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THEBOOKOFHOSEA
Lesson14,Chapter8
IwonderwhatanyofusmightdoifGodclearlyandunequivocallytoldusthatour
worshipofHimwasnotacceptable?It’snotthatweneedtoimproveuponwhat
wedo;ratherHerejectsourentirepremiseforit.Infact,ourworshipisso
offensivetoHimthatitwouldbebetterifweofferednoneatall.Idaresaythat
todaysuchathoughtisunheardof.ModernChristianityseemstohavesettledon
thenotionthatanyformofworshipofGodisgoodenough,howevermeageror
inwhateverformpleasesus.So,isworshipprimarilyamatterofhowweconduct
ourritualsandwhatwedoatourreligiousservices?Orisitperhapsthequantity
orintensityofourworship?InHoseatheLordsays“no!”toallthesethings.The
issueistrustinHim;acorrecttrustguidedbybothknowledgeandevidence.
TrustinHimismeasurednotthebythedegreeofwarmthinourhearts,but
ratherbysincereobediencetoHiscommandmentstogetherwithdoingthose
commandmentsintheproper,God-definedspiritofloveanddevotion.
Hoseashowsusthatworshipinsomeotherwaythanwithintheparadigmof
whatwasbiblicallyestablishedatMt.SinaiistorejectGod.Thus,inHosea8
verse5wefindthatbecausethisisGod’sview,thentheworshipoftheCalfgods
thatIsraelcreated…stillinsistinguponcallingthemYehoveh…causedHimto
rejectEphraim/Israelinreturn.Thecauseofimproperworship?Lackof
understandingandknowledge.TheProphetIsaiahwritesaparticularlypoignant
passagethatgetsrighttothepointaboutimproperworship,whichbyitsvery
natureisinsultingtoGodandisdownrightidolworship.
CJB
Isaiah44:13-20
13
Acarpentertakeshismeasurements,sketchestheshape
withastylus,planesthewood,checksitwithcalipers,andcarvesitintothe
shapeofaman;and,sinceitishonoredlikeaman,ofcourseithastoliveina
house.
14
Hegoestochopdowncedars;hetakesanevergreenandanoak;he
especiallytendsonetreeintheforest,plantsapinefortheraintonourish.
15
In
time,whenit'sreadyforuseasfuel,hetakessomeofittokeephimselfwarm
andburnssomemoretobakebread.Thenhemakesagodandworshipsit,
carvesitintoanidolandfallsdownbeforeit.
16
Sohalfofitheburnsinthefire;
withthathalfheroastsmeatandeatshisfill;hewarmshimself;says,"Itfeels
sogood,gettingwarmwhilewatchingtheflames!"
17
Withtherestoftheloghe
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fashionsagod,acarvedimage,thenfallsdownbeforeit;heworshipsitand
praystoit."Saveme,"hesays,"foryouaremygod!"
18
Suchpeopleknow
nothing,understandnothing.Theireyesaresealedshut,sothattheycan'tsee;
theirheartstoo,sotheycan'tunderstand.
19
Notonethinkstohimselforhasthe
knowledgeorthediscernmenttosay,"Iburnedhalfofitinthefire,bakedbread
onitscoals,roastedmeatandateit.ShouldInowmaketherestanabomination?
ShouldIprostratemyselftoatreetrunk?"
20
Heisrelyingonashes!Adeceived
hearthasledhimastray;sothatnowhewon'tsavehimself,justwon'tsay,"This
thinginmyhandisafraud!"
WhatissostrikingaboutthispassageishowIsaiahpointsouttheabsurdityof
fashioningimagesofGodandworshippingthem.Believers,carvingidolsoutof
woodandstoneisn’ttheonlywaytoworshipothergods.Simplybyrefusingto
worshipGodintheonlywaysHefindsacceptable,thenweMUSTbeworshipping
adifferentgod.
Let’sre-readHoseachapter8.
RE-READHOSEACHAPTER8all
Verse6mirrorsthethemewefindinIsaiah44oftheirrationalthoughtofa
humancraftsmanfashioningagodoutofcommonmaterials.Thelogicis:how
canahumanmakeagod?FromGenesis1:1onwardtheentirepremiseisthat
Godmakeshumans.So,let’stakethatlogicalittlefarther.SinceGodmakes
humans,thenwhodecidesbywhatruleshumansaretolive?ThroughoutIsrael’s
history…andIwouldarguethroughoutChurchhistory…thishasbeenperhaps
ourbiggeststumblingblock.Traditionsanddoctrinesthatdominated
Ephraim/Israel,andnowtheChurchandSynagogue,aremanmaderulesthat
theoreticallyestablishthedirectiveswearetoliveby.Ilovethemetaphorthat
Yehovehusestodescribethisfolly.Hesays:“Indeedtheysowwind,andthey
willreapthewhirlwind”.
Inancienttimes,farmersusedthewindtohelpsowseed.Theywouldtossthe
seedintoagentlebreeze,whichhadtheeffectofscatteringitmorebroadly,
evenly,andquickly.However,biblically,oftentheterm“wind”,ruachinHebrew,
wasusedtospeakofafoolishorworthlessmindsetorbehavior.So,thisclause
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employsbothmeanings.Israelusesthetypicalseedingprocess,butwhatthey
sowisnonsense.Sincenonsenseiswhatissowed,thenwhatelsecanthe
productbewhentheseedssproutandgrowbutawhirlwind?Wetendtothinkof
whirlwindsastheseinterestingbutharmlessphenomenathatoccurusuallyin
deserts(dustdevils),whicharelikemini-tornadoesthatsuddenlyspringupand
dolittlemorethanspinsomedustandtumbleweedsaround,andthenvanishas
quicklyastheyappeared.That’snotthetruesenseofthisHebrewword,
however.Suphahspeaksofastormwind;somethingthatfarmersfeared.Itwas
destructive.So,sinceIsraelsowsfolly,thentheproducethatspringsfromitwill
bedestruction.
Theverseconcludeswith:
CJB
Hosea8:7...thestandinggrainhasnoears,soitwillyieldnoflour;andifit
doesyieldany,foreignerswillswallowitup.
Verysimply,thisisreferringtofamine.IfYehovehcausesthegrainstalkstobear
nograinheads,thenthere’snothingfromwhichIsraelcanmaketheirstaplefood,
bread.Thiscurseisfollowedbyyetanother;thatwhateverlittlemightbe
producedinthefieldswillbeconfiscatedbyforeigners.Inotherwords,justas
whenIsraelenteredintothePromisedLandandprofitedfromwhattheirenemy
(theCanaanites)hadproduced,sonowIsrael’senemy(Assyria)willprofitfrom
whatIsraelproduced.ThisentirescenarioofaseriesofcursesonIsrael…that
areexactlywhattheCovenantofMosessayswilloccurshouldIsraelbreakthe
termsoftheCovenant…islikeareversaloftheirRedemptionHistory.Israel’s
collectivebadbehaviorhadbegunlongago;onlynowhavetheconsequences
bornetheirbadfruit.OneotherpointI’dliketomake.Thisisasaconsequence
NOTofIsraelbeingmeanorviolentpeople;itisbecauseforworshippersofGod
toparticipateinmoralandreligiousturpitudebringswithitaterribleprice.We
needtoponderthiscarefullyandsoberly.TovowtobeaGodfollower,buttolive
animmorallife,bringsoncalamity.YetwhathappenswhenChurchleadership
changestheverydefinitionsofimmoralbehaviors?WhatofaBelieverinYeshua
cheatingontheirspouse?HowaboutaBelieverdenyingtheirGod-givengender?
Or,practicinghomosexuality?Conspiringtocheatothersoutofwhatisrightly
duetothem?Willourpersonal,individualredemptionbereversed,asis
happeningtoIsrael,ifwebehaveinsuchaway?Yes,obviouslyitcan.
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CJB
Hebrews6:4-6
4
Forwhenpeoplehaveoncebeenenlightened,tastedthe
heavenlygift,becomesharersintheRuachHaKodesh,
5
andtastedthegoodness
ofGod'sWordandthepowersofthe'olamhaba-
6
andthenhavefallenaway-it
isimpossibletorenewthemsothattheyturnfromtheirsin,aslongasfor
themselvestheykeepexecutingtheSonofGodonthestakealloveragainand
keepholdinghimuptopubliccontempt.
Godputsupwithalotfromus;Hedoesn’teasilyorquicklydiscardus.Instead,
Hechidesustobebetterpeople,andmoreobedient,andHetriestoguideus
downapathtoamoreconsistentfaithfulness,oftenallowingustosufferthe
inevitableresultsofourfoolishness…hopefullywithoutendingin
self-destruction…butalsowithoutHimwithdrawingfromus.Yet,atsomepoint,
inHiseyeswecanbejudgedalostcause.OurclaimofrelationshipwithHimand
faithinHimisprovedfalsebyourdeeds,ourpervertedworship,orourdeceived
minds.ThisishowEphraim/IsraelisbeingdescribedandnoBelieverinYeshuais
abovethissamething.
Verse8declaresthatEphraim/Israelhasturneditselfintoanunwantedvessel
amongthenations(meaninggentilenations).Whatisan“unwantedvessel”?To
understandthemeaningthroughtheeyesofan8
th
centuryB.C.Israelite,what
Jeremiahhastosayusingthesametermcanbehelpful.
CJB
Jeremiah22:28-30
28
IsthismanKoniyahuadespised,brokenpot,an
instrumentnobodywants?Whyaretheybeingthrownout?Whyareheandhis
offspringthrownoutintoacountrytheydonotknow?
29
Oh,land,land,land!
HearthewordofADONAI!
30
ThiswhatADONAIsays:"Listthismanaschildless;
heisalifetimefailure-noneofhisoffspringwillsucceed,nonewillsitonDavid's
throneorruleagaininY'hudah."
AlthoughtheCJBsaysbroken“pot”,theHebrewwordisthesameasfor“vessel”.
So,abrokenvesselissynonymouswithanunwantedvessel,anditissomething
thatissuitablefornothingbuttobethrownout.Anotherwaytogetafuller
pictureofthesenseofthis(anditisaprettyseriousconditionbeingspokenof),
isthatitisatermlikelycreatedastheoppositeoftheHebrewexpressionkeli
hemdahthatmeans“adesirableorcostlypossession”.Somethingyouvalueand
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keepatallcosts.So,agoodrenderinginmodernEnglishmightbe:“Israelhas
nowbecomeamongthegentilenationssomethingthatisbrokenandthrown
away”.Whatatrulyawfulpronouncementofjudgment.
Whatisthemostrecentcause…perhapsthefinalstraw…forGodtoviewIsraelas
worthnothingbuttobethrownaway?Verse9begins:“Fortheyhavegoneupto
Ashur”.AshurisasynonymforAssyria.AshuristhegodwhosenationisAssyria,
andcallinganationaccordingtoitsnationalgodwascommonintheancient
MiddleEast.IsraelapproachedAssyriaandaskedfortheirhelptofightagainst
Judah.Thishelpwas,ofcourse,anallianceandbroughtwithitcostonanumber
oflevels.OnecostwasinIsrael’streasure;money.Anotherwaswithalevelof
subserviencetoAssyria.Andathirdwasthatsuchanallianceautomatically
bringswithittherequirementofworshippingtheirgods.Itisatotalsell-out
againstYehovehnomatterIsrael’sexcusefordoingit.Justsoastoillustratethe
abominablethingIsraeldid,Iwanttoofferamodern-dayexample.
WhileitisunknowntomostBelievers,largewell-knownChristianmissionary
organizations,aswellasdenominationalmissions’groups,havepouredmajor
resourcesofmoneyandpeopleintoanongoingattempttoapproachMuslimsto
convertthemtoChristianity.Ithasbeenslow-goingtosaytheleast.Asaresult,
likemanygoodintentions,thisattempthasattimesgoneofftherails.Itisnow
common(althoughIfearitisverynearlythenorm),toanointaMuslimasa
near-ChristianiftheysimplyacknowledgetheexistenceofJesusofNazareth.
Which,bytheway,isnogreataccomplishmentsinceIslam,ingeneral,has
alwaysacknowledgedJesusbutonlyasagreatprophet.Manyyearsago,Iwas
askedbyasubstantialmissionarygrouptoreadapamphletthattheywantedto
distributebythescoresofthousandstoBelieverswithintheirparticular
denomination.Icametoasectionthatmademealmostnauseous.Itexplained
thatChristiansshouldundertaketopraywithMuslimsbecauseweallworshipthe
samegod.FurtherthatalthoughtheMuslimscalltheirgodAllah,infacttheyjust
didn’tknowtheywerealreadyworshippingJesus.Salvationbecamewatered
downsuchthataMuslimwascountedasaChristianiftheybutagreedthatJesus
livedandwasagoodman.Thisisacompletesell-outtoYeshuaandtoHisFather.
Itistheverydefinitionofsyncretism,wherebypaganbeliefsareremoldedand
reshapedandaddedtobiblicaltruth.Certainly,thismissionarygroupdidn’tthink
theyweredoinganythingwrongbyprintingthatpamphlet;theysawitasthe
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GreatCommissionandlovingtheirneighbor.Throughlackofknowledgetheir
truerelationshipwithGodwasexposed.IhavejustdescribedtheEphraim/Israel
ofHosea,andthismissionarygroup(andperhapsthedenominationthey
represented)wasinthesamedangerofbecomingabrokenandunwantedvessel.
Thisisonlyanexampleofwherecompromiseandlackofknowledgecanleadand
weneedtovowtoavoidthisatallcost.
Asverse9continuesHoseaemploysyetanothermetaphor.Israelislikenedtoa
wilddonkey(awildass)asitrelatestotheiralliancewithAssyria.Earlier
(chapter5)HosealikenedIsraeltoasillydovewithnomind.So,inboth
metaphorstheoperativetermdefinitionmustbe“foolishness”.MostBible
versionswillsaythatIsraelhasgoneuptoAssyriatohireortocourt“lovers”.
TheTanakhversionsaystheywentuptocourtfriendship.TheHebrewwordthat
isusuallytranslatedtolovers,orintheTanakhasfriendship,isahabim.Indeed,
itinvolvestheideaoflove;yethereofcoursethisdoesn’tmeanitintheromantic
oreroticsensethatIsraelactuallylovedAssyria.Here’swhattranslatorsare
strugglingwith.InHebreweventhoughtherootwordahav(orahab)meanslove,
itmeansitinadifferentsensethanwemodernstakeit.IntheancientHebrewit
ismeantmoreoftenthannotinthepoliticalsense.Tolovealsoinherentlycarries
withittheideaofallianceandallegiance.So,forinstance,to“love”aking
doesn’tmeanwarmfeelingstowardshim.Therefore,toloveAssyriameansa
devotionofallegiancetothemandnothingmore.Wecanalsoseehowthissame
wordcanbeusedinamorepersonal,relationalsenseasinhowwemightuseit
towardsaspouse.BecauseinGod’seyeslovetowardsaspousewhilefullof
warmfeelingsissupposedtobeonlythetipoftheiceberg.Therealconnection
happenswhenafulldevotionofallegiancetothatpersonresults.Inapersonal
relationalmotif,then,wemightcallthisfaithfulnesstoamarriagepartner.It’s
thecontextthattellsushowtounderstandhowtoapplymeaningtoahabim.
Verse10,then,speakinginYehoveh’sname,Hosearelatestheinevitable
consequencesofEphraim’sfoolishattempttocontriveanalliancewiththeking
ofAssyria.
CJB
Hosea8:10ButeveniftheybargainamongtheGoyim,nowIwillround
themup.Soontheywillstarttofeeltheburdenofthesekingsandleaders.
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TheCJBleavesoutaphrase,however,thatIthinkisimportanttobethere.The
NASincludesit.
NAS
Hosea8:10Eventhoughtheyhirealliesamongthenations,NowIwill
gatherthemup;AndtheywillbegintodiminishBecauseoftheburdenofthe
kingofprinces.
Whatwasleftoutwas“theywillbegintodiminish”.Althoughsometranslators
thinkthatthemeaningof“gatheringthemup”isanEndTimesprophecyof
returntothePromisedLand,Iseethatviewastakingsomethingoutofcontext.
Clearlythe“gatheringup”istoassembleforjudgment.EvenintheEndTimes
theideaofgatheringupisusedin2senses.ThefirstistogatherBelieversfora
harvestofalifetimerelationshipwithGod.Thesecondistogathernon-Believers
forajudgmentofeternaldeath.WhileeternaldeathisnottheusehereinHosea,
itismostdefinitelyspeakingofacollectivejudgmentagainstIsrael.This
gathering-upisexplainedinthenextphrasethatsaysasaresultIsraelwill
diminish.Thismeanstheywilldiminishasasetapartandidentifiablepeople
group,butalsonumerically.InEgypt,evenundertheburdenofkingsand
princes,theIsraelites’numbersgrewbecauseGodwaswiththem.Butinexileas
apunishment,Godisnotwiththemsotheirtribalpopulationswilldecreaseinto
insignificanceduetoanumberofreasons…allthereasonscausedbyGod.
Verse11returnstoYehovehcriticizingIsrael’sworshippractices.Thisverseisa
studyofHebrewpoetrystructure.SinceourgoalisnottobecomeHebrew
literaryexperts,I’llmerelysaythatthetechniqueofrepeatingawordorshort
phraseattwodifferentpointsinaverseisrecognizedandgiventhelofty
academicname“epiphora”.Inthiscaseitrepeatsthephrase“incurguilt”.In
somewaysthisversepresentsuswithanirony.FromtheHebrewbiblical
perspective,analtarwasbuiltforburntofferingstoYehovehtoatoneforthe
guiltcausedbysins.However,Ephraim,usingthatsameprinciple,andnodoubt
attemptingtoaccomplishthesamething,insteadincurredguiltbecausethey
builtmultiplealtarseverywheretheychoseto(insteadofusingtheoneandonly
approvedaltarattheTempleinJerusalem).Furtherinsteadofbeingsupervised
byLevitepriests,theywereofficiated(ifatall)bywhatwas(inbiblicalstandard)
laymen.Andtocapitoff,theyusedthesamealtarstosacrificetoYehovehas
theydidtosacrificetotheBaalgods.Apoisonousmixtobesure.
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Verse12Godsays:
CJB
Hosea8:12IwritehimsomanythingsfrommyTorah,yetheconsiders
themforeign.
There’sanentiresermon(maybetwo)withinthisonepassage.Thefirstthingto
recognizeisthephrase“Iwrite”,whichisbettertranslatedas“Iwrote”.Whatdid
HewritetotheIsraelites?TheTorah.YourBiblemightsay“Law”,whichisn’t
entirelyincorrect.However,theoriginalHebrewistorah.TheTorahindeed
contains“TheLaw”;butthat’snotallthatisthere.Nonetheless,torahandlaw
canbesaidtobeinterchangeableifwedon’ttakeittoofar.Therealityisthatthis
isspeakingofTheLawofMosesbecauseitistherethatthelawsand
commandmentsarecontained.So,theIsraelitesindeedhadtheLawofMosesat
theirdisposal,andyettheychosetoseethemasnotforthem(itwasforeignto
them),ortheyhadlostallmemoryofthem.
IamgoingtodetourheretoinjectsomethingfromatalkIgavetoaSeminary
nottoolongago,becausetheimportanceandeffectofthisshortverseupon
modernBelieverscanbesoeasilyoverlookedordismissedasnotforus.The
subjectistheLawofMosesandhowChristiansshouldrelatetoit.Ithinkagood
waytoapproachthisdelicatesubjectisbyaskingwhatseemslikeasimple
question:whodetermineswhatisevil?
Iwanttoapproachthismatterwithlogicasmuchaswithbiblicalunderstanding.
So,whenwesaythatthereissuchathingasevil,itisanadmissionthatthereis
necessarilysuchathingasgood.Andwhenweacceptthatthereisgoodapart
fromevil,wealsomustnecessarilyagreethatgoodisbasedonamorallaw
systemcomingfromsomesourceofauthority,otherwisethereisnowayto
definegoodandevil,andthereforetodiscernanddifferentiatebetweengood
andevil.Itfollows,then,thatsincethereexistsamorallawofgoodandevil,
theremustbeamorallawgiver.Butwhommightthisbe?TheChristianworld
claimstooperateonthebeliefthatthemorallawgiverisGodandthatHehas
givenallmankindacommoncodeofmorality.But,inactuality,doesChristianity
baseitsdoctrinesandconductitselfonthisbelief?
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Anothercriticalelementofthemorallawcodewemustwrestlewithisthis:isit
anobjectiveorasubjectivelawcode?TheatheistphilosopherLouiseAnthony
writes:
“Itakeitthattheistsandatheistswillagreeaboutwhatitmeanstosaythatour
moralityisobjective;firstwhethersomethingisrightorwrongdoesnotdepend
onanyhumanbeing’sattitudestowardit,andsecond,moralfactsare
independentofthehumanwill”.
Therefore,asfollowersofJesus,ifweagreethatbyitsverynaturemorallawis
objective,anditssourceisaneternalandunchangingGod,thenthelawsof
moralityoutofsheernecessitymustbepresentedtohumanscomingfrom
outsidethesphereofhumanity;andinawaythatwecanapprehend,apply
becauseitisrationalforthisphysicalUniversewelivein,andwehavethe
capacitytosortthroughitinordertomakedecisionsrevolvingaroundthis
objectivenon-humanoriginatedmorallawcode.Eventhequestionofwhatisa
matterofmorality(thingsweareobligatedtodoornotdo)versuswhatisa
decisionofourpreference(somethinginwhichwehavechoicetouseour
individualhumanwills,andwithoutconsequence)canonlybedeterminedbythe
lawgiver.
Sothen,ashumans,howdoweapprehendthatmorallawcodefromGodthe
lawgiversothatwemightfollowitinobedience?Godseemstohaveimparted
theknowledgeofitintwosteps.Thefirststep,aftertheGardenofEdendisgrace
ofAdamandEve,wastogiveallhumansanintrinsicsensewithinoursoulsthat
thereexistsamysteriousthingcalledmorality;thatis,thereisauniversalright
andwrong.PaulwroteaboutthismysteryinRomans2:14,15.
NAS
Romans2:14-15
14
ForwhenGentileswhodonothavetheLawdo
instinctivelythethingsoftheLaw,these,nothavingtheLaw,arealawto
themselves,
15
inthattheyshowtheworkoftheLawwrittenintheirhearts,their
consciencebearingwitness,andtheirthoughtsalternatelyaccusingorelse
defendingthem…
ThisisastatementthatsaysthatallhumanityhasanaturalGod-givensenseof
rightandwrong.However,thissenseofrightandwrongprovedmuchtoo
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etherealandtheoreticaltohumanityandsomethingmoreconcretewasneeded.
EntersteptwowhentheonlywrittenmorallawcodeintheHolyScriptures…the
morallawcodegiventomankindbythedivinelawgiver,Yehoveh…wasbrought
intoexistence:TheLawofMoses.
Hereiswherethislineofthinkingleadsusfortheremainderofourtimetogether
today;thatdangerousandpeskyelephantintheroom.Doesthemorallawcode
thatGodgavetoMosesstillmatter?Doesithaverelevance?Evenmore
pointedly,shouldithaveanyeffectonthelifeofaChristian…especiallya
modernone?
Outsideofsalvationitself,Icontendthatthereisnomoreimportantquestionfor
theChurch…andforindividualBelievers…toanswer.I’mgoingtotellyouthe
storytruthfully,andtruthisrarelycomfortable.Iwantthistobepersonalfor
you…becauseitis.
InordertogetanywherewithwhatIwanttotellyouI’mnecessarilygoingto
havetomakeafewgeneralizationsthatwhiletheyapplybroadly,theydon’t
applyuniversally(muchthewayaproverbworks).So,ifIcouldoversimplifythe
mainstreamChristianviewsontheLawintoasinglegeneraloneitwouldbethis:
God’smorallawcodegiventousthroughtheLawofMosesisnotforanywho
believethatJesusofNazarethistheirSavior.Thisisspokenofinafewwaysin
ChurchesandMessianicSynagogues,withperhapsthemostfamiliarbeingthat
Believersarenolonger“undertheLaw”(astatementthathasbeenascribedto
Paul).
Someofthemorefamiliarwaysthis“nolongerundertheLaw”doctrineis
explainedisthattheLawwas100%abolished,demolishedanddiscardedby
Christ,withitregularlysaidtohavebeennailedtotheCross.OrthattheLawwas
onlyaparticulardispensation(oneamongseveral)thatwasmeanttolastonly
betweenthetimesofMosesandMessiah.Anotherthoughtthatmorereflectsthe
troublingbutintellectuallyhonestresultaboutwhatsuchaphilosophyaboutthe
LawnecessarilyleadsustoisthatessentiallytheNewTestamentrevelationof
Christmusthaveredefinedsinandobediencetonolongerbetiedtoanintrinsic
anduniversalmorallaw,nortothewrittenmorallawcodewefindintheBible
thatwassaidtohavebeengiventohumansbyGodonapermanentbasis.So,
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sincannolongerhaveauniversalmeaning,effectorstandard;therefore,sin
andmoralitycanbesomewhatdifferentforeachindividualanditdependson
how“wefeelinourheartsorconsciences”,andusuallyascribingthistothe
uniqueandhighlyindividualisticworkingsoftheHolySpiritwithinus.Thatis,
uponYeshua’sdeath,themorallawchangedfrombeingobjectivetosubjective.
AccordingtoChristianitywheredowelookintheBibletounderstand,then,how
ChristiansaretorelatetotheLaw?PrimarilytothevariousepistlesofPaul.
ItisnosecretthatPaulpresentsafrustratingchallengeontheissueoftheLaw
asheseemstoholdanutterlyschizophrenicassessmentofitsplaceforBelievers
byonetimeseemingtosaythattheLawhasnobearingonthelifeofaBeliever
(Believersarenot“underthelaw”)andatanothertimeheveneratestheLawand
saysthataBelievershouldupholdtheLaw(“ThereforetheLawisholy,justand
good”).Weevenfindinchapter21ofActsthat,wellaftermeetingChristonthe
roadtoDamascus,PaulwenttotheTemple,andparticipatedinavowritual
requiredbytheLawofMosesspecificallytopubliclyprovethathepersonally
remaineddevotedtotheLaw,sothatpeoplewouldSTOPaccusinghimof
instructingJewsandgentilesthatwithfaithinChristtheydidn’thavetoobeythe
LawofMosesanylonger.WasPaulbeinghypocriticalinhisactionsandmerely
succumbingtopeerpressureindoingthis?
WhilePaulhasalwaysbeencontroversialandchallengingtodecipheryetthereis
muchhesaysthatisstraightforwardandconsistentenoughthatitcanhelpset
thecontextforunderstandingwhereheiscomingfrominhisdissertationsthat,
intime,becamethecoreoftheNTandofChurchdoctrine.Forinstance:Ican
saywithconfidencethatPaulbelievesthatGodsentYeshuatobringsalvation
fromsintoJewsandgentilesalike;thatsalvationisavailabletoallonthesame
basis(faithinGod);thattheMessiahiscomingbacksoonerthanlater;thatPaul
feltspeciallyanointedbyGodtotaketheGospelofSalvationtogentiles;and
thatfollowersofChristshouldliveaccordingtoTheFather’swillandmorallaw.
Yet,weneedtokeepinmindsomethingsomanyotherwisegoodBibleteachers
andscholarsseemtominimize:PaulANDChristwereJews.Thesocietythey
livedin,theirupbringing,thereligiontheyweretaught,andthetermsthey
thoughtandspokeinwereJewish.
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ThereareahandfulofChristianacademicswhohavemadevaliantattemptsto
dealwithPaulandtheLawwhiletryingtoovercomelongheldChristiandoctrinal
barriersandthemostrecentacademicthatIbelieveoffersamorebalancedview
isthevenerableE.P.Sanders.
E.P.SandersconcludesthattherealstumblingblockisthatPaulisactually
speakingonseveralDIFFERENTaspectsoftheroleoftheLawinthelifeofa
Believer,andtheycan’tbealllumpedtogether.Thatis,Pauldidnotusually
speakabouttheLawinbroadterms,butratherhewouldaddressspecificissues
abouttheLawonetime,andanotherbutdifferentspecificissueabouttheLaw
thenexttime.Icouldn’tagreemorewithDr.Sandersandwhatwefindisthat
PaulseparatedtheissueoftheLawdowntotwofundamentalaspectsas
concernsBelievers:thefirstissueishowtheLawrelatestojustification
(salvation),andthesecondissueishowtheLawrelatestoourmorality,whichin
turndictatesourbehaviorandchoices(thatis,theLawastheexpected
expressionofGod’swillforHisworshippers).Thefirstissue,salvation
(justification)Paulpresentsasaspiritualmatterexpressedbyourproper
relationshipwithGodwhilethesecondissue,behavior,ismoreofapractical
everydaylifematterexpressedbyourproperactionsandrelationswithpeople
thatindeedaregovernedbyamorallawcode.
ThereexistsaNewTestamentpassagethatdefinitivelyanswersthe2mostbasic
questionsBelievershaveconcerningtheLaw:first,doesitstillexistforusand
second,ifitdoesareweobligatedtoobeyit?Mypositiononthiscrucialmatter
isbasedonaclear,plainlystatedinstructionthatappearsaroundthemidway
pointthroughYeshua’sSermonontheMount.Besidesitspowerfulandjarring
claritywhatmakesitsoimpactfulisthattheSermonontheMountisChrist’s
seminalspeechtoALLofHisfollowers(Jewsandgentiles),anditisaspeechthat
Christianityhasheldupasessentialtoproperunderstandingofourfaith.
CJB
Matt.5:17-20
17
"Don'tthinkthatIhavecometoabolishtheTorahorthe
Prophets.Ihavecomenottoabolishbuttocomplete.
18
Yesindeed!Itellyou
thatuntilheavenandearthpassaway,notsomuchasayudorastrokewillpass
fromtheTorah-notuntileverythingthatmusthappenhashappened.
19
So
whoeverdisobeystheleastofthesemitzvotandteachesotherstodosowillbe
calledtheleastintheKingdomofHeaven.Butwhoeverobeysthemandso
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teacheswillbecalledgreatintheKingdomofHeaven.
20
ForItellyouthatunless
yourrighteousnessisfargreaterthanthatoftheTorah-teachersandP'rushim,
youwillcertainlynotentertheKingdomofHeaven!
BecauseChrist’sstatementontheuninterruptedcontinuationoftheLawfor
thosewhobelieveinHimdirectlycontradictsmoststandardChurchdoctrineson
theLaw,I’vehadsomestudents,teachersandPastorstrytosolvetheproblem
ofChrist’sstatementbypointingtowardsHiscommentthatitwillpassaway
whentheheavensandearthpassaway;insistingthattheheavensandearthDID
passawayatthefootofthecross,andthereforesodidtheLaw.Ofcourse,they
saytheymeanthatfroma“spiritualized”orallegorizedviewpoint.Butfarmore
oftentheirresponsetowhatChristsaidistoarguethat“yeahbuthere’swhat
Paulsaid”inGalatiansorRomansorCorinthiansorsomeotherofhisepistles.I
amthenpresentedwithawell-knownstatementortwoofPaul’sthatindeed
doesseemtobequitenegativeabouttheLaw.WhenIrespondwithastatement
ofPaulthatseemstobequitepositiveabouttheLaw,thenonceagainI’m
opposedwithyetanotheronethatseemsnegative.Onandonitgoesuntilwe
reachastalemate.I’vesearchedforalongtimeforanewapproachtothis
challengeandIhaveonethatI’dliketosharewithyouthatIthinkgetsstraight
totheheartofthematter.
Wehaveatleastoneratherlong,detailedstatementbyChristabouttheLawas
concernsHisfollowers(Matthew5:17-20)thatismorethanmerelypositive;itis
unequivocalandaforcefullystatedinstructiontoNEVERthinkorpersuade
anyonethatHecametoabolishtheLaw.So,ifoneacceptsthestandardChurch
doctrinethatisascribedtoPaulthatChristDIDabolishtheLaw,thenweare
confrontedwiththeobvious:PaulandChristdisagree.Thatis,adynamicis
created,whichhasPaulsayingChristterminatedtheLawandChristsaying“no
Ididn’t”.
Whatarewetodo?ThemainstreaminstitutionalChurchlongagodecided;more
weightistobegiventoPaulthantoChristonthismatter.Thus,weareleftwith
aseriouspersonaldilemma:arewetosetPaulagainstChristasregardstheLaw
forBelievers?Andifthatisthesituation,dowefollowChristordowefollowPaul?
DowebelievetheMasterordowebelievetheDisciple?Doweaccepttheinspired
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wordsofGodintheflesh,ordoweaccepttheinspiredwordsofacommonfleshly
human(Paul)?
Thatsaid,I’mgoingtoshowyouthatPaul’soccasionalnegativitywasnotan
anti-Lawviewatall,butratherhewasinstructingagainstmisuseofthepurpose
oftheLaw.Paulwasnotanti-LawanddidnotteachBelieverstoignoretheLaw,
andespeciallydidnotteachthattheLawwasdeadandgone.Amonghisseveral
statementstothiseffectoneofthemostplainlyspokenthatremainsdefinitive
acrossallBibleversionsisfoundinRomans3.
CJB
Romans3:29-31
29
OrisGodtheGodoftheJewsonly?Isn'thealsotheGod
oftheGentiles?Yes,heisindeedtheGodoftheGentiles;
30
because,asyouwill
admit,Godisone.Therefore,hewillconsiderrighteousthecircumcisedonthe
groundoftrustingandtheuncircumcisedthroughthatsametrusting.
31
Doesit
followthatweabolishTorahbythistrusting?Heavenforbid!Onthecontrary,we
confirmTorah.
WhateverelsePaulmighthavetosayabouttheLaw,whatwefindinRomans3
isakeyprincipleinPaul’sunderstanding:itisthateventhoughsalvationcomes
ONLYthroughfaith,ourfaithinnowaycancelstheTorah(theLaw),whichis
God’smorallawcode.Onedoesn’tnullifytheother,nordoesoneopposethe
other.PaulemphasizeshiscontentionusingthestrongJewishexpression
“Heavenforbid”thatsuchathingmightbe,andgoesonfurthertosaythatinfact
ourfaith(inChrist)affirmsandupholdstheLaw(theTorah).
So,howshouldwe,asJewishandgentileBelievers,goforwardinourlivesand
relatetotheLawofMoses?TheLawwasgiventoMoseslessasastrictrulebook
andmoreasthewritten-downstructureofaparadigmofhowtobeanobedient
worshipperofGodAlmightyandtowalkinHisways.What’saparadigm,you
mightask?It’samodelandapatternexplainingtheunderlyingspirit,while
outliningtheshape,ofsomething.TheAmericanConstitutioncreateda
paradigmforourparticularsystemofgovernment,specifyingnationalliberties
andlawswithinwhichoursocietymustoperate.Principlesareestablishedand
boundariescreated.
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BytakingthetimetostudytheTorahandtheLawofMosescontainedwithinit,
andtothendrawamentalpictureofitasmoreorlesstheBeliever’sConstitution,
thenwecan(withsomeeffortandprayerandtheworkoftheHolySpiritwithin
us)transcendtimeandcultureandbringobediencetotheLawofMosesintothe
21
st
centuryandbeyond,therebyobeyingChristasHeinstructed.Onlythenwill
wehaveatruemoralcodetogoby.Ephraim/IsraelhadsetasideGod’swritten
moralcodeandcreatedtheirown,andtheywereinprocessofpayingaterrifying
consequence.Iwouldarguethatbeginningasearlyasthe3
rd
century,
Christianitybegantowalkdownthissamepath.
We’llleaveittherefortoday.