Jots, Tittles and Minutiae

Matthew 5:18,19

"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" 

Keeping God’s word and being a Christian can at times be an exacting thing. Jesus Himself stressed, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Mt. 4:4). Yet, it is obvious from Jesus’ teachings that detail to law could also be perilous. He states to the scribes and Pharisees of the day, “For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. (Mt.23:23).” The former what is right, the latter is what we refer to as legalistic.

How do we distinguish between the two? 

How can I know when I’m doing what is right, versus times when I’m straining a gnat? One could argue that if I adhere to what the scripture says down to the finest minutiae, then I know I’m right.  This is true. Instructions are there to be followed.  Ignoring the instructions causes problems. When we do things God's way, good results come. When we ignore the instructions, we do so at peril of costly failure. The price of failure is often seemingly out of all proportion to the mistake made. There is an old proverb, "For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; for want of a horse the message was lost; for want of a message, the battle was lost -- all for the want of a nail."

God also expects us to understand the nature and purpose of His commands 

Yet, God also expects us to understand the nature and purpose of His commands. They are not arbitrarily chosen statutes given to demand servitude.  Submission to God is the expression of our love for and faith in him. It must not be accompanied by the belief that obedience places God in our debt or makes us righteous. Nevertheless, it must be genuine and as complete as we can make it.  Fractures and fissures in our obedience do not excuse us from doing what the scriptures say.  Paul reminds us “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? (Rom.6:1, 2)” I must change what I can, when I can. Yet, neither am I to live under the constant worry of whether I have not completed the smallest thing, or paid the “uttermost farthing.” Paul again reminds us, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” (Rom.3:23,24).

Jesus was not righteous because he obeyed God. Rather, he obeyed God because he was righteous. So must we.  I strive to be righteous, thus I strive with all of my heart to obey God to the utmost. I will fall short! But, if I am granted the grace of another day, then I resolve that tomorrow I will do better. 

Jim 

BOOK REVIEW: Sabbath by: Dan Allender

In our studies at church, we entered a study of the Mosaic Law so I began to search for materials that would supplement my library and help in in areas that I only had scant information on. Granted, the Internet has made this more abundant, but I wanted something I could hold in my hand, take with me, and read at my leisure. I came across Sabbath by: Dan Allender.

I received this book, anticipating a delve into the intricacies of Old Testament lifestyle, details of Mosaic statutes and establishment of Jewish tradition. Was I in for a surprise.

At first, I did not know how to take this book. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting. Instead of LAW - I found myself being pulled into considering the concepts or REST, DELIGHT, JOY, GRATITUDE, APPRECIATION and more. This was becoming intriguing. I had always thought of Sabbath as a DAY. And yet, even the scripture tells us, Heb 4:9 "..there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God...." and reminds us in vs.10 – “as God rested from His works.” A day in which God took delight, joy, peace in what He had created and done. And then prompted me with a question, Do I take delight, joy, and peace in God? Now, I was hooked! I read and studied further.

Once again, I knew that the Sabbath was a day of feast in the Old Testament, but because I had become entangled in the ins and outs of legality, I totally overlooked the fact that God meant this day to be a day of reconciliation. Not just reconciliation to Him, but to one another. I was reminded what Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "2 Cor 5:18 And it is all from God, who through the Messiah has reconciled us to himself and has given us the work of that reconciliation.." Once again, I found delight to insights that I had never considered before and was coming to appreciate this book more and more.

I an nearing the end of this book now, and wishing that I weren't. But I discovered that I had one more thing to learn. That Gratitude goes beyond simply appreciating what has been done FOR you. Let me share what I gleaned. As in the traditional Sabbath of Moses, there was unleavened bread to commemorate the journey of Israel out of Egypt, we too have Sabbath Bread in our own day and time. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life (Jn.6:35, 38)." We too, are left with a commemoration (1 Cor.11:26-30), a day not to remember what the Lord has done FOR us, but offered TO us. A day to be grateful, to be reconciled not just to God, but to all men - even my enemies. To consider, that Psa.23:5 "...you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" is not a feast of vindication, but a feast of appreciation for what God has done for me and in turn for me to bring my enemies to the table to be reconciled. I cannot do that, unless I remember what Jesus offered FOR me, and what He gave TO me. It is what God did for Jesus, and it is what Jesus does for me.

Some of you will read this book with different review. Some will read and not know what to do with it. Some will look upon it legalistic and try to find its flaws. Some will read as I did and appreciate what it's author has tried to convey in words. I for one am appreciative of this book, and recommend it heartily. I feel that you would be blessed by it, if it is read with the right heart.