Kingdom 103: Kingdom Principles are Relevant to Our Way of Life
What are Kingdom principles? Principles are standards by which we govern our life. They originate from the laws that are implemented by the king. Here are the laws and commands that our Lord God gave to His chosen people (Israel).
And God spoke all these words, saying:
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Remember, these laws were for the "children of Promise". How did Israel become the children of promise? Through God honoring Abraham's faith in Him. Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
After the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, He implemented His laws and principles while the children of Israel were in the wilderness. But, notice what God stated through Moses. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make anything to be with Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves. You see, the Lord God wanted His own people, one that he could call His own; a people that contained His Spirit in their mortal bodies. This is where the Lord Jesus came on the scene, full of the Holy Spirit and power.
Keep in mind, God gave these laws to the children of promise. Those people were the children of Israel. But if other nations wanted to join them, they had to follow and obey the same laws and principles. Those who were foreigners were instructed to obey and follow God's commands if they were to live with the Israelites; and the Israelites were to treat them fairly and justly. Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law. As long as the foreigners lived with the children of promise, they had to live by God's laws and principles. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them. Joshua followed the King's (Lord God) instructions to the letter. Once again, the children of Israel were commanded to treat all foreigners fairly. “You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt... Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt."
Even though the children of Israel were the children of promise, God extended His love and mercy to all that would obey and follow His laws and principles. This is the Kingdom concept displayed among the children of Israel and foreigners. King David made this statement sharing his love for the Lord God. For all His judgments were before me; and as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. This should be our thinking of God's Word. The world system, regardless of where you are, states: you must get with the times. But, keep this in mind, the Word of the King is eternal--for all times. He and His Word is one. He is a King that never changes in character or behavior. And, He gave all authority to His Son, Jesus the Christ. Is the Word of God relevant in today's society? You better believe it and embrace it, because it is that same Word you will have to face in the end.
Exodus 20:1-17 Genesis 12:1-3 Exodus 20:22-23 Deuteronomy 31:12 Joshua 8:35
Exodus 22:21; 23:9 II Samuel 22:23
~~W.R. Luchie
And God spoke all these words, saying:
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Remember, these laws were for the "children of Promise". How did Israel become the children of promise? Through God honoring Abraham's faith in Him. Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
After the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, He implemented His laws and principles while the children of Israel were in the wilderness. But, notice what God stated through Moses. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make anything to be with Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves. You see, the Lord God wanted His own people, one that he could call His own; a people that contained His Spirit in their mortal bodies. This is where the Lord Jesus came on the scene, full of the Holy Spirit and power.
Keep in mind, God gave these laws to the children of promise. Those people were the children of Israel. But if other nations wanted to join them, they had to follow and obey the same laws and principles. Those who were foreigners were instructed to obey and follow God's commands if they were to live with the Israelites; and the Israelites were to treat them fairly and justly. Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law. As long as the foreigners lived with the children of promise, they had to live by God's laws and principles. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them. Joshua followed the King's (Lord God) instructions to the letter. Once again, the children of Israel were commanded to treat all foreigners fairly. “You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt... Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt."
Even though the children of Israel were the children of promise, God extended His love and mercy to all that would obey and follow His laws and principles. This is the Kingdom concept displayed among the children of Israel and foreigners. King David made this statement sharing his love for the Lord God. For all His judgments were before me; and as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. This should be our thinking of God's Word. The world system, regardless of where you are, states: you must get with the times. But, keep this in mind, the Word of the King is eternal--for all times. He and His Word is one. He is a King that never changes in character or behavior. And, He gave all authority to His Son, Jesus the Christ. Is the Word of God relevant in today's society? You better believe it and embrace it, because it is that same Word you will have to face in the end.
Exodus 20:1-17 Genesis 12:1-3 Exodus 20:22-23 Deuteronomy 31:12 Joshua 8:35
Exodus 22:21; 23:9 II Samuel 22:23
~~W.R. Luchie
