THE LAW THROUGH MOSES AND THE MERCY AND TRUTHFULNESS THROUGH JESUS
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from Afrikaans: “Die Wet deur Moses en die genade en waarheid deur Jesus”
Translator: Robin Barker
From time to time people write to me because they have a different opinion than me.
Mainly I place these people in three groups.
First there are those people who share with me in a very Christian like manner why they differ in their opinion with me.
Then there are those who in a semblance of Christian like behaviour tell me why they differ in their opinion and then in a more Christian like behaviour inform me that I am a false prophet and full of demons.
Then there are those, which are thankfully not many, who are just terrible and just use swear words to tell me what they think of me and my ministry.
Here is my answer to a writer which I received, where I, to put it that way, was corrected about my opinion about the Sabbath and it look to me like a whole number of other things which appear in the Law of Moses, which I proclaimed was not applicable to Christians.
I want to mention that most times when people differ with me, is when I write something about my opinion regarding ‘our neighbours’, the Sabbath and tithes. Unfortunately this is not the only things that I am taken to task about from time to time.
In this answer to that person I try to show that the Law of Moses as I understand the Word, is not applicable to Christians.
I almost forgot. This person thankfully does not fall into the third group of people who differ with my opinion.
Here then, is my answer to him, with some edits.
You write as follows.
“Do you know that the Heavenly Father says that He never changes? That the Word remains constant? That the Feasts in Lev 23 He calls His own feasts and that and the church fathers have told”
I do not know what the person meant with:
“told us that the Jewish feasts make the Heavenly Father out to be a liar?”
I think he wanted to say:
“told us that the Jewish feasts, are no longer applicable, it makes the Heavenly Father out to be a liar? “
I then answered:
The way you put it, you now also include the authors of the New Testament as well as Paul which I think is the writer of the letter to the Hebrews.
Before you possibly think that I am proclaiming something which is not in the Word, remember, I say that I think that Paul wrote the letter to the Hebrews, I do not say that this is so, because I do not have any proof thereof.
If I proclaim something as the Gospel, then I show it in the Writing, the reason I proclaim it as the Gospel and then must, for whoever reads this, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, can decide if I am proclaiming the truth. You are naturally correct, our Lord never changes:
HEB 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
However sometimes, for our sake, to put it that way, because I cannot presently think of a better way to say it, He changes and improves, as a result of His eternal great love for us, something or the situation. I share with you the one and another:
2KINGS 20:1-6
1 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord,
3 “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him:
5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord.
6 I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’”
Also:
JONAH 3:4-10
4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.
7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink.
8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.
9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.
Then our Lord says to us at an occasion:
MATT 5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’
MATT 5:39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.
Jesus refers here to the section of the “law of Moses” where it is written:
EXODUS 21:22-25
22 “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows.
23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life,
24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
Still another change was made in, the loveliest and the greatest of our Lord’s Gospel with humanity, our Lord, in His eternal great love just over 2,000 years ago, when He compiled a New Testament and replaced the old covenant with a new covenant:
GAL 4:4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
GAL4:5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.
Here are some more lovely sections from the Word which I really want to share with you, which will shed more light on the wonderful changes that took place, when the “fullness of time” arrived and our Lord set us free from the “Law of Moses” and its decrees:
1COR 11:25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
2COR 3:6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
For those people who hold tightly onto “the Law of Moses”, even if it is just certain sections for which they really, for some or other reason, want to hold tightly to, the Word says, according to my opinion, the following:
2COR 3:14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.
2COR 3:15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.HEB 8:13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.
HEB 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
You see – Some people read and live the Word like Jonah. They truly do not have that, lovely, deep loving relationship with Jesus, where my love defines my walk with Him and not all sorts of other things are required:
JONAH 3:10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.
JONAH 4:1 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.
For many people the curtain in their heart has not yet been torn from top to bottom:
MATT 27:51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split.
Therefore they cannot truly themselves go into the most holy place to come to our Lord:
EXODUS 26:31-33
31 “Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim woven into it by a skilled worker.
32 Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases.
33 Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the covenant law behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
Unfortunately there are Christians which still cannot embrace this greatest, lovely truth and make it their own because themselves, for whatever reason, they stare blindly at the “Law of Moses”, or the sections which, they for themselves have chosen, to cosset.
Of which lovely, great truth am I talking about?
JOHN 1:16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.
JOHN 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
The following thoughts which I have written, can help to explain my opinion more clearly and I will send them, on request, with great love to you:
* (Hoe heerlik! Jy en ek is vry Kom ons Wandel met hierdie vryheid in die weë van ons Here) – How lovely you and I are free. Come let us walk in the freedom in the way of our Lord.
* (Wie volop saai, sal ook volop maai) – Those who sow abundantly, will also reap abundantly.
* (Die liefde, die vervulling van die wet) – Love – The fulfilment of the law.
Greetings,
Sakkie