"The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 40:1-3,
"Then the Lord said to Moses: 'Set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month. Place the ark of the covenant law in it and shield the ark with the curtain.'"
When the Lord gave Moses the design of the tabernacle he wanted built to provide for his presence among the Israelites, it was to contain a space called the "most holy place". Within that an ark was to be built and have "the covenant law" that had been chiseled on two stone tablets placed within it.
The "covenant law" is what we refer to as the Ten Commandments. These commands, that formed the basis for the covenant Israel entered into with the Lord, spoke to issues of the heart and issues of behavior. They are found in Exodus 20:3-17 and retold in Deuteronomy 5:7-21. Among these commands are prohibitions as well as things to do. Among the prohibitions are idolatry, objects of worship, using the Lord's name in vain, murder, adultery stealing, lying and coveting. The things to do include Sabbath keeping and honoring parents.
Paul provides us with the purpose of this law. It was to clearly communicate our sinful condition before God, our inability to do anything about it, and consequently our need of the Savior. "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." Romans 3:19-20.
Once we come to Jesus Christ in faith, we are no longer subject to the law, "But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." Romans 7:6. Paul goes on to use the tenth command as his example, "I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet.'" Romans 7:7.
In Galatians 2:15-16 Paul says, "We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified." And, he makes a logical point, "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" Galatians 2:21.
I like the way Paul makes his observation here in Galatians 3:23-25, "Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian."
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 reply and let me know.
"Then the Lord said to Moses: 'Set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month. Place the ark of the covenant law in it and shield the ark with the curtain.'"
When the Lord gave Moses the design of the tabernacle he wanted built to provide for his presence among the Israelites, it was to contain a space called the "most holy place". Within that an ark was to be built and have "the covenant law" that had been chiseled on two stone tablets placed within it.
The "covenant law" is what we refer to as the Ten Commandments. These commands, that formed the basis for the covenant Israel entered into with the Lord, spoke to issues of the heart and issues of behavior. They are found in Exodus 20:3-17 and retold in Deuteronomy 5:7-21. Among these commands are prohibitions as well as things to do. Among the prohibitions are idolatry, objects of worship, using the Lord's name in vain, murder, adultery stealing, lying and coveting. The things to do include Sabbath keeping and honoring parents.
Paul provides us with the purpose of this law. It was to clearly communicate our sinful condition before God, our inability to do anything about it, and consequently our need of the Savior. "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." Romans 3:19-20.
Once we come to Jesus Christ in faith, we are no longer subject to the law, "But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." Romans 7:6. Paul goes on to use the tenth command as his example, "I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet.'" Romans 7:7.
In Galatians 2:15-16 Paul says, "We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified." And, he makes a logical point, "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" Galatians 2:21.
I like the way Paul makes his observation here in Galatians 3:23-25, "Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian."
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 reply and let me know.
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