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Fleshing It Out
“It is the Creator of men, the Giver of the law, who declares that it is not His purpose to set aside its precepts. Everything in nature, from the mote in the sunbeam to the worlds on high, is under law. And upon obedience to these laws the order and harmony of the natural world depend. So there are great principles of righteousness to control the life of all intelligent beings, and upon conformity to these principles the well-being of the universe depends. Before this earth was called into being, God's law existed. Angels are governed by its principles, and in order for earth to be in harmony with heaven, man also must obey the divine statutes. To man in Eden Christ made known the precepts of the law ‘when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.’ Job 38:7. The mission of Christ on earth was not to destroy the law, but by His grace to bring man back to obedience to its precepts” (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 48).
FLESHING IT OUT
Some of the strangest things that happen in the world tend to happen at camp. While there is no scientific evidence or statistical data to support this, it still appears to be true.
One freak accident happened at the very beginning of the evening meal. Junior campers were packed into the cafeteria, filling the hall with a roar of busy noise. The food was generally pretty good but occasionally—on an off night—it was rather ordinary.
At one table, eight boys pressed in together to inflict damage on their meals. One boy named Brendon tore into his food like a Tasmanian devil, only stopping long enough to look to see if they were serving seconds yet. He almost appeared to be breathing through his ears because his mouth was preoccupied with food.
Leaving his vegetables to the end, he picked up a knife and a fork to reduce the size of the carrots down to more manageable pieces. His right hand gripping the knife, he pressed forcefully on a stubborn carrot with no sign of its giving up. He lunged even harder at the carrot, but his hands had acquired too much grease from the French fries, and the carrot flipped, the knife slipped, and the bottom of Brendon’s forearm hit the edge of the table with an awful crack.
Everyone was stunned by the loud cracking sound. Someone rushed out to get the nurse and a car to take him to the hospital. Time did not seem to be easing the pain. Finally after what seemed like hours, the doctor brought his helpers in to interpret the X-rays. The entire lighted board was filled with pictures of the skeleton of an arm. The doctor pointed to the break in the bone of one particular picture and said, “That’s a good one, partner. Did you get bucked off a horse?” Everyone chuckled as they relayed the story of the fierce encounter with the helpless carrot.
All the arm pictures looked mostly the same. One was of a 12-year-old boy, another of a 15-year-old girl, and another of a small boy who couldn’t have been more than 8. Their bones all looked the same. Without flesh, skin, freckles, and the greasy residue of French fries, it was quite difficult to determine which bones belonged to Brendon.
That’s the thing about skeletons: even though scientists can tell quite a bit about a person from his or her skeleton, they have no personality, no individuality, and no character. Until Christ came in the flesh, we had only a skeletal view of what God was like. After Jesus appeared, however, the ancient words of the Old Testament came to life with color, depth, and beauty in the person of Christ.
- How did Jesus coming to earth help us understand the law of God?
- Did people question Jesus about the way He observed God’s law? Explain.
- Did Jesus change the Ten Commandments when He came to earth? Explain.
- Do people understand that God’s law and love go together?
- How do law and love work together?
“The law given upon Sinai was the enunciation of the principle of love, a revelation to earth of the law of heaven. It was ordained in the hand of a Mediator—spoken by Him through whose power the hearts of men could be brought into harmony with its principles. God had revealed the purpose of the law when He declared to Israel, ‘Ye shall be holy men unto Me.’ Exodus 22:31” (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 46).
HERE’S WHAT I THINK
Kim loved her sister, but her sister had changed quite a bit as she grew older and went away to college. Her sister’s roommate and some others were hanging out in the dorm room together just chatting when the conversation turned toward how they all grew up in a churched environment. Kim listened as all these college students mocked the way they were raised, saying, “That stuff isn’t even relevant today” or “Nobody really follows those rules anyway—what good are they?” “Christianity seems to be just a bunch of rules and regulations—who wants that?” Kim’s sister was quiet—too quiet for Kim. It was clear to Kim that her sister was confused about a lot of things, including her faith in God and the way she had been raised. What do you think Kim could say or do to encourage her sister? What should she focus on?
Go to http://guidemagazine.org/rtf to post your answers. Your thoughts and feelings may seem clearer to you when you write them down, so we’ve provided space for you here as well. You may also wish to share them with your class later. Be up front and honest.
Genesis 1:14-18 (New International Version)
“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.’ And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.”
Exodus 20:3-17 (New International Version)
“You shall have no other gods before me.
‘You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.
‘You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
‘Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
‘Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
‘You shall not murder.
‘You shall not commit adultery.
‘You shall not steal.
‘You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
‘You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Make a Compass
This exercise is intended to help you understand how laws work in our favor.
You will need a bowl, water, a pin, a magnet, and a cork.
- Get a pin and a piece of magnet. Hold one end of the pin, and wipe the magnet along the pin. When you get to the end of the pin, lift the magnet off, and move it back to the top of the pin. Do NOT wipe the magnet back up the pin. Repeat at least 20 times.
- Push pin through cork.
- Fill the bowl with water. Put the pin and the cork on the water.
The pin will rotate and line up along the north and south axes.
What law of nature make us sure that the needle will line up with the north and south axes?
Do earth’s axes function under a law? Yes, of course they do. God gave all of His creation laws to live by or rules. When we study nature, we learn about the laws God uses in nature. Our laws are outlined for us in the Ten Commandments. Look at the Ten Commandments. What is God asking us to do, refrain from or do anything that would ultimately make us unhappy?
If the Earth didn’t have laws to keep the north and south axes lined up, what would happen? It might spin out of control. Just as the laws of nature keep the Earth rotating on its axis God’s Ten Commandments keep us close to Him and functioning as faithful followers so that we don’t spin out of control.
That’s love! God didn’t just create us and tell us to figure it out for ourselves. He provided a user’s manual. He wants us to succeed. But not alone, He wants to help us, and He’s waiting for us to ask him for help.
When you feel as though there are too many rules, just remember God created us and He knows just what we need. He loves us and doesn’t want to deprive us of “any good thing.” God tells us in Psalm 34:10, 11, “The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing. Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD” (KJV).
- Does nature have a choice of whether or not to follow God’s laws? Explain.
- We are God’s created beings why did he give us a choice?
- Did God really give us rules because He loves us?
“‘God is love’ is written upon every opening bud, upon every spire of springing grass. The lovely birds making the air vocal with their happy songs, the delicately tinted flowers in their perfection perfuming the air, the lofty trees of the forest with their rich foliage of living green—all testify to the tender fatherly care of our God and to His desire to make His children happy” (Steps to Christ, p. 10).
“Whenever men choose their own way, they place themselves in controversy with God. They will have no place in the kingdom of heaven, for they are at war with the very principles of heaven. In disregarding the will of God, they are placing themselves on the side of Satan, the enemy of God and man. Not by one word, not by many words, but by every word that God has spoken, shall man live. We cannot disregard one word, however trifling it may seem to us, and be safe. There is not a commandment of the law that is not for the good and happiness of man, both in this life and in the life to come. In obedience to God's law, man is surrounded as with a hedge and kept from the evil. He who breaks down this divinely erected barrier at one point has destroyed its power to protect him; for he has opened a way by which the enemy can enter to waste and ruin” (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 52).
SO WHAT?
It’s pretty clear when you read the Bible that God is interested in obtaining “law-abiding citizens” for His kingdom. When Jesus came to this earth and walked with the Father in an intimate relationship, He created a bridge for all believers. He showed us how to love God by connecting the dots. You remember the connect-the-dots exercises you did when you were a little child? You can’t see the picture—really—until you connect the dots together.
Every page of Scripture, whether written on a stone or in a book, has one purpose: to reveal a loving, amazing God to you. Every rule, such as “Don’t rip off your classmate” or “Respect your parents,” can either be an empty law that becomes irrelevant, or it can remind us of the personality of God. God is fair. God is faithful. God loves unconditionally. These traits are visible in the person of Christ and anyone else who practices them. The choice is up to you. There is more to the rules than meets the eye. In order to get beyond the rule, you need to discover the heart of the God behind the rule.
- What would it take to help you see God’s laws as a reminder of His personality?
- Is there anything about the Ten Commandments that explains to you God’s character?
- How can you discover the heart of God?
If you aren’t sure how to answer these questions ask an adult that you trust. Someone you feel sure understands God and would be willing to spend time talking to you about Him.
Look up the texts below in the New King James Version; then, match them with a phrase.
- Matthew 5:17-20
- Deuteronomy 6:5, 6
- Psalm 40:8
- Proverbs 7:2, 3
- Jeremiah 31:33
- 2 Corinthians 3:2, 3
- Deuteronomy 32:45-47
- ‘Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today ________. . . .’ ”
- ‘Till heaven and earth pass away __________. . . .’ ”
- ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, _______. . . .’ ”
- ‘I delight to do Your will O my God _________. . . .’ ”
- “You are our epistle___________. . . .”
- ‘I will put My law in their minds ___________. . . .’ ”
- “Keep my commands and live_________. . . .’ ”
Read these verses, and use them to make a list of God’s personality traits.
- Exodus 33:18,19
- Exodus 34:6,7
- Jonah 4:2
- Micah 7:18
- Hebrews 2:11
- Psalm 84:11
- Psalm 46:1-11
- Psalm 23
Don’t stop here! Use your own favorite texts to add to the list. When you have finished, write a description of who God is.
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?
Before the commandments were ever written on stone, in what form were they visible? Only in one form—the Person of God. The law was summed up in one word: love. That is why the Bible says, “God is love” (1 John 4:16, NKJV). The rules of the kingdom were simply stated in the amazing personality of the King. God’s greatest desire is for you to know Him, and we know people only by being with them, walking with them, living and learning and experiencing life with them.
If you find that all you can really see are the rules, and all you really feel are the impossible expectations of obedience, then step back for a minute. Imagine for a moment what God wants most: your unwavering obedience or you? He wants you to know Him. Have you failed before? Join the club of every other believer who fails miserably but knows that the core of the King’s kingdom is mercy and that only in Him is the power to do what He asks. He’d rather have us come to Him with our many mistakes than stay away and miss out on the friendship of a lifetime.
“The new-covenant promise is, ‘I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.’ Hebrews 10:16. While the system of types which pointed to Christ as the Lamb of God that should take away the sin of the world was to pass away at His death, the principles of righteousness embodied in the Decalogue are as immutable as the eternal throne. Not one command has been annulled, not a jot or tittle has been changed. Those principles that were made known to man in Paradise as the great law of life will exist unchanged in Paradise restored. When Eden shall bloom on earth again, God's law of love will be obeyed by all beneath the sun” (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pp. 50, 51).
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The following verses are short. Law-like statements that can be seen as either rules or pictures of what God is like. You decide. Choose one or two of the rules below that you think would make the most difference in your life. Ask God to help you flesh it out in your life this week.
How would your church be different if it chose on and looked to Jesus to help them find its greater meaning, which would make the greatest difference for your church or God’s laws?
1 Corinthians 6:18(NIV)
“Flee from sexual immorality.”
Luke 6:31 (NIV)
‘Do to others as you would have them do to you.’
Matthew 22:37 (NIV)
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart.”
Matthew 22:39 (NIV)
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Zechariah 7:9 (NIV)
‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.’
Zechariah 7:10 a (NIV)
‘Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor.’
Zechariah 7:10 b (NIV)
“In your hearts do not think evil of each other.”
Mark 10:9 (NIV)
‘Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.’