and you be guilty of sin. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

 Proverbs 4:23   Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

 Jeremiah 17:10    “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

 Matthew 15:19    For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

 Mark 7:21-22    For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,  coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.

 Proverbs 28:22    A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him.

 Proverbs 21:13     Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.

In the heart and mind resides the vilest of thoughts and intents. The output is in the form of action or the lack of action. These souls are bound for doing what is right in their own eyes, what pleases them, what gives them satisfaction or the chase after satisfaction, what gives them purpose, how they treat people, how they speak to people, and there is no thought of honoring or glorifying Jesus Christ. You might look at these people with disdain or disgust or hate or anger, and for some of their actions, we can see it this way. God does. He sees it all. The thoughts. The intents. The actions. 

Scripture tells us that God is angry and wrathful over such people. It also says that He is withholding His wrath and anger so that all might come to the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, repent, believe, trust, obey, follow, and rely upon Him for the salvation of their souls. God’s grace, mercy, and love are showered down because that is His plan to offer redemption and salvation to every person ever born. 

We see people who are worldly and follow the lusts of their hearts. We see boastfulness, anger, hate, arrogance, theft, jealousy, lying, unkindness, greed, immorality, etc…… God sees them much more clearly than we do. He sees their thoughts and intents before any action has been taken. And yet, He offers the gift of eternal life. 

How should we view these people to whom we want to justly hate? With love. Everything we say about an evil and lost person above applies to us but by the grace and mercy of God. We do well to remember that and the needs of others. It can be some need, physical, material, monetary, or spiritual. If our eyes are open and our ears attentive we will hear and be led by the Holy Spirit with the right spirit within us to help this in need. 

49.v. Wilderness – 14.a. “These words the LORD spoke”

Deu 5:7-22  “‘You shall have no other gods before me.

“‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image.

 “‘You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, 

 “‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you.

 “‘Honor your father and your mother, 

 “‘You shall not murder.

 “‘And you shall not commit adultery.

 “‘And you shall not steal.

 “‘And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

 “‘And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’

 “These words the LORD spoke

God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. (Brown)

God wrote the Ten Commandments on stone tablets and gave them Moses to share with all the Israelites soon after they left captivity in Egypt. Moses reiterated them 40 years later in as the Israelites neared the Promised Land. Leaving captivity in Egypt meant establishing a new society. The law established healthy boundaries based on respect for God and other people rather than brute strength. The law given to Moses provided the foundation for a new Israelite society. Jesus called people to an even higher standard by obeying the commandments not only in their actions but also in their hearts. The initial commandments start with the relationship with the “Lord your God”. God told His people He was their Lord, Master, and Creator God. They should have no other gods, and they should not make idols. They should not misuse his name. The Sabbath bridges our relationship with God. God commanded his people to take the Sabbath for their benefit. God intended for his people to enjoy their relationship with Him and each other by valuing the Sabbath. The following commandments address our relationships with others. (Noyes)

As new creations in Christ, the law is not only our duty but also our delight. If we want to love Christ as he deserves and as he desires, we will keep his commandments. But the Bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The way to find moral instruction isn’t by listening to your gut but by listening to God. If we want to know right from wrong, if we want to know how to live, if we want to know how to live in a way that honors and glorifies Jesus Christ and blesses our friends and neighbors, we’d be wise to do things God’s way, which means paying careful attention to the His commandments. (Deyoung)

Compare what society deems and approves as “OK” to commands of God. Abortion, greed, hate, pornography, divorce, LGBQT, retaliation, self-worth, self-reliance, etc…. all find root in rejecting and denying God, things of God, and the Word of God. If we neglect God’s Word and allow social media and news outlets to fill our minds it is no wonder there is little conviction in the hearts of those who confess Jesus as Lord with their lips but the Word of God is not in their hearts or minds.

31.r. “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you”

 

Matthew 7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

 Luke 6:31    And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

 Leviticus 19:18  You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

 Jeremiah 7:5-6   “For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another,  if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, 

 Zechariah 8:16-17   These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace;  do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD.”

 Ezekiel 18:7-8   does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, does not lend at interest or take any profit, withholds his hand from injustice, executes true justice between man and man,

 Micah 6:8     He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

 Malachi 3:5   “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

 Romans 13:8-10  Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.  For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

 1 Timothy 1:5   The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

None but he whose heart is filled with love to God and all mankind can keep this precept, either in its spirit or letter… It seems as if God had written it upon the hearts of all men, for sayings of this kind may be found among all nations, Jewish, Christian, and Heathen.” (Clarke)

“Oh, that all men acted on it, and there would be no slavery, no war, no swearing, no striking, no lying, no robbing; but all would be justice and love! What a kingdom is this which has such a law!” (Spurgeon)

Love of self, (who we are, what we do, how we think, what we say) is wrong when it places self above all others. Jesus has just spoken about loving your enemies, being careful how you judge others and not-self, giving to the needy, not being anxious about things in this life, seeking God in faith, and now finishing it with “do onto others as you wish them to do onto you”.  We often judge others by their acts and not their intent, and yet we examine ourselves by our intent. When we repent of doing wrong to someone we want them to forgive and forget it. Yet, we feel justified to do the opposite when we have been wronged. Is Jesus Christ honored and glorified by how we treat others and what we think about them?  Am I allowing God’s Word to lead and direct my thoughts, actions, and words toward others? Do I dwell on the negative thoughts about others that first pops into my head or am I able to recognize it as a wrong thought and cast it out and replace it with kindness, brotherly love, gentleness, generosity, and peaceful thoughts? If we would have hearts, minds, and souls that desired in all things to honor and glorify Jesus Christ, it is then we would begin to understand the depth of “do onto others as you wish them to do onto you”.

15.s. “But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?””

ohn 5:45  Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

Romans 2:17-29     But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God  and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law;  and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness0  an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—  you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal?  You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?  You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law.  For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

Romans 3:19-20   Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.  For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Jesus did not call these religious leaders to a new or a different faith. He called them to believe what Moses, what the Scriptures, what His works, what John the Baptist each testified about Jesus: that He is the Messiah, the Son of God and God the Son. If they refused to believe this overwhelming testimony, it was unlikely they would believe Jesus’ own words.  It is hard in this flesh to rely on faith.  We always seem to want to add something to it to make ourselves more right with God.  The fact remains though, that faith alone in Jesus is what makes us right before God.  In and through faith in Him we have been cleansed from our sin.  We have been born again.  We are a child of God.  There is nothing we could have done to earn this adoption into His family.  It is only through faith in Jesus Christ that we have been brought from death to life.  In this new life, our works should bring honor, glory, and praise to Jesus Christ.  In this new life, our actions and words should be directing people to give glory, honor, and praise to Jesus.  In this new life, we find purpose and satisfaction in humbly serving and honoring Jesus Christ.  In this new life, obedience is not an obligation but rather a desire.  In this new life, we seek to know and do His perfect will.  In this new life, our trust and reliance never stop growing, “UNLESS”  neglect and complacency have found root in our hearts and minds.