Magnifying the Law and Making it Honorable
Jack Jackson - MinisterWhereYouAre.org

"The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honorable." Isaiah 42:21

The Book of Isaiah is filled with prophesy, such as the verse above. We will examine this verse and its implications upon the upcoming arrival of the Messiah and for us today who call ourselves believers (grafted into the oil tree).

Let us first ask, "How did Jesus magnify the law?". Jesus described just looking with lust as now adultery (Matt 5:28). He said if hated a brother even without cause it was a kin to murder (1 John 3:15 & Matt 5:21-22). Jesus was getting us to see the heart of the matter, not just the outward expression of sin. This is how we can be judged for evil thoughts as well as deeds. We can also see that just obeying in outward deed, does not relate to obedience. If we give when we don't want to, He does not accept our offering. Cain's heart was wrong, so God refused his offering.

The Lord, speaking through James defined sin as knowing to do good and not doing it (James 4:17). Paul speaks to the heart again in Romans 8:6-7 when he states that to be carnally minded is death; then describes this as being at enmity to God. But before you insert your subjective definition in as what would define that enmity with God, let us just take God's definition from verse 7 "for it is not subject to the law". What is not subject to the law of God? The carnal minded! What word is used for law? Nomos (Strong's 3551 defined as of Moses and the Gospels). These laws are the very instruction of our Lord, given not only by His human mouth, but also as the One who spoke to Abraham and Moses, as the "Logos" of God. Jesus, just to make sure we don't misunderstand Him in Matt 5 tells us not to think He came to destroy the Torah (nomos) or the prophets but to fulfill them.

This takes us to the second part of the title verse and how He was to make the law (Torah) more honorable. Many believe Jesus struggled to keep the law (Torah). I have heard many say He broke some just to prove He was allowed to, but this is a misunderstanding of scripture to be sure; because; had Jesus broke even one part of Torah, He is not Messiah, because He would not be blameless or unspotted. Did Jesus keep the Torah because He had too, or because He wanted too? If He did it with a wrong heart, it would have been sin! Jesus loved the Father and wanted to be obedient, even to death on a cross. Do not get a wrong understanding that somehow Jesus thought obeying Torah (laws) was bogus and that He came to do something about the unfair law that mean ole' Father had implemented to cause Israel to stumble. God said He offered mercy unto thousands who would "continue to love" Him and "continue to keep" His commandments (Exodus 20:6). Just as any other parent, He desired genuine love and obedience. Love cannot be forced, it must be genuine or its not love. True love for God is not carnal or opposed to God's law.

Concluding already that "nomos" = Torah, Romans 2: 13 concludes "For not the hearers of the Torah are just before God, but the doers of the Torah shall be justified." Then verses 14 and 15 declare: " For when the Gentiles, which have not the Torah, do by nature the things of Torah, these, having not the Torah, are a Torah unto themselves: Which show the work of the Torah written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts the means while accusing or else excusing one another. If you read the rest of Romans 2 and insert Torah where "nomos" was translated "law", you will understand that passage and that the keeping of the Torah is important to God.

It amazes me how much Christians will argue for their liberty, instead of embracing God's instructions. In fact our liberty was liberty not to sin, not for an occasion of the flesh. Romans 6:17-18 declares: "But God be thanked, that ye were servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin (the noun form which is our desire to sin), ye became the servants of righteousness." Chapter 7 of Romans is telling us that while the Jews, like Paul, were keeping Torah without love to do it; the fact they kept it was of no affect and was death. But that when one dies to self and sin, and serves in newness of life, because they love God and want to please Him, the law is not even a law to them.

Imagine you have to cross a suspension bridge daily across a deep gorge. One false step and you die. One day you come to find someone has added rails to make sure you can't fall off. Do you say "Who placed those restrictions on me?" No, seeing the rails that way would make no sense. In the same way, people who see God's Torah as restrictions, rather than safety rails have a wrong understanding of both Torah and God. They should examine themselves and ask God to search their hearts and help them to see that their attitude towards God's law (Torah) is indeed carnal, not in the Spirit. If it were in the Spirit, it would lovingly desire to obey God's Torah, just as Jesus did. Being opposed to God's Torah and precepts is not walking in the light as He was in the light.

"Wherefore the Torah is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." Romans 7:12

Jesus came to show us how obedience to Torah in love is honorable. If we are bondservants to Christ Jesus, we are to offer ourselves in love and obedience, therefore the law is not really a law to the one who lovingly submits. So don't ask "Do I have to keep Torah" when Jesus already asked you this first "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord and do not the things which I say?" Luke 6:46 He then describes the one who does as like a man who builds on rock as could not be shaken, as opposed to one that hears and doesn't do and falls because he has built on sand.

Which man are you? How is your heart to obeying God's Torah? A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is my honor? And if I be a master, where is my fear? (Malachi 1:6).