Dad Laid Down the Law - Day 253 Month 9-9 Week 35-1
2 Kings 7:3-8:15, Proverbs 30:1-14, Ezekiel 46:1-18, Galatians 3
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Dad Laid Down the Law
When I was a child and into my teens, there were certain actions or duties that I was told to do at my home. Some of it may have been simple chores such as going to get milk at the corner store, or throwing the compost at the back of the yard in the “compost pile.” There were some things that were just expected and I would be reminded every now and then to do, tasks such as “clean my room.”
My brother and I shared a bedroom. As I recall, most of the time, our bedroom was in a tolerable condition so we did not get ordered to clean it very often but one evening it had gone beyond what was acceptable. Mom must have told us to clean the room a dozen times and I thought we were doing a pretty good job but we were laughing and joking, which was unusual in itself because my brother and I were not the fun together kind of brothers. He was, after all, 5 ½ years older than me. After mom told us to clean our room a few times, my father had heard enough. He told us to meet him in the basement. This was not a good sign!
Now my parents were big on discipline and in those days, parental discipline via spanking was thought to be the best way. So we were a family where spankings happened. To be disciplined by my mom was bad but it was always preferred if you had to be disciplined. Somehow my fathers slap on our buttocks was far more painful. Who knows but maybe he had sandpaper glued to his hands so that it would hurt more.
My brother and I went down to the basement recroom. Our basement was unfinished but the rec room had an old carpet on the floor and it was a good play room but also worked as my mom’s sewing room. When my brother and I arrived in the rec room, my dad was sitting on a chair and he had removed his belt. Neither my brother or myself had seen the belt before. We knew it was doomsday! Lucky me, I got to go first. Let me just say, the hand with the glued on sandpaper was much preferred to that experience. In tears I went back upstairs to my room and cleaned it up in silence. My brother joined me and apart from the odd glimpse at each other, we accomplished the task without a word.
You might say that dad laid down the law! Laying down the law did not kick us out of the Pauls family but it did the intended correction, even if my brother and I were unaware of how far we had taken it.
The apostle Paul was trying to explain the purpose of the law since the Galatians had seemed to start mixing the law with the truth of faith that Paul would have preached. Paul explained how Abraham had received the promise through faith and not through the law, because the law did not exist until 430 years later. So then what was the purpose of the law? Paul explains that it was because of the transgressions of the people that the law was required. Just as my brother and I were not cleaning our room as we should have, the Jewish people, though called by God, required the law temporarily. It would certainly help keep them moving the correct spiritual direction but it was only temporary until Jesus would fulfill all the requirements of the law. By fulfilling the law, Jesus also opened up salvation to the whole world.
Another thing should be mentioned. Israel was God’s chosen people and we know the law was to keep them looking in the Godly spiritual direction. The law was only required until the right time. Just like my brother and I got to points in our lives where our parents no longer disciplined us, Jesus' presence, death and resurrection on earth brought the completion of the law.
So why did this happen? God loved his people! Just like my parents disciplined my brother and I because they loved us, God had to use discipline to align the people that He loved.
So what does this mean? God loves us is the main thing. He loves the whole world. He sent Jesus to fulfill the law for us. Then we could be a part of His kingdom and be able to face Him. So we could be made clean.
God loves us and He invites us to be a part of His Kingdom on earth and in heaven. We can be His representatives here. We just require faith just as Abraham had faith and it was “reckoned to him as righteousness.” We need to believe.
Once we believe, we come back to my big theme this year. God loves us and in response, we want to do what Jesus asks us to do. We love the Lord our God with all our mind, heart and soul, love our neighbour as ourself and make disciples. We simply love our neighbour, full stop. Love your neighbour because Jesus told us to “love your neighbour.” We make disciples because Jesus told us to “make disciples.” Sometimes those two things will overlap.
Have a great day!
Steve
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