Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule:
Exodus 21-24
In the city of Philadelphia, a group of fifty-five men met in May of 1787 to discuss the creation of a new system of government. Each of these men were representatives of the colonies that had won a war to establish their independence from Great Britain. The Articles of Confederation had previously been drawn up as a temporary guide for governing the colonies, but these articles had failed to meet the needs of the colonies. The colonies, therefore, determined to create a permanent document by which they could be governed. The representatives met behind closed doors for four months. They met in a final session on September 17, 1787, and signed the document they had created. The document was submitted to the various colonies and was approved. The document they approved was the Constitution of the United States of America. It is a rather brief document that contains the general principles upon which our government is based. It is the foundational document that provides the guiding principles for all of our national life.
The Constitution is the guiding document of our legal system. It is the basis of thousands and thousands of laws that apply its principles in specific situations. The specific situations are then governed by what is called case law, and these laws declare that if you do this particular deed, then you could receive this particular punishment. In other words, case law provides the practical application of the broad principles asserted in constitutional law.
The Bible contains Ten Commandments. We know that these are the foundational principles God gave to His people. In a sense, they are similar to our Constitution. They serve the same purpose regarding our relationship with God as the Constitution does with regard to our nation’s government. The Old Testament, however, also contains case law or legislation that applies those principles to specific situations. The moral law was outlined in Exodus 20, the civil law in chapters 21-23, and the religious law at the end of chapter 23 and on into chapter 24.
Prayer Requests:
Personal
- Lord, please help me to submit myself to your final authority in every area of my life.
- Lord, please help me to apply the principles of your word appropriately and accurately in my life.
- Lord, please help me to be grateful for the orderliness that you show in every area of your defined law.
Political
- Senator John Bizon – District 019 – Battle Creek
- Representative Kyra Bolden – District 035 – Southfield
- Representative Ann Bollin – District 042 – Brighton