The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Kings 8:9,
"There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt."
At one time the ark contained not just the two stone tablets with the ten commandments inscribed, but also a golden jar of manna, the manna that sustained Israel in the wilderness, as well as Aaron's rod that had budded. You will recall that there was an insurrection directed against Moses' leadership and the selection of his brother, Aaron, to be the chief priest of Israel. The insurrection was quelled when the Lord displayed his choice of Aaron by having his staff bud with leaves, providing a miraculous and powerful statement.
The ark was built, together with the tabernacle, its other furnishings and utensils. Over the intervening several hundred years, it had moved from place to place, was even captured by the Philistines (the enemies of Israel) and returned. Now, only the ten commandments remained within the ark, the "tablets of the covenant."
What was so important about these commandments God had provided through Moses? First, these laws revealed the nature of God's own character. These laws became the guiding direction Israel was to take if they were to continue in the covenant they had made with God. Additionally, these commandments expressed God's expectations of sinful mankind. For mankind, through Israel, to live in harmony with God, these laws would need to be observed.
However, the most important aspect of the ten commandments lay in the revelation to all mankind of their sinful condition. As they might attempt to keep the laws contained in the tablets of the covenant, they would discover an inability to keep them - driving them to seek the Lord's mercy. The sinful condition of man is not a matter of a need for rehabilitation brought about by the moral efforts of law-keeping, but a need for seeking God's forgiveness, the throwing of oneself at the feet of God's mercy and a needed satisfaction of his sense of justice. The ten commandments are a tool to show us our need for salvation!
This we find in Jesus Christ. He died on that cross to pay the penalty for all of mankind's sins. When we embrace him in faith, the payment Jesus made is credited to our account with God in his court.
The law, the ten commands illustrate and magnify our need for salvation, "in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful." Romans 7:13.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
"There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt."
At one time the ark contained not just the two stone tablets with the ten commandments inscribed, but also a golden jar of manna, the manna that sustained Israel in the wilderness, as well as Aaron's rod that had budded. You will recall that there was an insurrection directed against Moses' leadership and the selection of his brother, Aaron, to be the chief priest of Israel. The insurrection was quelled when the Lord displayed his choice of Aaron by having his staff bud with leaves, providing a miraculous and powerful statement.
The ark was built, together with the tabernacle, its other furnishings and utensils. Over the intervening several hundred years, it had moved from place to place, was even captured by the Philistines (the enemies of Israel) and returned. Now, only the ten commandments remained within the ark, the "tablets of the covenant."
What was so important about these commandments God had provided through Moses? First, these laws revealed the nature of God's own character. These laws became the guiding direction Israel was to take if they were to continue in the covenant they had made with God. Additionally, these commandments expressed God's expectations of sinful mankind. For mankind, through Israel, to live in harmony with God, these laws would need to be observed.
However, the most important aspect of the ten commandments lay in the revelation to all mankind of their sinful condition. As they might attempt to keep the laws contained in the tablets of the covenant, they would discover an inability to keep them - driving them to seek the Lord's mercy. The sinful condition of man is not a matter of a need for rehabilitation brought about by the moral efforts of law-keeping, but a need for seeking God's forgiveness, the throwing of oneself at the feet of God's mercy and a needed satisfaction of his sense of justice. The ten commandments are a tool to show us our need for salvation!
This we find in Jesus Christ. He died on that cross to pay the penalty for all of mankind's sins. When we embrace him in faith, the payment Jesus made is credited to our account with God in his court.
The law, the ten commands illustrate and magnify our need for salvation, "in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful." Romans 7:13.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment