The law of Moses

     The Old Testament book of Malachi has this interesting ending ' remember the law of my servant Moses'.     1000 years have passed since  Moses delivered the 10 commandments and the many other laws, to the people of Israel.
       What shall we say about this law today, 2,400 years after Malachi wrote.  This question has puzzled many, divided theological doctrine, been misused to control people , and alternatively by many disregarded as impossible.  Shall I tackle the subject  ??  -  yes  - not wanting to stir controversy, but it is so important, I shall briefly present my understanding of the relevance of Moses law today.

    We need to look at Moses and the law
                     -  Jesus and the law.
                            - the Gospels and the law
                                  -the epistles and the law

   Some say it is all for us.  Some seek to find sanctification thereby.  Some pick out parts to suit their agenda. Many toss it aside as irrelevant.

"The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ"     John 1:17

  This significant and strategic verse identifies a difference, yet not one eliminating either. Set in its context, John the apostle is showing the basis of God's reconciling the lost to Himself.

More next time

J  McKee

Meditations on Malachi

This last book of the Old Testament is rather a sad story ( the Bible is rather good at telling things as they really are ).  Centuries before Moses had given the people of Israel the law with its potential for great blessing.  They  by disobedience to that law, incurred the curse of God and in various ways were punished .  Sometimes they were restored to God. Their time in Babylon for 70 years brought about something of  repentance and revival so that those who returned to Jerusalem were able to rebuild the city and the temple for the worship of God.

    Sadly after some years, the fervour faded and the people became more interested in their own things than God's .  Here Malachi steps up to sound the alarm trumpet.

    The introduction is interesting  -- a statement of God's love
                "I have loved you"
Again in 3:6 - the unchanging character of God is the haven of safety for those who will return to Him.

      How good it is to hope in God, even though we like sheep wander. He calls us back to Himself.

     The tragedy of Malachi's writing is the repeated questions which reveal both ignorance and rebellion. It is true of our day , 2013,  that so many are growing up in total ignorance of true standards, good values and God's words. Their conscience is so seared and twisted that they live without or  rather against God  and  when something goes wrong they blame God.  Nothing new?  the Jews of Malachi's day questioned and rebelled against God.

          Midst these depressing conditions, the prophet ignites the candle of hope  -  the Lord (Messiah) would come!
Chapter 3.1   The Lord appears after John the Baptist. He comes to fulfil the promise of salvation.
 Chapter 4.1  He is yet to come again to remove the dross and establish victory in righteousness.

       Even so come Lord Jesus

John McKee

Bible word studies - how ?

   Helpful hints
Use a Bible with English you understand. For those words that may have gone out of common usage, use a good dictionary. e.g. 'Redeem'  - to buy back, recover by expenditure. (Oxford dictionary).

The use of a computer is good - more on  that another day.
     To trace a particular word in the Bible, I use a Strong's concordance  For example to track the word 'love' in the gospel of John, I look up the word 'love' in the concordance.  There I find listed every occurrence in the KJV Bible. I need to check for other similar words  i.e. 'loved',    or a better way is to note on the right hand side a number which represents the original Greek word (25)  I then use this number to find 'love ' in  the Englishmans Greek concordance of the New Testament.  This book lists all the occurrences of the Greek word (in English). This brings together variant translations of the  same original word (Agape). By following through the verses listed, I find much help:
eg       John 3:16   God so loved the world
           John 3:35 the Father loves the Son
            John 13:1 Jesus loved His own
             John 17:26 The Lord Jesus prays for God's love to be in us!!

Of course it would be helpful to see what good commentaries have to say about these verse, but just to see the settings of the word is delightful. Further study is to use the same number (25) to discover in a word dictionary that 'agape'  is a special kind of love as distinct from  others. This kind of  love is to show mercy and grace in spite of any goodness or worth of those loved.  Digging a little deeper will reveal other significant words for love.

     In word study we need to often pause and ask questions  ??
        Who is it that loves?
          Who is it that God loves?
             What is the Bible context and time frame?
                Is it relevant for today?
                  What are the outcomes of this love?

To a prayerful searcher, the Holy Spirit will be a wonderful teacher. In searching the scriptures we must check our motives - is it just for knowledge, or to produce a sermon, or hoping for a shot for the day. These may be OK but are inferior to the best motive  -  to know HIM and to love HIM. True Bible study should lead to worship and love of the God revealed in His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

      Many other helps are useful eg    a Bible dictionary to help understand detail of places, people and culture etc. Other translations can shed light on word meanings.

      May God bless you as you search the sacred scriptures

John McKee

Concluding studies in John's Gospel

       Much could be written about the teaching of the Lord to His disciples (13,14,15,16) and the Lord's prayer (17) and the death and resurrection (19,20,21). Maybe another day.
     I trust that some readers of this page have been encouraged to read this part of the Bible with broad minded thoughts, observing the purpose of the writing. Word study is good, chapter study is good but we must not miss John's stated purpose - to inspire faith that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and in believing to receive life eternal. (chapter 20:31). May all who read this page, take their place with the many in this Gospel narrative who believed Him, trusted Him, worshipped Him, obeyed Him and loved the Lord from heaven.

       It is good to link this Gospel with the other writings of John and pick up how relevant this is for today.

   Next blog?  Shall we look at Paul and his writings?    or navigate the Psalms?    or fix compass bearing through prophecy?
            Suggestions are welcome - johnmckee@internode.on.net
 The following extract is from the Believers Bible Commentary by William MacDonald (recommended)

Coming to the end

         John chapter 12 is about the end of the public ministry of the Lord Jesus. John records the words of Jehovah's servant as a summary of the work of three years among the people.

       In the Jewish history, various warriors had risen up, seeking to throw off the Roman occupation of the land. John the apostle makes it clear that Jesus of Nazareth is both different and distinguished from such. This distinction reaches crisis  point when the crowd, including the Jewish leaders are asked - 'Barnabas or Jesus?  - they chose Barnabas who represented insurrection against the Romans, even though he had robbed and murdered in his efforts. Jesus by contrast was not against the system, but against sin and evil in every person and system! (7.7)
   These concluding verses -  12:44-50 summarize the purpose, person and claims of this Jesus. It is full, and to human minds, astounding.

    Verse 44 - Believing in Jesus equates with believing in God !
      Verse 45 - To see Jesus is to see God the Father who is invisible !
         Verse 46 He claims His mission to be 'light-bearing'. Not as John the Baptist who was a burning out lamp, but Jesus is the Lord  and Light from heaven.
     Verse 47  The ambition of His light-bearing was not so much to expose sin, although that is inevitable,  rather to lead people by light to God ( to be saved ).
       Verse 48  In confirmation of John 3, the light that can bring so much blessing, if refused becomes the point of judgement. John 5 reveals who the judge will be on the last day.
          Verse 49  Ultimate authority is now claimed for the words and sayings of the Lord. Moses could relay God's words ('thus says the Lord').  Jesus speaks Gods words!
   
      Verse 50   Receiving or rejecting His words brings life or death. The intention of God revealed in His Son is to impart life, eternal life  -  'this life is in His Son!'

I must ask you the reader - do you have the real thing - life eternal?
   or may I put it this way -  Do you have the Son?

Your eternity depends on it !

John McKee      Enquiries welcome     johnmckee@internode.on.net

Sadness turned into joy

       John the apostle records a most important story in the life of the Lord Jesus. The story of Martha, Lazarus and Mary. As usual my comments will be brief, but I hope to inspire you to read again and be blessed by this chapter(11).
   The intrusion of death into a family can either crush faith of strengthen it. The world in which we live usually sees death as the end :- end of existence, end of relationships, end of hope.

    Faith in God paints a different picture. Faith says our loss is heavens gain.
Faith in God proclaims our accountability to God and rewards by God.
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ looks ahead, beyond the grave to a moment when the dead in Christ will rise, and together we will be forever with the Lord.

      In our chapter, I would like to draw upon three verses linked to Martha. Chapter 11.3 the message comes to the Lord - " he whom you love is ill" . This is not God's general love for all humanity  but a more focused love upon responsive individuals who received Jesus into their hearts and home. They accepted His love and like John the writer, found identity in it.
       In verse 23, the Lord speaks to Martha words of hope beyond her understanding :- "your brother will rise again".  This unqualified statement rests upon the authority of the speaker and His ability to carry it into action - no one else can! It is by accepting HIS word that the hopelessness of humanism is removed and shows that this life is a preparation for the next life. - 'training for reigning'
         Verse27, Martha is challenged to believe His word, His power.  This is a pivotal moment, and still is today - will we believe HIM as to His claims, believe in HIM as to our hope for salvation  and  all things?? Martha reply's  "Yes Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who is coming into the world". This answer  is not abstract faith, but living faith in a living person.  This faith opens the door for God to work. And so He does - Lazarus is called out of the grave and shortly afterward, Martha puts on a banquet to celebrate (ch 12)

    We rejoice in the faith of Martha and Mary, but sadly this greatest of signs was not received in faith by the jealous leaders of the nation. Instead, as John exposes their motives, they  chose to plan His death to save their own skin. We  must ask ourselves - where are we in this picture.
        Responses      ;   Faith in Jesus as the Son of God
                                  Indifferent to the Him
                                  Rejection of His claims
 Our response will determine our eternal destiny!

John McKee
                              

The blind man sees

     None are so blind as those who do not want to see!!
This saying is so true today and so true 2000 years ago. As I visit the markets to spread the word of God to the general public, I perceive that the ignorance of God is largely by choice.

       The Lord from heaven found the same problem among the studious and strict Jews of His day. He gave eyes to the man born blind ( John 9 ). The people couldn't believe it. Then, because He healed the man on the Sabbath, they would not believe it!
        The sad,sad part of the story is that by rejecting the Lord, they in fact were more blind than the man without eyes. The blind man had come to believe Jesus to be the Son of God and thus received sight twice - natural sight and spiritual sight.  The intelligent and educated Pharisees were left blinded, in the darkness of not knowing the true Messiah.

Read John 9 carefully and note  the moral of the story at the end. Ours today is the free choice to receive the Lord Jesus and be blessed  with spiritual sight, or we may choose to reject Him, choosing darkness in life and eternity.

JRM