God Reveals His Law

GOLDEN TEXT: “Now therefore, If ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine.” —Exodus 19:5

EXODUS 19:3-6; 20:1-4, 7, 8, 12-17

THE Law of God given to Israel at the hands of Moses is generally recognized today as the very essence of civilized behavior. The first four of the Ten Commandments outline the responsibility of man toward his Creator, while the last six set forth the conditions of proper and happy human relationships. Both are essential for all those who would enjoy the blessings of life as they have been designed and provided by God.

Jesus, quoting from Moses, said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”—Mark 12:30,31; Deut. 6:4,5; Lev. 19:18

If we love the Lord with all our hearts we will not take his name in vain, nor worship other gods. Nor will we make graven images of him, nor of anything else as an idol of worship. As Christians we will enter into the rest which he has provided through Christ—Heb. 4:1,10

Likewise, if we love our neighbor as ourselves we will honor our parents, and will not commit murder. Neither will we commit adultery, nor steal. Certainly if we love our neighbor we will not bear false witness against him; nor will we covet anything which he possesses. If the whole world sincerely and wholeheartedly subscribed to and carried out this Law, there would be no need for armies, nor for police; for love and good will would be ruling everywhere.

With man, fallen creature that he is, this Law proved ineffective in controlling him. This was true of Israel, and of other nations as well, many of which have claimed this Law as their basic moral code. God has promised that during the thousand years of Christ’s reign his Law will be written in the inward parts of the people beginning with Israel. This implies a restoration to perfection, and to the divine image enjoyed by father Adam before he willfully disobeyed divine law. But with the past experience with evil as a reminder, it is reasonable to conclude that restored mankind will delight in the Law of God as it will be written in their “inward parts.”—Jer. 31:31-34

The little word “if” is a very important one in connection with most of God’s promises. It means that conditions are attached to those promises. True, God has made some unconditional promises. One of them is that he will bless all the families of the earth. Another is that he would give the land of Palestine to Abraham and to his seed as an everlasting possession. He promised to ransom all mankind from the power of the grave, and to redeem them from death; and, so far as adamic death is concerned, this will be universally fulfilled.

But the favor of God toward individuals is conditioned upon complying with the “ifs” of his promises. This was true with Adam. If he were to continue in Eden and enjoy continued life, he must refrain from partaking of the forbidden fruit.

In giving the Law to Israel, God made a wonderful promise, but there was an “if” attached to it. “If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: … and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” (Exod. 19:5,6) As later developments reveal, Israel as a nation did not qualify for the inheritance outlined in this promise. This “kingdom” was taken from them and given to a “nation bringing forth the fruits thereof,” the nation that is referred to in I Peter 2:9 and Matthew 21:43.

However, we cannot suppose that all faithful individual Israelites throughout the many generations of their national existence who did comply with the conditions of the “if” will fail to receive the reward promised. The holy “nation” of the New Testament is spiritual, and will constitute the spiritual phase of Christ’s kingdom. But this kingdom will have an earth phase made up of those who proved worthy of it. These are the one who will receive a “better resurrection” and be made “princes in all the earth.”—Heb. 1.1:38; Ps. 45:16

QUESTIONS

Briefly, what is represented by the first four, and the last six of the Ten Commandments, respectively?

How did Jesus sum up the meaning of the Law?

When will God’s Law be written in the inward parts of the people?

What “if” is attached to receiving the rewards of the Law?

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