Matt. 22:37–Fundamentals

Matthew 22:37–"And He said to them, 'You shall love the Lord Your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'"

This is one of my favorite verses.  In fact, it is one of those verse I would claim for my life, a foundational assertion from Jesus about how we are to relate to God.  This verse is without ambiguity, lacking any doubt or obscurity about the manner of life that God commands of us.  I think of this verse fundamentally, as in it encompasses everything we need to know and to do in regards to our relationship with God.  If we could keep this verse before us in every decision we make, we would go a long way.  According to this, our love for God is to encompass every little bit of who we are.  This is the commandment and this is our aim.  Let us put it before us always.

Deut. 13:4–Commands to Revere

Deuteronomy 13:4–"It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere.  Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him."

Quite plainly, this is a direct command for us to follow, to revere, and to obey God.  It is unequivocal and clear; there is no ambiguity.  We are called, all of us, to a life of obedience and reverence, that we would live a life deferent and penitent to the Holy Lord is the goal for every believer.  Needless to say, this verse would be altogether impossible to accomplish if not for the indwelling, empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.  Because of this truth, we should be ever praying that God would empower us so that we could commit to loving the Lord completely and with reverence.

Psalm 119:7–Praising God Right Requires Knowing What is Right

Psalm 119:7–"I will praise You with an upright heart, when I learn Your righteous rules."

The question is: how can I praise God in the most appropriate way that would please His heart the most?  The answer: to learn His commandments.

When we know the commandments of the Lord and we apply them into our hearts we become able to fully worship, body, mind, and soul.  It is not that we are unable, per se, to praise Him apart from the commandments.  It's just that if we truly desire to praise Him we will desire to please Him through obedience to His commandments.  There is, as it were, a direct correlation between our obedience to His Word and to our ability to worship.  We would do well, then, to take seriously the call to worship in Spirit and in truth, making sure that the truth is planted firmly within our lives as deeply as we are rooted in Christ!

Ten Commandments: a Refresher

#1: You shall have no other Gods but the Lord.

#2: You shall not make for yourself any idol of any sort.

#3: You shall not take the name of the Lord in vein.

#4: Observe the Sabbath.

#5: Honor your father and mother.

#6: You shall not murder.

#7: You shall not commit adultery.

#8: You shall not steal.

#9: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

#10: You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or anything else that is your neighbor's.

These commandments form the backbone of God's Law, given to Israel through Moses.  Jesus commands us to live this Law too.  We have been given the Holy Spirit that we could fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law.  Therefore, we are still called to praise God by living lives that honor His goodness and His grace.  Let us then take heed to follow these commandments with joy and with love!

Intro to the Book of Judges

The book of Judges is one of the richest books of the Bible.  However, aside from the story of Samson, many of the books more prominent characters are largely unknown if not outright neglected.  Yet, as it is apart of the canon of Scripture because of God's will and design, and therefore, it warrants as equally an energetic examination as the epistles of Paul.

At the onset, the book of Judges comes after the book of Joshua, both canonically and chronologically.  This is the relavant starting place because the book of Joshua sets the stage for the events of Judges, which set the context for the coming of Samuel, Saul, and David.  Therefore, a basic understanding of the events of Joshua are in order so as to prepare us for thinking about the world of Judges.

Following Moses' death (Deut. 34:5-7), the Israelites, under the leadership of Joshua, began to disposess the Canaanites and inhabit the land.  God gave the Israelites very specific instructions in that regard, instructions that can seem harsh if we read our 21st century context into them.  God commanded the Israelites, uneqivocally, to utterly destroy the peoples that lived in the Promised Land.  They were not to let anyone live.  They weren't to make any treaty with the people and they were certainly not to marry with them.

However, despite the Lord's explicit instructions for the Israelites to sieze the Promised Land, they failed in almost every regard.  They did intermarry, they did let some live, they did make treaties, et al.  And as a result of such blatant disobedience on the part of God, who always knows what He is talking about and always has reasons for His instructions to people, the previous inhabitants of Canaan continually led the Israelites into ever-increasing debauchery and paganism. 

Thus, they did not receive the fulness of the Promised Land and certainly not the Promised Rest that was to accompany the Land.  The net effect was that the Israelites had whole generations that were far more pagan than they were Hebrew in their faith, meaning that they did not believe in the true and living God who had brought them out of Egypt by the power of His mighty outstreched hand, but they fell into Canaanite paganism and turned away from the God who is.

This is the historical context that we find ourselves in as we open the book of Judges and read, following the death of Joshua and his generation, "And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work He had done for Israel. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served Baals.  And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them.  And they provoked the Lord to anger (Judges 2:10-12)."

This is the context when we look at the book of Judges and should serve as the starting point for our continued examination into the major characters of the book.  The major things to take from this are: when God commands to do something, do it utterly without swerving.  But praise be to God who is to be glorified at every turn!

Just like Josiah

Imagine finding something earth-shatteringly important.  Like when looking through old paper work, you discover that years ago you inherited a mansion, or that you had a twin brother that was taken away at birth.  What would your reaction be?  Would you seek that thing out with every bit of energy you possess?  How far would you go to make sure that you had the information correct?  To what lengths would you go?

Something like this happened in ancient Israel.  For years, the kings of Israel had been drifting farther away from the Lord and towards syncretism, idolatry, and sin.  The kingdom that David had established had been divided after the death of Solomon and, while the northern kingdom had always been sinful, overtime, even the southern kingdom fell away from what God had desired of them.

In fact, the people had become so idolatrous and sinful that even the Torah, the Book of the Law, which was the foundation for all of their faith had been lost.  Not even the priests, the keepers of the Law, knew where the Book had gone.  Throughout the Book of the Kings (1 & 2 Kings), Israel and Judah become increasingly apathetic and apostasy, eventually being deported at the hands of the Assyrians, and later the Babylonians.  It is at this point in the nation's history when a young, God-fearing king ascends to the throne.  His name is Josiah and his story is told in 2 Kings, chapters 22 and 23.

Eight years old when he begins his thirty-one years reign in Jerusalem, the Word says that Josiah, "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left (2 Kings 22:2)."  He was a good, godly king.  In the eighteenth year of his reign, he decides to spend some money and for some much needed repair of the Temple.  It is at this time that while doing the repairs, the Book of the Law is found.

Although it is both shocking and appalling to think that the Israelites had become so idolatrous that they had actually "lost" the Book of the Law, what is remarkable about the story and about Josiah is his response to the Book's finding.  Josiah does two stunning things in reaction to discovering the Book of the Law that have immediate contemporary applications for us.

The first thing that Josiah did was to have the Book read in its entirety both to himself and to the whole nation.  Josiah understood immediately that the Law was God's Word for Israel and, though their forefathers had abandoned it, he intended to reinstitute it as the Book for Israel's faith.  He didn't do this half-heartedly.  No, he knew that God's Word demands full allegiance with no hint of turning.  Moreover, Josiah was excited and energetic to do this.  We should take a mind like this when we consider instituting God's Word in our lives.  And we should do so with as much fervent intent and energy as Josiah.

The second thing he did was to destroy all the idol worship that had pervaded Israel.  He destroyed altars, killed priests, and purged the nation of the sin of idolatry.  This is huge.  Think of the effect of such a decision.  Not only was his move bad for the economy, as idol worship was big business, but also it challenged all of the Israelite idol worshipers to get their act straight.  We should do this same thing, definitively purge the idolatry and sin both from within ourselves and from within our churches.  While we should do so with grace and gentleness, we are commanded to take seriously God's call to purity and holiness.

Again, the Old Testament should not be neglected for its antiquity but studied for its usefulness and worth.  All of Scripture speaks to the glory of God and Christ Jesus.  Therefore, we need to put on our miner's hats and interpreter's tool-belts to dig into the Scripture for the endless worth thereof, both practical and theological.  Let us then be like Josiah, exalting the Word of God and striving with all passion to live it out!

Doing the Will of Christ

The nature of the Christian life is one of devotion, of diligence, and of pursuit.  But above all else, the Christian life is a matter of practice.  Christians are called to be doers of the Word (James 1:22-23; 2:23-25).  If Christians would take to this task seriously, we would see far more fruit-bearing, Word-living, people-loving Christians.

Jesus says, quite directly, that it is not the hearers of the Word who will be blessed, but the doers (Matt. 7:24-27).  This should compel us to eschew simple indoctrination and to pursue living out the teachings of Christ.

Peter writes that Jesus has become our example (1 Pet. 2:21).  What is an example that isn't emulated.  In order for Jesus to actually be our example, we need to be doing what He taught.  This is an active ordeal.  Quite plainly, if we are not doing what Jesus has emulated, then we are not being obedient.  Thus, if we claim to be Christians we need to be doing the Word of Christ, actually fulfilling Christ's commandments within our lives.  

This is what planting the Word in our hearts is all about; this is what  growing fruit is all about; this is what abiding in Him is all about.  If, then, we who claim Christ are to grow in obedience we must be willing and committed to doing the Will of Christ.  Let us then commit to becoming doers of the Word who live out the teachings of the Word in word and deed!

Setting the Morning Right

Every day that has ever been and that will ever be has begun and will begin with dawn, the morning.  It is true that morning may coincide with the dawning of the Sun, however, for the purposes of this dialogue, morning is the preparatory part of the day.  Morning sets the tone and color of the day.  If morning is rushed, all day will be spent catching up to it; if it is lethargic, all day will be slowed to a snail's pace; and if it is filled with strife or unease, the only hope for relief may be in fact tomorrow.  The point is that how we handle and use our mornings can have dramatic and significant effects on the whole of our day.

Morning marks a new day.  This straightforward assertion, though obvious, can be neglected for the simplicity of its truth.  Many people treat morning either as a time for preparing the flesh (shower, clothes, breakfast, makeup, etc.), and others as a transitionary period (a time of transitioning from sleep to responsibility like the time between getting out of bed and going to the office).  The truth is, because of the significance that morning can have over the whole of the day, a more intentional attitude towards morning begs development.

A simple question might be in order: what constitutes the ideal day?  Not simply arbitrary, the perfect day is dominated with an outpouring of love for God, meaning that the perfect day has us fulfilling the two greatest commandments with fervor, loving God and loving others (Matt. 22:37-39).  In essence this is the life manner of Christians, to live by the Spirit and thus fulfill His commandments (Rom. 8:4; Gal. 5:17, 24).  Therefore, because walking in the Spirit is to love God and loving others selflessly should be the posture and tone of our very beings, it makes great sense to consider imprinting these traits into our mornings.

As the scenarios of morning can be the dominating pall or overwhelming joy over a day, integrating these key components of Christian life into our mornings is thus essential to ensure our morning does not set the course of our day for mourning but for love.  There needs to be an intentionality to the morning, just as there is to be an intentionality to our lives.  For this, a brief discourse on method is in order, focused on the routine of morning.

Because worship and love is to be the trait that characterizes all of Christian life, we need to make our mornings times of worship and love, preparing us for days of praise.  Although not exhaustive, there are basically three elements needed to take this attitude among us: (1) prayer, (2) praise, and (3) preparation.

The necessity of prayer is clear, we need to pray for God's provision and for His care to keep us throughout our day.  Praise, a part of prayer, is a practice of worship.  In the context of the morning routine, praise means acknowledging who God is and what He has done with thankfulness, an obvious necessity to the Christian life.  Preparation is a two-part endeavor.

The first part is in study, we should make a habit and practice of Bibly study in the mornings as it will set our minds to meditate on the Word for the day.  The second step of preparation is the focus on loving others, meaning that we will consider potential opportunities to love others as well as setting an attitude to love others.

Developing a sound morning routine that is focused on worshiping throughout the day is one of the most important ways to grow as a believer.  Setting our days off right with prayer, praise, and preparation is a simple but necessary way to love the Lord with the intensity and seriousness that He desires of us.  Let us then practice good morning habits as to press into Him!

The Greatest Commandments

During Jesus' ministry, he preached quite often about the Law, indicating that He was the Law's fulfillment (Matt. 5:17-19).  Being the very Son of God, Jesus taught with a unique authority (Matt. 7:29; John 7:46).  As a result, many of His interpretations of the Law frightened the preconceptions of the religious leaders.  So in an attempt to test Jesus, they concocted several questions to challenge both His knowledge and His wisdom.

For one of these questions, the leaders came to Jesus and asked Him, "Which is the greatest commandment of the Law?"  Jesus, not missing a beat, answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment. The second is just like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments depend all the Law and Prophets (Matt. 22:34-40)."

This statement by Jesus is dense with theological weight.  For starters, Jesus answers His accusers swiftly by making a direct quote from the Torah (Deut.6:5; Lev. 19:18-19), identifying the Scripture as reliable and authoritative.  In this way, Jesus intimately ties His authority with that of the Scriptures.  Additionally, Jesus' amplification of the contemporary interpretations of these commandments reveal to us not only what God desires from us but also what He desires us to do.

The First Commandment, to love the Lord with everything, is to be the basis for all of life.  Loving the Lord means that we consider Him, we pray to Him, and we pursue studying His Word.  There is a comprehensive manner of love when it comes to the First Commandment; Jesus exhorts us to love the Lord with every nook of our beings.  This is key.  God desires our love in body, mind, and soul.  If we are not able to fulfill the requirements of the First Commandments, we will not be able to fulfill the Second.

Loving our neighbors, though a seemingly simple exhortation, is challenging.  When Jesus says, "love your neighbors as yourself," He is not asking us to occasionally say "hi" across our well-groomed lawns.  No, He's asking us to weep with, to laugh with, to sacrifice for, and to invest in our neighbors. Our understanding of love in this regard reveals the necessity of fulfilling the First Commandment in order to fulfill the Second.  Loving our neighbor the way He requires is utterly impossible unless the love of God resides within us.  Therefore, we need to love Him as to be able to love others the way He desires.

Jesus' amplified summary of the greatest commandment is sobering and convicting.  Luckily, the seriousness of His exhortation is overcome by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  When we turn to Jesus in faith, He provides His Holy Spirit to live within us as to help us and guide us to fulfill His commandments.  Let us take His teaching seriously and press on towards the prize of love!