Prayer: Father, You gave us boundaries to live by through Moses. Your covenant is perpetual, for every generation. Remind me today through Your Word of these commandments that I need to readdress and apply. In the name of Yeshua, amen.
Reading: Exodus 20 key: vs. 1-6
Then God spoke all these words saying,
2 “I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 Do not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or on the earth below or in the water under the earth. 5 Do not bow down to them, do not let anyone make you serve them. For I, Adonai your God, am a jealous God, bringing the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to the thousands of generations of those who love Me and keep My mitzvot.
Attention: What is a commandment, but a divine rule meant to be obeyed. In the nineteenth chapter of Exodus, we witness a “Theophany,” which means Adonai appeared to one man (Moses), telling him the message he was to relay to the Hebrew nation. It was on a mountain (Sinai) that Adonai met with Moses and commissioned the Ten Commandments. They were not the ten suggestions, but orders given by the highest authority, Adonai Elyon.
In addressing the Ten Commandments today, I focused on the first one. What it revealed to me was how far we have strayed from the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before (or ahead) of me.” For me, when I just use the main point and disregard the rest of the definition which Adonai gave Moses and He gives us, I tend to have a sense that I am complying. But when I go deeper and investigate the rest of this commandment, I see that I naively, and innocently break it.
What do I mean? Adonai provides us with a great description of what having other gods or idols means:
“Do not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or on the earth below or in the water under the earth. Do not bow down to them, do not let anyone make you serve them.” There is more, but what if we just ponder these points for a moment.
How many of us support or buy products which have images of occultic symbols or names on their packaging or product. How many of place images in our cars for protection? How many of us play video games with demonic imagery and think nothing of it?
I know some of those who are reading today’s journal would respond, but we are under grace. You are right, we are under grace. But Yeshua also said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets! I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.” Do we take Him at His word? The Law or Commandments we find in Exodus 20 have a perpetual nature. Notice Adonai’s words toward the conclusion of the first Commandment, “For I Adonai your God, am a jealous God, bringing the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to the thousands of generations of those who love Me and keep My mitzvot.”
God shows lovingkindness to those who “love Me and keep My mitzvot (My Laws).” Even the new covenant Yeshua declared covers the element of our vertical and horizontal responsibilities in relationship to God and man. Note that the concluding statement by Yeshua (Matthew 22:34-40) when questions about the “greatest commandment”, was “The entire Torah and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
We will be studying the entire Torah or Law in the coming weeks. It is much larger than the Ten Commandments. May we align our thoughts, hearts and minds, to the Law which Adonai gave to us. If He tells us not to do something or engage in a lifestyle which is counter to His Law, let’s be quick to repent and align ourselves with His Laws, the Torah.
Action: I ask the Holy Spirit to bring any idolatrous ways to my attention so that I can eliminate them.
Yield: I give my heart, mind, and soul to Adonai.
Engage: I engage with the Holy Spirit in transforming my mind to His thoughts and ways.
Relationship: I am in full relationship when I use God’s Word as my standard.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the guidance found in Your Torah. It is a lamp unto my feet. When I hide Your Word in my heart, it keeps me from sinning. Amen.
Memory Verse: Psalm 119:11
11 I have treasured Your word in my heart,
so I might not sin against You.
Music Video: Bethel—Reckless Love https://youtu.be/Sc6SSHuZvQE
Remember, “Abide in Yeshua, today!”