Know Your Bible Course
Lesson 22 – Investment Opportunities
Section C: God’s Truth and You
In the last lesson, we studied how God’s commandments, spoken by Him on Mount Sinai, are not restrictions of our freedom but rather promises of God to us – promises of freedom from the bondage of sin. We examined the first four commandments, which show our duty in terms of our relationship with God. All of these duties are given to prevent our separation and alienation from Him. The promise in the second commandment is that the Lord will show mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments.
Now we will examine the last six commandments to find more of God’s promises.
Fifth commandment
“Honour thy father and thy mother: that the days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12.
This commandment, even more clearly than all the rest, has a promise directly connected with it. It was amplified by the apostle Paul: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:1-4. This commandment assures and promises a happy, harmonious relationship between parents and their children.
From the promises delineated in this commandment, it can be clearly seen that God’s commands are of a positive nature, not just a series of “Thou shalt nots” which they appear to be at first glance. Each one is a positive promise of “obey and live” – live life at its fullest!
For this reason, it is incomprehensible that God could ever remove this law with all its promises. Christ Himself clearly stated that His mission was not to destroy the law but to show mankind how it was to be kept. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19. The consistent teaching and life of Jesus were a direct fulfillment of His prophesied mission, which was to make the law more visible and easily understood. “The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake; He will magnify the law, and make it honourable.” Isaiah 42:21.
God was not satisfied with even the exacting obedience to the letter of the law exhibited by the Pharisees, for He stated, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20.
Sixth commandment
This magnification of the law by Christ is also noted in the sixth commandment. It states simply, “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13. But Jesus showed that its meaning extends much farther than the overt act of taking another person’s life. He showed that murder begins in the heart, and that is where the sin occurs. Anger toward his brother was what caused Cain to take Abel’s life. See Genesis 4:3-8. Jesus emphasized the spirit of the sixth commandment when He said that being angry with another person is the first step toward committing murder. Read Matthew 5:21-24. God will not be able to hear our prayers and petitions if we harbour animosity toward our fellowmen. How easily we can become guilty of the crime of murder by just hating someone!
Let us pursue this commandment even further. Few of us would want to be guilty of actually taking the life of another human being, but for many people the issue becomes fogged in time of war. Nationalism, pride, and old animosities build up over many years; every nation on earth has a certain amount of national pride. Each sees its own deeds in a good light and considers those who are opposed to it as evil. How is the Christian to react to such situations? “Ye have heard that it hath been said, thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 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.” Matthew 5:43,44. God’s people will have no part in national disputes. They are good citizens of their respective countries, but they realize that their true citizenship is not on this earth but in heaven. Their heavenly citizenship transcends all earthly boundaries. “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:27, 28. Because of this fact, God’s people are not to take part in warfare.
Jesus taught that it is not our prerogative to take up arms even in defense of a good cause. When He was being taken captive by His enemies, one of His disciples tried to defend Him. “And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” Matthew 26:51, 52.
“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is My kingdom not from hence.” John 18:36.
A Christian is to be a perfect example of good citizenship. See1 Peter 2:13-17. He is to promptly and honestly pay his taxes and fully obey the laws of his country up to the point where those laws conflict with God’s universal, eternal law. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Mark 12:17.
When confronted with the choice of obeying God’s law not to kill or the law of a country to take up arms, our answer must always be similar to the reply of the early apostles: “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29. This commandment, the sixth, promises the safeguarding of our lives as well as those of our dear ones.
Seventh commandment
“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14.
The seventh commandment is the safeguard of marital and family happiness. God gave it to protect the home life from the ravages of the great enemy of God. The marriage institution is one of the two institutions given to man at his creation, the other one being the Sabbath. Adam was given one wife; and Eve, one husband. It was never God’s will for anyone to have several wives or husbands. In the creation of Eve was demonstrated the closeness that is to exist between husband and wife. “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh thereof; And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Genesis 2:18, 21-24.
God made woman from a bone taken from Adam’s side, showing that she was to be an equal with her husband, to stand at his side. She was not to be trodden under his foot, nor was she to be his head.
The world is filled with unhappy marriages and broken homes. This is the result of disobeying God’s commandment – “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Such great heartaches as are found in homes today would never occur if man would only abide by God’s will. Jesus taught that adultery begins in one’s imagination. “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Matthew 5:27, 28. If we allow our emotions and thoughts to run rampant, we are permitting Satan to feed thoughts into our minds and are opening the door to sin. Only in undeviating obedience to the seventh commandment can we be assured of true joy and happiness for ourselves and our children.
Eighth commandment
The eighth commandment is also one which is very short but full of deep meaning. It says simply, “Thou shalt not steal.” Exodus 20:15. What a blessing this commandment has been to the human race! But its violation has brought much suffering and misery, as well as expense, to man. Theft is one of the greatest evils in our world. How sad it is that so much money and time must be needlessly spent to protect one’s property from another. In the cities especially, it can be seen how far men have had to go to protect themselves; theft insurance, multiple locks, bars, burglar alarms, and sophisticated warning systems, in addition to fear, are the price being paid for breaking this commandment.
But is breaking into someone’s home and taking his goods the only way one can be a thief? How about that day you were given too much change at the store? Or that day you “borrowed” something from your neighbour and did not return it to him? Or those evil words of criticism which you spoke, thus stealing the good name of your fellow employee? Any time a person is cheated, or a product is misrepresented to make a sale possible, this commandment is violated. Obedience to this commandment would assure a fair deal for all, for it contains the method for proper handling of all transactions between individuals. Remember that violating one commandment generally means we are violating one or several of the others.
Ninth commandment
The ninth commandment affects the words we speak and those spoken by others. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” Exodus 20:16. The Lord demands strict honesty and in so doing promises to be honest with us. It is not necessary to make a completely false statement for it to be a lie. Truth told in a way designed to deceive is a lie. It is the purpose behind one’s words which determines their truthfulness. Even claiming to be a Christian while being a hypocrite is bearing false witness to the world. Our only safety is in always being completely truthful. We should be as transparent as sunlight. One falsehood leads to another, and still another, until a person does not even know the difference between truth and falsehood. Obeying this commandment gives promise of a clear conscience, an openness which has nothing to hide – in short, freedom.
Tenth commandment
The last of the Ten Commandments strikes at the root of virtually every other violation. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.” Exodus 20:17. Covetousness lays the foundation for theft, adultery, and murder and is like a cancer which must be removed before it grows so large as to destroy the person.
Eve sinned by coveting the forbidden fruit. See Genesis 3:6. This same sin made the rich young man turn away from Jesus. See Matthew 19:16-22. He held on to his possessions, wanting the things of others also. Coveting extends further than only wanting the things of another. It also includes covetously holding fast to the wealth we have, not realizing that it really belongs to God and He has entrusted it to us for the purpose of blessing others.
The parable of the rich farmer shows the end of such covetousness. See Luke 12:16-21. By contrast, when we keep God’s ten precepts, we lay up our treasure in the heavenly bank, which pays back a contented life in this world as well as a final everlasting new home in the new earth.
“Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Revelation 22:14 See also Revelation 12:17; 14:12.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: “Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13Most people would consider it a great honour and privilege to be asked to invest and become a partner in a growing, active business venture. And God is calling for Christians today to do just that – to invest in a partnership with Himself in the greatest business enterprise of all, that of preparing for His future kingdom of glory.
God has given man many ways to invest in His kingdom. In the first place, He has given everyone time, abilities, and material blessings. The purpose is not just for these things to be a blessing only to the individual but to others as well. Ask yourself, “How am I using the gifts lent to me?” Nothing which man has can be truly called his own. Everything, including his life and health, are the outworking of the providence of God. “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; … for we are also His offspring.” Acts 17:28. “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Psalm 24:1. “For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.” Psalm 50:10,11. “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the Lord of hosts.” Haggai 2:8. We ourselves belong to God. See Psalm 79:13.
By what authority does God claim such ownership? “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1. “Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.” Psalm 100:3
In addition to being created by God, man was redeemed from the kingdom of darkness by Jesus Christ. Thus we are His twice over! “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Peter 1:18, 19.
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20. Before we act in any affair of life, we are to keep the principle always in view that “whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31.
Jesus used a parable to illustrate man’s relationship to the goods of this world. “For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.” Matthew 25:14. Upon his return, the master called his servants to account for their use of his goods. See Matthew 25:19-30.
Missionaries for God
Just as the servants in the parable were entrusted with resources and received a commission, so all Christians have been entrusted with resources and given a commission to be co-workers in His great plan of salvation. “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:18-20.
God wants us to be co-workers with Him. This requires our willingness to somehow use every ability we possess to further His enterprise – His kingdom. Often in Bible history God called men and women from the midst of other seemingly important work to do a great work for Him. Moses and David were tending sheep. Gideon was threshing wheat to keep his people from starvation. Elisha was plowing his father’s field. Paul was Saul, that great enemy of God’s people, until Jesus turned him around from his goal of persecuting Christians. The disciples were working at other jobs – fishermen, tax collectors, etc. Each gladly took up the mission assigned him by God. Not everyone is called to enter full-time missionary work, but each is given certain abilities to be fully dedicated to the Master’s use – to be invested wisely for the advancement of God’s kingdom.
Time – the Sabbath
One talent, which is entrusted to every person, is time. Each one is given 24 hours, 7 days a week, not to be used selfishly but wisely. At creation, God set limits to how much of his time man was to use solely for himself. “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.” Genesis 2:2,3
God placed a blessing upon the seventh day of the week. In sanctifying this day, He set it apart for holy time – not to be used as any other day but to be special time. Therefore, we should find out from the Bible how this time is to be spent. First, we must remember that to God the day begins not at midnight but at sundown. See Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31. “…From even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.” Leviticus 23:32. The Lord asks man to set apart 1/7 of his time to be used for God; namely, from, according to present-day reckoning, Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. This is the Sabbath of the Lord, as is further commanded in the fourth commandment. See Exodus 20:8-11.
God promises a rich blessing to those who faithfully invest this time for God. “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thing own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” Isaiah 58:13, 14.
God realized that man is in danger of forgetting His holy day. That is why He began the fourth commandment with the word “Remember.” Throughout the week, we are to remember and make all our plans so we may keep the seventh day holy. Especially on Friday, the day before the Sabbath, we are to take care of all secular affairs so these things will not rob time from God. For this reason, the day preceding the Sabbath is called in the Scriptures the “preparation day.” “And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath.” Mark 15:42.
The Sabbath is a great blessing when properly observed – when the clothing is prepared, the house cleaned, the cooking done, and the baths taken beforehand. Whatever can be done before the Sabbath should be done. “When the Sabbath commences, we should place a guard upon ourselves, upon our acts and our words, lest we rob God by appropriating to our own use that time which is strictly the Lord’s. We should not do ourselves, nor suffer our children to do, any manner of our own work for a livelihood or anything which could have been done on the six working days. Friday is the day of preparation. Time can then be devoted to making the necessary preparation for the Sabbath and to thinking and conversing about it.” Ellen G. White, Child Guidance, p. 529.
If for some reason some work remains uncompleted, lay it aside until after the Sabbath is over. Note the example given by the Christian women after Jesus; crucifixion. “And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.” Luke 23:56
The Sabbath is a time to worship God in His house. “And He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogues on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. Luke 4:16. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25.
It is also proper to spend a part of the Sabbath in nature. “And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.” Acts 16:13. Deeds of mercy are in full harmony with the keeping of the Sabbath. See Luke 13:14-16.
Great blessings are in store for those who faithfully set aside the sacred time of the seventh day of the week to honour the God of creation.
Tithe and offerings
The Lord also asks man to return to Him a portion of the wealth entrusted to him. Remember that everything we possess actually belongs to God, including ourselves. We can ask ourselves the question, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” Psalm 116:12. God’s word answers our inquiry and promises a blessing as well. “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” Proverbs 3:9,10.
“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 3:8-11.
Tithe means simply giving the Lord 1/10 of our increase; and besides the tithe, the Lord also asks for freewill offerings. Those who have faithfully given the Lord His own with a thankful heart can tell you from experience that God does give the blessings He has promised. Their 90% goes further than the 100% of others. Why not put God to the test? He promises a measureless blessing.
The first record of tithe paying was in the time of Abraham. See Genesis 14:18-20. Jacob promised to pay a tithe to the Lord. See Genesis 28:20-22.
For what purpose is tithe to be used? “And, behold, I have given the children of Levi [those who ministered in the sanctuary] all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.” Numbers 18:21. “Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.” 1 Corinthians 9:14. Remember that the tithe does not belong to man but to God it is holy and so should be used only to support the proclamation of the gospel. See Leviticus 27:30-33.
What interest does your investment in the bank of heaven pay? “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38. “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” 2 Corinthians 9:6. “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord.” Matthew 25:21..