The Laws and Commandments

1. The Laws and Commandments -William J.D. Shaw

2. Reinforcement of Key way forward • Always check what anyone tells you against the Bible – use critical evaluation • Recall God’s Nature, place it in the forefront of your mind • Learn the culture and society at the time the Bible was written in order to better understand • There is power in reading the word (when led by the Holy Spirit), the power comes in combination with prayer and obedience • Open your mind, get rid of preconceived ideas • Gather scripture together on the same subject • Do not overly intellectualize, usually the word is straight forward in what it says, use rational and logic and not emotion • The definition of the words of Hebrew and Greek is extremely important • When in doubt, follow Jesus sayings and examples

3. What are the Laws • Contained in the first 5 books of the Bible, written by Moses • The laws are called the Torah or the Pentateuch • They are God’s will of how we are to go through life • They are a road map on helping us to grow and stay on the narrow path • Jesus told us to place the intent of the laws on our heart and not to treat them as legalistic • The 10 commandments are a somewhat condensed form of the laws and were used for the first covenant

4. Examine Psalms 119 • Look up Strong’s definitions of the following; • Laws, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, judgements, ordinances • These all essentially mean the same thing with respect to God’s directives to us- they are the Laws • King David delighted in the Laws and meditated upon them • Why – it guides us forward to grow as God demands • It is because of God’s great love for us, He gave us directions of going forth through this world

5. The Laws help us to grow and mature as God’s children • What are the personal characteristics we need to develop • Love, serving, meekness, humbleness, truthfulness, giving, doing good, helping others, empathy, caring, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, peace, longsuffering, patience, enduring, joy, gentleness, temperance, thankful, honest, fairness, justice, righteousness, compassion, tender hearted • Towards God; Love, obedience, faith, trust, fear

6. The word commandments to most means the ten written on stone • The Laws are the commands given to us from God • The 10 were the most important ones, generally a summary for the first covenant • They cover our relationship with God and our relationship with our fellow man • The importance of the Laws is mainly tied to Love, Love to God (obedience) and Love to our fellow man (caring for his well being) – both require action

7. If you adhere to only the 10 – what is missing • A large number of sexual abominations • Associating in any fashion with spirits • Not marking our body • Not eating fat and blood • Not eating unclean animals • We are to treat our body as a holy temple • Keeping the Holy Days • Not keeping all God’s Sabbaths, such as those within the Holy Days

8. Keeping the Sabbaths in the manner it was intended by God • Being a good steward towards the land and towards animals • Love your fellow man, help him when he needs help, including strangers, the poor and enemies • Fear the Lord • Honour your elders • and many others

9. At the time of Jesus only the Old Testament existed • Jesus came to the Jews, He did not need to tell them to keep the Torah • The new congregation (comprised of Jews and Gentiles) after the resurrection were zealous of the Law • Act 21:19  And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.  • Act 21:20  And when they heardit, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:  • Paul kept the Law, the Sabbath, the Holy Days

10. The Bible does not tell us everything • Be very careful, only use what the Bible says was done away with (do not speculate as to what was nailed on the cross) • You need to use logic in going forward • *Following and obeying Jesus takes precedence • Paul’s writing is not always clear, often we do not know what problems in a particular congregation that he was addressing in his letters, but he does tell them to be like him

11. Examine the following 3 words • Gen 26:5  BecauseH6118 thatH834 AbrahamH85 obeyedH8085 my voice,H6963 and keptH8104 my charge,H4931 my commandments,H4687 my statutes,H2708 and my laws.H8451 • Commandments • Strong number H4687, “a command, collectively the Law, Law, Ordinance, Precept” • Statutes • Strong number H2708, “appointed, custom, manner, ordinance, site, statute” • Laws • Strong number H8451, “precept, statute, law

12. A number of Bibles translate commandments differently, Gen 26:5 • (CJB)  All this is because Avraham heeded what I said and did what I told him to do--he followed my mitzvot, my regulations and my teachings. • (GW)  I will bless you because Abraham obeyed me and completed the duties, commands, laws, and instructions I gave him. • (MSG)  And why? Because Abraham obeyed my summons and kept my charge—my commands, my guidelines, my teachings. • (TLV)  because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My mitzvot, My decrees, and My instructions. • (TS2009)  because Aḇraham obeyed My voice and guarded My Charge: My commands, My laws, and My Torot.”a Footnote: aTorot - plural of Torah, teaching. Mitzvot – all the commandments in the Torah

13. What did Jesus say about the Torah • Mat 22:36  "Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in Moses' Teachings?" • Mat 22:37  Jesus answered him, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  • Mat 22:38  This is the greatest and most important commandment.  • Mat 22:39  The second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.'  • Mat 22:40  All of Moses' Teachings and the Prophets depend on these two commandments."  • Moses’ Teachings is the Torah

14. New Testament scripture addressing the Law • Jas 1:25  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.  • Rom 3:28  Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.  • Rom 3:29  Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:  • Rom 3:30  Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.  • Rom 3:31  Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law. 

15. Rom 7:12  Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. • Joh 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments • Joh 14:21  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him • Luk 8:21  And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it

16. Rom 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.  • Rom 6:15  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.  • Rom 6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  • Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: • Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. 

17. 1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.  • 1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. • Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. • Rev 22:14  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 

18. What are the commandments of Jesus • Jesus is the Word of God • Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (Elohim).  • Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God.  • Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. • Joh 1:10  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. • The Word gave all the commandments, laws, statutes, and ordinances throughout the Old Testament, the commandments referred to by Jesus are the same as those coming from the Father (In Aramaic the “Word” is “Miltha”)

19. The new direction in going forward • Place the intent of the Laws on your heart and go forward in Love • Then with Jesus help we go forward in the spirit and not in the flesh (going forward with the heart, mind and spirit focused on the Father) • It is with the spirit of Jesus within us that we are able to follow His directives to us, now we are under the Torah of Jesus (this does not mean the Law given by God is by any means done away with) • Note that the spirit is given to those that obey God • Act 5:32  And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. 

20. Consider the following • God’s Statutes and Judgements (in addition to the 10 commandments) • Due 4:12  And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.  • Deu 4:13  And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.  • Deu 4:14  And the LORD commanded me (Moses) at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it. • Deu 4:40  Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever.  • Deu 5:29  O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

21. The Covenant Renewed in Moab • Deu 29:1  These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.  • Deu 29:29  The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. 

22. The laws and Commandments • Sabbath • Exo 31:13  Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.  • Exo 31:16  Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.  • Exo 31:17  It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.  • The Sabbath as being one of God’s Holy Days (a weekly day vs others being annual days) • Lev 23:2  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.  • Lev 23:3  Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.  • Peace offerings • Lev 3:17  It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood. 

23. Passover • Exo 12:14  And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.  • Exo 12:24  And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.  • Unleavened Bread • Exo 12:17  And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.  • First Fruits • Lev 23:14  And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.  • Pentecost • Lev 23:21  And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

24. Antonement • Lev 16:29  And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:  • Lev 16:31  It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.  • Trumpets • Lev 23:24  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.  • Tabernacles • Lev 23:41  And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

25. Did God really mean forever • God does not change, God speaks truth, God does not lie • God’s ways are higher than man’s ways • God knows more than man • God is Holy, His Laws are Holy • God is logical, by logic one picks all or nothing • Or does man get to pick and choose only what he likes ?

26. What else did God tell us • Deu 8:1  All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers. • Deu 8:6  Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. • Deu 11:1  Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway. • Deu 11:32  And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day. 

27. What did Jesus tell us • Luk 11:28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. • Mat 5:17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  • Mat 5:18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. • Luk 16:17  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.  • Luk 11:2  And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 

28. What are we told about the end times • Zec 14:16  And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.  • Mic 4:2  And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. • Isa 2:3  And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.  • Mal 4:4  Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. 

29. What is the Will of the Father ? • Mar 3:35  For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.  • 1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever • Rom 6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  • Will is used in the manner of expressing a command, one is to abide and agree to do what God desires, what he wants, what he decree’s, doing God’s will is going forward through life in obedience to God’s words to us. Words in both the Old and New Testament. • Deu 11:1  Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway. 

30. What is God’s will • Obedience to His Laws • After Repentance growing as one of His children • Repentance is going forward and no longer sinning • Accepting Jesus as God’s Son dying for our sins • Growing in love to God and all others • Love to God is keeping His commands • Sin is defined by God in breaking His Laws

31. Why obey God’s Laws • We are saved by belief in Jesus and by God’s grace, not by works • We are judged by our works, faith grows and requires works, our works are putting God’s Laws into action as we walk through life • God’s Laws define sin, following the intent of the Laws help us to keep from sinning • Following the intent of the Laws shows our obedience, hence our Love to God • Following the intent of the Laws helps us to grow and mature as God’s chosen people • God’s Laws help us to walk through life keeping on the narrow path • God’s laws will be obeyed on earth when Jesus returns

32. Clarification of Keeping the Torah • Rom 7:6 But now we have been released from this aspect of the Torah, because we have died to that which had us in its clutches, so that we are serving in the new way provided by the Spirit and not in the old way of outwardly following the letter of the law. (CJB) • Now we keep the Torah in spirit in our heart, • We need to delight in going forward with the intent of the Torah in our heart

33. Jesus saying to us • Mat 5:18  “For truly, I say to you, till the heaven and the earth pass away, one yod or one tittle shall by no means pass from the Torah till all be done.f Footnote: fLuk_16:17.  (TS) Do we keep what Jesus said and follow Him ? 1Jn 2:6  He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. 

34. Are we to live by the Torah ? • What does the Old Testament say ? • Deu 8:3  And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.  • What does the New Testament say ? • Luk 4:4  And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.  • Is the Torah words from God ?

35. What do you do when you love someone ? • You do what pleases them, you try and make them happy, you do this through actions • Doing what pleases God is obeying what He tells us, growing in the manner that He tells us • God is our Father, He does not change, it pleases Him and shows our love to Him when we do what He asks of us with a glad heart

36. Going forward with both God and Jesus, is following what the Holy Bible tells us • The words in the Bible are words from God to us • We are told to do God‘s Will • We are told to follow Jesus • It is not a pick and choose, it is not paying lip service

37. Think Carefully • Check out scripture and only scripture • Pray and ask God to help you understand and to empty your mind of your preconceived ideas • Let God know when you pray, that whatever is shown to you that you will accept and obey (you must be honest in saying this) • Spiritual understanding comes from reading God’s word under the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit (the power of the word) • Develop a loving heart, do not be puffed up in your mind and do not have a stiff neck

38. Does God Still Require Obedience ? • In the past God inflicted severe punishment on the Israelites for not obeying • Does God change and no longer requires obedience ? (past, present, future) • Jesus appealed to our obedience in that of doing it by love to Him, rather than from an order to us • The Laws or Torah have never been done away !

39. The Old Covenant and the New Covenant • We are no longer under the Torah as a Covenant (berith) • Now under the New Covenant of Jesus death for our sins • Now we keep the intent of the Torah • Some of it has changed and we no longer can do all of it, so we do the best that we can • If the Torah is done away with so is obedience done away with • The Torah is a major part of doing God’s Will

40. Jesus words clearly tell us that the Torah has not been done away with until the current Heaven and Earth on longer remain • Jesus reinforces that we are to live by every word of God and to do the Will of God **