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Exo. 20: 1-1 7
IN THIS chapter we have uttered those wonderful ten commandments which are the center of God’s communications through Moses. We read in the gospels the Lord Jesus’ summary of the law — the love of God and the love of man (Matt. 22:35-4035Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:35‑40)). But here the law is presented for the most part in a way that tells of man’s fallen condition, for its precepts are mostly negative, and not positive. Not only is man fallen but he loved sin so well that God had to prohibit sin. In the greater part of the ten commandments, we shall see, it was not “Thou shalt,” but “Thou shalt not.” It was given to curb sinful man’s will.
These commandments were given to Israel only. The Gentiles are described in Romans 2:1414For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: (Romans 2:14) as not hang the law, though they had the work of the law written in their hearts, and their consciences bore witness when they did wrong. As the Gentiles became associated with Israel, and heard what God required morally of man, they doubtless became more or less responsible according to the light they received. But the greater light of the gospel having come in, the Galatian Christians are sharply rebuked for putting themselves under law, where, as Gentiles, they had never been. A converted Jew was no longer under the law — how much less a Gentile believer whom God had never put under the law!
The law was like a straight edge given by God to manifest the crookedness of man. “The law entered that the offense might abound,” Rom. 5:2020Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: (Romans 5:20), that is, not to increase sin but to show how offensive it is, and to bring it home to the soul. “By the law is the knowledge of sin.” Chap. 3:20. The Apostle said that he would not have known lust had not the law said, “Thou shalt not cot.” Rom. 7:77What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. (Romans 7:7). The object of the law, therefore, was to bring out the greatness of sin, while it was a test of the obedience of man to God.
It has also been said the law is like a bridge. Made of the finest materials and perfect in its workmanship, on one side it stands on an immovable foundation. This is God’s side. But the other end of the bridge has fallen, the pillars and foundations having collapsed. Alas! this is man’s side. Man has failed; he is ruined, and he cannot use the law as a passageway to life and blessing.
Like the people of Israel we are not only sinners, but helpless sinners. We can never obtain blessing through seeking to keep the commandments of God. The law could not justify the guilty — it could only condemn him, and since we are all law-breakers, therefore the law must pronounce every man “guilty before God.” But how wonderful to see in the cross of Christ how all God’s holy claims against sin were fully met in the death of Jesus, who bore the curse of the broken law, so that now God could come out in the fullness of His grace and instead of condemning the sinner who believes, He justifies him from all things (Acts 13:3939And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:39)). “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Rom. 3:2424Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (Romans 3:24). What wonderful grace this is!
ML-01/11/1970