God's Commandments

This session is going to discuss the Commands of God. We are going to look at things from a standpoint of the basic, to the deeper meanings of God's intent.

God is good, all the time, for He is love, 1 Jn 4:8. 

God is the King of the Universe and must make commands.

He commanded space, time, and matter into existence.

Gn 1:1 ¶  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

He commanded the light to come forth.

Gn 1:3 ¶  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

He commanded all the plants and animals to come forth on the earth, but God made man with His own hands.

From the first man's rib, God formed Eve.

God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, which He had planted and He gave them this command:

Gn 2:16 ¶  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Freely eat meaning that they did not have to work for their food, it was plentiful and a gift from their Creator.

We all know that they fell into disobedience. Eve was deceived by a serpent who was possessed by the devil and Adam followed her.

This brought further implied commands and a promise of hope. The serpent had told Eve that she would not die if she ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, yet God had told Adam that he would die. So God promised a coming Messiah that would deliver man from the power of Satan over the world, which Adam gave away when he ate the forbidden fruit.

Gn 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

God had told Adam that he would die if he ate the forbidden fruit. But God is good, He killed animals and let their innocent blood atone for Adam and Eve's sin from year to year; the sacrifice was established by God. 

Gn 3:21 ¶  Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

This covered their sins with the lives of the innocent animals and covered their bodies as well, for outside the garden the elements were harsh and cold.

Gn 3:22 ¶  And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

23  Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

God revealed to Adam and his descendants the eternal Gospel in the Stars as well. (See my blog: the Gospel in the Stars)

The next commands were given to Noah, first to build the Ark and save his family, his wife and his sons and their wives. The earth was corrupt beyond redemption and God chose these to save mankind.

Gn 6:8 ¶  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

9  These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

10  And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

After the flood had subsided  then God spoke these commands and promises to Noah:

Gn 8:20 ¶  And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. (Without the Law, he knew the clean animals)

21  And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

Promise of Seedtime and Harvest

22  While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Fruitful and Multiply

Gn 9:1 ¶  And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

Eat Meat no blood

2  And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

3  Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

4  But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. (Life is in the blood which is not to be eaten, Lv 17:11)

Murder and Capital Punishment

5  And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.

6  Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Fill the Earth

7  And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein. (Life is precious and wanted)

No More Flood- Covenant Rainbow

8 ¶  And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

9  And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

10  And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.

11  And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

12 ¶  And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

13  I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

14  And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: (Before the flood, there was no rain, only heavy dew every day, Gn 2:5)

15  And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16  And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

Noahide 7 Laws from ancient Jewish Talmud

1. No idolatry, only one God

2. No blasphemy of God's Word from the Prophets

3. No murder

4. No adultery or sexual sin

5. No stealing

6. No taking flesh to eat from live animal, blood

7. Establish justice courts

Next will talk about Abram, God's Friend, whom God said was faithful in all His commandments, Gn 26:5.
So what were God's commands to Abram (later God changed to Abraham) ?

Abraham Called then Blessed and Given Land at 75 years old. 
(The book Jasher describes Abram spending many years with Noah and Seth before he was called by God. Their ages would allow for this and also, Abram's respect and love for the Father God)

Gn 12:1 ¶  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Gn 13:14 ¶  And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:

15  For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

16  And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. (All who believe in Jesus are counted as adopted sons of Abraham, Gal 3:6-8)

17  Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

18  Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.

Tithe by Faith

Gn 14:18  And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. (Not born, never died, a forever Priest of God, pre-incarnate Jesus, Heb 7)

19  And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

20  And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

After Abram met Melchizedek and received the first recorded communion, he knew from his heart that he should tithe from the spoils of the war against 5 kings.

Believe LORD counted as Righteousness

Gn 15:1 ¶  After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

2 ¶  And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

3  And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

4  And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

5  And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

6  And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

This incident is not really a command, but is similar to the time of Grace we are in now, the age of the Church. Abram believed what God said, and it was counted to him as righteousness...a gift. We believe in Jesus and His Salvation and God counts it to us as righteousness, 2 Cor 5:21. By the Grace of God we are counted as righteous because we believe in Jesus.

Blood Covenant and Future of Descendants

Gn 15:7 ¶  And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

8  And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

9  And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

10  And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.

Large animal sacrifice was common and always used in forming a covenant between clans before God. What makes this one special is it is called for by God.

3 large animals, each 3 years old; this is the Trinity two times. A pivotal point in our history and God's Covenant. The birds were representing a future time when Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple to consecrate Him and this was their offering.

 Gn 15:11  And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

12 ¶  And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.

13  And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

14  And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

15  And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

16  But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

God prophesied to Abram of his descendants and showed him the awesome part that he was playing in the future of mankind.

Gn 15:17 ¶  And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.

18  In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

19  The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

20  And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,

21  And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

While Abram was in this horror of darkness by God the Holy Spirit, he saw God the Father as the smoking furnace and God the Son as the burning lamp pass between the pieces to make the blood covenant. The covenant was perfect, all Abram had to do was believe.

Hagar bore Ishmael when Abram was 86

This was not God's intent for His friend. Sari gave Abram her handmaid for a child she could claim. The promised child would not be born for 14 years.

Change name to Abraham - Circumcision

Gn 17:1 ¶  And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

2  And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

3  And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,

4 ¶  As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

5  Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. (father to Father of many nations)

6  And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

7 ¶  And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

8  And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

9  And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

10  This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

Walking before God and being perfect was believing, trusting,  and accepting God and the covenant He had made. Remember he was righteous because he believed God, not for his own works. All the males in Abraham's clan were circumcised for them to remember the covenant. It was their mark of the same.

Gn 17:15 ¶  And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. (One of authority to princess)

16  And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

17  Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

18  And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

19  And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

20  And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

21  But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

Gn 21 Abraham 100 and Sarah 90 when Isaac born. Isaac weaned, Hagar and Ishmael cast out.
(Hagar represents the Law and Mt Sinai, Gal 4:25. Isaac is the son of promise and represents Grace. When Grace by faith is there, the Law is cast out, Gal 2:16)

Sacrifice of Isaac

Gn 22:1 ¶  And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

2  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. (First mention of love in scripture)

3 ¶  And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

4  Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

5  And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

6  And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

7  And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

8  And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

9  And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

10  And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

11 ¶  And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

12  And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

13  And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

The ram with his head in the thorns is a representation of Jesus and the crown of thorns. Jesus was God's lamb/ram. The horn of the dead ram became the shofar.

14  And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

15 ¶  And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

16  And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

17  That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

18  And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

In all things that God told Abraham, he believed, and obeyed. God did not want the death of Isaac, only the intent. Because of the covenant, Abraham's intent to kill his only son (of promise) gave God the legal authority to sacrifice His only Son for man's sins and redemption. Abraham was not disobedient, but obeyed, for he knew that God had promised that through Isaac all the promise would be fulfilled even if Isaac had to be raised from the dead.

Heb 11: 17  By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

18  Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:

19  Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

God raised His Son, Jesus from the dead, and as man's covenant mark was circumcision, God's covenant mark was the scars of the crucifixion which Jesus bears forever.

If we will learn anything from the few commands that God gave before Moses, it is to believe, trust, and obey God.

Moses and the Law (Exodus)

430 years after Abraham, Israel was in bondage in Egypt. Isaac had Jacob, and Jacob had 12 sons. Jacob's name was changed after an encounter with God to Israel. One of Israel's sons, Joseph had become great in Egypt and he moved all of Israel to Egypt to survive a severe famine. As time past, the Pharaohs of Egypt made Israel slaves.

Moses was born at this time and at 40 years old knew in his heart that he would deliver his people Israel from bondage. However, he killed an Egyptian slave master and had to run for his life to Midian. He settled there and was there for 40 years and had a family. God appeared to him in a burning bush and commanded him to go and deliver His people, Israel.

Moses took Aaron, his brother, and Miriam, his sister with him to Egypt. They were all from the tribe of Levi. With a great and powerful hand, God did deliver the people from Egypt. He took them out with wealth, all healed, and none perished of 2-3 million. God fed them, brought them water from a large rock, and directed them with a pillar of fire and a pillar of smoke. He took them across the Gulf of Aqaba by parting the Red Sea, and the Egyptian army was killed trying to follow when the sea came back and drowned them. They camped at the foot of Mt Sinai, which is Jabel Al Laws in modern Saudi Arabia.

God’s offer to Israel

Ex 19:1 ¶  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.

2  For 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.

3  And 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;

4  Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

5  Now 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:

6  And 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.

7  And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.

8  And 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.

God's proposal was that of Grace. The same that had been with Adam, Noah, and Abraham. Trust and faith in God and not in yourself. Israel had answered that they could do whatever God said. 

God then presented them the Law so they would know all that was necessary for you to do to be pleasing to God. 

Ex 20:1 ¶  And God spake all these words, saying,

2  I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3  Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4  Thou 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:

5  Thou 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;

6  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

7  Thou 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.

8  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

10  But 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:

11  For 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.

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

13  Thou shalt not kill.

14  Thou shalt not commit adultery.

15  Thou shalt not steal.

16  Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

17  Thou 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

After hearing God thunder from Mt Sinai, the people were afraid and wanted all of God's communications to come through Moses. When God had finished with the whole Law there were 613 commandments. I put a picture of stones up here that most people think the commandments looked like. I will show you that they were much more unique than plain stone.

Jewish tradition is that the 10 commandment tablets were engraved inside sapphire cubes.

Ex 24:1 ¶  And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.

2  And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.

3  And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.

4  And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

5  And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.

6  And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.

7  And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.

8  And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

9 ¶  Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:

10  And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.

11  And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.

12 ¶  And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.

Moses wanted to see God's Glory, so God covered him in a cleft in the rock and passed by him so he could see God's back parts and God said to him:


Ex 34:6  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

This is who God is and will be always; merciful, gracious, and good.

God and told Moses that he could not survive if he saw God's face, but God protected him in the rock. After that when Moses came before the people his face shone and they were afraid. He had to wear a veil and cover his face to not frighten the people.

God spoke to Moses 40 days talking about His Son and all that would be made to honor Him in the Tabernacle, furnishings, and the High Priest; all shadows of the true that would come.

Ex 31:18  And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

Ezekiel sees the throne of God as a Sapphire stone, Ez1:26.

Targums 1:82-88 says that God made the Tablets from His throne. (Aramaric translation of Hebrew)

According to Jewish tradition, the engraving was inside the clear sapphire stone cubes and could be read from either side.

In 2016 in the Israel News there was an article and picture of a stone that was supposed to be from the breast plate of the High Priest. A woman had it in South Africa and said one of her ancestors was a Crusader that helped free Jerusalem and was given the stone. According to the article the sardonyx  stone had engravings inside of the letter bet and a wolf. This would be for the tribe of  Benjamin. The expert that examined the stone said it was priceless and that no technology existed that could but the engraving inside the stone that was estimated to be 3500 years old. When asked about a price, he said that it should start at $2,000,000.

What was interesting about this is the engraving, which was inside like in the sapphire cubes.


The first stone would have had commands to deal with God and your parents. (1-5)
The second stone would have had commands to deal with your neighbors. (6-10)

As far as the blue of the sapphire, it represents Divinity. It was in the tabernacle embroidered in the gate, roof of the Holy Place, and on the Veil before the Holy of Holies.

It was the color that the ribbon of blue was died on the edges of the Tallit where the tzitzits were on the fringe to represent the commandments, Nu 15:38-39.

Interesting the snail that the blue dye was taken from became extinct about 2000 years ago. But recently, the snail has made a comeback. 

This blue thread represents the coming Messiah, Jesus.

Jesus came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it, Mt 5:17. In Him we live under His Grace and righteousness and are free from the curse of the law, Gal 3:13.

The knots in the tzitzit are tied to represent 613, the number of commandments in the Law.

Do you remember the woman who had an issue of blood in Mt 9, Mk 5, and Lk 8? She had this ailment for 12 years and spent all her money on Doctors but did not get better. When she heard about Jesus, she broke the law and went in public to search Him out; for she said if I but touch the hem of his garment, I will be made whole. She knew that Jesus was special and reasoned that His tzitzit would be the best opportunity for her healing. And you know that she was healed immediately.

The blue on Israel's flag with the Star of David is the same blue.

While on the Mount, Israel turns from God and worships a golden calf.

Ex 32:15 ¶  And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

16  And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

Ex 32:19  And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.

20  And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

Moses intercedes for the people and God repents from going to kill them all.

3000 died that day over the breaking of the Law by the hand of the Levites and the Word of the LORD. For the commandments were heard by all from the Mount on that first Pentecost.

Yet when Grace came at the future day of Pentecost, 3000 were saved, Acts 2.

Moses again intercedes for the people and God bestows on him His Grace.

Ex 34:1 ¶  And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.

2  And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.

3  And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.

4  And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.

Did Moses cut the 2nd set of sapphire? I would hope that he did if there was sapphire stone left were God appeared to Moses and the 70 elders.

Did he use some other stone?

Lapis lazuli might look like this.

Regardless, I doubt if the 2nd set were as unique as the first that God had cut and written on.

Ex 34:5 ¶  And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.

6  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

7  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

8  And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.

The LORD God speaks with Moses about giving Israel the promised land and the Law. God reveals His Glory to Moses and hides him in a cleft of the rock with His hand.

Ex 34:28 ¶  And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

29  And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

2^nd set of commandments written by God on stone cut by Moses. Note changes in 4 and 5.

Deu 5:6 ¶  I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

7  Thou shalt have none other gods before me.

8  Thou shalt not make 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 waters beneath the earth:

9  Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto 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,

10  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

11  Thou 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.

12  Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.

13  Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:

14  But 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, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.

15  And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.

16  Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

17  Thou shalt not kill.

18  Neither shalt thou commit adultery.

19  Neither shalt thou steal.

20  Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.

21  Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

22  These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.

Comparison of Commandment 4 both sets:

Ex 10:8  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

10  But 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:

11  For 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.

Deu 5: 12  Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.

13  Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:

14  But 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, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.

15  And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.

It seems to me that God had revealed Himself as the King of the Universe to the people, but they did not accept that and made a golden calf and worshipped that. They just could not get away from Egyptian roots. So in the next set, God placed emphasis on His mighty hand delivering them from Egypt.

Comparison of Commandment 5 both sets:

Ex 10:12 ¶  Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Deu 5:16  Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Days may be long, is a promise for honoring your father and mother. Days may be prolonged does not seem to be as strong. Plus in the 2^nd set , that it may go well with thee, is an assurance of goodness from the LORD as part of the promise.

Eph 6:1 ¶  Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

2  Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)

3  That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

Paul here is quoting the 2^nd set.

Aleph Tav  את

When Jesus appeared to John in the first part of Revelation, He referred to Himself as the Alpha and Omega. In Greek that is the first and last letter of the alphabet; in English A and Z; in Hebrew Aleph Tav. In the Hebrew scriptures you will find several examples of Aleph Tav, but they are never translated in our English, or other languages. These are examples of the signature of Jesus, God the Son, confirming His Presence and participation in the event in scripture. 

Here is the first occurrence in scripture, Gn 1:1:

1 bə·rê·šîṯ   1 בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית    1 In the beginning   1 Prep‑b | N‑fs   1

] bā·rā בָּרָ֣א created V‑Qal‑Perf‑3ms

’ĕ·lō·hîm; אֱלֹהִ֑ים God N‑mp

’êṯ אֵ֥ת  -  DirObjM

haš·šā·ma·yim הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם the heavens Art | N‑mp

wə·’êṯ וְאֵ֥ת and Conj‑w | DirObjM

hā·’ā·reṣ. הָאָֽרֶץ׃ the earth Art | N‑fs

2

The Jewish scholars have studied this verse since it was written 3500 years ago. The 7 Hebrew words were the pattern for the Menorah's 7 arms. The center one is Aleph Tav and untranslated. It is lit first and all others are lit from it. Jesus is the light of the world.  Jesus is the center of the scriptures. His signature is found in many places and not translated. He is there at the Commandments in Exodus and Deuteronomy. He is there when the tzitzits are fashioned in Numbers. It is confirming the presence of God the Son, who as yet is not recognized by Judaism, yet it all comes from Him who is the Godhead bodily.

Jesus’ commandments

As I mentioned before, Jesus said that He came to fulfill the law, Mt 5:17. In Him we are redeemed from the curse of the law, Gal 3:13.

That does not mean that we can break the Commandments of God and escape consequence. For the wages of sin is death, but there is life eternal in Jesus. God will never accuse the Christian and is blind to our sins. But, Satan uses sin to get into your life and attack.

Once Jesus was asked the greatest of the Commandments:

Mt 22:34 ¶  But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.

35  Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

36  Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38  This is the first and great commandment.

39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Jesus spoke many things that shadowed the law or explained it, for He had come for the Jews as a fulfillment of the Messiah, the Son of God, which Jesus was. So the New Covenant was being established, but the Old Covenant was still in effect.

After Jesus was baptized by John and tempted by the devil, He started His ministry in Galilee.

Lk 4:14 ¶  And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

15  And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

16  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

17  And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

20  And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

21  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

22  And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?

23  And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.

24  And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.

25  But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;

26  But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.

27  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

28  And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

29  And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

30  But he passing through the midst of them went his way,

We see here the same attitude of ancient Israel, where they felt they were privileged because of being sons of Abraham and were able to keep the law. They had watched Jesus grow up and gave him no respect. They would not accept the Grace He was teaching.

Mk 6:1 ¶  And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him.

2  And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

3  Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

4  But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.

5  And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

6  And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

31 ¶  And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.

32  And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.

Jesus taught many things. He took the harsh unforgiving Law and tempered it with Grace. For the Law has not compassion, or understanding. Grace approaches you as a Person, Jesus. He has compassion and understanding and forgives your sin, and gives you His righteousness.

1 Jn 3: 23 ¶  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

1 Jn 5: 2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Mt 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Repent here is turn around. 

Jn 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

5  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Mt 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Mt 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Mt 7:12 ¶  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Mt 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Mt 18:10  Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Mt 26:26 ¶  And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

27  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Mt 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Jn 14:15 ¶  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

18 ¶  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

19  Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

21  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

This was God’s original intent before the original law was given. We now have the Grace of God available in a person, our Lord Jesus. Grace has always been available to man, but man would not live in faith to receive it. In the OT , Grace is translated as  “mercy” but the Hebrew is hesed which is Grace.  The law did justice, but not mercy or compassion. The law came by Moses, but Grace and Truth by Jesus, Jn 1:17.

Jesus summed up His Commandments in this:

Jn 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

The love that Jesus gave us from the father is the greatest thing for we love Him because He first loved us. Now we can recognize our brothers and sisters because of the love of Him in them.

In the Law is condemnation and guilt. In Grace is freedom. They cannot be mixed. May the love of God flow from you through our Lord Jesus Christ.

All quotes from AKJV. All art and pictures are from Inet.


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