Luke 16 (4)

Pray Psalm 1.1, 2.
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.

Sing Psalm 1.1, 2.
(St. Thomas: I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord)
How blessed are they that shun sin’s vain and wicked ways.
For them has Christ salvation won; He loves them all their days.

God’s Word is their delight; they prosper in its truth.
In it they dwell both day and night to flourish and bear fruit.

Read Luke 16.1-18; meditate on verses 16-18.

Preparation
1. What did Jesus say about the Kingdom of God?

2. Did Jesus seem to think the Law of God was unimportant?

Meditation
Jesus said that where the Gospel is preached, people will be greatly stirred in their souls, and they will “press into” the Kingdom (v. 16), even laying hold on it with holy spiritual violence (cf. Matt. 11.12). To those who have come to know Jesus, the Kingdom of God – righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, and true power to live as witnesses for Christ (Rom. 14.17, 18; 1 Cor. 4.20; Acts 1.8) – is so attractive, appealing, and alluring that they devote all their conscious energies to realizing more of its presence, promise, and power (v. 16).

The Law and the prophets prepared the way for the Kingdom. John was the culmination of all Old Testament revelation. Jesus submitted to John’s baptism, signifying His perfect fulfillment of all the Old Testament types, teaching, and tropes (Jn. 5.39). He did not eliminate the Law and prophets, but, through the Gospel of the Kingdom, showed us how we may keep and fulfill all of God’s Word (v. 17; cf. Matt. 5.17-19; Rom. 3.31).

In the Kingdom of God, the Law remains as the standard for loving God and our neighbors (v. 17; cf. Matt. 22.34-40). Jesus’ mention of divorce here acknowledged that the Law permitted divorce, but reminded His hearers that marriage is the priority in God’s economy, and it must not be sundered frivolously. When the defining focus and driving force of our lives is the Kingdom of God, and when we are pressing into it day by day, we will be more likely to persevere in all the requirements of love, that we may realize all its promises.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You established the earth, and it abides.
They continue this day according to Your ordinances,
For all are Your servants” (Ps. 119.89-91).

“Forever” sounds pretty secure and eternal to me.
And this forever quality of the established heaven and earth is the very same guarded condition of the Law of God. Nothing will ever nullify its use and usefulness. It is the way things work according to God’s economy.

Just to make things perfectly clear, Jesus added that it would be easier for the eternally secure heaven and earth to evaporate than for one tittle of the Law to fail. Lest we miss the nuance, a tittle is a small diacritic mark, such as an accent, vowel mark, or dot over an i. It is the tiniest bit, less than an iota.

The Law is here to stay. As long as God keeps the heaven and earth afloat, the Law remains intact.

Therefore, it is important that we keep it.
We don’t keep it to be saved. But we keep it in response to the fact that we are saved.

The Law of God is meant for the people of God to keep.
We are the ones who have heard the preaching and then press into the Kingdom.
We do err when we demand that unbelievers keep God’s Law.
But we do also err, most egregiously, if we do not keep His Law.

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people,
that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
who once were not a people but are now the people of God,
who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims,
abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
having your conduct honorable…
that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may,
by your good works which they observe,
glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Pet. 2.9-12).

Press in, press on, and “persevere in all the requirements of love”:
For His glory and the edification of others (Lk. 16.16, 17).

For reflection
1. Why is the Law of God still so important for the followers of Jesus?

2. Would you describe yourself as “pressing into” the Kingdom of God? Explain.

3. Whom will you encourage today to press on in realizing more of the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God?

Whoever hears and loves the sacred message takes it by force. This means that he uses all his eagerness and strength in his desire to enter within the hope. He says in another place, “The kingdom of heaven is taken by violence, and the violent seize upon it.” Cyril of Alexandria (375-444), Commentary on Luke, Homily 110

Pray Psalm 1.3-6.
Pray that God will anchor you more firmly in His Word and Spirit, and that He will give you mercy and grace for this day and all its needs and opportunities.

Sing Psalm 1.3-6.
(St. Thomas: I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord)
Firm planted on the banks of God’s great stream of grace,
they raise unending praise and thanks to His great glorious face.

The wicked are not so, but, driven by the winds,
they fall and perish, weighed with woe, when once God’s wrath begins.

In Jesus’ righteousness, though sinners fail and fall,
His flock He will preserve and bless, who on His favor call.

T. M. and Susie Moore

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.