“Law & Order: SPU – Who Says So?”
Exodus 20:1-2; Mt. 22:34-40
The church I served in Grand Rapids had a lot of acreage and had turned part of it into 3 softball diamonds. Monday - Thursday nights, all summer long, various church leagues played their slow-pitch games there. Three of the leagues ran everything for their evening but one league was run directly by our congregation. For a while I was in charge of the recreation ministry and therefore of that league. One evening I dropped by to see how the games were going. I got there just in time to see, on one of the diamonds, a young man (late teens or early twenties) decide to show off and act like a jerk. The umpire had called a third strike on him and he proceeded to argue vociferously. When the ump remained silent, this young man gave him a chest bump and then began to holler while nose-to-nose with the umpire. I walked onto the field and told him that his behavior was unacceptable and he was therefore done for the night. Stunned, but not deterred, he looked straight at me and said, “Who says so?” “I do,” I replied. “And who are you?” he said. “I’m one of the pastors at this church and I’m in charge of what happens on these fields. You’re behavior is way out of line and not acceptable. End of discussion. You have 2 minutes to get 100 yards away from the field or your team forfeits.” He began to argue with me – I simply said “You now have 1 minute and 45 seconds left before I declare a forfeit.” At that he, tho’ not happy, left.
As much as I didn’t like that confrontation, or the young man’s attitude, I have to admit he asked a fair question: “Who says so?” In other words, “By whose authority?” God anticipated that the Israelites might ask the very same question when Moses presented the law to them. So before writing out the commandments on the tablets God identified himself – he established His authority. And if we are going to respect and commit to obey the commandments, we, too, have a right to know “Who says so? By whose authority?” For what God is and has done determines what his special persons must do. So, just who is this God?
The God who gave the commandments is THE GOD WHO IS OUR CREATOR. (Exodus 20:1) “I am…” God begins by stating that he is the God who appeared to Moses, the God, as we established a couple of weeks ago, who was is, is is, and will be is; the God who was at the beginning and will be at the end, and is now; the God who will be whatever He needs to be to accomplish His purposes. In Exodus 19:5 God told the Israelites that if they obeyed his commands they would become His treasured possession and “Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” God began with the fact that He is the Creator andowner of the world. He would say it again in the 4th commandment (20:11): “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them…” God as Creator was familiar to the Jews. When the high priest Melchizedek blessed Abram, he declared, “Blessed be Abram by God most High, Creator of heaven and earth.” (Gen. 14:19) The Psalmist would later stress it as well (24:1-2): “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.”
Think about it. If you invented or created something – some gadget or computer program, whatever it is – you would own it by virtue of being the creator. You could get a patent to support that. You would have the authority to determine how it would be used. It would be your right as the owner.
It’s been said that this is SIMILAR TO PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS. Good parents have authority by virtue of being parents. They use their authority to love their children and will do everything they can to provide for, protect, and prepare them for adulthood. They will not give their children over to someone else’s rules or guidance. Good parents have authority over, and take full responsibility for their children’s welfare. So God, our Creator, our Father, our Parent has, by virtue of being our Creator, full authority over our welfare and therefore every right to establish the rules, guidelines, and laws for life.
And in these relationships, PARENTAL RULES ARE BINDING. Children are not in a position to negotiate the contract! God has built laws into nature – such as the law of gravity – and he has built laws into the fabric of relationships. As Walter Harrelson wrote, “These prohibitions are designed for the good of these freed slaves. Life and joy and peace lie ahead for those who quite simply rule out such conduct as is here specified. God has a right to demand what God will, and God does not need to explain.” God, as our Creator, is entitled to be regarded with reverence; we are not our own to follow whatever course we desire. As Paul would later say, “In him (Jesus) we live and move and have our being….we are bought with a price.” We are bound to God.
There is a fable of a kite which once said to itself, “If I could just get rid
of that man who is holding me back, then I could fly above the clouds and kiss the stars.” One day the string broke. Now, at last, the kite was free to soar higher than it had ever gone before. But much to its surprise it did not rise above its present height. In fact, it came crashing down to the ground. The kite had not realized a fact of aerodynamics: the string holding a kite down is the string holding it up. A kite can fly above the clouds only when the man on earth is in full control. God’s laws, his apparent restrictions, not only hold us down and in check, but also hold us up. They make us free to live in the higher altitudes of God’s will and blessings. The God who is our Creator gave the commands – we are bound to Him.
The God who gave the commands is also THE GOD WHO IS OUR COMMANDER. “And God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God…” The Hebrew meaning for ‘words’ is ‘covenant stipulations.’ THE 10 COMMANDMENTS ARE PART OF A COVENANT GOD MADE WITH HIS PEOPLE. The commandments represent the structure of royal treaties. There is a preamble in which the ruler identifies himself, an historical mention of his gracious acts towards the people, and then the covenant stipulations. As his subjects the people, out of gratitude and in recognition of his sovereignty, must render absolute obedience, allegiance, and submission to him. The people are not in a position to negotiate the contract.
King David understood who was in charge. After the people brought an overwhelming offering for the building of the Temple, he prayed, (1 Chron. 29:11-13) "Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.” God is the Commander.
Moses understood who was in charge. He said to the Israelites (Dt. 10:14-20), “To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes...Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name.” God is the Commander.
And GOD FULFILLED HIS COVENANT THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. The God who laid down the law, who required absolute obedience, is the same God who sent His only Son to gain authority. Because Jesus submitted to His Commander in Chief (Phil. 2:9-11), “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Jesus is the Commander.
Jesus knew he had won this authority. Among His final words to His disciples were these (Mt. 28:18), “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go …” We are not in a position to negotiate the contract. “Go – where I tell you, when I tell you, how I tell you. You don’t need to understand all my strategies – you just need to obey.” On another occasion Jesus was asked (Mt. 22:34-40) “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." We are not in a position to negotiate the contract. “Love – no matter what. It’s not a matter of ‘feelings’, it’s a matter of the will. Love – God and your neighbor – because I said so.” And when we obey our Commander lives up to His end of the covenant, and pours His promised blessings into our lives. The God who is our Commander gave the commands – we are to obey Him.
The God who gave the commands is our Creator, our Commander, and OUR CARRIER. Let’s return to last week’s Scripture, Exodus 19:4. “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself.” Miraculously, tenderly, God carried His beloved people as a mother eagle carries her little eagles on her wings. Then, to be sure they got the message, God repeated the theme (20:2) “And God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of slavery.” The God who creates and commands is a God of love who first carries us. THE 10 COMMANDMENTS ARE COMMANDMENTS OF LOVE. Law and love are not enemies – they are allies. Law needs love. As theologian J. I. Packer pointed out law needs love as its driving force or else we become cold-hearted Pharisees, and love needs law as its eyes because love by itself is blind and has no boundaries.
While our relationship with our Creator was compared to that of a child to his parents, so our relationship with our Carrier is compared to a marriage. God repeatedly speaks about Israel as His Bride and how He, as the Husband, cares for and carries her. God, our Carrier, pursues us constantly, in order to more fully love us. He even gives us His commandments because He loves us so much that He wants to best for us.
God, our Carrier, is the same God who loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. Our Carrier is our Redeemer. JESUS FULFILLED THE LAW FOR US BECAUSE HE LOVES US. Yes, God wants us bound to Him because He is our Creator. Yes, God wants us to obey Him because he is our Commander. But not just because He wants to assert His authority and force us into His will – but because He cares for and loves us. Remember how the prophet Isaiah pictured Jesus’ life? (53: 4-6) “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Poet Roxie Lusk Smith wrote:
“The Masters Touch”
Deep beyond my mind I know of God’s unfailing skill;
He makes the scope of time to bow to his all-mighty will.
I cannot doubt the master’s art remolding such as I,
An erring child, with willful heart; remade by Him on high.
My weakened soul was scarred with time; my life was spent in vain;
It was in order and with rhyme He did restore again.
He took the grief I could not bear and tossed it in the sea;
Inserted quiet acceptance there within the heart of me.
For deep within I felt the pine and bowed my heart to prayer;
He gently touched this life of mine, and left his likeness there.
The God who gave the commands is the Carrier who loves you – will you love and follow Him? He wants to toss your grief into the sea and touch your life and make you more like Him – will you let Him? Beginning today, and throughout the coming months as we study God’s commandments, you must keep choosing whether or not to obey and follow Him. And each week, with each commandment, you will stand at a fork in the road; there are only two choices – ‘Yes’ or “No.”
It reminds me of the wonderful words of Dr. Seuss: “Did I tell you before about the Zoad Who came to two signs at the fork in the road. – One said to Place One; the other Place Two So the Zoad had to make up his mind what to do. – Well, the Zoad scratched his head, his chin, and his pants And said to himself, I’m taking a chance. – If I go to Place One it may be too hot And how do I know if I’ll like it or not? – On the other hand, I’d be some sort of fool If I go to Place Two and find it too cool. – In that case I might catch a chill and turn blue so maybe Place One is the best, not Two. – On the other hand though, if Place One is too high I may get a terrible earache and die. – Place Two must be best. On the other hand though, if Place Two is too low I might get some strange pain in my toe. Place One must be best and he started to go. --- Then he stopped and said, ‘On the other hand, The other hand, though…’ – And for 36 hours and a half that poor Zoad Made starts and stops at the fork in the road – Saying don’t take that chance, it might not be right. Then he got an idea that was wonderfully bright. – Safe! Cried the Zoad, I’ll play safe, I’m no dunce. I’ll simply start out for both places at once. – And that’s how the Zoad who would not take a chance Got no place at all, with a split in his pants.”
Get ready for the commands of law and order. Prepare to decide if you will be in God’s Special People Unit. There is no safe way – you either choose to obey God and Jesus whole heartedly, or you choose to disobey. There really is no in-between – unless, of course, you want to get nowhere fast and live your life with your split pants. I know it’s true – because God says so!
