The Rich Young Ruler and the Royal Law

Let me start of this post by thanking everyone who prayed for us this last week in the Dominican Republic; the teachings were a success because of hungry hearts in the students and friends who cared to pray and we are very grateful!!

Pastor Frank & my youngest daughter Leah

Mat 19:17-24 KJV "And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

1) Do not murder
2) Do not commit adultery
3) Do not steal
4) Do not bear false witness
5) Honor your mother and father
6) Love thy neighbor as thyself...this is the end result of the 5 previous commands

 

It is interesting that all the commandments Jesus recited to this man dealt with man to man relationships, not one was God to man. This man, therefore, had a problem with his fellow man (Jesus would not advise him like this if it were not so, He counsels according to our need). James Royal Law is as much about loving your neighbor as yourself as it is about loving God with all your heart. He replied, "All this have I done from my youth, what lack I yet?" Well, he may have done it from his youth from his own perspective but God saw two things,

• Pride - who else would be bold enough to approach Christ and say all this have I done already, what else?
• Covetousness (he obviously loved being rich more than he wanted to follow Jesus).
•  

And so Jesus, discerning his need, added two other commands which were meant to either expose him or liberate him:

 

 

7) Sell all you have and give to the poor - Interestingly enough, the one commandment this man needed the most (concenring coveteousness) was not recited in the list above but was broken out separately when the Lord counsels him to sell everything, it was as though the Lord knew what he would say (all this have I already done...and it probably was true, externally). In a sense he was being lured in, Jesus was going to deal with the one thing that would have set him free and would have fulfilled the New Covenant in him had he cried for grace to do it.

 

This begs that we ask the question...what part of the Royal Law do I need worked out in me? Certainly we are not deficient in all of it but what "addendum" would God speak into my life? Careful here, tread sincerely now, if He tells us will we do it or will we be grieved because it strikes at the very core issue of our lives? Perhaps God would call us to obscurity, to servitude, to penury, to suffering or to a thousand different things to try and get at some hindrance in our life. We may look disdainfully at this poor wretch but how are we going to fare when Jesus, in love and compassion, tries to point out what we need most? Well let's use this fellows misfortune to put us on the right track.

8) Come follow Me - I believe this bears out that Jesus loved this man; He was going to make him a disciple. The Lord offered him great treasure in heaven, to be a follower of the Lamb and to fulfill the Royal Law...but sadly, he declined. Let us give this serious consideration, what is our greatest hindrance in our walk? What is the one thing, that if it were broken, would make us feel so much better in our life? Is it anger, resentment, lust, covetousness, hatred, hardness...etc? Now take it one step further, what part of the Royal Law does it cause us to violate? Is it breaking the command to love Him alone (idols) or the command to love our fellow man as ourselves? Let's ask God for direct counsel and plead for the grace to receive it and to follow its mandate to us so we might rejoice the heart of God and reflect His wonderful image as the true sons and daughters of God.