Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army,
August 3, 2014. Based on a 'Holiness Test' on August 12, 2012 from Captain Michael
Ramsay
For a
Deuteronomy version of Holiness Test click here: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2012/08/holiness-test-deuteronomy-51-21-exodus.html
Today we are
continuing in Exodus, looking at the Ten Commandments. Now there is an
important phrase in the Deuteronomy record of the 10 Commandments - Deuteronomy
is the record of Moses’ telling the children of the people who received the 10
Commandments what the Exodus version of events is all about - Deuteronomy 5:3:
“It was not with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us
who are alive here today.” And almost none of them were alive when God made
this covenant with Moses.[1] This is important
because the principles of this covenant still apply to us, God’s people, today.
This is what God reminds the Hebrews before He presents the Ten Commandments in
Deuteronomy. And this is what Jesus reminds us in the Gospels when he confirms
that all the Law and the prophets hang on the fact that we must love the Lord
our God with all our heart, mind and soul and that we must love our neighbour
as ourselves (Matthew 22:34-40, Mark, 12:28-34,
Luke 10:25-27). This
is interesting because the Ten Commandments themselves can be summed up exactly
this way: as loving God and loving one’s neighbour.[2] You will notice that the last six or seven commands relate
directly to loving one’s neighbour and that the first three or four relate
directly to loving God.[3]
Today, as we look at this very important part of scripture, instead
of a sermon or a homily, I have a test for us. Now, if you have a bulletin
today the test is inside it; if you don’t have a bulletin or a pen, put up your
hand and we will ensure that you get one. I want you to right down your answers
but don’t work ahead, we will go over the test together and don’t show your
answers to anyone else, unless you feel so-led. This test today relates to how
each of us loves God and our neighbours.[4] Are you ready? This is a two-part holiness
test. It has only ten questions and it is based on the Ten Commandments: The
first part of this holiness test we are taking will encourage us to examine our
holiness relating to our love for God.
DECALOGUE HOLINESS TEST
Part 1: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5).
Here are the Questions:
- Do we ever put anything before God? Exodus 20:3 (Deuteronomy 5:7; cf. Leviticus 26:13; Numbers 15:41; Deuteronomy 13:4-5) records the Lord’s command that “You shall have no gods before me.” This is pretty straightforward. There is only one God, so you should not put anyone or anything else before God.[5] Do we ever put anything before God? Susan, the children and I often visit different corps, congregations or churches on our holidays. This is great. Do we all do this? Do we set time aside like this for God – even on holidays - or do we sometimes put our holidays or our company before God, letting them interfere with our worship of YHWH in community? Do we sometimes put television, work, homework, or friends before God: opting to do these things instead of, or more than reading our Bibles? Do we ever put our bank accounts or our friends’ opinions before God? Do we sometimes make our decisions based on our finances or our friend’s advice instead of by discerning God’s will through prayer and Bible study? The question again: do we ever put anything before God?
- Is
there anything that maybe was meant to aid us in worship that now is
successfully competing with God for our love and attention? Exodus 20:4 (Deuteronomy 5:8): “You shall not make for
yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth
beneath or in the waters below.” This is different than the first
commandment. This is asking if we ever make images of God that we may be
eventually tempted to wind up worshipping. Moses made a bronze snake in
the desert that God later had destroyed because people began worshipping
this image (Numbers 21:4-9, 2 Kings 18:4). The rightfully condemned golden
calves of Aaron and Jeroboam may have been simply meant as a place for God
Himself to sit (Exodus 32; Deuteronomy 9; 1 Kings 12:28; 2 Chronicles
11:15, 13:8).[6] Do we ever make images relating to
God that may wind up in essence competing with God for our attention? Do
we have a version of the Bible that we will only read? Do we have certain
ways of worship: a certain kind of music or tradition or sacrament or
non-sacrament that once was meant to aid us in worship but is now in
essence competing with God for our attention? In church, do we pay more attention
to the music, the sermon, or other things than we do to God? Question 2:
Is there anything - that maybe was meant to aid us in worship - that now
is successfully competing with God for our attention?
- Are
we ever careless in our use of the Lord’s name? This is important and this is something that was even brought
to my attention this week actually. Exodus 20:7 (Deuteronomy 5:11; cf.
Leviticus 22:32): “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses
his name.” The AV or KJV, that most of us grew up with and may have
memorized this command in reads, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain…” We know what this
means right? It can mean a couple of things, it can mean that we are not
to swear an oath and then not keep it (cf. Numbers 30, Matthew 5:33-37,
James 5:12).[7] It can also more commonly mean that
we shouldn’t flippantly or thoughtless mention the Lord’s name.[8] We have heard people say, ‘oh my
goodness’ (but not using the word ‘goodness’) as a exclamation or this new
generation can simply text, ‘OMG’. Anytime we are careless like this or
anytime we attribute things to God that God did not say or do or anytime
we use His name in careless or profane ways (some people even curse using Jesus Christ, our Lord’s
name!), anytime we do these things, we are misusing the name of the Lord.
Question 3: Are we ever careless in our use of the Lord’s name, do we ever
take His name in vain?
I mentioned that this holiness quiz today has two parts. This next
question can go into either the first part – the ‘Love God’ part - of the test
or the second part of the test – the ‘Love your neighbour’ part. The Exodus
version belongs firmly in the first part of the Ten Commandments; since this is
the version we are looking at today, we will assign this next question to Part
1.
- Do we
observe
the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded? (Exodus 5:8, Deuteronomy 5:12) Now bearing in mind that
Christians have always come together on the Lord’s Day (Sunday) rather
than on the Sabbath (Saturday) as the Hebrews in the desert did; and
bearing in mind that, as the authors of Romans and Hebrews point out, now
everyday is supposed to be and actually can actually be as a Sabbath to
the Lord - not just one day a week
(Romans 14:5-6, Hebrews 4:1-2); given that, do we set aside sacred time
and space to worship God? Do we have at least one day a week where we do
no work but God’s work? Exodus 20:11 records that just as God ceased from
His work when Creation was complete, we should do the same as a part of
loving our God. Deuteronomy 5:14-16 records that because the Hebrews were
slaves in Egypt, we should not only cease from our work but we should not
cause other people to work either – except for working for God, of course
(Remember that the Priest and the Levites in ancient Israel weren’t given
Monday off in lieu of the Sabbath)
- Do we ever make others work by filling up with gas or going out
for lunch on the Lord’s Day? This particular example may or may not come
into play now, after the resurrection, now that of the tomb is empty (Cf.
Romans 14:5-6, Hebrews 4:1-2). But I will leave this question with us
anyway: do we keep at least one day as holy, as the Lord our God has commanded us to keep it
holy?
This concludes Part 1, the ‘Love God’ part of our Decalogue Holiness
Test. We’ll stop here and check our work. You can check your own work. We’ll
now review the answers and if anyone gets 4/4, great. If not, I’ll get you to
make your corrections for homework and we’ll try to remember to ask you about
it next week.
1)
Do we ever put anything before God?
(No)
2)
Is
there anything successfully competing with God for our attention? (No)
3)
Are
we ever careless in our use of the Lord’s name? (No)
4)
Do we keep at least one day holy, as
the Lord our
God has commanded us? (Yes)
DECALOGUE HOLINESS TEST
Part 2: Do not
seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but
love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord (Leviticus
19:18).
If you are using a
paper instead of your bulletin, I will ask you to number your pages 1 to 6 for
Part 2. We will now start the second part of our test, sub-titled, ‘Love Your
Neighbour’ (cf. Romans 13:9). This part is important as shown by the fact that
Jesus also addresses a number of these items specifically: Matthew 5:21, 27,
33; Mark 12:29–31; Luke 10:27; 18:20; see also Romans 2:21, 22; Galatians
5:19f.; Ephesians 4:28; 5:3; Hebrews 4:9; James 2:11, etc.[9]
- Do we honour our fathers and our mothers, as the Lord our God has commanded us (Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16)?
This has many applications. Obviously it relates to children living under
their parents’ roof. Do they do as their parents ask; do they respect
their wishes; do they avoid doing anything that can bring embarrassment or
financial or other hardship upon the family? This passage also, however,
refers to us in dealing with our elderly parents. Do we provide for them,
as they need provision? Remember there were no pensions, Medicare, or old
age security while the Israelites were wondering around the desert. How
adults honoured their parents had a great bearing on their culture and
society (cf. Ephesians 6:1-3). Question 5: Do we in this room love our
neighbours by honouring our parents?
2.
Have we ever broken the
command not to murder? (Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17). Matthew 5:21-22
records Jesus as saying, “You have
heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and
anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I
tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be
subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister,
‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’
will be in danger of the fire of hell.” Have
we ever been angry with a Christian brother or sister? Have we ever referred to
someone as “you fool”? Question 6: Have we ever broken the command not to
murder?
3.
Have we ever committed
adultery? Exodus 20:14 (Deuteronomy 5:18) records, ‘You shall not commit
adultery’. Jesus says, Matthew 5:27-28: “You have heard that it was
said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at
a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Have
we ever committed adultery in our hearts?
4.
Have we ever stolen? Exodus
20:15 (Deuteronomy 5:19) says, ‘You shall not steal.’ Have we ever not put in
the time that we are paid to put in at work? Have we ever not claimed all of
our income on our income tax? Have we ever withheld payment from someone for something
they have done? Have we ever ‘borrowed’ something from a sibling or friend
without asking? Have we ever stolen?
5.
Have we ever given false testimony against our
neighbour? (Exodus 20:16, Deuteronomy 5:20) This command
is primarily referring to a court action but it can most certainly be extended
to include any false statement about a neighbour.[10] Have we
ever made false claims about a political or historical figure? Have we ever
passed along falsehood about a colleague or community member? Have we ever
repeated a rumour or gossip as if it was truth? Have we ever shared a video or
a comment on Facebook (maybe even from someone else’s page) without verifying
its claims because we like what it is saying? Have we ever given false
testimony against our neighbour?
6.
Do we ever covet
our neighbour’s wife or anything that belongs to our neighbour? (Exodus
20:17, Deuteronomy 5:21) Do we ever
wish we had our neighbour’s car? Do we ever lament that we don’t have a job as
cushy or with as big a paycheque or with as many holidays as someone else’s? A
big part of the advertising that helps prop up our whole economic system in
this country is the desire to have what someone else has? Do we ever need to
‘keep up with the Joneses?’ Do we ever fall prey to that temptation? Do we ever
covet someone else’s life or someone else’s possessions?
Let’s review Part 2 of our test:
1) Do
we love our neighbours by honouring our parents? (Yes)
2) Have we broken
the command not to murder? (No)
3) Have we
committed adultery in our hearts? (No)
4) Have we
ever stolen? (No)
5) Do we ever give false testimony? (No)
6) Do we
sometimes covet someone else’s life or someone else’s possessions? (No)
So how did you do? How did we do on
the Decalogue Holiness Test? How are we at reflecting or emulating the Lord’s
holiness through loving God and loving our neighbour? I know that everyone here
probably aced this quiz (of course!) because we are all living the holy,
sanctified lives that God calls us to in Exodus here (Exodus 19:6, 22:31, 31:13),
in the Old Testament (cf. Deuteronomy 7:6, 14:2, 14:21, 26:19, 28:9; Leviticus
11:44-45, 19:2, 20:7-8), in the Gospels (cf. Matthew 5:48) and in the New
Testament (cf. Ephesians 1:4,18; 1 Thessalonians 4:4-7; 2 Timothy 1:9; Hebrews
12:4; 1 Peter 1:13-16). But, if for some reason we didn’t get the test perfect,
I would like us to take it home and work on it. You can use the book to help
you too. Actually I would encourage that. The more you read the textbook (the
Bible), the more you will understand about the holiness exam. I want to point
out two quick things before we go here:
a.
No matter how you did on the test, there is no
condemnation in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). He is patient and as we study for
the tests this life will send – and this life will have many test – the Lord
will always be there to help us. He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews
13:5).
b.
Don’t worry about transforming yourself into a
holy person. The Gospel itself has the power to transform us (Romans 1:16-17).
As we read the Bible and as we pray and as we spend time with God, God will
naturally transform us into His likeness. God loves as and as we seek Him and
His Kingdom and His righteousness, He promises that we will find Him (Matthew
6:33). So that is how we ace the holiness exam, simply seek first the kingdom
of God and everything else we need will be added unto us.
So now I will leave us with this prayer of encouragement
from 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24. Let us pray:
May God himself,
the God of peace, sanctify us through and through. May our whole spirit, soul
and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who
calls us is faithful and He will do it.’ Amen.
Go now and live a holy, sanctified life in the name of
Jesus Christ our Lord.
[1] Thompson, J. A., Deuteronomy: An Introduction and Commentary.
Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1974 (Tyndale Old Testament
Commentaries 5), S. 128
[2] cf. Thompson, J. A., Deuteronomy: An Introduction and Commentary.
Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1974 (Tyndale Old Testament
Commentaries 5), S. 129 for a good discussion of the division of the Decalogue
into two holiness parts: your God and your neighbour.
[3] John J. Kilgallen, “The plan of the 'nomiko' (Luke 10.25-37),
New Testament Studies Vol.42 (November 1, 1996): This idea was common
enough by the 1st Century that this was Jesus anticipated response
to the question in the Lukan account.
[4] Cf. Paul Foster, “Why Did Matthew Get The Shema Wrong? A Study of
Matthew 22:37” Journal of Biblical Literature Vol. 122, Iss. 2 (2003):
309-333 re. Matthew’s version of the Shema
[5] Cf. Ronald P. Byars, Between Text & Sermon: Deuteronomy 6:1–15,
Interpretation Vol. 60 (April 2006): 194-196, for a good
practical discussion on this topic.
[6] S. Dean Mcbride,
Jr., ‘The Essence of Orthodoxy: Deuteronomy 5:6–10 and Exodus 20:2–6’, Interpretation
Vol.60 (April 2006): 145
[7] Earl S. Kalland, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis
CD-ROM:Deuteronomy/Exposition of Deuteronomy/III. The Second Address:
Stipulations of the Covenant-Treaty and Its Ratification (4:44-28:68)/B. Basic
Elements of Life in the Land (5:1-11:32)/1. The Ten Commandments (5:1-33)/a.
Exhortation and historical background (5:1-5)/(3) Prohibition against misusing
God's name (5:11), Book Version: 4.0.2; but cf. Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., The
Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Exodus/Exposition of Exodus/II.
Divine Morality (19:1-24:18)/C. The Decalogue (20:1-17), Book Version: 4.0.2
[8] Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., The Expositor's Bible Commentary,
Pradis CD-ROM:Exodus/Exposition of Exodus/II. Divine Morality (19:1-24:18)/C.
The Decalogue (20:1-17), Book Version: 4.0.2
[9] Cf. Rev. Allan McCafferty, ‘Always Another Question?’, The
Expository Times, Vol. 121, Iss. 9
(June 2010): 457-458
[10] Cf. R. Alan Cole, Exodus: An Introduction and Commentary.
Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1973 (Tyndale Old Testament
Commentaries 2), S. 168
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