Sh'mot (Exodus) Chapter 20 (Continued)

The next six commandments pertain to our relationship with each other.

We keep the moral implications because we want to and because it is pleasing to HaShem. We all are still sinners. The word is clear:

1 John 1:8-10 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. NAS

The perfection that the moral code requires points to Him and His righteousness and contrasts with "OUR" failure and sin.

Romans 7:7-17 What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "You shall not covet." But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin IS DEAD. And I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive, and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me. So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? MAY IT NEVER BE! Rather it was SIN, in order that it might be shown to be SIN by affecting my death through that which is good, that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is GOOD. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me.

This is in contrast to our Messiah who did not sin. Our Messiah was, is, and always will be perfect. His perfection makes Him stand out in contrast to us. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of G-d. The law does lead to eternal life. The problem is with us and our SIN. We inherit our sin nature from the first Adam.

See our B'resheet (Genesis) Chapter 4 study

Luke 10:25-28 On one occasion an expert in the Torah stood up to test Yeshua. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"What is written in the Torah?" he replied.

"How do you read it?" He answered:

"`Love the L-rd your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, `Love your neighbor as yourself.'" "You have answered correctly," Yeshua replied. "Do this and you will live."

The second Adam was without any earthly father and is the only one who is without sin. We rely on His merit for salvation alone. He brings us out of our slavery to a fallen human nature that we are born with.

1 John 3:2-5 Beloved, now we are children of G-d, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.

Philippians 3:8-14 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Yeshua HaMashiach my L-rd. I have put aside all else, counting it worth less than nothing, in order that I can have Messiah, and become one with Him, no longer counting on being saved by being good enough or by obeying Torah, but by trusting Messiah to save me; for G-d's way of making us right with Himself depends on faith-counting on Messiah alone. Now I have given up everything else-I have found it to be the only way to really know Messiah and to experience the mighty power that brought Him back to life again, and to find out what it means to suffer and to die with Him. So whatever it takes, I will be one who lives in the fresh newness of life of those who are alive from the dead. I don't mean to say I am perfect. I haven't learned all I should even yet, but I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Messiah saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers, I am still not all I should be, but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which G-d is calling us up to heaven because of what Yeshua HaMashiach did for us.

The tablets that Moshe brought down from the mountain also are a "type" of Messiah and we will touch on some of this later. We have already seen in the lives of many of the Bible characters how they fell short at one time or another in their walk and how our sinless Messiah contrasted this. We also see this in the lives of those in the wilderness. We will see it in every person in the Bible. All of us have been tested in our lives. All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of HaShem and the glory of the Messiah. The Messiah too was tested.

We have also seen how others have, at the same time, walked the walked of the Messiah to completion. Their actions illustrate it over and over again.

Don't be deceived. The Messiah is our only way to completion. Once we have come to Him the commandments of HaShem are not burdensome. We serve Him through the power of Ruach HaKodesh.

Romans 6:5-11 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Messiah, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Messiah, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to G-d. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to G-d in Yeshua HaMashiach.

Is this a cause for declaring self-righteousness in ourselves that we should boast? Heaven forbid!

2 Timothy 3:1-5 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be LOVERS of SELF, lovers of money, BOASTFUL, ARROGANT, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, CONCEITED, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of G-d; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these.

Colossians 3:9-11Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him --a renewal in which there is no distinction between Gentile and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Messiah is all, and in all.

How did we come to know the Messiah in our hearts? Was it through the law (instruction) or through His mercy?

Technically, both. The Torah and the writings and the prophets point to the Messiah in an interesting manner. He is a contrast to our imperfections. The actions of the prophets point us also to our Messiah. How do we receive our Messiah?

Through MERCY

I was once asked, "Why aren't people stoned to death anymore?"- One reason is that there is no longer a theocracy in Israel and second it is because of the mercy of HaShem!

James 2:12 so speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to those who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

David relied on the Mercy of HaShem. He had a heart after G-d and relied on the mercy of HaShem. He knew that he was born in sin. (Ps. 51:5) He knew He was guilty and only could rely on the mercy of HaShem. We too must rely on His mercy when it comes to eternal life. When we came to Yeshua we where all guilty, our plea before the Father can be nothing but guilty. Not one of us has loved HaShem or our fellow man to perfection. Through the mercy of the Father we have Yeshua HaMashiach who is our advocate. If we believe and confess with our mouth that what His Son did take away our sin and we turn from our sin, the Father hears this and looks down on us and will look on us through the blood of His Son (the lamb) and then we are pardoned for eternity.

Why should HaShem let you in heaven?

The wicked will conceitedly say: "I kept the law therefore I should be allowed in the other world." or "I was a good enough person that I will be saved." Or maybe "Because my Father was Avraham." Guess what? It is not enough. You will be pronounced, Guilty for eternity! You will be judged according to the law. Can you afford to stand on your own merit when it comes to eternal salvation?

No, all it will take is one sin or even one thing you should have done and did not do for another. It is like an omelet -it only takes one bad egg to spoil the whole omelet. HaShem's standard is perfection. Yeshua said, be perfect as my Father in heaven is perfect.

Or should you stand on what the Messiah did for you and trust in it?

Remember, Avraham believed HaShem and it was accounted to him as righteousness. Can you not do the same?

(cf: Jer 23:6; 33:16)

Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the L-RD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.

Once we humble ourselves and glorify what His Son did for us in our place we are now forever under the Father's mercy when it comes to eternity. We all need Yeshua HaMashiach to reach our eternal home. Follow Avraham's example that leads to righteousness. First seek the kingdom of heaven and His righteousness, a righteousness that saves. We now also follow the example of the Son -the example of the Israelites - the example of all His people walking through the Spirit -love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Messiah's have crucified the flesh with it passions and desires.

What is it in the wicked that causes them to glory in themselves instead of giving glory to the Father and the Son?

PRIDE

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