Every Word – The Kingdom Curriculum XIII (2)

Every Word

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 5:20

“You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and His testimonies and His statutes, which He has commanded you.” Deuteronomy 6:16, 17

Are Those Sheep I Hear?

We’re not being honest with God–and, so, we won’t be likely to be truthful with one another–when we pick and choose our way through the work of obeying His Word. Everyone has his favorite passages and books of the Bible or hobby-horse doctrines and practices which he pursues quite happily in his walk with the Lord. We’re ready and eager to talk about this, that, or the other, or to trumpet–oh, so subtly–the consistency of our obedience in some particular area. But in doing so, we leave a lot out and neglect full obedience to the Lord.

How like King Saul we often are. We tell ourselves we have done everything that God requires of us–we go to church, are nice to our kids and wives, work hard, and keep our noses clean. We may even read our Bibles and pray some. We have done all that God expects of us–just as Saul said to Samuel, before the prophet pointed out that, in fact, he had not fulfilled the Lord’s commandment at all (1 Sam. 15:13, 14). The bleating sheep that were supposed to have been sacrificed to the Lord were all the evidence Samuel needed of Saul’s half-hearted obedience.

Samuel had been very clear about what God required of Saul, but Saul was diligent in doing only what was convenient for him. God has been very clear concerning what He requires of us. Going to church is good, as are all the other things “good” Christians point to in order to assure themselves they’re OK with God.

But what about this matter of keeping the commandments, the testimonies, and the statues of the Lord? Not to be saved, mind you, but to show gratitude to the God Who has saved us, and to know the blessings of that salvation through increasing obedience? Most believers tip their hats to the commandments, but they have little or no use for the Law in its entirety, like righteous and blameless Zechariah and Elizabeth (Lk. 1:5, 6). And keep these commandments and statutes diligently? If we were honest to God, and with ourselves, we would confess that there are still plenty of “bleating sheep” in our lives that we do well to attend to with greater diligence.

How can we use the Law of God to make wise ethical choices? Order your copy of The Ground for Christian Ethics today. Go to www.MyParuchia.com, point your browser to “Publications,” then click on the drop-down option, “Waxed Tablet Publications.”

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore.

T.M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.