Since the
beginning of the creation, the great
creator has laid down the law. From time to time he has given
commandments unto
man, and man found them hard to keep, most of the time if not at all. We
often
think of the law as thou shalt not, which in some cases this is true,
but
sometimes it is thou salt. Like the law of gravity, what goes up must
come
down; there are laws of God that show how he operates. In different ages
he
laid out these laws to perform a work in his plan for mankind and his
purpose
on this earth. I would like to take a look at these different ages and
bring us
to our age and the law to come.
In the book
of Genesis we find the first age of Gods commandments to man. He tells
Adam and
Eve to, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue
it: and
have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,
and over
every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”He gave man the
responsibility
to rule over the earth and to be the caretaker of all the creatures.
There is
also the matter of replenishing the earth, which in itself is somewhat a
strange commandment, if the earth had never been inhabited before, just
something to think about. God also gave them a thou shalt not, "But of
the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the
day
that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” This command is the one
that
got Adam, Eve and all mankind into trouble. It should have been an easy
law to
keep, only one tree of knowledge, and you could eat all you wanted of
the rest
of the trees in the garden easy don’t you think. But it was like telling
your
child don’t touch the outlet, and they can’t keep their hands off it,
not
really knowing the consequences of disobedience of what seems to be a
small
commandment.
Adam was
fully aware, when he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
that he
was breaking God’s commandment and he willing broke it. 1 Tim. 2: 14 And
Adam
was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
He did
not consider the consequences of his action, not willing to let Eve go,
which
he loved, and let God create another woman he chose to break the
commandment.
This fall brought death to mankind and death reigned till an age where
God was
going to show man how he could get life back. During this age there was
no need
for law enforcement, and the wickedness of man became so great that it
made God
sad that he had ever created man to rule the earth. His plan for mankind
was
set in motion, with the fall of Adam, from the foundation of the world.
The great
wickedness of man, caused God to take server actions, he was going to
destroy
his creation and start all over. He looked the whole earth over and
search for
someone who he could start over with and there was a person he found,
who he
could begin again. The bible says that Noah was a just man and perfect
in his
generations, and Noah walked with God. In the midst of all the
wickedness Noah
tried to be as righteous as he could and caught the eye of God, who
spared Noah
and his family by sending the flood and destroying the wickedness from
off the
face of the earth. 1Pet.3:20 "when once the longsuffering of God waited
in the
days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight
souls
were saved by water”, they weren’t just saved from the flood of water,
they
were saved from a world who was not able to change. Now with a new earth
and
someone to give the dominion to, it was time to start over with new laws
and a
new age.
As
Noah and his family embarked from the ark
another age dawned. God set commandments once again, and said unto them,
"Be
fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. The same command as he
had
given Adam and Eve, they were to fill the earth with mankind again. He
also
gave them dietary laws, instead of just a vegetarian diet he commanded
them to
the flesh of every moving thing that lived. There was no suggestion that
they
should only eat clean animal, but everything that liveth shall be meat,
even as
the green herb. All animals clean and unclean, any insects, serpents,
and slugs
all was given for nutriments for the human body. This led God to give a
thou shall
not, "But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall
ye not
eat.”Eating blood was not allowed, because it contained the life of the
body
and life is a gift of God. He has given every creature a spirit, which
allows
it to live.Who knoweth the
spirit of
man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward
to the
earth?
One more
law was given to man after the flood, whoso sheddeth man’s blood, and by
man
shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. Man was to
kill
the murderer; this commandment was not given to Adam as we see in the
case of
Cain. Even though he slew his brother God himself let Cain go free, and
by
letting the murderer go free we can see how bad it can get when a killer
is let
go. If we are made in the image of God, murder is like killing God
himself,
which is not a good thing. It led to mans great wickedness, which caused
God to
bring in the flood, and death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them
that
had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression. Death had
control
of mankind; there was not any hope of life after Adam sinned. Our
destiny is
set from the time we are born, we live our lives and then we die,
without hope.
Adam made a decision that affected all mankind and left us with death as
our
future. After the flood man did not change, God started all over again.
And
man, with sin inbreeded in us from Adam’s sin, continued on a course of
self
destruction.
How could
man get back his life, was there a way to obtain life again? Yes there
is, we
are still following the plan of the creator, and his purpose for man on
earth.
Knowing that man was and is unable to change himself from his sinful
nature,
God decided to chose a person, who would pass his faith from generation
to
generation. Out of Noah’s three sons he chose Shem and his generation to
find
this person. Ten generations past from Shem, till God could find his
man, Abram
was the man god chose to rise up a people to give his laws of life to.
In
Abram’s generation mankind had become idolatress and the only way God
could
make a transition for man to life, was to get Abram out of his country
and away
from his family that was in the idolatry business. So Abram by the
command of
God left and did as the Lord commanded, with the covenant of promise,
and
became a pilgrim. God knew that he would command his children and his
household
after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and
judgment;
that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
To his
seed would God give the laws of life, the schoolmaster to lead us to
Christ.
God told
Abraham that it would take over four hundred years before His promises
would
come to pass and to the very day he brought them out. Ex. 12: 40, 41 Now
the
sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four
hundred and
thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and
thirty
years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the
LORD
went out from the land of Egypt. He brought them to himself to Mt.
Sinai, that
He may give them his laws of life. Ro 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned
from Adam
to Moses, by the law that was given to Moses God would teach the people
He had
chosen, how to get life back, that was lost though Adam’s sin. Moses
said in De
30:15, " See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death
and
evil;” If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God,
and
wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his
commandments,
and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee,
which I
have brought upon the Egyptians. The time for Gods words to be revealed
was at
hand, as Jesus said, the words I speak unto you they are spirit and they
are
life. Before Moses Gods word were not written down, although God did
speak to
man from time to time, He did not have someone write his commandment s.
The
term written in stone comes from the tablets which on commandments were
placed.
They had Gods word were they could see them and be reminded of them.
The Mosaic
laws are just another step in man search for life, you may have heard of
Ponce
Del Leon, who looked for the fountain of youth, some way to find eternal
life.
God gave the laws to teach us the way. They are thou shall and thou
shall not,
Ps. 19 says, the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul, and in
keeping of them there is great reward. The children of Israel could have
been
lead to life, if they had kept the laws of God. From the time the law
was given
and even to our present day, the law has not been kept by man. Paul even
said
which neither we nor our fathers could keep, and he said of himself,
when it
came to the law that he was blameless. If Israel could not keep Gods
law, why
was it important for Him to give it to them? It was to show man what sin
is.
Rom. 7: 7- 14 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I
had
not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law
had
said, Thou shalt not covet.But
sin,
taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of
concupiscence.
For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once:
but
when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.And the commandment, which was
ordained to
life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the
commandment,
deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the
commandment
holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto
me? God
forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that
which is
good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. For we
know
that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. The law was
to
bring us to Christ, the one true way to life.
The gospel
of John tells us that the law came by Moses, but grace and truth by
Jesus
Christ. There was another age of law needed to show a more perfect way
to life.
God sent his only begotten son as he sent Moses, to give us the new law
of
grace. In Mt. 5-7 Jesus as Moses went up on a mountain and handed to his
disciples this law. It is called by many the Sermon on the Mount, but if
we
read passage correctly, Jesus actually got away from at the crowd and
only his
disciple was with him, when the sermon or law was given.
Mt. 5: 17,
18 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am
not come
to destroy, but to fulfil. Jesus did not throw away any of the
commandments of
God, he made them even stronger. As you hear it said of old times, thou
shall
not kill, but I say unto you if you hate you brother without a cause it
is the
same thing. Others also he added, that we might come to a closer
relationship
with the God of creation. Who from age to age, desired to bring man
nearer to
the place for which man was created. Jesus said, if you love me keep my
commandment, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Being set free
from
the death sentence of Adam, the way of holiness is accessible to those
who
chose to keep his law. His grace is sufficient for all who accept that
blood
covenant of Jesus. He went to Mount Calvary and it was set in something
stronger than stone, written with his blood on our hearts.
Now as we
come to the end of the grace age, it ushers in a new age.The culmination of all the laws,
which were
given by God from Adam to Jesus, put into action. The age of Judgment in
which
Jesus will, have all power and authority to meet out true justice.He must reign, till he hath put all
enemies
under his feet. There must be laws if Jesus is going to rule on earth
that
every knee will bow to. One of these law is revealed in, Zec 14:16And 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. If they will not keep this commandment the rains will
stop and
famine will come upon their land until they submit to commandments of
the
lawgiver.
The new age
of Gods law is upon man, who has had two thousand years of the grace
age, and
has not changed. All around us today the wickedness of man has not been
detoured, maybe even gotten worse. Our time is up, it is God’s time now,
Jesus
said in the book of Revelation 22: 10-14"And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of
this
book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust
still: and
he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous,
let him
be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And,
behold, I
come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as
his work
shall be.I am Alpha and Omega,
the
beginning and the end, the first and the last.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. We
are
dealing with the laws of life, in him we live, move and have our being.
Joh
3:16For God so loved the world,
that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish,
but have everlasting life. It is still yours and my choice today, but
time is
running out, what will you chose, life or death. Jos 24:15And if it seem evil unto you to serve
the
LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which
your
fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of
the
Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will
serve the
LORD.