April 16

Leviticus 20; Psalm 25; Ecclesiastes 3;1 Timothy 5

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 73: WHAT IS THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT?
Answer: The sixth commandment is, “Thou shalt not kill.” Scripture: Exodus 20:13.

Leviticus 19-20

"You shall be holy, for I the LORD am holy.”  “You shall do this or not do that: I am the LORD your God.”  “Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you.”  “You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and I have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.”  All of the statutes in the law, in addition to following the prologue of “I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt…”, relate to these statements above.  God has chosen a people thought whom to reveal himself to all people of the earth.  This is a high calling and a wonderful blessing for the Israelites.  He is revealing mysteries of creation and of morality and of human nature and of our purpose and of his own glory, and he is doing it through the Jews.  They are not to be holy to save themselves or to earn redemption, but they are to be holy because they are his family and they are to bear his likeness.  We, as children of Abraham by faith are also part of this covenant people of God.  We are to be holy, not to prove something to God or others but to reveal God to the watching world.  We are to treasure Christ and to show the world the glory of God.  Psalm 23:3 says that the LORD leads us in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake…not ours.  We are living our purpose in this and we are to celebrate the fact that is is indeed the LORD who does this sanctifying (setting apart) work in us.  We do not struggle merely in the flesh but we rely on the Spirit to change our desires and drives and attitudes and emotions.

Psalm 23-25

You lead me in paths of righteousness not for my sake LORD but for the sake of your name (Ps 23:3).  You glorify your name in your people.  Because you are my shepherd LORD I know that I will dwell in your house forever (Ps 23:1, 6).  All of creation belongs to you O God (Ps 24:1) and which of your creatures may approach you to know you without being destroyed by your holiness and glory (Ps 24:3)?  You sanctify your children O God (Lev 20:8) and you clothe us in your own righteousness (Is 61:10), which we receive from your hand (Ps 24:5) thanks to the great exchange with your Son (2 Cor 5:21).  Because you are holy and we have union with your Son, we are holy and yet becoming holy.  We receive righteousness from the God of our salvation, from the King of glory, the LORD of hosts!  Let us wait upon you Lord and will you lead us in your ways for the sake of your name (Ps 25:5).  Remember me, for whom Jesus died, and not my sin that is a foreign invader within me (Ps 25:7; Rom 7:20).  Make me humble Lord that I will not be hardened against your teaching and your instruction.  Let me hear and let me be a doer by your gracious working upon my soul (Ps 25:9-10; James 1:22).  Let me know my guilt and own it Lord and let me know friendship with you by a fear that honors you and not by a pride or a sense of entitlement that dishonors you.  Let me understand that I do not deserve your love in the slightest and let me then exult in your favor that it has pleased you to pour upon me (Ps 25:11-12, 14-15).

Ecclesiastes 2-3

The main takeaway I see is to know the God is in control and that our striving does not make a difference (Eccl 2:11, 3:11, 14), it is our trust in God and our relating to him that brings knowledge and joy (Eccl 2:25-26).  We will all die and since we do not see what comes after death we rely on what we do see and we know ourselves by this life and so we ought to enjoy the labor that the Lord has given us here rather than waste time here waiting for eternity to begin (Eccl 3:21-22).  What is our labor, those who trust in the Lord?  Stop for a second…how do I read the Bible?  Is Ecclesiastes somehow unique that I should read it and understand it in a vacuum or is it like every other book of the Bible?  Should I not interpret it in light of the whole of scripture (Prov 23:4, 28:20; Mark 10:23; Phil 2:4, 3:8)?  Indeed!  Now, what is our work?  It is to love the Lord and to love others and to make disciples and to enjoy our God forever.  Let us never grow weary in doing good (Gal 6:9; Heb 12:3; 1 Cor 15:58) and let us enjoy this labor and its fruit!

1 Timothy 4-5

     v1-2. In later times people will fall from the faith due to deceitful teaching of demons through liars with seared consciences.  Joseph Smith and others? 
     v3. He likely speaks of the Gnostics of the first century who taught asceticism due to a belief that the body and the physical world altogether was evil.  Today this could relate to folks teaching yoga and vegetarianism and even homosexuality as some type of spirituality? 
     v4-5. All food is ok to eat as God made all things good and they are enjoyed with clear conscience by thanking God in prayer.  Keeping with the unity of scripture I cannot take this verse to be a license to enjoy wickedness because “everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected”…I am to hate what God hates (Rom12:9).
     v6. Here and verse 11 we are told to teach these things.  Unclear if simply the preceding statements or more than that.  At least teaching that some will fall away and why.  And training in godliness we are to teach.
     v7-9. Here is a great charge to spiritual discipline in our life.  We are to be godly and this takes discipline.  Our bodies too are trained by discipline but spiritual discipline is of greater value because (in part) it serves us now and into eternity.  So something about our degree of godliness here means something in heaven (even though we are changed in an instant and will all have no sin any longer and all that ).  So this can refer to rewards and authority and gifts to the feet of God etc.
     v10. We toil and strive to bring all we can to the place of love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith because we don't know who will believe.  We don't know who, for God desires all to be saved.  Thus he has no ill will for the lump but he is just.  We are to be indiscriminate in our efforts.  We don't know who will remain or fall away.
     v11-12. Command these things. Have authority.  Don't be held down due to your youth but set and example that they might not question your authority in this noble task.  Act like a man.
     v13-15. Do not be slack.  Preach and teach and labor and use your gifts.  Immerse yourself in the work of the Lord so that you improve along the way.
     v16.  And watch you heart and your teaching and stay pure to the doctrine you were given and what is reveled in the Word.  You will not only save yourself in this way (remember reference to guys he has handed to the devil) but you will save others.  The Word the flock receives impacts them and the mishandling of the Word can injure them!  Protect me O Lord and teach me and lead me and let me not do it in my strength!


Chapter 5...
     v1-2. Paul explains how to rebuke those older than you and of each gender.  Rebuke is not even the word to use for those older than you- encourage.  He stresses the respect of those senior to us and brotherly affection to our peers.  We must also do so with purity.  Perhaps he means not sinning in the way we rebuke and surely not sinning sexually with any woman or opposite gender.  Perhaps rebuking the younger woman as sisters "in all purity" could be taken to mean something like- rebuke and counsel young women with someone as witness and do not leave room for reproach or the appearance thereof.  Yes Lord give me brotherly affection for those that I need to call out and let me do so in love always and let me be discerning and wise in your counsel in this area now and into the future.
     v3-16.  This whole section deals with widows and how the church should only really care for widows who are truly alone and who love the Lord. Also if she has only had one husband and if she is over 60 years old.  Young women are to remarry and bear more children and be cared for by her new family in old age.  Caring for my family (even extended) is important and it speaks loudly against me if I do not step up and help the elderly in my family.  Here Paul says that I deny the faith if I do not love my family enough to care for their welfare.  Verse 16 can be taken to mean that the church should not spend its resources helping people that are able to help themselves and that we should help the ones who are truly helpless.
     v17-18. Something here about honoring the shepherd and paying him decently and not stopping him from teaching or speaking the truth.
     v19. Charges against elders should be considered with caution and need two or three witnesses due to the honor and expectation of holiness that is put upon them.
     v20.  But those in leadership who are found in unrepentant sin are to be rebuked in front of the whole congregation as a message of holiness and the expectations of the role of elder.
     v21-22. Do this and don't be hasty about ordaining elders or pastors.  Don't take part in the sin of others.  Rebuke people.  Take a stand.  Set them out of ministry when needed.  When the hidden sins come out they come out.  Do not hide and allow them to remain.
     v24-25.  Hidden sin and hidden good works come out eventually.

Soli Deo Gloria!