I have many times considered the difference between the intention of the law and the letter of the law. The letter of the law is an absolute demand, while the intention of the law is the reason for it and what it is meant to accomplish.
An example would be that we are demanded by law not to harm another person. If we harm another person there will be punishment for that action. But if that person is assaulting you or someone you love, and you have to stop them because they are causing physical harm to you or your loved one, the law is not at that point, an absolute . In stopping that person from harming you or your loved ones, you may have harmed them, but you will not be charged for breaking the law because the intention of the law was to protect citizens from being harmed by another.
We are in a Wednesday night study on the 10 commandments that God gave to the Israelites in the wilderness. All of my life I have known them and always looked at them as “thou shalt not”; which suggest the letter of the law. That is absolutely true but there is also an intention to God’s laws which is to make a better life for those that obey them. We are finding out that they are “principles” and that these principles are not burdensome, they are good and will bless us and our families.
The principle of the very first commandment is to put God first because a relationship with Him makes for a blessed life. In trying to catch Jesus in saying something wrong, one of the scribes asked Him in Mark 12: 28; “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him in Mark 12: 29-31; “The first of the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Most would agree that a good relationship with God and with other people will make life a whole lot better for us! He is our good Heavenly Father, creator of all things, and like any good father He really does want good things for His children.
These are the truths we look into every Wednesday evening at 7 and Sunday morning at 9:30 and 10:30 at the Gathering Place. You should come and join in.
