The First Great Commandment (No. 252)

Introduction

The understanding of the Law and its intent has had varying emphasis over time. There appears to have been a shift in perspective so that the law is seen in a layered tier of different emphases. Generally speaking, the early prophets seem to view the law mostly in terms of social justice. Later prophets might be seen to reflect a concern for liturgy and priestly functions. Some are concerned with the prophetic judgment and restoration of Israel to the law. The so-called New Testament focuses on the issue of Messianic authority and the continuation of the law in contrast to the new method of rabbinical verdicts. The Coptic Gospel of Thomas is introduced by a question, which forms the focus of the whole message. The assumption of the times was how often to pray, when to fast, and the amount to give in alms. All of these layers are retained and recapitulated in the Koran (or Qur'an), which makes full circle and comes back to an emphasis on social justice.

Any detailing of the law requires an examination of the emphasis of the various writings over time and the intent of the original legislation. One thing is most important: that is that Christ did not remove one jot or tittle, one dot or comma, from the law. As we will see, the entire message of biblical history has been concerned at getting men to love, and hence, obey God and love their neighbour.

In the commandments, by an analysis of the laws of God, we see the coherent explanation of the message of the Bible develop over time, namely that God’s law is the same now as it ever was. All the problems and concerns regarding liturgy and purity, and alms-giving and the basis of the faith are all answered by proper exposition at the Reading of the Law, provided for every seven years and entrenched within the law itself.

We will see that we are not saved by keeping the law; rather, we are saved by grace. Without the Holy Spirit we could not keep the law as the tribe of Judah and the Gentile nations have so amply demonstrated over the past three thousand years. We keep the law because we are obliged to do so in our love and obedience to God. It was always intended that we do so; only the priests of this world have taught otherwise or distorted the laws of God and His Calendar so that they cannot be kept correctly.

Modern mainstream Christianity wrongly teaches that the law of God was nailed to the cross, from an erroneous explanation of Colossians 2:14-15. It was the bill of our indebtedness under the law, the cheirographon, which was nailed to the cross and not the Law of God itself. The Roman form of what came to be called Christianity sought to appropriate Christ to a form of the old pagan system and graft that system onto the existing Greco-Roman political structure. To do that it had to undermine and destroy the entire biblical system without actually appearing to do so; thus the fiction of the New Testament and the elimination of the Law of God were born. The replacement of the Bible Calendar occurred, whereby the pagan calendar of the Sun cults and the Christmas and Easter system was substituted for God’s Calendar and His system of worship.

The Romans grafted the religion to the empire and when that was destroyed they made an image to the Beast, allowing the religious system to control the national entities where previously it had been the empire itself. This could only be done by using the completely modified form of the biblical religious system, as the existing laws of God were entirely opposed to the Greco-Roman political and religious system under the triune god. That false religious and political system is still operational and Europe has been committed to enforcing it; however, that will change in the not too distant future.

It is our task, as expressly provided for under God’s law, to read and explain the law. Had we done this continually, we would not have gone astray from it in the first place and our history would have been different. Messiah will develop the law in the Millennium. The law will not be replaced.

The commandments in legislation

Contrary to popular myth, the law of God and the commandments were in existence, in total, from the beginning. This is demonstrated in the texts on The Doctrine of Original Sin Part 1 The Garden of Eden (No. 246) and the paper Doctrine of Original Sin Part 2 The Generations of Adam (No. 248). The concept of a Noahide law prior to Sinai is a fiction of later rabbinical Judaism. The understanding and fear of God was in Israel from Adam to the Patriarchs, and on into Egypt, as seen in the example of the midwives (Ex. 1:17-21).

God spoke to His servants the prophets and especially Moses through the Angel of Yahovah (cf. the paper The Angel of YHVH (No. 24)).

Exodus 3:2-22 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. ³And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. ⁴And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. ⁵And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. ⁶Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. ⁷And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; ⁸And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ⁹Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. ¹⁰Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. ¹¹And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? ¹²And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. ¹³And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? ¹⁴And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. ¹⁵And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. ¹⁶Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to yu in Egypt: ¹⁷And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. ¹⁸And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. ¹⁹And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. ²⁰And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. ²¹And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: ²²But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians. (KJV)

I AM THAT I AM is ’eyeh ’asher ‘eyeh or I WILL BE THAT WHICH I WILL BECOME (v.14; cf. fn. to Oxford Annotated RSV). The One True God who alone is immortal (cf. Jn. 17:3; 1Jn 5:20; 1Tim. 6:16), The Most High (Elyon) (Deut. 32:8), Eloah (cf. Ezra 4:24-7:26; Prov. 30:4-5) was to extend Himself to become God as ELOHIM. This capacity He gave to His sons (cf. Ps. 82:1,6). He anointed His spiritual son as Elohim,

Psalm 45:6-7 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. ⁷Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. (KJV)

God then sent him to mankind.

Hebrews 1:8-9 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. ⁹Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. (KJV)

This was done so that they also might become elohim.

Psalm 82:1-6 A Psalm of Asaph. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. ²How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. ³Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. ⁴Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. ⁵They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. ⁶I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. (KJV)

Eloah gave the nation of Israel to His son as his possession, as Yahovah of Israel.

Deuteronomy 32:8-9 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of men, he fixed the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. ⁹For [Yahovah’s rendered the LORD's] portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage. (RSV)

Men are to become elohim and Scripture cannot be broken (Jn. 10:34-35). God spoke to men through His servants the prophets.

Exodus 4:1-10 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. ²And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.^3And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. ⁴And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: ⁵That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. ⁶And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. ⁷And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. ⁸And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. ⁹And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land. ¹⁰And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. (KJV)

Exodus 4:29And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel: (KJV)

[Note: the sequence of the Exodus is contained in Exodus chapters 5-10 and the texts relevant to the Law are contained in the appropriate section.]

God, as Eloah, set His messengers, both spiritual and physical, as elohim over the people.

Exodus 7:1And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. (KJV)

From this time on, God would act to redeem the planet through His people Israel under His son. As a spirit, this being bore His name Yahovah (thus exercising God’s authority) and spoke to the world through the prophets. He later came as flesh and blood in obedience to God.

Exodus 11:1-10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether. ²Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold. ³And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people. ⁴And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: ⁵And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. ⁶And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. ⁷But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. ⁸And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger. ⁹And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. ¹⁰And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land. (KJV)

God used Israel to perform wonders, and to show His power over the nations and the fallen Host.

Exodus 14:1-31 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ²Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea. ³For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. ⁴And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so. ⁵And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us? ⁶And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him: ⁷And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them. ⁸And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand. ⁹But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon. ¹⁰And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. ¹¹And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? ¹²Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. ¹³And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. ¹⁴The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. ¹⁵And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: ¹⁶But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. ¹⁷And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. ¹⁸And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. ¹⁹And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: ²⁰And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. ²¹And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. ²²And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. ²³And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. ²⁴And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, ²⁵And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians. ²⁶And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. ²⁷And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. ²⁸And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. ²⁹But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. ³⁰Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. ³¹And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses. (KJV)

Israel was baptised into His service in the Red Sea. God became the object of their adoration, and the centrality of their worship, in order that they would be able to become His chosen and His extended being as elohim, as the angel of Yahovah at their head (cf. Zech. 12:8).

There are ten songs of adoration mentioned in the Bible: (1) Exodus 15:1-19; (2) Numbers 21:17-18; (3) Deuteronomy 32:1-43; (4) Judges 5:1-31; (5) 1Samuel 2:1-10; (6) 2Samuel 22:1-51 (7) Luke 1:46-55 (8) Luke 1:68-79; (9) Luke 2:29-32; (10) Revelation 14:3; 15:3. If the Song of Moses is that in Deuteronomy 32:1-43, then the song of Exodus 15:1-19 may be the Song of the Lamb, as it is a song of adoration. These two songs – of Moses and the Lamb – are the ones that identify the elect in the Restoration (Rev. 15:3-4; cf. Ps. 86:9-12; Isa. 66:15,16,23; Zeph. 2:11; Zech. 14:16-21).

Revelation 15:3-4 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and wonderful are thy deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are thy ways, O King of the ages![nations] ₄Who shall not fear and glorify thy name, O Lord? For thou alone art holy. All nations shall come and worship thee, for thy judgments have been revealed." (RSV)

With this activity we will restore the power of the songs of glory of the Morning Stars at the foundation of the world (Job 38:4-7).

Job 38:4-7 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. ⁵Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? ⁶Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; ⁷When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (KJV)

We will be as elohim and God shall be our song. We will prepare an habitation for Him, as He is the Elohim of our fathers and we are His Temple. The elohim of our elohim has chosen us for His dwelling place.

Exodus 15:1-19 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. ²The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. ³The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. ⁴Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. ⁵The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. ⁶Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. ⁷And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. ⁸And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. ⁹The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. ¹⁰Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. ¹¹Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? ¹²Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. ¹³Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. 14The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. ¹⁵Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. ¹⁶Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purhased. ¹⁷Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have establihed. ¹⁸The LORD shall reign for ever an ever. ¹⁹For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea. (KJV)

Israel was saved, and by this act was planted in the Mountain of Yahovah’s inheritance. Jacob as Israel rules from the Mountain of God (cf. Deut. 32:8). Jacob as Israel (meaning he shall rule as God) was set by Yahovah in the sanctuary, which his hands established. In this way we became joint heirs with Yahovah and, as co-heirs, we take his inheritance as elohim freely given as chosen of Eloah our Father (cf. Rom. 8:17; Gal. 3:29; Tit. 3:7; Heb. 1:14; 6:17; 11:9; Jas. 2:5; 1Pet. 3:7; cf. also Mal. 2:10; Heb. 2:11). We are sons of God with the Host (cf. Job 1:6; 2:1) and all sanctified under one Father (Mal. 2:10), being of one origin with Messiah (Heb. 2:11). Messiah became son of God in power from his resurrection from the dead (Rom. 1:4).

However, the people murmured against their deliverance.

Exodus 15:20-27 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. ²¹And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. ²²So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. 23And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. ²⁴And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? ²⁵And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, ²⁶And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. ²⁷And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters. (KJV)

Israel was to be healed from its iniquity, and was to be established under the twelve, and the seventy, who would water and protect them under Messiah, as they did at Elim (cf. the papers Moses and the Gods of Egypt (No. 105) and Pentecost at Sinai (No. 115)). However, God would first rebuke them with food too rich to digest.

Exodus 16:9-12 And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the LORD: for he hath heard your murmurings. ¹⁰And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. ¹¹And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ¹²I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God. (KJV)

The Lord fed them on manna in the wilderness for forty years, and those who had rejected the inheritance of God died. The feeding in the wilderness was a shadow of that which was to come, as it pointed to the Church (as the elect) and the Holy Spirit as its sustenance for forty jubilees. We cannot see God in our current state or we would surely die. No man has seen Him, or ever can see Him; He alone is immortal, dwelling in unapproachable light (1Tim. 6:16).

We were to keep this as a memorial until Messiah.

Exodus 16:32-36 And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. ³³And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations. ³⁴As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. ³⁵And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. ³⁶Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah. (KJV)

God laid down the conditions in which we would inherit this promise and become a peculiar treasure to Him.

Exodus 19:1-25 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. ²For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. ³And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; ⁴Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. ⁵Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: ⁶And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. ⁷And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. ⁸And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD. ⁹And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD. ¹⁰And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, ¹¹And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. ¹²And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: ¹³There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount. ¹⁴And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives. ¹⁶And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. ¹⁷And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. ₁₈And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. ¹⁹And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. ²⁰And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. ²¹And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. ²²And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them. ²³And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. ²⁴And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them. ²⁵So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them. (KJV)

God gave the law through the Great Angel, the Angel of Great Counsel of the Septuagint (LXX). In this way, God gave the structure of the law to Moses through an intermediary, the spiritual rock who was Christ (1Cor. 10:4).

Exodus 20:1-17 And God spake all these words, saying, ²I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

[I] ³Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (KJV)

[II] ⁴Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: ⁵Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; ⁶And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

[III] ⁷Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

[IV] ⁸Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: ¹⁰But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: ¹¹For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

[V] ¹²Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

[VI] ¹³Thou shalt not kill.

[VII] ¹⁴Thou shalt not commit adultery.

[VIII] ¹⁵Thou shalt not steal.

[IX] ¹⁶Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

[X] ¹⁷Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. (KJV)

The division of the law into the two Great Commandments is given later in Deuteronomy. The structure is clearly identifiable, in that the first four commandments deal with the love of God, and the last six commandments deal with the love of fellow man. This was then instilled into the populace (cf. also the paper Love and the Structure of the Law (No. 200)). The fifth commandment ties the two sections together as one family relationship.

Our duty is firstly to God and then to our fellow man. Our duty also is to become a fit and proper receptacle for the Living God, who is the God of the living and not the dead.

Matthew 22:29-46 But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. ³⁰For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, ³²'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living." ³³And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching. ³⁴But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sad'ducees, they came together. ³⁵And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. ³⁶"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" ³⁷And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. ³⁸This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets." ⁴¹Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, ⁴²saying, "What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." ⁴³He said to them, "How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, ⁴⁴'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I put thy enemies under thy feet'? ⁴⁵If David thus calls him Lord, how is he his son?" ⁴⁶And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did any one dare to ask him any more questions. (RSV)

How then did David call him Lord and elohim? (Ps. 45:6-7; Heb. 1:8-9). This Lord was the Elohim of Israel who spoke with the prophets and the patriarchs. He was the Angel of Yahovah at the head of Israel (Zech 12:8).

The first section of the law deals with the love of God, which is to be with all the heart and mind and soul. The second section is to love one’s neighbour, as oneself; for if we do not love our neighbour whom we have seen, how can we love God whom you have not seen?

1John 4:20-21 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? ²¹And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. (KJV)

The structure of the First Great Commandment forms the basis for the Second Great Commandment and on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Thus the Ten Commandments are a subset of the two, and the rest of the law is subsets of the ten. The First Great Commandment is comprised of the first four of the Ten Commandments. God deals with the structure from the logic of His being, the origin of creation and salvation. He gives eternal life to those whom He will, in the order He has determined.

The first commandment declares the uniqueness of God and His supremacy (cf. Ex. 20:1-3 above).

The second commandment declares the profanity of idolatry and the worship of physical things. God wishes people to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

This commandment points us to the object of worship. We are not to make any images of anything, or bow down to, worship, or to pray to them. That means anything: a crucifix, or statue of something, even a purported representation of God Himself, and certainly not Christ and the dead saints, of whom only Christ has risen.

The third commandment is designed to protect the power of the name of God and all activity undertaken in His name, whether of judgment, or of ministry, or of administration. All action is by His power and might and authority.

[III] ⁷Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

The fourth commandment is designed to ensure that His entire structure is bound into His Law-order, and within His Calendar and system. The fourth commandment does not simply point towards the Sabbath day; it identifies the Sabbath system, and the entire law and order of the system.

Thus the establishment of a calendar on any other system or basis is blasphemy, a breach of the law, and worship of a false god.

God has set up Sabbaths and New Moons and annual Sabbaths and Feasts. The counterfeit systems of Sunday and the keeping of Christmas and Easter are part of the system of the triune god and are also pagan. Any other system is a breach of the entire four commandments of the First Great Commandment and thus a breach of the entire law (cf. the papers The Origins of Christmas and Easter (No. 235); The Doctrine of Original Sin Part I The Garden of Eden (No. 246) and Doctrine of Original Sin Part 2 The Generations of Adam (No. 248)). There is no structure permissible other than what God has ordained.

Much of modern Christianity is based on the assumption that the law of God has been eliminated. This stems from a profound ignorance of the structure of the law and the prophets and the message of Christ and the apostles. There is a distinction in the law of God between the law that stems from the Two Great Commandments (and the Ten Commandments that develop them) on the one hand, and the sacrificial ordinances constituting the so-called ceremonial law that formed part of the Temple system on the other. Much of modern Christianity confuses these issues and incorrectly groups the Calendar and other major aspects of the law with the sacrifices, in an attempt to disregard the law of God and pervert it with the pagan Sun system and Mystery cults. This distinction is explained in the paper Distinction in the Law (No 96), and is also examined within the structure of the papers on the individual commandments.