Romans 15:4  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

I Corinthians 10:1  Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2  And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3  And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
5  But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6  Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
7  Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
8  Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
9  Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
10  Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

We have looked at several Old Testament texts to show God’s way of dealing with sin. We have noted that there are certain sins that were committed that had very dire consequences. Having said this we need to keep in mind what I John 3:4 tells us:

I John 3:4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

God does not overlook any sin. All sin is against His law. He defines sin, not man. Some years back I was confronted by some men who claimed I was sinning because I had a beard. I knew they had nothing to defend their position with. However, I was not going to waste my time arguing about my beard. I was far more concerned about their souls.
As we see in our opening verses, one of the reasons God gave us the Old Testament was so that we would not be asleep and thinking some sin is good. We need to learn about the weakness of man, and also about the severity of God’s judgment of sin. We need to understand that we need to take God’s warning seriously and not assume we can shrug sin off. We need to actually believe the words of the Psalmist:

Psalm 119:104  Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

We noted yesterday that king David caused grief to himself, his family, the nation of Israel and the nations that were observing Israel. Sin has consequences. Those who are in leadership positions carry greater responsibility. People are watching those who are seen as leaders. In the secular world certain types of leaders can get away with corruption while others are scrutinized with a fine tooth comb. God sees things much differently. Every sin that man commits is known to God before any outward action is seen by man. True Christian leaders need to remember that every word and action as well as every thought is known by God. It should always be of great concern to please our heavenly Father. We do not seek to earn salvation. We want to demonstrate our genuine love for the Father through obedience to His Word.
God used Moses on several occasions to teach important lessons on Bible doctrines. We have looked briefly at the doctrine of salvation which was distorted by Moses’ failure to obey God’s command to speak to the rock on God’s second use of the rock to supply water to the nation. Moses was not allowed to enter the land of Canaan due to that sin. He did not lose his salvation. He missed out on a particular blessing.
Moses spoiled a very important picture that God was “painting” to demonstrate the way of salvation. God’s salvation is very important and very necessary for man. There is no other way to enter God’s kingdom, except through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Rock that man must trust in to provide the living water we so desperately need. God’s Word can never be spoiled by man. However the perception of what God’s Word says can be spoiled by man. There are thousands of people who reject God’s way of salvation. They assume they have as good a way of salvation as that which the Bible clearly states. Many people like the perverted ways offered because they do not require repentance toward a holy God. They also accept and often require human effort for their brand of salvation.
Jesus warned that the way that leads to life is narrow. He also warned that few would find that way. It is not because the true way cannot be known or is too complicated, but rather because few are willing to submit to God’s way and be saved. In the New Testament the false religious leaders came to Jesus on a particular occasion to try to tempt Him. On this occasion their issue was the matter of marriage.
The religious system of Israel was so corrupt by that time, that they had developed two distinct schools of thought with regard to how they could end a marriage. Rather than accept God’s righteous standard for marriage, they had accepted two different “legitimate” causes for divorce. One was quite wide open and if the wife would displease her husband in any way, that was ground enough for him to divorce her. The other was much stricter and required an act of immorality to initiate divorce proceedings.
Jesus did not entertain either of their views and took them back to the beginning. God’s standard has always been one man, one woman for life. When we are properly taught the significance of marriage we will be much more thoughtful in entering into that very important union.
The Jews were not content to accept Jesus’ answer and they brought Moses into the issue. They wrongly stated:

Matthew 19:7  They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

These false religious leaders had access to the scrolls. They knew they were corrupting the Word of God with their false accusation. However, they did not believe the Word of God was infallible, nor that it was all that authoritative. To them, the Word of God was a weapon they could use for their own purposes as it suited them.
They stated that Moses “commanded” that the couple that did not get along could end it if the man would write a bill of divorcement and the marriage would be over. Jesus reminded them of the facts:

Matthew 19:8  He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

Moses did not command them to write a bill of divorcement. He “suffered” them to put away their wives. Moses had taken liberties that were not his to take. His liberties had been part of the initiative for the false teachers prior to Jesus’ day, to corrupt the law of marriage even further.
Again, we are reminded of how impactful the words of a spiritual leader can be. If the words of the particular leader are more liberal, he will gain quite a following. Many people are always looking for a way to find justification for their plans and actions. If they can find someone who will support the plans they have, so much the better.
Jesus reminded these false teachers that Moses was not God and Moses’ tolerance of sin did not supersede God’s eternal Word. As we continue to consider the false doctrine of “second chances” it would be wise to keep this in mind. You may find someone who will support your position. You must understand that you will not stand before any person after death. You will stand before the holy and righteous eternal Son of God.
I mentioned to a person yesterday that no person should put blank loyalty into any other person. We need teachers. We need Godly teachers. The Bible makes that very clear. A Godly teacher will point his listeners to the Word of God. If he does not do that on some issue, then you would be wise to remind him of this failure and if he cannot give you a Biblical answer, then seek out someone who can give you a Biblical answer. You need to know the truth on any issue and on every issue.
It is extremely foolish for a leader to twist the Scriptures and to authenticate something that God forbids. That leader will answer to a just and holy God for his defiance of God’s Word. Those who accept such false teaching will also be held accountable by the same just and holy God.
Lord willing, we will continue this topic tomorrow.
Pastor Bartel