Hello All,
(Just a general disclaimer that I must insert here at the beginning. I am but a lay person, like most of you. And these weekly “thoughts” are but my own. Not the definitive word on this or any topic. Just my own conclusions derived from my own study and faith in God. The greatest hope I have for these weekly “thoughts” is to have them be a springboard for further study on your part. Not to be a weekly treatise to be blindly accepted. So, please read them with this intent, this motive in mind).
This week’s lesson from the “Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide”, is titled “Jesus, the Anchor of the Soul”. The last couple lessons I have elaborated on how the book of “Hebrews” is not the definitive explanation for so much of the Old Testament doctrines. It is but an intermediate step for those Hebrew listeners/ readers. In order to understand more definitively the purpose of the doctrines, the rules, the sanctuary, etc., we need to go to the “upper room” with Jesus and the “eleven”. There you will see Jesus explain so much, in very simple terms. There is no talk of ransom or redeemer or priestly ministry. There is only talk of love, the relationship of Family, and the desire for us all to be “one”, even as the Son and the Father are “One”. Therefore, as people of faith (not as those who have no desire to know God and have no faith in Him), we need to place this interpretation on all of scripture, if we are to understand.
I guess that is what prompts me to write this way for the last few “thoughts”. We must take the lessons we glean from the book of “Hebrews” and always put them in relationship to other texts… and put it all together. Just as we have done with so, so many other scriptures. Like the 10 Commandments. Praise God for Paul who understood this so well. Even today, Paul’s explanation of “law” in Romans and especially Galatians still give Christians pause to reflect. Especially us Adventists who highly value “law”. Since EGW’s death, on occasion you will still hear Adventist’s say that the “law” which is no longer needed once we have faith in Christ, is only the ceremonial law. But this is against Paul’s contention that “law” (meaning all law, including the “Ten”) is no longer needed once we have faith in Christ (which makes perfect sense). Or you will hear many evangelical Christians claim that the coming of Christ 2,000 years ago did away with the 10 Commandments at that time and henceforth in perpetuity. But this is not what Paul says. He says the “Law” is active whenever we don’t have faith (read Galatians 3; 19-25 very carefully to see all this so clearly. The faith that we are to have, which is the fulfillment of law, is the faith Abraham had centuries before Christ).
In this week’s lesson, we have another example. We have Christ as the anchor to our soul (see Thursday’s lesson). In this lesson we see God making an oath. Interesting. In Scripture, God has repeatedly cautioned us about oaths. “When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you. But if you abstain from vowing, it shall not be sin to you. That which has gone from your lips you shall keep and perform, for you voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth” (Deuteronomy 23: 21-23). “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matthew 5: 33-37). From these two verses it would appear that an oath is not anything any of us should ever need do. And definitely not something God need ever do. Yet in these texts we see that any such oaths given, must be honored and fulfilled.
Why would God do something He cautions us not to do? Jesus’ words just quoted above in Matthew seem to be really explicit about this. That oaths should never be made, “let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No’”, says Christ. So how to explain this seeming dichotomy? Some would say that this injunction doesn’t apply to God, only to man. That God can do whatever He likes and whatever He likes is Holy and good. I find this to be an immensely spurious answer. Our God is not arbitrary. He gives us rules which underscore the principles of His character and government. He would not give us anything that does not correspond in some way to a guiding principle for all creation… including the Creator. So why tell us He makes an oath to us, when the ideal is to make no oaths at all?
The answer is found in so many things God does (like giving us laws). It is all an emergency measure. God does all kinds of things that are so less than the ideal. They are emergency measures for His children. Like giving us divorce laws. Even though “the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce” (Malachi 2:16) … yet He gives divorce laws to us. “Because of the hardness of your hearts, (Moses) permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so” (Matthew 19:8). And so, with giving an oath, too. Even though the very giving of an oath is “from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37 quoted above), God still gives them to us for our sakes. Just like divorce, which God hates, likewise He disparages an oath. But still given for the same reason… “because of the hardness of (our) hearts” (Matthew 19:8 quoted above).
Amazing, is it not. So many things God does for us that is less than ideal. Yet He still gives them for us. As we read Scripture, always place Christ and the ideal in the context. You will see such considerate love from God. Such stooping to meet us where we are. You will not see a tyrant that needs blood to forgive, you will not see the need of mediator or redeemer. You will not see retributive justice (the act of paying back). But you will see distributive justice (the act of giving out). You will see a Father who gives-out all these discipline measures for us… because we need it. Until we come “home”. And once we are home, we see Him as He is, not “like a dim image in a mirror; (but) then we shall see face-to-face” (1 Corinthians 13:12). A God who is our Father. A Savior who is our Brother. And all the family of God together. Praise His Name for it!!
With brotherly love,
Jim