Commandment Series: The First

For the next ten weeks, I'll be focusing on each of the ten commandments. These laws may exist in the Old Testament, but Jesus brings them forward, saying, ""Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." Matthew 5:17 In fact, Jesus makes a point of elucidating each commandment so that we can all fully understand the meaning behind it.

This week is about the First Commandment.

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:2-3

Your first thought may be to consider this an ancient problem. I mean, how hard is it to avoid pagan gods? In some parts of the world, it's harder than others, but the fact is, you don't need a golden idol in order to place other gods before Yahweh.

In both B.C. and A.D. times, there've been plenty of gods to worship. Many are gods of the water, trees, farming, war, fertility, destruction, creation, fishermen, feasts, etc. etc. If you can think of, well anything, there was or is a god for it. Crazy thing is, nowadays, we don't usually call them gods in the Western world. So, it can be quite shocking when you realize you've been placing a "god" before your real Father.

Take for instance my addiction to my smartphone. There's no doubt to me it's an addiction, and I know I'm not alone in this. Some of you are glued to your T.V., your games, your hobbies, your career, your money, or even your pride. Oh, but it's not harming anyone, least of all angering God, right? That's a good question.

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." 1 John 2:15-17

Anytime you see your "worldly worship" come before your prayer time with God or serving God in anyway, the First Commandment comes into play. If your phone interferes with family time, if your T.V. shows are glorifying evil, if your hobbies and career keep you in a cycle of greed, if you don't trust God with your money situation or refuse to spend any to help others, or if you are ever worried about what others think or say about you, you are placing other "gods" before Yahweh. We all have at some point.

"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." Colossians 3:5

Ya know, if you didn't believe me before. It's right there in writing.

How about this?

"No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Matthew 6:24

If you serve another "god," you're not loving God completely. You can't follow God if you're walking in the opposite direction.

Another one of my favorite verses is this, so I'm posting the whole thing.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his lifespan?

And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans pursue all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:25-34

Worry is another problem for me. When we worry, we're acting as if the world is more powerful than God. We worship at the altar of anxiety and sacrifice it our wasted time. We are placing worry and the problems of this world above God. Yet, He is clear on what we can do instead. We should "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." In other words, place God first, love Him, trust Him. He's stronger than all feelings, problems, and "gods." He shall provide.

When changing a habit or stuck mindset, we shouldn't just focus on the negative, we must focus on the positive. So, we know what NOT to do in order to "have no other gods before" Yahweh, so what SHOULD we do?

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment." Matthew 22:36-38

My all-time favorite verse. This is the first commandment, to love God with all your being and might. If you put Him first in your life, think of every action, thought, and word as if you are representing your God (because you are!). If you do everything out of your abundant love for Him, you'll be on the correct path.

You won't be perfect at this because none of us are. However, by choosing God as your master, you WILL be cutting the strings the world uses to make you its puppet, even if you stumble a little when you're free.

Next week is the Second Commandment, which is closely related to this one but not exactly the same.

אָמֵן Amen

Father's Day with God

Tomorrow is Father's Day, which depending on who you are and what your relationship is with your own father, may conjure up a lot of mixed feelings. Although I've personally been blessed with a loving relationship with my dad, not everyone has. There are people with rocky connections, others who have lost their dads, and still others who don't even know who that man might be. Where ever you may fall in this continuum, God has a message for you.

"The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'" Romans 8:15

The Greek word for "adoption to sonship" is a term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture. That means you are utterly His child in every way. This isn't limited to males, just to be clear. It could just as well say "daughtership," but in the time the Bible was written, that wouldn't have given the child heirship to the father's legacy. This means everyone, male and female, inherits the Kingdom of God as His children. He loves you too much to give you any less.

"Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father. So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God." Galatians 4:1-7

God, the Father, sent His only begotten Son to die for us so we could claim Him as our dad, too. There are many instances of God being referred to as a father, such as when Jesus was alone and afraid the day before His crucifixion.

"Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Mark 14:36

One source states "Abba is a transliteration of the Aramaic used to address God in a relation of personal intimacy. It is a term expressing warm affection and filial confidence." Consider when Jesus spoke of asking for what you need from God:

"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7:10

However, God is not a gender and can not be limited to being a father only. He is also referred to as a mother of His children.

"But Zion said, 'The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.''Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.'" Isaiah 49:14-16

How about when Jesus speaks of all the times He's sent people to guide us, and we weren't listening?

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. " Luke 13:34

The image of a father traditionally holds him to be the strength and backbone of a family while the mother is typically shown to be the nurturing and comforting one. While us humans fail in many ways, even in parenting, God never fails, and He could be looked at for parenting advice. See how He corrects, guides, and comforts us? He uses few words and lots of love. My favorite verse comparing God to a parent is the parable of the Prodigal Son.

"Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate." Luke 15:11-24

Notice that the one son was allowed the freedom to mess up. When he returned, it wasn't really because he felt guilty about doing wrong (at least from what we're told). He was just tired of being alone, starving, and uncomfortable. He realized his father's house was amazing, and he'd taken that life for granted.

When he returned, he did what many of us do when dreading a conversation. He prepared his words carefully. However, his father didn't hear a word of what his son had prepared. He never thought twice about why his son had returned. He didn't care. He was just too overjoyed that he'd returned safely, and he ran to his son, embraced him with affection and instant forgiveness.

That father is God and that son is you, His child.

So, however Father's Day makes you feel this year and whatever relationship (or lack thereof) you may have with your earthly father, God is the truest father, and He is yours. He runs to you daily, embracing you, being your strength, your comfort, and all He wants in return is love. And if your earthly father is no longer in this world, remember God is His father too, and believe me, He's giving him affection and joy as we speak.

May you all have a good Father's Day, and don't forget to send a Happy Father's Day to your Father, God.



Sources other than Bible: biblegateway, biblestudytools

The World As Witness

Some explain it away as pagan stories that the Bible took in; others say there are common, pre-historic memories preserved in each culture. Whichever way you look at it, there are many stories recorded in the Bible which can also be found in other parts of the world, and they're too similar to be simply dismissed.

Eve and Pandora:

"The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate." Genesis 3:2-6

Compare, if you will, to the story of Pandora in Greek mythology. As it is written in Hesiod's poem, "Theogony," she was the first female, formed from the Earth. She was given a jar (mistranslated as box), as a wedding gift, and told to never open it (by the jealous Zeus who had tricked her). Her curiosity got the better of her, and all manner of illness and evil was released upon the world, bringing the cycle of birth and death to humankind. When she was finally able to close it, only hope was left inside.

If you recall, after Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Good and Evil, bringing death to mankind, God had a discussion with the rest of the Trinity.

"And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” Genesis 3:22

And hope was held back until it was given through Jesus. There are some differences, of course, between the two stories. In one, God gives the command to not eat the fruit, and the serpent tricks Eve into eating it. In the other, it's really the serpent who tricks the woman into dying of curiosity with reverse psychology. Still, the two stories remain very similar.

Ancient Giants:

"When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown." Genesis 6:1-21

The Nephilim are usually described as fallen angels or sons of God.

The idea of heaven and earth mixing and creating them is similar to the Greek mythology of gods and demi-gods. First, there are the Titans, which were physically giants and basically gods, though less so than the "primordial deities." They were the children of Gaia (Mother Earth) and Uranus (Father Sky). Then, we could also bring up the "Gigantes," which means giants in Greek. They were aggressive and strong beings, but not always physical giants. They were made when Uranus's blood fell upon Gaia, according to the poet Hesiod. They were very human-like when depicted in art. Apparently, the difference between the Titans and the Gigantes really lies in the fact that the Gigantes were earthborn.

In Hinduism, giants are called Daityas. They were the children of Diti (goddess of earth) and a sage, Kashyapa (the ancestor of humans). The Daityas were power-hungry and jealous of their half-brothers known as the Deva. The Deva were "heavenly, divine" beings. Generally, the Daityas were looked at as malevolent and the Deva as benevolent.

The differences are many, but the similarities are a little eerie.

Global Flood:

"Then the Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth. For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.” And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him. Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth." Genesis 7:1-6

Now, the story of the world-wide flood is in nearly every culture. Not surprising since the event was world-wide...

The Sumerian story, "Epic of Gilgamesh" dates back 5000 years, and describes Utnapishtim who builds a vast circular boat with tar and pitch, brings his family, seeds, and animals, and survives a flood released by the angry gods. He, like Noah, lets a bird out of the boat in order to find dry land after the waters recede.

In Native American folklore, the Ojibwe tribe has a legend of Waynaboozhoo and the Great flood. It speak of an evil world long ago where the creator decided to flood the earth. One man (Waynaboozhoo) made a raft for animals and himself. After waiting awhile for the waters to recede, he asked a loon to dive down to the "old world" beneath the waves for mud. He was unable to do so. So, the beaver tried, but was also unsuccessful. Next, the coot (a water bird) was able to bring back mud, and from it, the new world was formed. This story is almost exactly like the Ottawa legend, but in the Ottawa legend the main man is a prophet with a wolf-dog that the sea-god was jealous of, which the sea-god killed, causing the prophet to pierce the god with an arrow, releasing a flood. There's numerous Native American flood stories.

In India, Vedic lore states their god (Brahma) came in the form of a fish to warn the Indian king Manu of a massive flood that will destroy all of humanity. The book, Satapatha Brahmana, says he was a "holy man, who, by penances and prayers, had won the favour of the lord heaven." Manu had three sons before the flood, like Noah. However, in Manu's story, the flood was not due to an evil world but simply part of the natural order of things. He builds a ship and fills it with animals and seeds. After the flood recedes, he is led to a dry mountain by the fish and proceeds to repopulate the world.

In Aztec myth, it was during the era of the fourth sun when people grew wicked and stopped worshipping the gods. The god of rains decided to flood the world, but he liked a devout couple, Tata and Nena, and warned them of the upcoming destruction. He told them how to hollow out a large log, bring corn to eat, and they survived the flood.

There are innumerable flood myths from Egypt, China, Scandinavia, and many other countries, and they are varied and sometimes strange (like blood flooding the earth instead of water). Although, it would be no wonder if the water covering the Earth was red-tinged due to all the death.

I guess you can interpret these findings in any way you see fit. The way I see it, it's kind of strange to have so many unrelated, disconnected cultures describing the same event if that event never happened. It just reinforces the stories of the Bible and brings them to light from the differing perspectives across the world.

Sources other than the Bible:
http://time.com/44631/noah-christians-flood-aronofsky/
http://www.equip.org/article/creation-accounts-ancient-near-eastern-religions/
http://creationtoday.org/giant-speculations-the-bible-and-greek-mythology/
Each of these sources have various other linked sources which are innumerable and not listed here.

Nice & Polite: What Would Jesus NOT Do?

So, being a good Christian means being super nice to others and using your manners, right? Wrong. Here's another episode (er... post) on things the Bible doesn't say!

Jesus was not always a nice guy.

Does this statement make you feel uncomfortable? If you've grown up on WWJD bracelets, you might be surprised that what He would do is a lot less politically correct than you thought. He never gave us an example of him being polite. He was not always well-mannered. He was always kind and loving - but not always nice. "What's the difference?" I hear you ask.

"A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment." Matthew 15:21-28

Some like to avoid this verse because it speaks of a different Jesus than we're used to discussing, the one who welcomed children onto His lap and wept over friends' deaths. This Jesus essentially called a woman, pleading for help, a dog. Who is this man?!

Well, let's dive in. Do you remember that in the book of Matthew, there are two stories of Jesus and His disciples miraculously feeding an innumerable crowd? This verse is right in the middle. The first story of feeding describes 5000 people waiting to be fed where the disciples ask Jesus to send them away. Besides, there's not enough food to feed them all. Jesus simply states, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." (Matthew 14:16) After everyone ate, there were only crumbs left, twelve basketfuls (twelve for the tribes of Israel).

Then, this woman states even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table (an allusion to Jesus' parables of the Kingdom of God being compared to a banquet, perhaps).

After, we get the story of the crowd, 4000 people strong. His disciples ask, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?" (Matthew 15:33) Again, everyone is fed, and this time there are seven basketfuls of crumbs left (seven is the number of completion, wholeness, the number of all nations).

The number of all nations. So, although this woman was a Canaanite and not a Hebrew, she was a feisty and determined individual whom Jesus actually rejoiced over. Jesus didn't just speak parables, He lived them, and this woman was the first example of a gentile being shown as worthy of salvation. Jesus was telling a parable of how the many nations, not just the Hebrews, would be saved, and He did it while being a bit mean.

“The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, ‘Take these things away; you shall not make my Father’s house a house of trade.’” John 2:13-16

We can't forget Jesus' tirade at the temple. He was angry that they turned this sacred place, meant to be all about the relationship between God and humankind, and turned it into commercialism and greed.

This might give you a good idea of how He'd react to many modern-day "religious" swindlers.

He wasn't being nice when He yelled at merchants and "macgyvered" a whip to beat and chase people out of the area. However, He had a kind purpose and that was to preserve the sanctity of the temple. He acted out of love for the Father represented there and the true children of God who were there to worship.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are...You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel...Thus you witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?" Matthew 23:1-39

This is only part of the conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees, those revered at the time for their "holiness." They spent most of their energy trying to undermine and sabotage Jesus in anything He did. And I mean anything: eating corn with His disciples caused them to rain anger on His head.

Jesus has many names He calls the Pharisees, including hypocrites, children of hell, greedy, self-indulgent, whitewashed tombs, and many more. He sure wasn't being nice or polite.

He was warning them and others of the dangers of talking the talk but not walking the walk. They spoke many things of holiness while they ignored the poor, the sick, and "shut the door of the kingdoms of heaven in people's faces." (Matthew 23:13)

To be nice is to be pleasant or satisfactory to another person. To be kind is to be generous, sympathetic, or considerate. I believe being kind is innate while niceness is a social construct.

As Christians, we are called to be like Jesus. The world may desire nice, polite, well-mannered, and tolerant of evil. God does not. It's nice to be nice, but sometimes, we have to forgo our manners in order to be kind. It's good to be respectful, but it's more important to walk the walk of righteousness, standing up for what's right. If you must forgo respect to accomplish that, so be it.


Jesus wasn't always nice, and I guess that's called tough love.



Sources other than the Bible:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-kay-lundblad/on-scripture-matthew-15-teaching-jesus_b_921497.html