Do you remember the old TV show Father Knows Best? It was before my time, but I did partake in many of the reruns. It was one of the most “family perfect” shows that existed. Jane Wyatt apparently slept in a pressed dress and pearls and Robert Young must have only had wool suits lined up in his closet because that’s all he ever wore. The kids all had adorable nicknames, princess, bud and kitten and their on-screen behavior matched their near perfect nicknames. Boy have sit-coms changed.
The last several days in God’s Word we have seen a plethora of rules dropped in our lap, some seemingly antiquated but all amazingly relevant to a world a distant 3500 years later. This morning I dug a little deeper and pulled together a compilation of the laws and they speak in an amazing way. They speak about just how amazingly relevant God’s laws and rules are if we just allow them to penetrate our hearts and are not so quick to dismiss them as ancient. If you think about it, it’s not “Father knows Best” but much rather, The Father Knows Best. Here’s a compilation of rules from Exodus chapters 20-23 that are just as pertinent to us today as they were at the foot of Mount Sinai as Moses delivered them. You see The Father does know best and His good rules, if followed, will lead to a good life.
1) God is the only God, have no others. Anything that separates you from God, even a little, is a false god or a false idol. This can be family, work, personal image, other religions that do not worship the God of the Bible, money, cars, power, sex, alcohol, yourself, relationships, houses, education, drugs, career, fame, etc.
2) Don’t use God’s name in vain. It drives me batty when people use the name of Jesus in the wrong way. Most people don’t even know they’re doing it, they just use it like a cuss word. It’s horrible and it blasphemes God’s name that is Holy. Don’t do it.
3) Keep the Sabbath. God rested on the 7th day after spending 6 creating the entire universe, you can take a day off too. A real day off. Stop being so active, driving yourself and those around you to busyness. Relax. Enjoy God, enjoy the life He has given you. Enjoy your family and friends on this day. I take Sundays.
4) Do not kill others. God gives life and no one person has the authority to take it. This includes abortion.
5) No adultery. Sexual immorality and sleeping around carries with it some of the most burdensome emotional baggage there is. God created sex to be between a man and a woman within the confines of His Holy Marriage. Abuse it and pay the price.
6) Do not take what is not yours. You might think you’re getting away with it, but you won’t, the judgement will come. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” Gal 6:7
7) Don’t gossip and don’t slander. If you are really loving your neighbor as yourself this won’t be a problem. And no, it doesn’t matter what they might have done to you, it’s still God’s rule and there is not footnotes or exceptions to it. Even if they’ve done you great wrong, revert to Matthew 5:44, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
8) Don’t be envious of your neighbor’s stuff. Remember the “neighbor forcefield” lesson from Exodus 22. Your neighbor is anybody that you come into contact with no matter where you are. Don’t covet their house, cars or their stuff. Don’t lust after their wife or husband. Basically, hands off, keep your eyes on you own work and remember, the grass is not always greener.
9) Honor you father and mother. Love the people that gave you life. Again, it doesn’t matter how you think they’ve treated you, just do it. It also says in Ex 21:15, that if you strike your mother or father you would be put to death. The way I see kids treat their moms and dads today, this rule would be a real issue today.
10) Love and respect your neighbors as you expect others to love and respect you. The golden rule originated with God. Treat others exactly the way you want to be treated and not a bit less. Again, don’t alter this rule to be what you want it to be by saying how mean everybody is to you. Revert to Romans 12:21, “Overcome evil with good.”
11) Respect your neighbor’s possessions. There are several rules in these few chapters about how to properly respect your neighbor’s stuff. Don’t steal it, borrow it, break it, tear it up, lose it, use it without permission or assume it’s yours. Recall rule #10, treat their stuff like you want your stuff to be treated.
12) Don’t join gangs or groups to do evil or be malicious. Boy this is one for our day. We have so many riots, protests and marches that have no good intent at all. These are the people that you see getting beat up and shot on TV. God says in Exodus 23:2 that if you join these groups with an evil intent, it is against Him and His rules.
13) Don’t be biased. We all have our preferences and prejudices and in Exodus 23:3 God says don’t do it. Be fair to all in all that you do, no matter what they look like, talk like, where they live or how much they make.
14) Give God the first fruits of your labor. God gives you to you graciously and abundantly, give the best of what He gives you right back to Him. In doing so you acknowledge Him and His caring provision for you.
15) Be respectful of your leaders. “You shall not revile God or curse a ruler of your people.” Ex 22:28. I refuse to engage in negative talk about our leaders. You shouldn’t either. By actively seeking to speak badly about our leaders, whoever they may be and whatever party they may be in, you are violating rules #’s 7, 10, 13 and 18. This is a HUGE problem today. Many feel like they somehow have a right to speak badly about our leaders. You do not. Stop now, it’s a rule from God.
16) Pay what you owe when you owe it to whom you owe it. Ex. 22:26 tells us to pay our bills on time and in full. Revert back to #10, do you want to be paid on time?
17) Be responsible. There are numerous rules here about being responsible for your own property if it hurts or affects others in a negative way. This is a huge problem today, many will not admit they are at fault and take blame for their wrongs against others. I heard a story this week about a teenager of a wealthy man. The teen was going 116mph in a 35mph zone in his $85,000 Tesla. He lost control and died as well as killing one of his friends in the car with him. The caveat to the story? He had just gotten another ticket weeks before, for going over 100mph in a 50mph zone. The parent’s reaction? He is suing Tesla. This careless person is not taking responsibility for his poor parenting. Man up and take responsibility for you own actions and property.
18) Be kind to strangers. Be good to people that you don’t know. Show them hospitality, love and goodness. Revert to #10
19) And by far the most important rule within these chapters:
“Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him. “But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. Ex 23:20-22
Follow Jesus. The angel mentioned here is the pre-incarnate Christ. Listen to the power in this verse. God sends Jesus to guard us. He will bring us to the place He has prepared (Heaven). Pay careful attention to Him and His voice. Do not rebel against Him. If you do, He will judge for He is Holy. But if you do obey Him and live in obedience to Him, He will defeat satan and any other enemy that threatens to thwart God’s plans for you to serve Him. Folks, it just doesn’t get any better. A very simple rule from God. Follow Jesus.
Well, here we have some powerful, simple rules from God. I always say that you should not get simple and easy confused. These rules from God are simple but they are not easy. We cannot fulfill these rules on our own, but God can achieve them through us. God’s Holy Spirit can empower us to attain them, if we let Him. I pray today that you are a powerful conduit in which you allow the Holy Spirit of God to work through. That you allow God to shine through you as you become a slave to Him. As you do, you will be truly changed as you experience the goodness of God as it radiates through you out into a dark world. A world that so desperately needs God and the best He has. After all, The Father does know best.
May your personal time in God’s Word today be blessed richly.
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