It’s called Deep Springs College and has been in existence since 1917. Now I have called the Commandments “channels for the love of God.” Years ago, I went to a very unusual college. One could by a similar analogy and liken the Ten Commandments to the founding principles in the Declaration and Constitution, with one crucial exception: the Commandments were inscribed in stone by the finger of God, not by the quill of Thomas Jefferson. That’s why God prefaces the Ten Commandments by saying: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” It is somewhat similar to the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution which resulted from the Revolution against Britain. The story stretched back to Creation, to the Fall of man into sin, to the promises to Patriarchs, and preeminently to the salvation of the Hebrew people from Egypt. The Torah was a law code, in fact the only law code for the people of Israel, but it was more than that. This is called “acceptance of the yoke of the commandments.” The rabbis have ruled that the candidate for conversion may not willfully reject even one of these 613 commandments. When one “enters into the covenant” … one accepts the divine mandate requiring distinctive behavior. īecause the Jews constitute a covenant-community rather than a faith-community, the decision to convert is a decision not only to believe in the Jewish idea of God, but to act on that belief. Here is an explanation from a contemporary catechism on Becoming a Jew. Taking up the yoke of the Law was for them an honor, a privilege, and a necessity. Jews of the first century and down to today described the Law as a yoke, as in a yoke of oxen. To be a faithful Jew was to be a “keeper of Torah” in body, mind, and spirit. It was clear to first-century Jews, as it is to orthodox Jews today, that “Torah,” which means “instruction,” was not only a head-matter – “reading and memorizing” – nor only a heart-matter – living a godly life – but it was a “hands-matter” – practicing the Law in everyday life. Rabbis later calculated that precisely 613 “statutes” were contained in the Torah. Now the word Torah here refers specifically to the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch), which contain the law of Moses. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! You have commanded ( tzavah) your precepts to be kept ( shamar) diligently. Who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! I think we can get a good sense of how Jesus the Jew understood what “Torah” meant because we can hear him praying Psalm 119, as we did today.īlessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law ( torah) of the LORD!īlessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” What are we to make of this statement? What does Jesus mean by “love,” and what does He mean by “keeping my commandments.” Specifically, what does Jesus mean as a first-century Jew, whose Bible was the Old Testament, who from His earliest years knew the Scriptures better than His elders, who attended synagogue each Sabbath where the Torah scroll is taken from its box, its tabernacle, and read, “Torah” meaning the divinely revealed Words of Almighty God to Moses. So please follow along with me over the next few weeks, as we search the Scriptures:īLESSED Lord, who has caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. I’m not sure what they mean for me, a follower of Jesus, or for us, the church of Jesus Christ here in Bellevue. “If you love me, keep my commandments.” I must confess, I have been wrestling with these words, because I am not sure what they mean. They are, in a sense, Jesus’ last will and testament. It was at the Last Supper, the night before He was betrayed, tried, and crucified. This saying comes from the last words Jesus ever spoke on this earth. Jesus said: “If you love me, keep my commandments. Stephen Noll THE TEN COMMANDMENTS: Channeling God’s Love Sermon Preached at Redeemer Anglican Church These sermons formed the basis of a “confirmation” process for members of the church. In the Easter-Pentecost season 2021, I began a series of sermons on the theme of God’s Commandments, beginning in the Old Testament and moving to Jesus’ teaching.
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