Gods Tenets Part One

By: Rev. Robert Vergeson D.D.

Six Principal Tenets of God in the O.T. Part I

A tenet is a belief or truth that is held by an individual or group, principals that guide them through life setting a standard of beliefs to which they hold as truth undeniable. Gods word for man has always been a tenet of truths undeniable by those who model their life after these tenets. Now you may ask what are the tenets we find in the words of God found in the bible. You may first say it is the Ten Commandments, and you would be right. However, there are more then the Ten Commandments that are written in the bible that are tenets of Gods Word and the life He wants us to live. The old testament (O.T.) is in its fullness a tenet of God for his people. We learn from the historical facts how God wanted his people to live and what his rewards were for those faithful to Him. We also learn of his punishments for those who are unfaithful to Gods tenets.

It must first be confirmed that the O.T. is a book (bible) that is written by man through the guidance of God. It is an undeniable truth supported by historical fact and evidence of that era of man. It is not my purpose at this time to take note of authors or those who wrote these histories of man, but to simply accept fact and that these truths are the Word of God as told us by those men of God of that time and era. For the serious student of the Bible, they should learn on their own who these authors were, the when, what, where, and why on their own. To do these is to read more then just the bible, but to compare ancient and historical facts that support the O.T. and the NT’s historical settings, and the people, nations, and governments that existed at those times. It is the entire picture that we must look at, and not just a small pigment or pixel of the story told in this panoramic picture.

A good study bible will give notes and comments detailing dates, ownership, and supplements to read in broadening you Bible knowledge. However, it is the Word of God that inspired man to tell the story of the bible and that is where the tenets of God come from, direct by God to those appointed to record this story for all to hear and know Gods words, His covenants, and promises to man. The Old testament (O.T.) beginning with Genesis sets the first principal tenet that God gave Adam and Eve.

Genesis 2:16-17 (NLT)
But the Lord God gave him this warning: "You may freely eat any fruit in the garden [17] except fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat of its fruit, you will surely die."

God first tenet was surely a choice given Adam and Eve. God has always given us this free will to choose to live by his tenets, which is Good, or to die if we choice not to live by is tenets, which is a life of sin, evil in Gods eyes. We have that choice as our first tenet by God. Through Eve, Adam choose to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Thereby, Adam and Eve were banned from the Garden of Eden, their punishment for their choice. Thus they where to eventually die.

Genesis 3:22-24 (NLT)
Then the Lord God said, "The people have become as we are, knowing everything, both good and evil. What if they eat the fruit of the tree of life? Then they will live forever!" [23] So the Lord God banished Adam and his wife from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. [24] After banishing them from the garden, the Lord God stationed mighty angelic beings to the east of Eden. And a flaming sword flashed back and forth, guarding the way to the tree of life.

God sets his second principal tenet to which is punishment for our sins. Adam and Eve where driven from the Garden of Eden where, if they had not sinned, would have had eternal life with God. God feared that if Adam and Eve had stayed in the Garden they would have eaten of the fruit of life therefore they would have eternal life in sin, rather then a mortal life to which they could redeem themselves. From the beginning God set forth his plan for redemption of sinners through the children of Adam and Eve. It is through these generations of children we are born sinners.

God has now set his future plans for man in motion. Though He was very disappointed in Adam & Eve, he had compassion for them and by this compassion he gave them and their children another chance to redeem themselves. Now some would say that Cain was the first sinner when he killed Abel, however we must take into account that the first sin was created by Lucifer when his rebellion in the Heavens caused him to be cast down to the bowels of earth to ever be its prisoner and his kingdom. The first sin was committed before Eve took of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil. By this second act of sin, did Adam and Eve become aware of the first sin, thus having knowledge of Good and Evil. By Eve’s choice did evil have a firm foothold in mans life, and since then, we have been given a choice to serve God by His love and compassion for us, or be tempted by Lucifer to serve evil.

Cain’s sin was the first act of choosing wrongly through anger to kill his brother Abel. God saw Abel’s sacrifice as worthy, where by Cain’s sacrifice was not. Cain reacted with anger, rather then choose the right way to respond to God’s disfavor.

Genesis 4:3-8 (NLT)
At harvest time Cain brought to the Lord a gift of his farm produce, [4] while Abel brought several choice lambs from the best of his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his offering, [5] but he did not accept Cain and his offering. This made Cain very angry and dejected.
[6] "Why are you so angry?" the Lord asked him. "Why do you look so dejected? [7] You will be accepted if you respond in the right way. But if you refuse to respond correctly, then watch out! Sin is waiting to attack and destroy you, and you must subdue it."
[8] Later Cain suggested to his brother, Abel, "Let's go out into the fields." And while they were there, Cain attacked and killed his brother.

We have our third principal tenet here which is to always respond in the right way and not allow sin to attack and destroy us. Cain killed his brother because of his anger and through this anger he sinned before God and God punished Cain.

Genesis 4:10-16 (NLT)
But the Lord said, "What have you done? Listen—your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground! [11] You are hereby banished from the ground you have defiled with your brother's blood. [12] No longer will it yield abundant crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless fugitive on the earth, constantly wandering from place to place."
[13] Cain replied to the Lord, "My punishment is too great for me to bear! [14] You have banished me from my land and from your presence; you have made me a wandering fugitive. All who see me will try to kill me!"
[15] The Lord replied, "They will not kill you, for I will give seven times your punishment to anyone who does." Then the Lord put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. [16] So Cain left the Lord's presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Once again we see the results of our act of sin, which was Cain’s choice to act out his anger by murder of his brother Abel. Now not all acts of anger lead to murder, nor does it lead to sin. However God makes it very clear that if we allow ourselves to be angered, then we open ourselves to be tempted by evil to do harm, therefore we are to respond correctly which is to be cool headed, understanding, and at all times peaceful in our emotions toward others. Gods tenets up to this time have been clearly stated on how He expects us to act and behave. Through the children of Cain are the tribes of men and women who have throughout history shown the negative side of Cain’s actions and have been a mortal thorn in Gods plans for his people.

1 John 3:12 (NLT)
We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was right.

We now come to our Fourth Principal Tenet which is being faithful to God. Throughout the O.T. and the New Testament (NT) we are told of those men and women who have been faithful to God. Abel was the first because of his acceptable offer to God.

Hebrews 11:4 (NLT)
It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. God accepted Abel's offering to show that he was a righteous man. And although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us because of his faith.

Abel faithfulness has endeared God to those who have been faithful, even unto death. God rewards the faithful and punishes those who have displeased Him. Always has God told us to be faithful. Now up to this time in the history of man, God has shown much patience toward the children of Adam & Eve. Many nations have been founded by now, and in some nations did the people show faithfulness to God’s tenets, while others failed to observe God’s tenets. It was these people that angered God greatly and he was displeased with them.

Genesis 6:5-8 (NLT)
Now the Lord observed the extent of the people's wickedness, and he saw that all their thoughts were consistently and totally evil. [6] So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them. It broke his heart. [7] And the Lord said, "I will completely wipe out this human race that I have created. Yes, and I will destroy all the animals and birds, too. I am sorry I ever made them." [8] But Noah found favor with the Lord.

God does and have often tossed His hands up and said enough is enough. The faithful shall live, and the wicked shall perish. Through Noah’s favor, God gave man another chance to redeem themselves before God. After the end of the flood, God made a promise that never again will He destroy man because of their sin. This covenant is our Fifth principal tenet.

Genesis 8:21 (NLT)
And the Lord was pleased with the sacrifice and said to himself, "I will never again curse the earth, destroying all living things, even though people's thoughts and actions are bent toward evil from childhood.

Genesis 9:12-17 (NLT)
And God said, "I am giving you a sign as evidence of my eternal covenant with you and all living creatures. [13] I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my permanent promise to you and to all the earth. [14] When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will be seen in the clouds, [15] and I will remember my covenant with you and with everything that lives. Never again will there be a flood that will destroy all life. [16] When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth." [17] Then God said to Noah, "Yes, this is the sign of my covenant with all the creatures of the earth."

From the sons of Noah, came new nations of people who were faithful to God and nations that were hot and cold toward God’s tenets. Yet God kept his covenant with Noah and his people.
There are many covenants made by God toward his people, his covenant to Noah is very important to man because it’s a promise by God to never again destroy man because of his unfaithfulness, wickedness, and sin. Once again God is setting a path toward our final redemption.

Abram was a faithful man toward God and Abram received Gods covenant and promise that the faithful will receive great rewards, the promise of many nations.

Genesis 17:1-6 (NLT)
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. [2] I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to make you into a mighty nation." [3] At this, Abram fell face down in the dust. Then God said to him, [4] "This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of not just one nation, but a multitude of nations! [5] What's more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram; now you will be known as Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. [6] I will give you millions of descendants who will represent many nations. Kings will be among them!

It is later in Abrahams life that God sought to test Abrahams faith.

Genesis 22:1-18 (NLT)
Later on God tested Abraham's faith and obedience. "Abraham!" God called.
"Yes," he replied. "Here I am."
[2] "Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will point out to you."
[3] The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son Isaac. Then he chopped wood to build a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place where God had told him to go. [4] On the third day of the journey, Abraham saw the place in the distance. [5] "Stay here with the donkey," Abraham told the young men. "The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back."
[6] Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac's shoulders, while he himself carried the knife and the fire. As the two of them went on together, [7] Isaac said, "Father?"
"Yes, my son," Abraham replied.
"We have the wood and the fire," said the boy, "but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?"
[8] "God will provide a lamb, my son," Abraham answered. And they both went on together.
[9] When they arrived at the place where God had told Abraham to go, he built an altar and placed the wood on it. Then he tied Isaac up and laid him on the altar over the wood. [10] And Abraham took the knife and lifted it up to kill his son as a sacrifice to the Lord. [11] At that moment the angel of the Lord shouted to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
"Yes," he answered. "I'm listening."
[12] "Lay down the knife," the angel said. "Do not hurt the boy in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld even your beloved son from me."
[13] Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering on the altar in place of his son. [14] Abraham named the place "The Lord Will Provide." This name has now become a proverb: "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."
[15] Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham from heaven, [16] "This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your beloved son, I swear by my own self that [17] I will bless you richly. I will multiply your descendants into countless millions, like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. They will conquer their enemies, [18] and through your descendants, all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me."

Another promise was made to Jacob, by God for his faithfulness.

Genesis 28:10-15(NLT)
Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. [11] At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone for a pillow and lay down to sleep. [12] As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from earth to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down on it. [13] At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, "I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I will give it to you and your descendants. [14] Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will cover the land from east to west and from north to south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. [15] What's more, I will be with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. I will someday bring you safely back to this land. I will be with you constantly until I have finished giving you everything I have promised."

Now we have it very clear what the faithful will inherit, and that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were faithful to God, and God was faithful to them in keeping His covenant, as He had done with Noah.

The stage has been set now to show just how faithful they are and what happens to those who remain faithful even unto harsh and unfair conditions as slaves. Moses delivered his people out of bondage because God heard the faithful and through Moses lead his people to the promised land.
As a young man in pharaoh’s adoptive family, Moses learned of his heritage and who his people where.

Exodus 2:11 (NLT)
Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his people, the Israelites, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of the Hebrew slaves.

It was at this point that Moses knew what the hardship and life his people were having as slaves in Egypt. He was moved by their trials and suffering. Because of this Moses struck out and killed a Egyptian who was whipping a defenseless man. Moses fled from Egypt for his crime, and when he came to the land of Midian he was welcomed.

Exodus 2:15-22 (NLT)
And sure enough, when Pharaoh heard about it, he gave orders to have Moses arrested and killed. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and escaped to the land of Midian.
When Moses arrived in Midian, he sat down beside a well. [16] Now it happened that the priest of Midian had seven daughters who came regularly to this well to draw water and fill the water troughs for their father's flocks. [17] But other shepherds would often come and chase the girls and their flocks away. This time, however, Moses came to their aid, rescuing the girls from the shepherds. Then he helped them draw water for their flocks.
[18] When the girls returned to Reuel, their father, he asked, "How did you get the flocks watered so quickly today?"
[19] "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds," they told him. "And then he drew water for us and watered our flocks."
[20] "Well, where is he then?" their father asked. "Did you just leave him there? Go and invite him home for a meal!"
[21] Moses was happy to accept the invitation, and he settled down to live with them. In time, Reuel gave Moses one of his daughters, Zipporah, to be his wife. [22] Later they had a baby boy, and Moses named him Gershom, for he said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land."

As time would have it, Moses settled in and started a family and was appointed over a herd of sheep to watch and its was at this time that God spoke with Moses about his people in Egypt.

Exodus 3:6-10 (NLT)
Then he said, "I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." When Moses heard this, he hid his face in his hands because he was afraid to look at God. [7] Then the Lord told him, "You can be sure I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries for deliverance from their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. [8] So I have come to rescue them from the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own good and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites live. [9] The cries of the people of Israel have reached me, and I have seen how the Egyptians have oppressed them with heavy tasks. [10] Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You will lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt."

Now most of us all know the story of Moses and his efforts to convince the Pharaoh to let his people go. Moses made promises to Pharaoh the consequences if he did not, for his God was God and He would deliver his people from their bondage in Egypt. God fulfilled his promises to Moses and through Moses God convinced Pharaoh to let his people go. Their Exodus is one of the greatest stories told in the O.T. and how God cleared many obstacles for Moses and his people, the greatest of these was crossing the Red sea, and the forty years wandering in the desert.

Since Noah’s time, God has made many covenants and promises, all leading to the future. Now the most outstanding of these which have been the foundation of a faithful life to God, has been the Ten Commandments the Sixth principal tenet that I shall speak of. They were delivered to Moses who in turned delivered these tenets to his people.

Deut. 5:4-21 (NLT)
The Lord spoke to you face to face from the heart of the fire on the mountain. [5] I stood as an intermediary between you and the Lord, for you were afraid of the fire and did not climb the mountain. He spoke to me, and I passed his words on to you. This is what he said:
[6] " 'I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt.
[7] " 'Do not worship any other gods besides me.
[8] " 'Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish. [9] You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god! I do not leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations. [10] But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations.
[11] " 'Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
[12] " 'Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. [13] Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work, [14] but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any kind of work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do. [15] Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out with amazing power and mighty deeds. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
[16] " 'Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God will give you.
[17] " 'Do not murder.
[18] " 'Do not commit adultery.
[19] " 'Do not steal.
[20] " 'Do not testify falsely against your neighbor.
[21] " 'Do not covet your neighbor's wife. Do not covet your neighbor's house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else your neighbor owns.'

Now we have a clearer tenet of what God has been telling his people before and after Noah. The total sum of it is that we are to be faithful to God in all things, from the time the sun rises and sets, to the way we worship Him, and the way we conduct our day to day life before Him. Many of our laws of the land, both in spirit and in fact are based on the Ten Commandments given to Moses and his people. These tenets have served Gods people as a guidelines for a righteous life, and a benchmark for God when it came time to judge his people. From Moses time and until the coming of Christ, Gods people have had a very clear path to travel in pleasing God. However, God has and did make it very clear that His displeasure would be noted and no sin would go unpunished.

Deut. 5:4-21 (NLT)
[8] " 'Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish. [9] You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god! I do not leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations. [10] But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations. [11] " 'Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

Now some may say that at this time God broke his covenant to Noah regarding that He would never destroy man for their sins. But you must understand that God’s promise to Noah was that never again would He cause such total destruction of man as He did with the flood, for he would allow the wicked to sin, and the faithful to live. However, He never said He would not punish the sinful person who knowingly sin against God. There is a big difference between the act of one sinful person being punished then the whole world being destroyed because of the multitude of sinners. God allows the sinful person to live so that they might find redemption and life through Christ. Once again we come to the power of Free Will to choose how we live. Through sinner may live, God has assured that they will die in the flesh and receive nothing in the after life. Where by the faithful will die, but receive everlasting life after life. Therefore when we choice a life of faithfulness toward God, we are choosing life over death.

As we arrive to the era of the New Testament (NT), and the coming of Christ. Gods people has had many generations of growth and faith in God and how they should live. The principal tenets until now have been:

First tenet is “Free will to choose God, live or not, die”
Second tenet is “Sinners shall be punished by God”
Third tenet, “We are to respond in the right way, and not give in to anger and sin”.
Fourth tenet, “We are to be Faithful to God”.
Fifth tenet, “God keeps a covenant and promise to the faithful”.
Six tenet, “the Ten Commandments.”

Of these principal tenets, the O.T. certainly has other tenets given by God through man. It would be an exhausting and lengthy process to mention them all. So I hope that you my readers will take some diligent time to read carefully the O.T. to discover these for yourself. As the O.T. is a historical fact, supported by ancient text outside of the Bible, and other ancient writings, the O.T. you might say sets the plot for the New Testament. The O.T.’s historical references both written by man in of itself, and by God through man gives us both the lifestyle of Gods people of that era spanning more then 5,000 years of civilization, governments, wars, and conquests. Adam & Eve were the parents of many children who had started many nations of people up until the time of Noah. Through Noah’s lineage, we have the post flood nations, and those nations promised to come of Abrahams lineage, Isaac and Jacob. Moses delivered Gods people and showed them the promised land. Which came at a price to Moses, and a price the people had to pay to receive Gods promise and covenants. Foremost the O.T. prepares us for the promised messiah and the NT tells us of his coming and how Jesus was received by his people.

The O.T. certainly gives us many historical facts describing these nations, their rise and fall. God has been instrumental in the rise of many nations because of the faithful to his tenets and just as certain, has caused the fall of many nations because of the unfaithful who made the wrong choice in disobeying God. Yet, God has for many of these unfaithful given them a second chance to redeem themselves in God eyes. This tells us that God is a forgiving God, a compassionate God, and a loving God. However, the message remains the same from God. “To the faithful He will pour out his compassion and love, granting them covenants and promises that they will inherit His love and compassion, and eternal life.” While the sinful person will inherit nothing unless they repent. Sin has always been the downfall of many nations, individuals, and has gained great tribulations and trials granted by God on those who sin.

From the tenet that we have a “free will to choose”, to the Ten Commandments, Gods people have had a very clear choose to make, while others choose sin, many chose to be faithful to God. Yet God has not been ignorant of the reason we sin. For we are born of a flesh that has a sinful nature because of Adam and Eve. Therefore, as from the beginning, God has had a plan in place that would give man and women, their last and final chance to pick the winning team. Everything that has transpired in the O.T., has been leading up to the events told us in the NT, and the final promise that through the death of his Son, the sinful nature of man would have a final irreversible way out of the final punishment God has planned for man and women who sin. This will end part I of this message and Part II will begin in the NT describing the final tenets of God delivered to us through his Son on Earth.

By Robert Vergeson
October 22, 2005

Article Source: http://www.religionarticlelibrary.com

Rev Robert Vergeson is a associate member of the Universal Life Church, and founder of the God's Temple of Grace Ministries Website, www.geocities.com/revdocrobert.

Please Rate this Article

# of Ratings = 1 | Rating = 5/5