If there is anything one gets from reading the first five books of the Bible, it is that we are a people who need order. If the choice is made by an individual or a society to disregard order, the end result is disorder or chaos. If you have ever taught four and five year olds, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You attempt to maintain a balance between order and freedom but unrestrained freedom quickly leads to the tipping point of chaos. The idealistic teacher who entered the classroom intent on impacting the next generation exits disheveled and shell-shocked with bite marks from shin to kneecap!
There are a couple of points relating to order that I believe grow out of the message and heart of the Pentateuch.
First, one genuine lover of God is far more delightful to God than 100 “rule keepers.” Maintaining an outwardly orderly life may make us moral people but not necessarily saved people. Throughout the first five books, God repeatedly declares first and foremost we must, “love the LORD our God with all our hearts, souls and minds.”
Secondly, the more healthy the “inner person is,” the wiser the “outer person” becomes. A life of order becomes important not because of a checklist but because it draws us to an even closer walk with our Lord.
Martin Luther discovered some writings of unknown authorship entitled, Theologia, which impacted him greatly. The document came out of a German renewal movement in the fourteenth century and Luther had them published in 1516 and 1518. The rationale of Theologia is to live orderly lives by moving our knowledge of God from the “outer” to the “inner” person.[i]
According to Theologia there are four responses to the issue of order or if you wish, commands of God. I will put my own paraphrase to the descriptions.
The first type of person leads an orderly life because they are personally compelled to do so. They are moral people who believe they are “good” but have no real experiential knowledge of Christ on a personal level.
The second keeps the commands of scripture believing they will be rewarded eternal life by keeping as many of the commands as possible. The one who keeps the most commands is the holiest.
The third group believes they are enough in and of themselves and therefore have no need for anyone to speak to them about order, laws or commands. In fact, they often mock people who talk of “order.”
The final group leads an ordered life out of love. “They are not so concerned about the outcome, about how a particular behavior will turn out, how soon, and so on…they want to keep the rules, but they also know that their salvation and happiness are not dependent on the observance of rules.”[ii]
I would encourage you this week to consider the motivations behind what you are doing. Use the four people types as a guide as you process how you respond to God’s commands.
Blessings,
Danny
Dan Houze 