The Bible is pretty intimidating, when you first come to it.
At first I was inclined to agree with those Christians who say God doesn't expect us to keep it,
and it doesn't really need to be done like He says in there.
But Jesus came, and He was encouraging me on, and He keeps saying to do it, doesn't He.
You know how it is, numerous attempts from the start of Genesis. False starts.
Occasional tentative glances at Leviticus and Deuteronomy and Numbers, and thinking, what the...?
And, How am I ever going to make head or tails of all this?
How about. ask the Christians. You would think, they will know.
But they are no help.
They don't even keep it themselves.
Nope, I even asked their priests and pastors, and their answer is always, don't need to bother with it.
Ended. Finished. Sin and Death. Curse. Old Covenant. Nailed to the cross. Faith. Saved by Grace. Jesus died for you.
Yeah yeah, I heard all that before.
But that doesn't help me to understand the law.
I mean. Even if didn't need to be kept, I still wanted to understand it.
I wanted to know what all the fuss is about.
How can such a wonderful God have such a wicked mean law, that it had to end?
Is it so wicked and mean, as men make out?
Then, while I was still wrestling with all this, by some twist of fate,
I had the fortune, or some might say misfortune, of having to visit a lawyer.
It wasn't for me, but my friend had some legal matter, and I was tagging along.
While they were discussing and going over papers I just sat there in the office patiently waiting,
looking around. Looking at all the walls were bookshelves stacked with big black volumes,
from floor to ceiling, covering wall after wall.
And as I looked, I read the titles on the binders and it slowly dawned on me,
wow, all that is the law of the land.
All those huge volumes, which looked like would take a lifetime to read,
and I imagined how boring that would be, were the laws of Australia.
I suddenly had compassion for the man.
He had to study all that to become a lawyer.
Of course, he keeps a copy of it all, for no man could possibly remember all that.
Yet we are all expected to keep it.
Then I thought about the first five books in the Bible, which contains God's laws for us.
Just five books.
Five really slim books.
And the commandments really only start half way through Exodus, the second book,
and all of Leviticus and Deuteronomy,
and really not much more commandments in Numbers (but there are some).
So really, only half of those five slims books is law.
We are down to 2 and half slim books.
You say, What about the rest of the Bible? It's huge.
Yes, and it is all help with how to keep the law.
That is what all the rest of the Bible is.
The prophets and Jesus and the Apostles explaining the commandments, and how to keep them.
By word and by example.
So, the burden of the lord.
We have two and half slim books to understand and do, and our whole lifetime to do it in.
And lots and lots of help from all the mighty men in Israel.
And Jesus comes to help too.
Compared to the law of men in the country you now reside in,
God's law is piece of cake.
It's a walk in the park.
It's a Sunday picnic.
Literally.
Bless God
Paul
At first I was inclined to agree with those Christians who say God doesn't expect us to keep it,
and it doesn't really need to be done like He says in there.
But Jesus came, and He was encouraging me on, and He keeps saying to do it, doesn't He.
You know how it is, numerous attempts from the start of Genesis. False starts.
Occasional tentative glances at Leviticus and Deuteronomy and Numbers, and thinking, what the...?
And, How am I ever going to make head or tails of all this?
How about. ask the Christians. You would think, they will know.
But they are no help.
They don't even keep it themselves.
Nope, I even asked their priests and pastors, and their answer is always, don't need to bother with it.
Ended. Finished. Sin and Death. Curse. Old Covenant. Nailed to the cross. Faith. Saved by Grace. Jesus died for you.
Yeah yeah, I heard all that before.
But that doesn't help me to understand the law.
I mean. Even if didn't need to be kept, I still wanted to understand it.
I wanted to know what all the fuss is about.
How can such a wonderful God have such a wicked mean law, that it had to end?
Is it so wicked and mean, as men make out?
Then, while I was still wrestling with all this, by some twist of fate,
I had the fortune, or some might say misfortune, of having to visit a lawyer.
It wasn't for me, but my friend had some legal matter, and I was tagging along.
While they were discussing and going over papers I just sat there in the office patiently waiting,
looking around. Looking at all the walls were bookshelves stacked with big black volumes,
from floor to ceiling, covering wall after wall.
And as I looked, I read the titles on the binders and it slowly dawned on me,
wow, all that is the law of the land.
All those huge volumes, which looked like would take a lifetime to read,
and I imagined how boring that would be, were the laws of Australia.
I suddenly had compassion for the man.
He had to study all that to become a lawyer.
Of course, he keeps a copy of it all, for no man could possibly remember all that.
Yet we are all expected to keep it.
Then I thought about the first five books in the Bible, which contains God's laws for us.
Just five books.
Five really slim books.
And the commandments really only start half way through Exodus, the second book,
and all of Leviticus and Deuteronomy,
and really not much more commandments in Numbers (but there are some).
So really, only half of those five slims books is law.
We are down to 2 and half slim books.
You say, What about the rest of the Bible? It's huge.
Yes, and it is all help with how to keep the law.
That is what all the rest of the Bible is.
The prophets and Jesus and the Apostles explaining the commandments, and how to keep them.
By word and by example.
So, the burden of the lord.
We have two and half slim books to understand and do, and our whole lifetime to do it in.
And lots and lots of help from all the mighty men in Israel.
And Jesus comes to help too.
Compared to the law of men in the country you now reside in,
God's law is piece of cake.
It's a walk in the park.
It's a Sunday picnic.
Literally.
Bless God
Paul