Published: September 7, 2025 | Speaker: D. Aaron Wells | Series: Deuteronomy - The Law Is Good, If One Uses It Lawfully 2 - Part 17 | Scripture: Psalm 119 MEM
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0:05
Well, this is the law is good if one uses it lawfully session 35 Q&A. I um I got questions by email and text which I've already written up here
0:17
but um I had said please bring them and and we'll consider them. So the fact that there are five up here does not really mean that we've necessarily reached critical mass. I do want to um
0:28
give an opportunity for input for those who brought brought their thoughts here. So, first order of business questions that you want to discuss this
1:07
Other things right now while you're while you're thinking on things um these two were submitted by the same person. one is to asking to explain keyazm in particular
1:19
and really how does it help us understand scripture better rather than confusing and darkening the flow of the text. I think that's a very important
1:30
question as to one what's its utility what's its spiritual benefit and then uh how do we avoid getting overly technical and losing the normal flow of the text. So it's a great question. Um, second is
1:42
more theological and that is how how are the people of Israel the same andor different from us. So during the study I've I've been making a lot of comparisons back and forth between old
1:53
and new testaments between the people of Israel in the wilderness and us and and I have been probably more stressing our solidarity with them than I have been
2:03
stressing differences. I actually think it's pretty easy to express differences in a very theological way, but to recognize the similarities and do that in an in an equally
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theologically robust way is I think the greater challenge particularly in our time and place and our um I guess
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theological camp, school um other churches that are like us. that is um third uh and and fourth were again submitted by the same person um asking can I summarize what is
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the proper use of the law for for those in Christ I mean that kind of gets just to the essence of what I've been trying to unroll slowly but I think we can work with a short answer and and in that is
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the sub question do do we only observe the kernel is that what we're looking for as the as the the distilled version in the law and that's what we that's
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what we that's what we obey and the rest kind of doesn't apply to us or is there uh a way of treating the wider law that is proper for the people of God in
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Um and then uh fourthly are are we believers symbolically speaking or parabolically speaking in the wilderness wandering or
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are we in the promised land? Again, great question. uh because again it gets to how we use the picture that the law paints for us because it is a parable
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for us a big large one. So where are we in that uh parable is a great question. Uh and then uh finally I was asked to summarize uh my view of the law as
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wisdom for those in Christ. That's so this one the law as wisdom is kind of the short short version of this one. uh the proper use of the law for those in
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Christ. That's that's my short version of my shot there. And I want to say that as as I get into discussing this,
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discussing this, this can be easily misunderstood because it's a short summary statement. So the answer to the question is the proper use of the law uh for those in Christ. I'm trying to show you that and I've been 34
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sessions of trying to show you that. Um, that's not I'm not stating that as a bitter statement. Um, but it is something that ultimately comes with practice, not with just distilling it
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down to a systematic formula. And I want to make sure that's really clear. My aim has never been to create a systematic theology of the law for the people in Christ. That being said, I understand
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that sometimes short summary statements are necessary, something for you to sink your teeth into, uh, and then you can chew on the rest more easily. Um, so any other questions anyone wanted to bring
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up? I I'll put as a seventh because I know the the Saravas aren't here. Um, I had a great conversation with Nick Saravia about um uh uh material prosperity.
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And if I may, as this is a family discussion, um he specifically asked about the spectre of miscarriage. Um because miscarriage or the lack
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thereof for the for Israel if they obey the commandments of God is something that is certainly held out in the text. And so his question was well how do we
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understand that grief and and that being sort of the the the essential trial among many. Um so possibly u possibly we
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can go over that as well. Um, so the way I see it, we've got uh a limited amount of time. Let's see. Okay. 40 minutes.
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Okay. All right. So, I'm I'm just starting a timer because I think it would just help to um help to circum help to make sure we get to all of these things. Um so concerning
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the first um keyasm and how it helps us understand scripture better. I think my counter question to everybody is is there anybody that feels like their understanding of scripture was helped by
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the discussion of a couple of scripture passages which I think are evidently structured kiastically. structured kiastically. And I can begin by sort of diagramming what that what that structure is. But I
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would like to know if it has helped your understanding in any particular way. So in essence the the kastic structure would kind of be shaped this way.
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And as as one proceeds through the text, you have sort of distinct points. We do this when we communicate. We've got three points in a poem of of what we want to say. And so we have point A
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and then the teaching evolves or develops into a a a a second aspect. Okay. And then a third. Now, for us, we
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communicate usually with a kind of introductory paragraph where we might sort of abstract our points and then we get to a
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a a major thesis statement like really outfront and here is what I am talking about the short version and then our points tend to we call it a keyhole
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essay but it's kind of a you know it's kind of like that. It's like the weirdest key ever. Okay, that that's really the the way we we do our essays and our our thinking.
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So, the truth is we've really got a package of three points and then a conclusion. That's more the way we communicate. A B
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C often times and it seems to have been deep in the thought of the Hebrews and maybe just I don't know maybe Eastern cultures in general but I just know it exists in scripture that you you have the points
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the points somewhat developed up front in order and then you get the the major the major teaching. Okay. And from there
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you get the redevelopment of those same points in reverse back out and often a longer elaboration
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now that we know what the center teaching is. Now we're free to develop it and see it from different points of view. Okay? and and even free to define
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some of the things that were said in short in the in in that first pass. So you can think of it as a first pass and then a statement of the major teaching
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and then a second pass in reverse free to elaborate. Justin, you had your hand
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That was one point I sought to make is that I don't really think you do need to find it everywhere. I think there's a certain key mania that exists and and that that is really unhelpful. So there is a way of
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overtechnicalizing the the the scripture that will darken the meaning rather than enhance it.
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Right. There there's actually a there there's a school of theologians that make a huge deal out of like they even call it trinitarian theology. I'm not saying I go there with them because I
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think that they they too have shifted their emphasis to this like sort of when whenever when you when you only have a hammer everything's a nail and and what you're saying yes is a is a wonderful
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reading out of the scripture but even that as simple as it is can become a certain mania where you're not really getting anything. You're just saying the magic words like ah trinitarianishly
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speaking this is and it's not you had a comment just of most difficult things.
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Shows you where the thought begins. Shows you where the thought ends, right? I think you're in mind,
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Sometimes they're not easy to see because sometimes they hinge off of Hebrew words Hebrew words which of course is the language in which it written our English translations don't always follow suit but you have a
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decent commentary point out at the very minimum it shows you where the author starting is thinking and that's a nice concise yes I think there's a benefit
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the other utility beginning and end is also rec trying to recognize what's what's the common point that is being made that all of these things circle
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around. And I don't I don't think it's necessary that that every student of scripture go hunting for those things. Um but I think it is part of the
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teacher's duty as you're saying with the commentaries. It's the teacher's duty to point it out if it if it can be helpful at all. The example that came out majorly and where I spent a lot of time
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uh on it was chapter 7 of Deuteronomy which is very dense and Moses has a lot to say. So identifying the packages of
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of teaching in it had in my in my thought and practice the
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the effect of untangling uh a lot of thoughts that were together. Um you have another thought that is not the only way they do it. It absolutely is not a phrase up here and then down here
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repeating it again echo right so I don't don't want to make it sound like it's the only way the Hebrew writers did it and really I think the the value of this question is really what why why
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do literary analysis at all uh not just keyasm because keyasm might be confusing to you and that's fine but there are other parallelism is probably less confusing but that has that has equal
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value if that's what's actually going on in the text. James
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Right. Yeah, I agree. That would be if if I had to say please take something literary from this study, it would be identify those signposts and and and be guided in the text generally by that. Um, I I saw
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an example of someone um breaking the ent the entirety of what I presented to you um this term
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saying that that I think it was six through 11 was one big giant keym and her breakdown of that was was very overgeneralized in a lot of in
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a lot of places and it really ignored the signposts. There aren't two if you say in your hearts. There's three. Right? And there's she ended she
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identified the center at the beginning of chapter nine at a here, O Israel. Again, how could that be the center? That's one of several guideposts in the text that are as clear as day. Um
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they're it's not in an inter it's not an interjection, but but it's it's close in its in its use of the command here. Um she ended up identifying the center of
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the of the whole text that we studied at you you have as you were going into this land to uh dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves. The sons
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of Anoch of whom it is said who can stand before the sons of Anoch. And she made the whole thing about giants, right? Horrible.
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right? Horrible. What horrors uh to me? I went nope. Um, but it happened to still be up in my uh browser tabs uh when I was looking over stuff this week and I went that's a good example of how not to do it. So that's a
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key as a mania that just doesn't serve at all. Um but in in conclusion on on this point, I also think that there are a few things I I want to say about that.
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Um one is that scripture on balance is presented to us in a form that resists mechanical interpretation. mechanical interpretation. In other words, you don't just have
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things stated once. And I think literary analysis, if you have to grab on to one thing, it's that any kind of literary analysis is going to help you see why scripture would repeat anything.
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Because if scripture is to be interpreted mechanically, then repeating stuff is a real waste of papyrus.
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Okay? But on the other hand because there are treasures of wisdom to be gained there is repetition and we have to reckon with why this is why repeat
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anything. So in Moses case the in chapter 7 what I was saying remember Egypt okay why not just teach that one time and then h and then you can reread
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it anytime you want. Okay. It's because there are many facets of that same teaching that need to be explored and the only way you do that is repeating
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the teaching in a changing context. And I said that that's basically our definition of epic. Okay? Is is is repetition in an evolving context. So
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you need it for wisdom. You need the teaching repeated in a changing context. You apparently won't become wise without that. Okay? And I offer as the proof
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positive the proverbs because scripture does present to us a a segment of scripture for which if it's to be interpreted saying by saying by saying
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by saying in other words if each saying is just to be taken by itself and ruminated on independently then why in the proverbs are there at least seven or eight examples of an exact proverb being
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repeated two places in proverbs? Okay, that's sloppy. If we're to mechanically interpret scripture, on the other hand, if they're repeated in a
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changing context of proverbs, then there's a purpose and that requires some amount of literary analysis to to really dig into. The proverbs are good
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by themselves. But in a context of proverbs, they're even better. I would say as a culture, we're far more interested in information.
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Right? And that's a problem. That's the challenge is that we we want information and our view of the law has been informed by that. Well, what is it that I need to obey
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really? Christ the wisdom of God. Yes.
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It might be um I I would I would like to think that the the literary the the connections in the text that weren't available to you on your first or second reading of a text become available to you with repeat reading. Again, if I had
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to say anything you need to take from this study, it's keep reading. This is to give you exposure and new thought about How do I read this? Instead of
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just going, "Oh, I don't do that. Oh, I don't do that. Oh, I don't do that." Or alternatively, blessing yourself going, "Yeah, I know I don't do that, but I'm in Christ."
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in Christ." There's a way of reading the law that's lawful and those aren't it repetitive. The key element is not
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We can if our if our aim is literary analysis, we will stumble. I'm I'm saying these things when they present themselves to you on a wise reading, pay attention to them. Uh because they do have something to teach. Yeah. Moses was
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very sophisticated in his communication. um just a just a a remembrance and and I already went over this but in chapter 7 of Deuteronomy to a thousand generations is not explained until its counterpoint
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on the other side of the keym okay and there there is much application that I've seen even a justification of practices like practices like infant baptism that are rooted on a thousand
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generations and I don't mean any offense by saying what I'm saying but the the truth is that the text itself defines that for you. What does Moses mean when
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he says to a thousand generations is defined not here where it's said but down here where it's elaborated. And that's important. Whatever conclusion
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you end up coming to on that theological issue, it's wrong to rest that on single phrases without paying any attention to what's being elaborated in the text,
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which is actually that of the material prosperity of Israel. Good. Um, we got to move on. Um, I'm going to move to,
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um, let's see. I think really two and four are kind of similar questions. So, we'll take those together.
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how are the people of Israel the same andor different from us? And, and in that question was, do we need to be adjured? do not forget.
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And then secondly, symbolically speaking, do we put ourselves more in the wilderness or in the promised land?
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It precludes us being in the wilderness. I think Okay. Okay. I'm glad you raised that. That's
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That's good. Uh Jenny, you had your hand
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Right. And and Chuck, I know you have a lot of thoughts on this because you've been laboring and laboring to orient our understanding of the kingdom of God. We start by making such a hard and fast distinction. in the wilderness in the
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promised land, right? Spirit of God with the children of Israel in the wilderness. Yes. It's not quite as
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well. And I I was thinking too of when Hebrews says, "If Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken later of another day." In other words, their entrance into the promised land may be analogous to the new heavens and the new earth in a way, but in time, as we
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observe the history of Israel, it's really not. It's more like the continued
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Yes. I guess the answer I would give is yes. Right. Jenny's answer. Jenny's answer. But I also think there's a problem in that we tend to think of them as two
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sealed dispensations sealed dispensations when they really they really weren't right. They're not. They're part of the continued history of Israel with the spirit of God dwelling in the in the
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midst of the camp or in the midst of the nation but on the other hand not with the spirit of God dwelling within them and it it's not complete
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that question that question it it does right so the people of Israel is the same andor different from us I would say at its essence it is the nature of the gift of the Holy Spirit is
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is not complete for them and we've got to reckon with that first. But as to their history, there there's a lot to be gained by seeing our solidarity with them. Yes. them. Yes. There's a third consider
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right? Okay. Right. Right. We're not there. Yeah. We say we definitely are not in Egypt, right? Good. That's that's a good starting place, right? Um, no, I
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appreciate that because the the transfer from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved son is and and the relationship of that to Exodus is an
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incredibly important relationship to draw in in scripture.
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Okay. typically dispossessed.
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Oh, yeah. Right. Yeah. Yeah. The the judgment on the peoples of the land being enacted in righteousness. I my I would say that it like many things in the Old Testament prefigures the
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judgment that is to come. that the dispossessing of the nations from the land is is analogous to the dispossess dispossession of the nations
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from the whole land, from the whole face of the land, from the world.
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That's right. Because I mean really and I'm being somewhat facitious here, but really their entrance into the promised land ended up being wilderness to electric bugaloo. Uh they they they continued to exist in a state of
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distress because their hearts were not as Moses as Moses as Moses brings out their hearts were not a heart such as this always to love
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Yahweh your God with all of your heart. We're still in warfare, the weapons of our warfare,
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right? Another another important consideration, right? So the war the warfare continues. So this is is an imperfect picture of our inheritance and the new new heavens
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and new earth and it really does play double duty u here because of the the nature of our warfare. Um I tend I mean if I had to if you made me pick which I
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mean the discussion here is is generating you don't have to pick glean from scripture all that it has to teach us concerning the nature of our own
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hearts and the nature of our association with one another and and you'll do well. But I have found that the wilderness is is a very fruitful picture. And I think I think that way because I think of the
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days of the Lord's flesh as as being so much, yeah, he was walking around in the land, but both in body sometimes and in soul in the wilderness in affliction for
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So, house of Yahweh, i.e. living stones, right? Yeah. right? Yeah. So, it's a complex complex subject.
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Sure. But but I would encourage stepping back as much as possible and and letting letting letting that emerge on its own. So rather than mining it for distinct
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principles that I may apply to my life, you know, those things come from wisdom, right? the the what do I do in a particular situation
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is is not prescribed to me by the wisdom of God given in scripture. We're given the wisdom of God and the way I reason frankly with my neighbor is not
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prescribed for me is done according to wisdom and with prayer and with an eye toward the fact that God is watchful over all things and is loving toward all
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he has made. All of those things I bring into my daily life where I may not have a specific prescription. specific prescription. Did you have a comment on that?
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Just to remind us that the New Testament certainly considers the Old Testament to be there for our
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I think you're right. from it over time. These things were written for our
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For us as a people, but it may not be as straightforward. May not be a principle or an ethic or do this, don't do that. It's much more.
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It is. And and I've said I said before um and I'm I'm I guess I'm certainly arguable about this, but to I have found helpful to read the history of Israel in
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two frames and this includes what the prophets said to them and what the law speaks to them is that that is a picture of my heart.
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The time of the judges pretty well explains what's going on in here. uh over time really well. Okay. And it does, but also a picture of
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our of our life together corporately. There's a picture of our life corporately, the the trials and the ups and downs, the the wrestling with the
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presence of God in their midst. That has application to us. It's just not straightforward. Do this, do that. We're going to have to chew on it bit by
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bit. Um so just think on that. Um you know otherwise okay if if if
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ruminate going back to the literary thing if if ruminating on it reading by reading is not the
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correct approach to scripture. Then why are there repeated proverbs? Why does Moses repeat himself at all? Why are there four gospels with repeated
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teachings? That's pointless. But each the same teaching will end up set in a slightly different arrangement of teachings or parables. That's the
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context. That's the developed context. Mark saw this teaching in in this thematic context, whereas Matthew may have seen it in this other thematic context, knowing that the Lord repeated
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himself plenty, I'm sure, from place to place. Or why is there both Kings and Chronicles? They tell essentially the same story.
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One of them telling casting the story of the of the rightful kings of Israel bouncing back and forth from south to north. the other completely ignoring the
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north and moving straight through the the kings of the south. Why does one do one and the other does the other? It's it's it's not there for our mechanical
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interpretation, but rather that we pull back and and ruminate on it and notice why did he say it that way and why did he repeat himself there,
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etc. So, I hope that's helpful. Um, we got to move on uh to the final I think really. Oh, a brief excursus pronunciations. Okay, so I am not a
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student of Hebrew. Uh, lexicons are pretty good these days and will show you a lot of things about how to pronounce. So, that's one thing.
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But the second thing is in general if you have a good translation um you have Hebrew place and person names transliterated for you and there was a certain phonetic formula that that
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was done on and it's not English phonetics. We have like at least three sounds for each vowel that they are not making you guess. So an I is an e sound.
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Okay. An an e is an a sound not a long e etc. So one vowel sound for one vowel and and then as far as the empasis in
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which salabal it's on. Um that that is having looked a few times at at the patterns. Okay. And and kind of getting the idea that when they use an h they're
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not kidding. That's that's another one. So which um otherwise just end it without the h. If you don't have the emphasis with the breath, then you don't need to put that letter there because
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their their transliteration is based on a pretty clear formula of phonetics, I'm assuming. Did they get it wrong? Maybe. But I'm going to pronounce it the way it is in the text to me. So, all I'm doing
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is reading the consonants and the vowel sounds consistently. That's pretty much the the way I get my my pronunciation when I read. Does that satisfy your
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question? Any any followup on on that? Okay. Um, so I'm not trying to be pretentious. Um, it actually really helps. Like you you may remember that uh upstairs um I got started on numbers.
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So it's really hard to read the text when you're reading it like you would read English words where it's guesswork as to what sound the vowel is going to make and where where the emphasis is.
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It's really difficult. It's really easy once you begin practicing to just read out the syllables consistently. you get a much clearer reading. And then the third thing that I would commend to you
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about paying attention to the pronunciation and saying it out loud to yourself um is that you do start to pick up on certain patterns of meaning. Uh
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sometimes those jump out to you like uh for example the um we all know that shalom in in the Hebrew is is the word for peace and and even our word peace doesn't quite get at the depth of peace
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being talked about. We als you also may be aware that when you see ab you're looking at father in some way. A lot of times my father is or uh uh or father of
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or something along those lines. Okay. So you ever thought about the irony of of the the son of David that rebelled against him being named my father is
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I'm not saying that that that it directly, you know, helps some great theological thing come out, but there is an irony there and those those ironies are occasionally more useful than that one is. Um, so I would just commend
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noticing more than anything with pronunciations. Okay. Uh, where' my red one go? Okay. So, three and five really are tied in together.
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what's the proper use of the law for those in Christ? And the the sub question was, do do we only observe um what we understand to be the core of the
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law? Love Yahweh your God with all of your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself. And the rest is just sort of background. or is there a a right way as I have been
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suggesting to assess the whole of the law? Um, another aspect of this question is the is the concept of the three-fold division, which I I've been clear I'm
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I'm not working with that because that's not the way that you talk about assessing the text in a way that is not presented to you as that may emerge out of the text in a in a segment of
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teaching. But what's not going to emerge is which category to put the different sayings in, which of three buckets to put it in. So I think that's ultimately
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an unhelpful way of reading the law even if it has been a useful tool in categorizing the law for certain theological opinions. Um we can talk
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about the theological opinions and and and assess its utility there, but I've been suggesting that the whole law needs to be assessed on even footing. So, uh,
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Ariel asked, uh, this question and he said, "You pretty much said a polite no to my do do you basically just observe the core." Um, and he's right. What I
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said at the time was a polite no. Um, but with the last bit we have, I want to get into that. Any thoughts uh on this before I um
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kind of take us back? I know I said a Please. Oh, good. Good.
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Well, you see them doing that reductionistic thing with the Lord and his his direct teaching in the New Testament to oh, I just I just adhere to the teachings of Jesus. What are they is often the follow-up
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question that would be most useful. Yeah, that's that's right. Um and and what you said two or three weeks ago, Chuck, about about the um the the law
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being in part the content of of our love for for God and neighbor. I think that's a that's a very important short statement. Um so it is the content of
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something. You had a question. Yeah. Yeah. We would we would ignore teaching in the law to our peril
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just well it's that's the thing Lette is that a lot of times you have very well-meaning teachers saying well Jesus
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said that the greatest commandment was love the Lord your God with all of your heart soul mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself so that must be the big important part the rest isn't
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as important so So, it's it's actually weird because it's not that it's the small part. It's most of it that that they're advocating ignoring. Um, and Ariel was not advocating ignoring it. I
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want to make that clear. Um, it's a it's a good question. Um, I think whatever our view of the law is, and what I've been trying to show us is whatever our
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view of the law is, you have to be able to assess all of it on the same footing. And if you if you are trying to just mine it for the individual kernels,
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you're not doing that. You're ignoring to your peril what is what is in scripture. Did you have your hand up?
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I think the controversy with with the law comes when people are trying to apply it to a people who are of the spirit. And again, I've I've spent a lot of time trying to unroll Deuteronomy
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with with and demonstrate a right mindset toward it. um one can get into even even acknowledging the law as a a code of conduct,
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one can still take such a concept and and mine it for its legal do I have to and and that is simply right out. The
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other question inherent in this is is is this putting is the law putting strictctures on a people that God has cleansed and put his put his spirit in
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as much of the law is prohibitions. So how do we read those in a way that is frankly distinct from the way the people of Israel would read them given that
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Moses told them to this day God has not given you a heart to love him. To this day, he has not circumcised your heart, but he will. And we say he has.
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So, are we looking at their civil code and their ceremonial laws and and saying they also are prescriptive for us? We have no problem saying, okay, moral
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principles, yeah, prescriptive for us. I'm saying I I really I'm I'm not saying X. I'm saying I don't think that's the essence of the
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way a people in the spirit read anything from God but rather the law shows us who we are that as a people that God has circumcised our hearts has placed his
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spirit in has given a heart to love him at all times Moses' logic is when that is in place the people of the people of God do these things in whole it is it
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the fact that we will always be doing them in time and space. No, that's not what I'm saying. But the way we read it is a description of who we are.
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You are a stiff necked people since ever I knew you. Right.
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Yes. The be who you are. Remember who you are. Right. That's so valuable. Listen carefully to that.
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Yeah. But but it is different. It it is different. Um it is I I think we read in these things. Again, this is where I go back to Israel's history and Israel's law and Israel's prophets as
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read in them. Read in them yourself a parable of of what is in what is in your heart. God has set his spirit in your heart and now flesh and spirit are at
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war with one another. That is that is the conflict prefigured for us in the history of Israel. There James
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Good. That is the description of
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bas. by the law.
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Yes, they do. And we need them. I made the point in part one. This is a long time ago now. I made the point in part one that the the law is is set up as a negative. I think for us in scripture,
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that it is set up against what uh against what is contrary to sound doctrine is is the way Paul puts it. And that double negative, I think, is very informative for us. When when we do what
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is wrong, the law doesn't support us. The the law says, "Ain't nothing down that road for you, boy." Like the father in the Proverbs saying, "Don't go down
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to her house." Those steps are the way down to the grave. Okay? We need that because even as a wise and understanding people, we will give in to foolishness.
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Okay? And rules are for fools. If I had to go with the short version of what I've done so far, it's still rules are for fools. Okay. Um, but the law for us is for wisdom. Couple points and then
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I'll finish. I know I'm late. So, James tells us there's no partial obedience to the law that is actually righteous. You can't partially obey the law and be righteous. Okay? And scripture doesn't
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present any parceling of the law to us.
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the reason then is because again James brings this out in his letter because the law is wisdom to those who do all the words of this law and it's the really important part. It is wisdom to those who do all the words of this law.
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So the answer to the to the one question is really to to to to these two questions is really these two which is there is so much wisdom to be
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gained by a righteous and free people in the law. There's nothing to be gained by the disobedient. It's laid down against them. There's much to be gained for a
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free people in it. Uh, couple couple things. I just want to make sure we don't end on a on a hanger here. Deuteronomy 4:6. I
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keep coming back to this. Keep and do them for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who when they hear all these statutes will say, "Surely this great
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nation is a wise and understanding people." That ought to frame our view of the law. Um especially given that in Romans uh three uh Paul says that by faith we
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fulfill the law. Ah our identity is those who by faith fulfill the law. Now we may read in this a description of ourselves. Hope you see my logic there. And finally um Psalm 119 the maim uh
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stan or the maim stanza says oh how I love your law. It is my meditation all the day. Okay, see this is the way he saw the law. Your commandment makes me
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wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more
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than the aged, for I keep your precepts. I hold back my feet from every evil way in order to keep your word. I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have
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taught me. There's a that's a big statement in there. How sweet your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Through your precepts I get understanding. It is therefore I hate
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every false way. A people who have been set right and cleansed are those who obey because it's who we are. And that is that is the short version of what I'd say my view of
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the law is. Let's pray. Father, we thank you that we may love your law along with the psalmist. I ask that you would build us up. Help us in our discussions with one another. Help
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us in our rumination on these things. And help us to praise as the psalm says given that you have set us in the heavens. We ask this in Jesus