Thoughts
on Devotions – LD34 (Part 2)
Q.
92
What is God's law? Q.
93
How are these commandments divided? Q.
94
What does the Lord require in the first commandment? Q.
95
What is idolatry?
As
Christians, we often think of the Commandments as something “to
keep”, and that the first commandment is “to be good.” J. V.
Fesko explains that “In the realm of God's covenant with Abraham
and His gracious dealings with His people. God has already saved
Israel from slavery in Egypt So the Law is not revealed to God's
people as the means by which they should earn their redemption.
Rather, the Law is revealed to show them how they can be conformed to
the image of their loving, covenant Lord. We know that Israel was to
be conformed to the image of her covenant Lord because God called
Israel to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex. 19:5-6). The
Law was the tool to show Israel what it meant to be a holy nation as
well as to reveal God's character and attributes. The Law was not
revealed so that Israel could earn redemption. Rather, Israel was to
continuously remember her redeemed state in her reflection upon the
Law. That is evident from God's own instructions to Israel: And when
thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying. What mean the
testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our
God hath commanded you? Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were
Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with
a mighty hand: and the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore,
upon Egypt, upon Pharoah, and upon all his household, before our
eyes.....
Monday:
God
created us to be worshipers. People who don't love and worship God
still love and worship – even if they claim that they don't believe
in God. There will always be something that they trust in or that
becomes the center of their life, even if it is their own self and
desires. We get signals from our culture too about what is important
and worthwhile – there are many voices that would distract us from
loving God above all else. This is the concern of the first
commandment.
Deuteronomy
6:10-15
Then when the Lord your God brings you to the land he promised your
ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give you - a land with large,
fine cities you did not build, houses filled with choice things you
did not accumulate, hewn out cisterns you did not dig, and vineyards
and olive groves you did not plant - and you eat your fill, be
careful not to forget the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, that
place of slavery. You must revere the Lord your God, serve him, and
take oaths using only his name. You must not go after other gods,
those of the surrounding peoples, for the Lord your God, who is
present among you, is a jealous God and his anger will erupt against
you and remove you from the land.
Tuesday:
There
are many wrong ideas about God, so many that it is difficult to find
people who do know and worship God as he demands in his Word. Some
believe that God is there to help us out when we need it, or that
each person's idea of God is as good as the next. The Bible tells us
that there is one true God and that we must reject all other notions
of God. God has clearly revealed how we can come to him – there is
only one Way to God.
Isaiah
42:8
I am the Lord! That is my name! I will not share my glory with anyone
else, or the praise due me with idols.
Isaiah
45:21b-22
I have no peer, there is no God but me, a God who vindicates and
delivers; there is none but me. Turn to me so you can be delivered,
all you who live in the earthʼs remote regions! For I am God, and I
have no peer.
Wednesday:
Acknowledging
God means that we trust him alone – not God and what I do, or God
plus anything else. We should have the attitude that we can lose
everything; as long as we have God we will be still be alright. We
trust that God will provide for us. We need to patiently wait on him
for his provision. We can be confident that God will provide what we
need.
Psalm
37:2-7a
For they will quickly dry up like grass, and wither away like plants.
Trust in the Lord and do what is right! Settle in the land and
maintain your integrity! Then you will take delight in the Lord, and
he will answer your prayers. Commit your future to the Lord! Trust in
him, and he will act on your behalf. He will vindicate you in broad
daylight, and publicly defend your just cause. Wait patiently for the
Lord! Wait confidently for him!
1
Peter 5:6-7
And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under
his mighty hand by casting all your cares on him because he cares for
you.
Thursday:
Obeying
the first commandment means loving God with all of our heart. Jesus
said that loving God was the greatest commandment. Loving God above
all else means that he is more important to us than anything else. It
is similar to the love that a child has for his parent – there is
respect, dependence, a fear to offend, and sincere love.
Mark
12:28-30
Now one of the experts in the law came and heard them debating. When
he saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which
commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The
most important is: ʻListen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is
one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.ʼ
1
Peter 1:17
And if you address as Father the one who impartially judges according
to each oneʼs work, live out the time of your temporary residence
here in reverence.
Isaiah
8:13
You must recognize the authority of the Lord who commands armies. He
is the one you must respect; he is the one you must fear.
Friday:
Question
94 explains that the first commandment requires us to be ready to
give up anything rather than go against the will of God. If we
believe that God is in control of all things, our complaining (in the
OT the Israelites often “grumbled”) is offensive to God. God
orders all things for our good. We should desire to know and please
God above all else. Jesus said that those who would follow him must
be ready to give up everything if that is required.
Luke
14:25-33
Now large crowds were accompanying Jesus, and turning to them he
said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and
mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his
own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own
cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, wanting
to build a tower, doesnʼt sit down first and compute the cost to see
if he has enough money to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a
foundation and is not able to finish the tower, all who see it will
begin to make fun of him. They will say, ʻThis man began to build
and was not able to finish!ʼ Or what king, going out to confront
another king in battle, will not sit down first and determine whether
he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one coming against him
with twenty thousand? If he cannot succeed, he will send a
representative while the other is still a long way off and ask for
terms of peace. In the same way therefore not one of you can be my
disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions.
Philippians
3:7-8
But these assets I have come to regard as liabilities because of
Christ. More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities
compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,
for whom I have suffered the loss of all things - indeed, I regard
them as dung! - that I may gain Christ,
Psalm
73:25-26
Whom do I have in heaven but you? I desire no one but you on earth.
My flesh and my heart may grow weak, but God always protects my heart
and gives me stability.
Saturday:
We
probably don't know anyone who worships a physical idol – but
anything we trust or serve other than God is an idol. Even imagining
God as other than he has revealed himself to be, or worshiping him in
a way that he has not revealed is a form of idolatry.
Matthew
6:24
“No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.
1
John 5:20-21
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight to
know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus
Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life. Little children,
guard yourselves from idols.
Reading
between the lines...
Jesus drinks two cups,
a cup of blessing and a cup of curse. He brings us the cup of
blessing and life, while drinks the cup of curse and death. He drinks
what we deserve and we receive what he deserves. Revelation speaks of
drinking “the wine of Godʼs anger that has been mixed undiluted in
the cup of his wrath” – this is why Jesus prays, that if
possible, the cup may pass from him. The cross is not just a 3 hour
inconvenience for the Son of God – it is entering in to the
infinite abyss of sin and curse. All hell converged on the Son of
God. Jesus sees that it is necessary and it is the Father's will –
he steps forward to drink. People question why the cross was
necessary, and in the garden Jesus asks the same questions; but his
Abba, Father provides no other way. If we are to have the cup of
blessing he must drink the cup of curse for us. Adam had failed in
the first garden – but, here, Christ has triumphed.
Luke
22:41-44
He went away from them about a stoneʼs throw, knelt down, and
prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me.
Yet not my will but yours be done.” [ Then an angel from heaven
appeared to him and strengthened him. And in his anguish he prayed
more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the
ground.]
Matthew
26:39
Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the
ground and prayed, “My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from
me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
Psalm
75:8
For the Lord holds in his hand a cup full of foaming wine mixed with
spices, and pours it out. Surely all the wicked of the earth will
slurp it up and drink it to its very last drop.”
Revelation
14:9-10a
A third angel followed the first two, declaring in a loud voice: “If
anyone worships the beast and his image, and takes the mark on his
forehead or his hand, that person will also drink of the wine of
Godʼs anger that has been mixed undiluted in the cup of his wrath,
When we read the
passage about Jesus struggle in the garden of Gethsemane we put
ourselves in Jesus shoes – but in the story we are not Jesus, we
are the disciples, sleeping, unable to pray for even one hour. Peter
wants to pray, his spirit is willing, but his flesh is weak. We have
the Spirit of Christ that wants to pray, but the flesh of Adam drags
down to death and despair. We are constantly falling asleep on the
watch – but Jesus prays for us. Here and in all of Scripture we are
not the center, Christ is; we are not the faithful and obedient one,
Christ is. Our hope is not our self-offering to God, it is Christ's
self-offering to God. While we fail and sleep and deny him, Christ is
praying for us.
Matthew
26:36:46
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said
to the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and became
anguished and distressed. Then he said to them, “My soul is
deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay
awake with me.” Going a little farther, he threw himself down
with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if possible,
let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to
Peter, “So, couldnʼt you stay awake with me for one hour? Stay
awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is
willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away a second time and
prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink
it, your will must be done.” He came again and found them
sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open. So leaving them
again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same
thing once more. Then he came to the disciples and said to them,
“Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is approaching,
and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up,
let us go. Look! My betrayer is approaching!”
Judas was close to
Christ and, as one of the disciples had seen and performed miraculous
works in Jesus name; he was one of the chosen twelve. He was one of
the chosen – hours before Jesus had washed his feet and fed him
with symbols of his sacrificed body. Here he betrays Jesus with a
kiss. Kiss and worship are linked in the Bible (e.g., the word for
worship, and in Psalm 2). Judas, a representative of humanity, a
chosen one betrays Jesus with a mocking symbol of worship. The best
that humanity has to offer conspire to murder God. When it comes to
salvation humanity only stands in the way of the Lord. Nothing in
ourselves contributes to our salvation at all – Jesus does
everything.
Psalm
55:12
Indeed, it is not an enemy who insults me, or else I could bear it;
it is not one who hates me who arrogantly taunts me, or else I could
hide from him. But it is you, a man like me, my close friend in
whom I confided.
Luke
22:47-48
While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd appeared, and the man
named Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He walked up to
Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you
betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Psalm
2:10-12 (ESV)
Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly
kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
What
would motivate Judas to betray Jesus? Judas loved money. Jesus taught
about the allure of money and the danger of trusting in worldly
riches and resources. Why 30 pieces of silver? That amount is
mentioned in several places in the OT as the ransom for a person's
life. Zechariah throws his shabby wages, 30 pieces of silver, to the
Potter in the temple – it seems that God values the prophet when no
one else seems to. Jesus is the servant of the Lord slain at the
hands of the beast and 30 pieces of silver is the ransom price for
many. Jesus is also like Zechariah the prophet – God values him
even if no one else does. This teaches us to properly value Jesus,
the servant of the Lord, the prophet of the Lord, the ransom payment
that frees us from death.
Matthew
26:14-15
Then one of the twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the
chief priests and said, “What will you give me to betray him into
your hands?” So they set out thirty silver coins for him.
John
12:6
(Now Judas said this not because he was concerned about the poor, but
because he was a thief. As keeper of the money box, he used to steal
what was put into it.)
Exodus
21:32
If the ox gores a male servant or a female servant, the owner must
pay thirty shekels of silver, and the ox must be stoned.
Zechariah
11:12-13
Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, pay me my wages, but
if not, forget it.” So they weighed out my payment - thirty pieces
of silver. The Lord then said to me, “Throw to the potter that
exorbitant sum at which they valued me!” So I took the thirty
pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the temple of the
Lord.
1
Peter 1:18-19
You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your
ancestors you were ransomed - not by perishable things like silver or
gold, but by precious blood like that of an unblemished and spotless
lamb, namely Christ.
The myth of violence
shapes our view of the world. Force must be met with force. Our
cultural stories tell us of heroes who defeat evil strength to free
us. But that is not Jesus' story. He has not come by force. His
kingdom is not of this world – his servants do not fight for him,
he fights for them – and he conquers by losing. He ends the cycle
of violence by taking the blows and not retaliating. God overcomes
strength with weakness and establishes a kingdom of servants, not
fighters. We, his servants, are called to overcome not with force,
but with love. Christ's kingdom spreads by faith, not by force; by
sacrifice and not by superior strength.
John
18:33-36
So Pilate went back into the governorʼs residence, summoned Jesus,
and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied,
“Are you saying this on your own initiative, or have others told
you about me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your
own people and your chief priests handed you over to me. What have
you done?” Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not from this world.
If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to
keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. But as it
is, my kingdom is not from here.”
The Lucifer effect –
something happens when an individual hides in the crowd. The crowd
shouts that Jesus be crucified, even though they have no reason why.
This is our sinful condition expressed in its clearest terms – we
would rather have a murderer released than the Lord of life. Jesus
literally dies in Barabbus' place. Christ dies not just because it
is the will of the people, but it is his will – he wants to die to
redeem devils like Barabbus and like us.
Luke
23:18-25
But they all shouted out together, “Take this man away! Release
Barabbas for us!” (This was a man who had been thrown into prison
for an insurrection started in the city, and for murder.) Pilate
addressed them once again because he wanted to release Jesus. But
they kept on shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he
said to them, “Why? What wrong has he done? I have found him guilty
of no crime deserving death. I will therefore flog him and release
him.” But they were insistent, demanding with loud shouts that he
be crucified. And their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided that
their demand should be granted. He released the man they asked for,
who had been thrown in prison for insurrection and murder. But he
handed Jesus over to their will.
Galatians
2:20
I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live
because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me.
The
trial of Jesus has everything backwards – the judge of the world is
on trial, the righteous one is pronounced guilty. The governor seeks
to abdicate governance and responsibility. Pilot is remembered for
washing his hands, and for Jesus' death sentence – the Creed says
that he “suffered
under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.” The
priests in the OT washed their hands before they offered the
sacrifice. We see Jesus in control and offering himself as the
sacrifice. None of us can wash our hands of the death of Jesus –
but what Pilot did in history, we do in our hearts. Through our sin
we all necessitate the death of Christ. Now when we confess our sins
and stop trying to wash our hands, we realize his death is precisely
what washes us.
Matthew
27:24
When Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but that instead a riot was
starting, he took some water, washed his hands before the crowd and
said, “I am innocent of this manʼs blood. You take care of it
yourselves!”
Exodus
30:18-20a
“You are also to make a large bronze basin with a bronze stand for
washing. You are to put it between the tent of meeting and the altar
and put water in it, and Aaron and his sons must wash their hands
and their feet from it. When they enter the tent of meeting, they
must wash with water so that they do not die.
