“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. [Deuteronomy 6.4-9]
Where is Jesus in all this? He is all over it! Everything about loving God and committing oneself to His commandments and instruction points one to Jesus!
How can one truly recognize and appreciate the Messiah without having a thorough knowledge of the 'manual' (if you will) that describes Him in every detail? All that we witness in the life and character of Jesus is really meaningless without identifying His life and character as consistent with what was foretold for centuries before His birth in the Old Testament writings and prophecies!
Think about it! Jesus was no 'Johnny-come-lately' character. He was the One that all Jewish history and writings pointed to! He was woven intricately in the fabric of God's history of relationship with mankind! He was identified through one people group and one tribe of that people group in particular - it could be no other way! The entire plot of pre-Advent history revealed the need for the Advent of Messiah!
Sadly, however, few had grasped the loving nature of God in all the history, culture, and literature of the Jewish nation. A large portion of the Jewish nation had failed to 'get' the plot of their history and had lost their way while holding their 'road map' before their very eyes. It was in fact, the 'road map' that obstructed their view - the irony of all ironies.
There are those today who claim to be "New Testament people". They place little emphasis on the Old Testament and erroneously feel they are complete in studying only New Testament writings. But they are wrong! Just because the 'road map' of Old Testament writings became the obstruction to those who utilized the 'map' incorrectly, does not release true students of God - those who seek Him heart, soul and strength - from using the 'map' correctly!
There is so precious little information we are given about God and His plot even in all the pages of the Bible as we know it. Those who genuinely seek God heart, soul, and strength will crave and peruse every morsel of information about God and His plot and plan of Messiah whether Old Testament OR New Testament! They will seek Jesus in the Ten Commandments and Old Covenant! They will repeat them again and again to their children! They will talk of it all at home and on the road! They will discuss the Story when going to bed and when getting up! They will keep references near to their hands and eyes! They will feel the need to plaster their walls with the Story! Yes, they will love their LORD with all their heart, soul, and strength!
Father, help us to grow - help us to see Jesus - help us to be complete!
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