TODAY'S BARGAINOMICS BIBLE PASSAGE

In preparation for the time when the Israelites entered the Promised Land, God gave them the Ten Commandments as we read in Exodus 20:

1. Do not worship other gods.
2. Do not worship idols.
3. Do not misuse God’s name.
4. Keep the Sabbath holy.
5. Honor your father and mother.
6. Do not murder.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Do not steal.
9. Do not lie.
10. Do not covet.

Of course, this wasn’t all God had to say to them at the time; the rest of Exodus 20 through Exodus 23:19 contains further instructions from the Lord which are known as the “Book of the Covenant.” We read in Exodus 24:7: “Then he (Moses) took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people” (NIV).

But here’s what I want us to look at concerning all this: at what point were the Commandments given? AFTER the Lord had saved the Israelites from their Egyptian captors. The sign of the firstborn had already been given. Neither receiving the law nor obeying the law brought salvation to the people of Israel any more than it can do that for us today. They needed a Savior. We need a Savior.

In the New Testament, Peter says of the redeemed: “…you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession” (I Peter 2:9b, NLT). Peter was quoting from the very words the Lord had spoken in Exodus 19:6 to Moses concerning Israel – BEFORE He had given them the Commandments.

So are the Commandments even relevant today? Well, let’s see. How did Jesus put it? “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17, ESV).

Jesus, as fully God yet fully man, was and is the only Person to have ever perfectly kept the Commandments (“the Law”). In doing so, He showed us the importance of not only obeying the Law, but of going beyond the written letter of the law and maintaining purity of intent. In other words, we’re to be clean inside and out. How? By focusing on the things of God.

May this Thanksgiving be much more than food and fellowship for you. May it be a time of reflection on the goodness, provision, grace and mercy of the Savior.