Law

Exodus 20

Thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking and the people were afraid.  They told Moses:  you speak to us, don't let God speak to us, or we will die.  The fear of God, according to Moses, was put upon the people so that they would not sin.  The law has it's purposes.  The law will not save us.  But, it will help to direct our ways so that we might be in closer relationship with God, knowing Him, knowing His will for us.  The law will help us to remember who God is.

We had a really good storm last night - lot's of thunder and lightning and rain.  I pulled my rocking chair up to the sliding glass doors so I could watch.  Our granddaughter and I were enjoying the light show when my husband decided he was going to hook up the portable generator so that he could watch the football game.  Light show over...  Noise of the television overpowered the thunder...  And Cassie wondered... why Papa needed to have the light and the sound of the television.  We got into a discussion regarding something I preach about now and then.  1.  Fear of being in the darkness.  After all, it is in the darkness of the world, that we can best see the light of Christ.  So why then do we need to have so much artificial light?  Are we afraid of being confronted with the light of Christ?  There is no need to fear the darkness because with you is shining a light, who is Jesus the Christ, that will lead you around in it and through it and out of the darkness.  2.  The need for constant noise in this world.  Do we need the noise of the world because we're afraid if we don't have it we just might hear God speaking to us?  Do we need the noise to cover the sound of His voice so that when He calls, we won't hear, and won't have to take up our cross and follow?  3.  False Gods.  Our reading today includes the 10 Commandments.  One of our members at Zion was sharing a story the other morning after worship.  He reminded us that the Commandments are broken into two tables. He reminded us of what Jesus said the greatest commandments are:  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matt 22:37-40)  He reminded us also that these commandments break down the ten into the two tables of the law:  loving God and loving neighbor and neighbor in that order.  His summation of the root of the troubles of the church on earth today is because we have turned these two around so that personal political and social agendas have taken precedence over loving and worshipping God.  Loving God comes first.  It is not that we should not love our neighbors and serve them.  It is that, if we do not put first things first, loving God first, then we will be dismal failures at the second as well.  Without the love of God we cannot love our neighbors.  If we don't put the first table of the law first, then we can't even begin to think we can follow the second (which we can never perfect anyway).  The commandments were given to us in a specific order, (God first) when we take them out of that order he said, "it just doesn't work."  Following the commandments out of order, putting the world, or even your neighbor or yourself, before God is worshipping a false god.  God indeed abides in and through your brothers and sisters around you.  But, they are not God.  We are not God.  I am afraid that I have not explained this as well as the lay person who shared this with me, but I pray that you get the idea.   This is the God who has brought you out of bondage, love Him above all things...  Love Him, listen to Him, and only then will you have a real clue on how to love your neighbor as yourself.