"I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name. I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;" - Isaiah 65:1,2

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people." - Romans 10:17-21

You have all read and we have meditated on the Word of the Law as given to Israel at Sinai (Exo 20:1 - 23:33) these last months.We hope that it has been a blessing to you to see the beauty of our God's character reflected in His instructions to His people! It is time now to reflect on some questions that you may have wondered about, but never asked for a variety of reasons - the answers are related to the texts we opened with, and hope that they give you additional insight and joy!

1. What use is the Law in this day and age of Grace? Isn't it outmoded and no longer applies? Didn't Christ come and do away with it? Are we still supposed to follow the Law? What parts of it?
The Law was given to show Israel, and all Humanity, what our God is like. It shows us what He likes, what He hates, and reveals to us the sin that is lurking unseen and unfelt in our selfishness. It educates us as to what our thought processes should be - and reveals to us how warped and twisted they actually are. When we look for guidance as to what we should do in any situation, we can go to it and derive rules of conduct from the broad principles in it. This is how we can measure our Spirit-led walk in this age of Grace - against the yardstick of the Law to make sure that we are alignment with His thoughts, and are not wise in our own eyes.

Christ took away the penalty of non-compliance with the Law, He did not abolish the Law itself. This is an overly simplified statement, but is a good one to hang on to.

A more nuanced exposition is to say that He abolished the ordinances (worship rules, temple priesthood, temple sacrifice) that were against us, He fulfilled all that was written in the Word about Him, and He removed the need for daily and yearly sacrifices for the penalty of sin by entering the Holy of Holies once and for all as our Sacrifice AND High Priest (He was priest and blood together!). He did NOT abolish the MORAL Law (the 10 commandments) - some of which are anchored in Creation itself (e.g. Marriage-Adultery, and the Creation Rest-Sabbath)!

We are still supposed to follow the Law - from the heart. Loving and Worshipping God in Spirit and in Truth, and Loving our Neighbor in the same fashion. You will agree with us that this is what we have seen the Law require in all that we have read till this point. The Church is not required to follow the practices that the Nation Israel bound themselves to, but those principles - e.g. treatment of servants, animals, justice in our civil and criminal codes - should inform our understanding of what righteousness looks like.

However it is important to realize that it is not we who follow the Law, but the indwelling Spirit in us that helps us do it. Our flesh is selfish, self-seeking, corrupt, and always eager to give us a pass on all our addictions citing the cover of Grace. The Spirit in us awakens our conscience, molds our character, sensitizes us to sin, convicts us of wrong doing, slowly gets us to change our ways,and gently, always, assures us of our inheritance as His children. "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." - Rev 3:19 Love is characterized by obedience to the Will of God as reflected in His Word - we cannot be disobedient and still say we are accepted... examine your disobedience - it will reveal to you who you are putting first!

2. Why did God give the Israelites the Law if He knew they would instantly break it?

The Plan of God predated the nation of Israel. The Law served not only to reveal the nature of God Himself, but also to our need for a Savior. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), our Lord articulated what it meant to obey the Law from the heart, and later He also overturned the concepts of Pharisaical Sabbath keeping by showing that Love trumped legalism.

No one can keep the Law! It was meant to show us what Sin looks like, and point forward to the One who would show us what true Righteousness looked like in Human form.

God had been revealing Himself in the conscience of people before the Law and Abraham (e.g. Job), and always had a plan to reconcile humanity back to Himself. The experience of the Nation of Israel was to show Heaven and the World the benefits of obedience and the consequences of covenant breaking. We owe a debt of gratitude to the nation of Israel as being the crucible that has endured the flames of tribulation to bring forth the gold of the Gospel and the Messiah. God is not done with them - and there are promises in the Word that point to their glory when His plan is complete - so the short answer is - His plan is longer duration than we think!

3. What's expected of me as a modern Christian?

Take it one day at a time! Spend time soaking in Him through reading His Word, by yourself,and discussing it in the company of fellow Christians. God intended for His Word to be understood by the common man, and also gave us the anointing through the Spirit to be able to grow in wisdom through it. Wherever 2 or 3 are gathered in His Name, He is there. If you are not being fed by your church organization, take 2 or 3 of your fellow christians and start a weekly Bible study in your home. Study a book of the Bible, read it verse by verse, accompanied with Bible Commentaries, and let the Lord and the Spirit do His work in your life - because without Him -
you can do nothing!

All of His Powers and gifts are at your disposal if you are praying in accordance with His Will. You can have an immediate impact on those around you - its not the big ministries but the personal hug, touch, prayer, and walking together, supporting each other that will leave a lasting legacy. If you Abide in Him, He will come to you, and make His home with you, and teach you all things.You are NOT powerless - ALL Power has been given to Christ on Heaven on Earth, and He makes it available to you! USE IT!

In the text we opened with, Isaiah and Paul reiterate this promise. The promises of God are now flooding over the whole world, and His Spirit is being poured out on all flesh. Dont worry about the darkness you see everywhere - its not your business! Light the candle in your own house, and put it on a pedestal, so that all will see and glorify your God! That is what He wanted of Israel, and this is what He wants His church to be in these times. Let us be the body that does not love merely in word, but in deed! Stop looking for the approval of man and start looking to be approved of God! Stop laying up treasure here, and start laying up treasure in Heaven!

The mission of the Tabernacle of the Holy Spirit has always been to encourage believers to experience God for themselves, and not through a 3rd party - helpful though that might be. Our website www.tabernacleoftheholyspirit.org has resources, articles and videos (including all the teachings of the Law over these last months) to help you get started.May God bless you, keep you, and make His Face to shine upon you, and preserve your going in and out now and forever!

Hallelujah!