When God writes

by Alan Taylor | May 26, 2013

In Exodus 19:20 God came down on Mount Sinai and then in Exodus 31:18 He wrote the Law on two tablets of stone with his finger.

In John chapter 8 Jesus came into the temple and wrote on the stone floor with His finger. This is the passage where the Pharisees bring before Jesus a woman caught in adultery and test Him on His response to the clear instruction in the Law to stone her. Jesus replies with the now classic phrase “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her”.

My paraphrase of Exodus 31:18 – God stooped down and wrote on the stone with His finger

My paraphrase of John 8:6 – Jesus stooped down and wrote on the stone with His finger

I’ve heard the question asked about Jesus in John 8 “what was He writing?” Wrong question – the question is “why was He writing on the stone floor with His finger”. And the answer is – because He is the same God who did it with Moses so long ago.

The lesson that Jesus was giving was:“You want to use the law? I wrote that law! You’re just as guilty as she is and you’ve missed that it’s all about relationship with me.”

This is repeated in James 2:10-13 which basically says “you want to uphold the law? If you accuse someone of adultery and you commit murder you’re just as guilty. Mercy triumphs over judgement.”

The law was a fence to keep people on the path so they would find their way to God. All the Pharisees could see was the fence. Jesus turns up as the end of the pathway and the Pharisees are still studying the thickness of the wire and the gap in the mesh.

Declaring His Word

by Alan Taylor | May 25, 2013

Right at the start when God opened His heart
He spoke to the night and said “Let there be light”
He could have just thought and the world would appear
But He chose to use words so the lesson was clear
From His power and His glory He spoke from above
To create His own family to share in His love

Now He’s passed on to us the power to declare
That Jesus is king and His presence is near
God’s word is the tool that allows us to rule
We agree and decree, we address and confess
We declare and establish and He lights up our way
We remove all the mountains with the words that we say
When we turn on the tongue then the reach of our speech will turn night into light, death into breath.

Give voice to His word and let it be heard
Preach it and teach it – let it out with a shout
The works of our Father are what we’re about
We believe and we speak and we say our “Amen”
Knowing what He has done He will do it again

The angels are waiting for our activating
When we issue the command they’ll be there on demand
Speak His word as a fact and His messengers will act
His winds and his fire will accomplish His desire

Don’t leave the word on the page but let it engage
With those that surround us, declaring heaven has found us.
With the word as our sword we say Jesus is Lord
The words of our story will bring forth His glory

Heaven and earth will not last but His word will hold fast
He’s entrusted to us the word of His power
To make known His kingdom in this glorious hour.