Psalm 119
Commander
(Psalm 119:4)
ALEPH
Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. (Psalm 119:4)
A Commander is one who commands, and there is only One Supreme Commander. The fact of this Commander is found in the name that is above every name, for at the name of this Commander every knee shall bow, all knees in heaven, and all knees of earth, and all knees under the earth. All of mankind past, present, and future will one day bow to the very Person and the very name of Jesus Christ.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (Philippians 2:9)
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; (Philippians 2:10)
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:11)
God is not going to exempt anyone of Adam’s race, and all will bow. There will be the command to all to bow the knee to the Great Commander, the Lord of lords, and King of kings. This Great Commander is the only One who could give such a list of righteous commandments. These commandments could not come from mankind, for man has a history of breaking all commandments. In the commandments of God (from the Commander and Chief, the Creator of all things) the law came not to justify man, but to expose man for what he was and is in Adam. The Lord Jesus, as He brought grace to the world, declared that if ye love me, ye will keep my commandments.
If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)
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. (John 14:21)
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. (John 15:10)
Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. (John 15:14)
These verses are not suggestions, but subjective; they are subjective to the Commander. He does not ask, He Commands as He commanded Adam, and Adam disobeyed His commands. This, of course, hurled Adam into a headlong spin into sin. Adam also brought the entire world into the same sinful spin for by one man (Adam) sin came into the world. Everything of God’s beautiful creation then became tainted by Adam’s sin (even though this sin was by one man) Adam became the sin bearer that passed his sin onto all humanity. God, therefore, the Commander and Chief had to come and bear sin upon Himself, and take it out of the world, and this was done by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12)
(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. (Romans 5:13)
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. (Romans 5:14)
But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. (Romans 5:15)
And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. (Romans 5:16)
For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) (Romans 5:17)
Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. (Romans 5:18)
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Romans 5:19)
Adam was the man of the earth. The second man was not of the earth, but He was the Lord from heaven. The first man was given dominion over the creation of God, and Adam had the privilege of naming the beasts. Adam was placed in a garden and had all that man could desire. God also reached within man and pulled out a rib, and created a helpmate for Adam. Eve was not given dominion. She was given to assist and to be a companion of the one who had dominion (which was Adam). From the record in Genesis, we see that Eve did not have the same power as Adam. And Adam did not have the same power as his Creator and Commander.
The Commander only gave one command to this first man, and that was not to partake of the knowledge of the tree of good and evil that was in the garden of God. Adam disobeyed this commandment, and lost everything, even his own soul. The soul that sinneth shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4) There are few today who believe the power of the creatorial Being that is called by man — God. In fact, if we were to address this Being, it would have to be with that name that has been given above all men. The Almighty changes not.
As the first man failed, the second man would overcome the failure of the first man. The dominion that was given to Adam now belongs to the Man in heaven for us, the Lord Jesus Christ. And His dominion has power over both heaven and earth, in fact, this One with this name is both the Creator and the sustainer of all things in heaven, and all things in the earth. This is an absolute. There is no room for the opinions, arguments, or the suppositions of mankind, for man is the fallen creature. And his Commander reigns supreme over all creation.
In verse 4 of Psalm 119, Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently, it is the Commander who has commanded us to keep His precepts. Here is the perplexity of Adam under sin. Sin is the anomaly (within humanity) that brings forth death. Grace is the command that brings forth life. Faith is the road map to this life, and this faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ. And under grace, the Lord declared, If you love me, you will keep my commandments. We have been duped by the devil and his ministers that faith and grace has no power over sin when, in fact, faith and grace in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ took sin out of the way. He not only took sin upon Himself, in the flesh, in the body that was prepared for Him, but in that Christ overcame that very sin, therefore, the Bible proclaims that those who live by faith should strive to keep the commandments of God. And if anyone violates one of these commandments, then he has an advocate with God, Jesus Christ, the righteous.
The Bible states in Psalm 1 that a man is blessed on meditating on the law of the Lord both day and night. We have a lesson in the book of Joshua, Chapter 1, verse 8.
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (Joshua 1:8)
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:9)
These words were given to Joshua to remind him of the God that he served. Moses was taken out of the way, and Joshua was then given the task of leading the nation of Israel into the land of promise. God set a condition with Joshua, there was only one book that Joshua needed to be concerned about, it was the book of the law. It is not what a man says out of his mouth, but what is hidden in the very most inner parts of his heart. Joshua was commanded by the Commander to mediate in the law of God, in the book of the law, both day and night. This is what is lacking in the professing Church today. These who profess Christianity go on Sunday to get a morning cereal that only lasts for a few hours, and in most cases, there is not enough in these messages to feed a crying baby. This is a sad state of affairs in the professing Church. If the Spirit of God dwelt in their hearts, both the preacher and the congregation would be mediating on the law of God both day and night that they might not sin against their God. In the book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 17, the kings of Israel (even though they were still in the future from the age of Joshua) were commanded to actually write with their own hands a copy of the law that was in the book.
And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: (Deuteronomy 17:18)
And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: (Deuteronomy 17:19)
That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:20)
We see the consistency of the Almighty. Joshua was to meditate on the law of the Lord both day and night. We see that the kings of Israel were required to write a copy of the law with their own hands. God did not even allow a scribe to do it for them. It had to be by their own hands. Psalm 1 begins with the blessing of the man who mediates on the law of the Lord both day and night. Psalm 119, verse 4, declares that the Commander has commanded us to keep His precepts and to keep His laws diligently. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. The Lord Jesus said, and I repeat, If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Seeing a list of commandments on a church wall, or a court house wall, is not mediating on the law of God day and night, however, if there is such a place it should be a reminder that we are called to mediate on God’s law both day and night. Faith only has power by obedience. Grace only has power through love, therefore, the Lord Jesus desires that those who follow Him (those who love Him) keep His commandments. If I am willfully ignorant of the law, and I never read the divine law of God, nor the Word of God that is contained within the Bible, then where is my faith? If I remain ignorant of whom I profess my Savior to be, how is there salvation in my ignorance? The Bible instructs us that faith is the element that comes from God to draw us to Himself. If man has not faith, he has not God. If man does not believe in God, he has not faith. We see this in Hebrews 11:6, But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
To know the law in its completeness is a blessing for the Christian. It magnifies the love of God in Christ’s sacrifice for me. In meditating on the Word of God, and on the law of God, I can reflect on how great a chasm was between me and my God before my salvation. The law magnifies the worthiness of Christ’s sacrifice for me. For there was only One in heaven, there was only One who could come to earth, and there was only One who could die upon the cross, and it was the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. When we reason within ourselves, we must examine the very fiber of our salvation. We must know personally the God who is our Savior. We must reflect and lay bare our hearts before Him, for He knows what is within us. When you have a vessel, and it is full of a defiled liquid, the more clean water that you pour into this vessel, the less the defilement until you reach a stage of purity. This was Christ upon the cross. He was the vessel that took upon Himself the impurity of the world in sin, and purified it by His own mighty power and His sacrifice upon the cross. He loves to pour pure water into us. He loves to pour the pure water of the Word of God into us, for He knows that there is power in His word. We know from the testimony of His Word that He upholds all things by the word of His power. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;. (Hebrews 1:3) The word of His power does not leave out the written Word of God, for it has been written by His own Spirit, and it is kept by His own power. He will not relinquish the authority or the divine power that is within the pages of the holy Scriptures. The Creator of all things, the Commander and Chief, will not allow mankind (no matter how intelligent man thinks he is) to defame, or manipulate the Scriptures for man’s own purpose. Man (because of his sinful being) will not accept the pages of Scripture unless a divine work is done in his heart, his soul, and in his spirit. It is, therefore, the power of God that draws the child of God to His Word to meditate on the Word of God both day and night. The words to Joshua are still valid for the child of God today. It was not Adam in Christ reconciling the world to himself, but it was God in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.
God has given a commandment that few recognize today. This commandment is this: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. (Acts 16:31) It is not ‘believe that there was a Christ,’ or even ‘believe that there is a Christ.’ The whole premise of the Word ‘on’ is to show the finished work of Christ on Calvary, and it is only to this finished work that mankind can be saved, and it is only through a heart felt experience from the Spirit of God that man can be saved, for with the heart man believes unto salvation. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:10)
With the heart the new born babe desires the sincere milk of the word that he might meditate day and night on the Word of God as it reveals to him the wonder and He who is wonderful, the Lord Jesus Christ. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. (John 5:39) The Lord Jesus was speaking of the Old Testament, for the New Testament had not yet been given by the Spirit of God. The New Testament magnifies and concludes the Old Testament; both New and Old are joined together page by page by the blood of Christ.
The Temple: The Word of God
We have entered into this temple: the Word of God. You remember when you were young: you might have gone on a class trip to a museum, or maybe ventured to an auto show, how about the first time you went into a library, or some other venue that you traveled through: an art gallery, or a planetarium, or maybe even the marvel of God’s creation through a camping trip. You took something from each place with you as you traveled through life, even now you can recall some of those moments though they are years later. This is exactly what God wants you to do as you walk through the halls of the temple of His divine Word. He wants you to reflect as you pass one of the massive columns in this temple, this verse is written there for all to see, Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Psalm 119:11) From here we walk to the next column, and we read this engraved in the hardness of the stone, Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. (Psalm 119:54) Notice that there is no darkness around us as we travel through this marvelous temple. We are reminded of this by another massive column engraved on this column is ¶ NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105) This column reflects the light to the next column, and we read this LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. (Psalm 119:89) Notice we are not on a numerical path, we are on a spiritual path, and we are being guided by the Spirit of God. He unveils another column in verse 89. Notice the words, For ever comes first, it is the eternality of the Word of God that was written from the beginning in the determinate counsels of God, not in the beginning of mankind, nor at the beginning of creation: the Word of God was settled before all began. Thus, our next column is Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. (Psalm 119:160) Not only do you have these pillars of security binding the Word of God in heaven, but we also have the pillar of purity. Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it. (Psalm 119:140) As we meditate on what little we have just seen in His temple of His Word we will never forget His precepts, for by them we understand that, Thou hast quickened me. I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me. (Psalm 119:93)
In God’s Word we have the purity, we have the trust, we have the life, and we have the eternality of the Word of God. Why is it then, that man desires to have authority over the Word of God? How is this? Every translation has a copyright attached to it, except the KJV. How marvelous that man has no authority over this particular Bible. You can read it freely, you can publish it legally and without cost, and you can freely believe it, for it is truly a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105)
In the light of the Lord Jesus, if we follow His steps, we will be in His path. This path will be illuminated by His life. As we walk through this marvelous temple of His Word we are reminded in Hebrews 3:6 that He is the Builder of this house, and that we are that house. But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. In our spiritual birth we are brought into His house, for He separates us from the world of sin to the house that He has built with His blood, and to keep us rejoicing in this divine house, He reveals to us the temple of His Word. Through this temple we find the mystery that we are also the temple of the living God.
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:20)
I want you to notice from these Scriptures from Hebrews and 1st Corinthians that the house belongs to Christ, and we become the residents of His Spirit, and therefore, He declares that we have become the temple of God because God the Spirit dwells within us. We have been led by Christ not to the tree of death, but to the tree of life. Good and evil have been separated by the divine Being who descended from heaven and took upon Him the likeness of a man, and glorified God the Father in the flesh; and then He took that flesh to the cross where He bore the sin of the whole world to satisfy all the righteous claims of God against us by His sacrifice and death upon the cross. It is only then when we enter into His grace that we become the temple of God. The Holy Spirit gives us an unction within and the surety and eternity of our salvation. There are still too many people who have professed Christ, and not possessed Him. You can tell that because they still hang around the tree of good and evil. And the result of this is sin and death. If I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ with my heart, I partake of Him, if I partake of Him then I partake of the tree of life not the physical life of Adam, but the spiritual life of eternity. For it is He who has the power of an endless life, and I (by faith) have entered into that life. (Hebrews 7:16) Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.
The endless life that I possess is not what I see in the world today. I see the withered fig tree, its leaves brown with decay and death, the absence of any fruit, and it is dried up from its very roots. This was Israel, or Jerusalem, in the day of Christ. This has also become the professing religion of this world, each religion having their own god, each one bowing to the man-made desires of that imitation god. They are the withered fig tree without root, and as the creation they carry the heavy load of sin upon their backs, and they are shackled with the penalty of sin which is death. When the Lord Jesus cursed the fig tree, He showed His divine power over His creation (which He had done many times). He used that fig tree as a symbol of man’s self-righteousness, remember, the first leaves mentioned in the Bible were fig leaves, and both Adam and Eve used these fig leaves trying to cover up their sin against God. The Jews, in the day of the Lord Jesus, were walking in a path of self-righteousness. They had a false national pride for they were in bondage to the Roman Empire. The Lord Jesus evaluated their standing with God, and as the leaders of both the religious and political rule over the Jews, the Lord Jesus said, You will die in your sins. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am [he], ye shall die in your sins. (John 8:24) This also applies to all men, especially, in our day of grace because mankind (in Adam) is left without excuse before God. Christ has paid the price. Christ entered into death to bring forth life in His resurrection. Christ ascended to the right hand of God as a testimony of both His authority and His power over all mankind. His is not the Potentate over the earth, but the Potentate in heaven, and from His throne, His power, His glory permeates all of His creation.
You can look at men today as the fig tree, they have no root in God, they have no life in God, they have no outward display of being in God, and they have no fruits for God. They have no power of life eternal, and they are withered specimens of death and not life. Truth is the end result of life in the True, and fruit is the end result of life in Christ.
The Law
The law (in its whole) loves me and wants the best for me. There is no fault in the law, the fault lies within mankind in Adam, therefore, if we remove Adam, and replace Adam with Christ (who is the Holy One of God) would we not listen to the Commander and keep His precepts. This all sounds very strange to the mind of the average congregation today because the law has been made an enemy, an ogre, a vicious monster to throw us into death, when in fact, the law has drawn us to Christ as a school teacher to educate us and show us our condition. So the law shows us our need in Adam. We were destitute, we had no holiness, we had no righteousness, we had no sanctification, and most of all we did not have salvation and eternal life in Jesus Christ. Adam couldn’t give us these things. Only One out of heaven’s glory could redeem us to God through His blood, and this is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today, therefore, as a Christian, the law is not my enemy. The law is not an ogre, the law is not a monster, it is a friend, for now the law shows me what I was before Christ saved me. The law shows me a man in Christ Jesus who kept the whole law, every article of the law, for me; that by His death upon the cross, He satisfied the Almighty concerning all my transgressions, all my sins, and by being obedient to His own law, He satisfied the law and its claims against me. Christ gave me a power of an endless life in His life. This power is incomprehensible, it is undefinable to a mere man, only the Spirit of God can draw us into the depths of what Christ has done and accomplished for us. With the power of an endless life He gave us the power to overcome sin. Along with this power He gave us a complete book to guide us and to keep us in His path of righteousness. Should we not meditate on the law, on the Word of God both day and night? If Christ is a divine part of us, then His Word also must be a divine part of us. When you think that God the Holy Spirit calls us the temple of the living God, should we not meditate on the things of our God both day and night?
The law and the testimony, and the precepts of God have been defined in the Old Testament. We can view the Old Testament as God revealing man’s condition to man, so that mankind might repent and cry out to God. In the New Testament we see God making Himself an example of what man should be, and then looking upon the failure of man, the Lord Jesus went to the cross and satisfied all the righteousness of the law, and all the claims that God has against Adam and all his descendants. The Holy Spirit proclaimed that God was in Christ, the word is ‘reconciling’ the world unto Himself. This was the movement of God to not only prepare a way of righteousness for the sinner, but to abolish all His claims against that sinner. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ took away all sin, however, there are those who think that they can be justified, and yet, hang onto their sins (both past, present, and future). This is impossible. For Christ knew the heart of man, He knew mankind would rather walk in darkness than walk in His marvelous light. He proved this to the Jews and to the Greeks when He walked upon this earth. For it was the Greeks who said, Sir, we would see Jesus. Grace not only removes the law, but also justifies grace by the love of God in Jesus Christ. For the Son of God loved me, and gave Himself for me. The love of God became greater than sin. The love of God became greater than death. The love of God became greater than the law. The love of God became greater than the world, all in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Grace is born out of faith. Faith is born out of love, and love is born out of God’s dear Son, Jesus Christ. It is all by the faith of the Son of God, and this faith is a gift as well as the gift of grace. When anyone acquires the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ it is called ‘the gift of righteousness,’ therefore, it is no great thing to call faith a gift. You can’t have salvation without grace. You can’t have grace without faith, and you can’t have either one without the love of God in Jesus Christ. These truths are inseparable from each other. Through the gift of faith comes belief. Through belief comes grace. (Hebrews 11:6) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
As a Christian, do I live in the law of God? Better yet, I live in the law of righteousness, which I received from Jesus Christ my Savior as a gift. Do I love the law? Yes, I love the law because it is also righteous before God, but grace that gave me righteousness also delivers me from the penalty of the law in Jesus Christ. I should not hate the law for it was the law that brought me to Christ as a sincere and deliberate school master. And it was there that I needed help, a supernatural miracle from the Commander that had commanded the law, and He became the Captain of my salvation.
For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (Hebrews 2:10)
For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, (Hebrews 2:11)
Freed From The Law of Sin and Death
It is the same hand that engraved the stone of the law with the finger of God that reached out, and His voice declared, “suffer the little children to come unto me.” (Mark 10:14) This is my Commander who loved me and gave Himself for me even though the law was against me, for I was born under the law of sin and death. The law condemned what was in me because of Adam, however, the law itself wanted the best for me if I could keep it. If I could keep it I would be blessed, however, there was that law within me, and that was the law of sin and death. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. (Romans 7:23)
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)
In Adam I could not obey, nor fulfill the law of God. It took Christ to free me first from the law of sin and death and then He delivered me from the arm of the law of righteousness. In Christ I become a partaker of the law of God in the highest Himself. For the Commander Himself issued the commandment, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9)
And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Acts 8:37)
Even though the law had ten strong cords woven together if one was broken then all were broken. It only took the single cord of God’s love to remove my soul, my spirit, and my heart from the heavy hand of judgment in the law. It did not depend on me. It depended completely on my Commander (or Captain) of my salvation. For He is truly the Captain of the Lord’s host. Compare Joshua 5:13-15 to Hebrews 2:9-16.
And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? (Joshua 5:13)
And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? (Joshua 5:14)
And the captain of the LORD’S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5:15)
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Hebrews 2:9)
For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.(Hebrews 2:10)
For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, (Hebrews 2:11)
Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. (Hebrews 2:12)
And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. (Hebrews 2:13)
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;(Hebrews 2:14)
And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:15)
For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. (Hebrews 2:16)
The First Commandment: The Tree of Life or The Tree of Death
It is the same Commander and the same Captain of the Lord’s host who gave the 10 commandments. The first commandment that God gave to Adam was a commandment of life or death. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (Genesis 2:16) 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. (Genesis 2:17) This was the commandment concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
It was at the tree of Calvary that the Commander gave the command of death or life when He proclaimed life unto one thief, Today thou shalt be with me in paradise. This was the first evidence of life from the tree, and that was the tree on which the Lord Jesus was crucified. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree: (Galatians 3:13)
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
It is grace that brings forth life, and grace takes away the curse of the law which is death. When the law and the commandments were given to Israel, we have to realize that it was not only a rule of life for every man, but it was a rule for Israel’s society. For God was putting mankind collectively under His rule and commandments. God understood that they also needed a provision of grace, therefore, He provided the sacrifices as a provision for their failures because individually they were still under the law of sin and death. Read the list of sacrifices in the book of Leviticus Chapters 1 through 7. If you were to meditate on these sacrifices, you would see the completeness of the work of Christ on the cross of Calvary. You would also see the sweet savour of God’s love in the Son of His love Jesus Christ.
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; (Ephesians 5:1)
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. (Ephesians 5:2)
This is God’s work by and in His Son Jesus Christ for us. Christ was the offering for sin, and a Commander with the power of an endless life. (Hebrews 7:16) He became our answer to the law of sin and death, and our deliverance from the law of sin and death. At the point of our salvation we are joined to Christ by His Spirit, and His Spirit takes up residence within us. In this transaction we become dead with Him, and at the same time we become alive in Him.
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1)
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:2)
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)
The Commander’s Greatest Triumph
In Galatians 2:20 we share His death and we acquire His life. In Colossians 3:1-4, we are already alive for we are sharing His life in His resurrection. As we shared His death on the cross, we now share His life with Him in glory where He is seated at the right hand of God. We have been freed from the rudiments of this world. They are no longer in charge of us for we are dead to the world in Christ in His crucifixion on the cross for this was the end of Adam. This statement seems odd at first, for it was at the lowest point of Christ’s suffering that He took charge of eternity with the words, It is finished. This was the greatest triumph of our Commander for He removed all that was against us and set our feet on holy ground.
Christ had come in the likeness of sinful flesh, and yet, He was always that holy thing. As God gave Adam the image of Christ in Adam’s creation, so Christ took on the image of flesh to atone for all of man’s sin and to give us the image of Christ. By one man sin and death came into the world, so by one man (Jesus Christ) came life from sin and death for He was made sin for us. For He knew no sin. He became sin as an offering to God for sin, He became the likeness of sinful flesh to bring sin to the cross. He became the Lamb of God to end sin at the cross. He became death to defeat death at the cross. He became life to give life at the cross to as many as believe on Him. The law was taken out of the way so our Commander could instruct us as a heavenly people, and consequently, we have the Spirit of Christ within us.
If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: (Ephesians 4:21)
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; (Ephesians 4:22)
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; (Ephesians 4:23)
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:24)
Our Commander (through His Spirit) tells us to put off the former conversation, the former manner of life, to put off the old man and then to put on the new man which is created (and mark the word ‘created’) in righteousness and true holiness. This gives us a clear path in His instruction. This gives us a clear vision so that we can follow Him and we can take the path of Colossians 3:1-4. For the truth is in Jesus. (Ephesians 4:21)
The Commander’s Path in Affection
With our eyes wide open, we can see the path of our Commander that He has set out for us in the Word of God. We are a new creation, and we have been created in His righteousness, and in His true holiness. Should we not embrace heaven where He is and reject the earth? Notice, the word ‘affection’ in verse 2 of Colossians Chapter 3. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:2) The affections of man do not come from the mind, but from the heart. The world of science (falsely so called) has no clue, all the head people are looking in the wrong part of man’s anatomy.
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:(Matthew 15:19)
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:10)
We see that it is not with the mind, or the intellect, or the knowledge of mankind, but from the very heart comes forth the evil of man. It is with the heart that man will do evil, for example, the blind hatred of humanity. Hatred has no reason. There is no intellectual knowledge attached to hatred. Cain hated his brother Abel, not by his knowledge, but with his heart, therefore, he killed his brother because hatred had blinded him to the truth. Hatred had taken over all his reasoning. Hatred became the driving force for murder. This was in the first man born from a woman under the law of sin and death. We see the hatred of the heart has no vision, and as the people of Sodom, they were blinded and could not find the door. For their blindness was caused by their hatred.
The New Heart
As we meditate on Colossians 3, we (as Christians) have a new heart for we have been transformed into a new being created in God’s righteousness by His Son Jesus Christ. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1)
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:2)
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4) As Christ has created all things in the creation, so He has created us as a new creation of God. And with this new creation comes a new heart: here is a paradox, we believe with the old heart to receive a new heart. The old heart is the heart of murder. The new heart is the heart of love in God, and a heart of righteousness. With this new heart we can now set our affections on things above and not on things of the earth. We can seek the One who has given us our new heart. We want to be where He is, and we want to know Him as He is. This is the Man, Jesus Christ, who is the glorified Man in heaven for us. Colossians Chapter 3 leaves no doubt of our affections, that they are centered in Christ Himself. The Spirit of God is bold to say, For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Christ, therefore, from His glory speaks to our hearts (the seat of our affections) and gives us a desire to be with Him. He sets the path for us, the path to the presence of our Commander. I see two views: with the natural eye man looking up cannot see into the heaven of heavens, yet the heart, in love for the Commander can be in His presence with the eye of the Spirit. This, in turn, gives a view from heaven, for it is a view from the Commander in heaven. We can look down upon the earth, the world of humanity, and with our eyes wide open we can see the evil world around us for what it really is. It is filled with a lost humanity, and they are lost in Adam for Adam brought sin into the world. They are all seeking their own, and not the things of Christ. As a new creature and as part of a new race of people, a heavenly people, a redeemed people, and as a people who love God should we not want to spend time with Him where He is? Verse 3 of Psalm 119 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. As we walk in His ways this puts us in His presence. And the words of the Lord Jesus are fulfilled that, that where I am, [there] ye may be also. (John 14:3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also.
The Spirit of God touches your heart with the very affection of Christ Himself. He wants the affection of your heart to be in heaven with Him. This is where all authority begins in the Christian life with the Commander who has sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. Think of when the Lord Jesus gathered the children around Him. I believe that every one of them were listening with an intent desire to hear the words from the Lord Jesus Christ, therefore, in that relationship (as the children of God) when we gather together it should not be a meeting around ourselves, but around our Commander who is seated in heaven. If we spend time (as an individual) with Christ in heaven then when we meet collectively we will meet with Christ in heaven itself where He is. The Commander teaches by His words that we should walk in His way on earth on a path that brings us into His presence in heaven itself. If we keep His precepts, and keep them diligently, then we will put off the old man, and walk in His ways. The modern age religionist preaches a gospel of blindness that cannot see the glories of heaven, nor can approach to or be with the Man in heaven. It is our responsibility, as new born creatures in Christ, to seek the Commander where He is.
The Commander and The Impossible
A gospel without any responsibility is a gospel of death, and not a gospel of life in Christ. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. This whole aspect is foreign to the world church today. The members of this world church only have two responsibilities: to show up on time, and to leave on time. This has nothing to do with the presence of Christ. They have no concept of true grace from heaven above because they know not the Commander. What was impossible for me to become, Christ did the impossible for me. For He is the Completer of all impossibilities. For with God nothing shall be impossible. (Luke 1:37) This is the testimony of another created being. It is the testimony of one of God’s angels, and I would believe that all the holy angels from what they have viewed and seem in the Person of God in the Person of Jesus Christ that they would unanimously say, For with God nothing shall be impossible. Therefore, the Commander has done the impossible for me, and this is my God, Jesus Christ. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. (1 John 5:20)
The world disputes this verse every chance it gets. Whenever the world presents a message, or a documentary, or the history of the man Jesus Christ they only show Him as a mere man. They cannot bring themselves (in their evil hearts) to see the true GodMan and the true God, Jesus Christ. The world church also does not believe this because they substitute others gods, and other ways of salvation without Jesus Christ. One of the popular religious phrases of blasphemy in this world today is when an individual address’ Mary as deity, and as the mother of God. (The Godhead bodily exists outside of time in eternity, and acts within the framework of time, therefore, the Godhead bodily is above all His creation, and His creatures. There is no such concept in Scripture of God having a mother.) The devil has done his work well, and millions have swallowed this lie hook, line, and sinker. The amalgamation of the world church under many names, and many beliefs has nothing to do with the true God which is Jesus Christ. Their affections are still in this world, and not in heaven above. We see this in their great cathedrals, and in their enormous statues. They bow to buildings, and things made of stone, wood, hay and stubble, but they will not bow to the Commander, the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is another verse in 1 John Chapter 5, it is verse 11, And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. This record of heaven, and from heaven, is to the believer in Jesus Christ that it is God and not man who gives and has given eternal life. Compare eternal life in both verse 11 with verse 20 of 1st John Chapter 5. This record is from heaven itself. This record is to every believer in Jesus Christ. God has given us eternal life in God Himself, who is (verse 20) Jesus Christ. Notice in verse 11, the very words of God the Spirit, and this life is in his Son. It is not we will receive eternal life, but it is the life that we lead in Jesus Christ our Lord, and our Commander, and this life which is in God Himself is eternal life.
We have an unction from the Spirit of God to know the truth, and this truth has set us free from Adam, and from the world. By being made free, we can engage our affection in things above, and we can be in the presence of Christ who is for us, and in us. And now, in the power of God, with a new heart we can show our affection for Christ Himself, and we can obey Him as our Commander. If a man love me, he will keep my words. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23) These words from the Lord Jesus Christ are to reveal what has been done in us. It is not the love of mankind that loves God, but it is the love of God given to man that loves God. And this love was given in God’s dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Commander of John 14:21. 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.
Now once again, let us return to our text in Psalm 119, verse 4, Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. For the man of the earth in Adam this is impossible, for they are of the earth, earthly. Only from heaven can this be accomplished and this must come through the sacrifice and the work of Christ on the cross of Calvary as The Great Commander of both life and death.
He has brought us unto Himself, therefore, we have life in Him. He has hidden us in God in Jesus Christ, He has hidden us from the adversary. He has hidden us from death. He has hidden us from sin, and we are hid in Christ in God. Isn’t this amazing? We tend to skip over this in Colossians Chapter 3. The world cannot see our heavenly life, and truthfully, many Christians only have a dim view, but the seat of our affections, our hearts, is capable of soaring into heavenly places above this evil world. We can take wings, as eagles, as in Isaiah 40:31. Our affections for Christ should lead us into the heavenlies. There is no excuse for weakness, or a weak heart of faith. Grace is not the door to worldly pleasure, but a door to heaven that has been opened by God Himself for the blessed of the Lord. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6) In our text from Psalm 119, we have the word ‘diligently,’ in Hebrews 11:6 we have the word ‘diligently,’ both are applied to our Commander, and how we should seek Him and then keep His precepts diligently. If we diligently seek His Person, we will diligently seek His precepts and listen to His voice. If a man love me he will keep my word.
There is also a glory to see in the temple of the Word of God, through every hall, through every passage, and through every room the glory of our Commander drives out all the darkness. With His light He lights every book, every chapter, every verse, and every word in this glorious temple called the Word of God this light is the glory of our Commander, the glory of the Son of God.
There will come a day when our Commander is ready and He will proclaim His command to His redeemed to ascend to Him within the clouds. He will come out of heaven not to judge the world, but to meet His bride in the air, and then we shall ever be with Him in glory. Then the finality, He will return to earth (for His bride has made herself ready) and she is with Him, and she will come to earth and descend with Him.
And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (Revelation 19:6)
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7)
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (Revelation 19:8)
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. (Revelation 19:9)
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Revelation 19:10)
¶ And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (Revelation 19:11)
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. (Revelation 19:12)
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. (Revelation 19:13)
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (Revelation 19:14)
Side Note: Notice in Revelation 19:14 that the armies that follow Him have white, fine and clean garments, and it is His garments only that are blood stained in verse 13. (Read Isaiah 63) Also notice that there are many armies, not one army, or an army, but ‘armies.’
There are many messages from Revelation Chapter 19, but we are in Psalm 119, so I will finally make my point: here is our Commander, and at His command we follow Him as the army of heaven. Notice the plural word ‘armies’ there are more than one army, yet, they function as one army by His command. Oh, that the children of God today could be so united as the armies of heaven. How sad the state of professing Christendom with their many divisions pulling against each other, drawing them further away from Christ: replacing Christ by the doctrines of man, the traditions of man, the names of men, and the buildings and shrines of man, all these divisions drawing precious souls away from Christ and not to Him. So in the temple of God’s Word, we see not the forces of evil men, but the warnings against these evil men and what they attempt to do in this world.
In the temple of God’s Word, we see the gold of His righteousness reflecting His glory. We see the silver of our redemption, and the great lavers filled with the water of life this is reflected in John Chapter 4. As Christ is the water, and the well of our life, He is, therefore, the power of our endless life. Although, we might not see each other, or hear each other, the redeemed of God are held together by an inseparable thread of crimson blood that flowed from the side of our Commander Jesus Christ. His thread of redemption carries with it all eternity in Jesus Christ our Lord and our Commander. May I use the voice of the Spirit of God as a cry to all God’s children with the very words of the Spirit of God in Psalm 133.
¶ <<A Song of degrees of David.>> Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; (Psalm 133:2)
As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life forever more. (Psalm 133:3)
It is there that the Commander commanded from mount Zion, from the cross, in the words, It is finished. The Lord commanded the blessing even life forever more. It is finished. Amen
© Copyright 2018, Michael Haigh
Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the Authorized King James Bible. (KJV)