Read responsively the Ten Commandments from p. 31 of the
Hymnary.
God Teaches Wisdom
Have you noticed how different it can be living in the country from
living in a city like Madison? For one thing, help is usually farther
away in the country. That means that people generally have to learn how
to meet their own needs. Here in the city, you can call someone to come
and do just about anything. As a city dweller, you're more dependent
upon other people, but some things are more convenient.
In the movies, there were some comedies called “City Slickers” all
about that difference. What if you are a city slicker, and you
want to learn how to do more for yourself? Who will teach you? If you
want to learn plumbing, you should ask a plumber. If you want to learn
wiring, you should ask an electrician. If you want to learn basic auto
repair, you should ask a mechanic. They can help you gain the wisdom
you need.
Martin Luther said that every true Christian is a theologian, since a
true Christian knows Jesus Christ from the Word of God. If you are a
Christian, it won't do to be a theological city slicker. You can't dial
up a theologian to come and decide what you should believe. You can ask
for an explanation, but in the end, you'll need spiritual wisdom of
your own.
So where should spiritual city slickers go to gain spiritual wisdom?
The plumber, electrician, or mechanic won't help much. Even teachers in
the church can't do anything except teach God's Word. When that
happens, then God becomes our teacher. That's what was happening here
in our text today. The Ten Commandments came to Israel from Moses, but
he did not write them. Originally, they are from God Himself. These
commandments are His permanent description of what is right and wrong.
He's the right teacher for spiritual city slickers, and today, He
teaches us spiritual wisdom: so that the foolish learn the fear of the
LORD, and so that the wise receive the righteousness of Christ.
So that the foolish learn the fear of the LORD.
Nobody likes to be called foolish. But that's exactly what we are.
When Adam fell into sin, he left the path of heaven's wisdom. His
children have never found it again. Just look at all the various
religions in the world. Some are frauds committed by clever men. Some
are sincerely believed by those who teach them. But there are just so
many! They can't all be right. Yet some of them claim that the same
god is behind them all. That is truly foolish. Mankind has lost the
path of wisdom. Only God can help, and this is what He says,
“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be
wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.”
Anyone who receives wisdom from God is receiving salvation. But He only
provides wisdom to those who need it, those who admit that they are
fools without it. It's not an easy thing to admit, is it? That's why
we have the Ten Commandments. In the book of Job, we read,
“Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart
from evil is understanding.” This is what God teaches us in the Ten
Commandments: that we are fools without Him, but also that the righteous
are wise in God's favor.
Have you studied these commandments lately? God wrote them here for you
to study, you know. Know them and keep them! That is what God demands
of mankind. So let's look them over and ask ourselves some questions.
Do I trust God above all things? Or do I fear what the future may bring
more than I fear His anger?
Do I use God's name faithfully? Do I always carry that name with the
honor it demands?
Do I cherish God's Word and sacraments as more precious than all the
treasure on earth?
Do I show the proper honor and respect to the authorities under whom God
has placed me?
Do I help my fellow men in every need, or do I sometimes hurt them
instead?
Do my thoughts, speech, and actions show the decency and chastity
required by God's gift of marriage?
Do I respect the property of others, or do I sometimes take what does
not belong to me?
Do I defend the reputation of my fellow men whenever I can? Do I
interpret what they say in the best possible way?
Do I help my fellow man to keep his best assets of house and home, or do
I secretly want them for myself?
If we do all of these things as the Ten Commandments demand, then we can
say that we are truly wise. If not, then we are fools to think that God
is pleased with our disobedience. We all must admit that we have
strayed from the perfect Law of God, and broken it. We have become like
Adam and Eve, compelled to hide from God among the bushes in the garden.
The Ten Commandments remind us that God's anger should be our greatest
fear.
It's not a pleasant experience, is it? These commandments are God's
threatening presence among us, if we have any idea what they really
mean. It's no wonder that some people want them banned from public
display in our land. They embarrass us, worry us, and frighten us. All
of this may not be pleasant, but it's exactly what the Commandments are
supposed to do. In fact, St. Paul puts it even more strongly: God's Law
kills us, showing us that we are already as good as dead.
The psalmist writes, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
wisdom.” So we have received our first lesson from God this morning.
In His Commandments, He teaches wisdom, so that the foolish learn the
fear of the LORD.
So that the wise receive the righteousness of Christ.
Once the Holy Spirit has worked through His Law to teach us the fear of
the LORD, then we are ready for His chief message: Jesus Christ. This
is the true wisdom, but it cannot be learned by those in the foolishness
of unbelief. It can only be received from the Holy Spirit after the Law
has done its work.
Today, our text is the Ten Commandments, and we may have a hard time
finding anything there about Jesus. In fact, someone may be so bold to
say that Jesus isn't taught in this text at all. On the surface, that's
right. He's not. The Ten Commandments are like the hard outer rind of
a coconut. It hits you like a cannon ball, and there's no mercy.
But when you learn to break it open, you'll see that there's much more
to it. The reason the commandments must kill us is so that we may truly
live in Jesus.
Jesus kept all of these commandments in every way that we have not.
They are the golden standard of perfection, and they show that Jesus'
life was truly perfect. He was able to take our sins away, and He was
worthy to die for our guilt.
In the Old Testament tabernacle, the high priest had to make atonement
for all the people. That's where the concept of a scapegoat came from.
There were actually two goats: the scapegoat, and the goat of the sin
offering. The high priest confessed the sins of the people upon the
scapegoat, which bore their iniquities to an uninhabited land, taking
them away forever. The other goat was sacrificed to make atonement for
the guilt of the people, and its blood was sprinkled in the presence of
God. In this way, the high priest made atonement every year for himself
and for the people of Israel.
Now, Jesus needed no atonement for himself, because He kept all the
commandments. Yet He was still punished for sin. His blood was shed
before God in heaven. But of the guilt He bore, not one shred belonged
to Him. It all belongs to me and to you. And now, when the Ten
Commandments condemn us, we confess our sins upon Him, and He takes them
away to the grave, forever. All of this is possible because Jesus is
the perfect Son of God.
But Jesus' righteousness did not disappear when He took our sins upon
Himself. His own perfect record of keeping the Ten Commandments has now
become God's gift to you and me. That means we can now study the
Commandments without fear, because we know that in Christ, we have kept
them. You see, the scapegoat and the goat of the sin offering were only
shadows of the true Redeemer. His atonement was so much better that we
no longer have any reason to fear God's punishment. His atonement was
perfect, so that only one offering was needed. Now, His bloody cross is
our victory.
The Commandments offer eternal life to all who keep them, but without
Jesus in the picture, we have all failed. That doesn't stop many people
from hoping that if they just try harder, it will be OK. It doesn't
stop others from hoping that God will judge us on our good intentions
or effort (though even these are imperfect). It doesn't stop others
from lowering the bar by comparing themselves to other sinners instead
of the perfect commandments. That's what the Ten Commandments are like
without Jesus: they show our failure.
But with Jesus, the Ten Commandments are completely different for us.
They show what He did His whole life to save us. They show us how we
look to God, now that we are washed in Jesus' atoning blood. They tell
us how we might thank God for His mercy by living the rest of our lives.
We can actually be happy to have the Ten Commandments, as the
psalmist in Psalm 119 says, “I will never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have given me life.” This is what God's commandments
are like when we have Jesus as our Redeemer.
Don't stop your study of the Ten Commandments, because they are wisdom
from heaven. But especially, study the Ten Commandments through Christ,
because He is our salvation, and the wisdom of God. Sometimes we may
find ourselves in need of some remedial spiritual training. Remember
that only the Holy Spirit can give us the wisdom we need, and that He
does this in His Word. So let's listen gladly and take His teaching to
heart. Know that Jesus died and lives for you. He even gives the price
of atonement, His body and blood, to bestow forgiveness upon Christians.
So receive the righteousness of Christ, you who are made wise by the
commandments of God. Amen.