Dr Paul Allen

To some, the concepts of love and law contradict one another. While love conjures images of warmth and family, law conjures images of coldness and isolation. In our contemporary culture, loving others and believing in objective moral standards are often seen as mutually exclusive commitments. But love and law are not opposed to one another. In fact, according to the Bible , love and law fit together by faith. Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ‘ You shall not commit adultery , You shall not murder , You shall not steal , You shall not covet ,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day...

In days of gladness and in times of war the blast of the trumpet was a familiar sound in Israel. It was the voice of Jehovah, and the commands that the Lord gave by means of the trumpets were given on the ground of redemption. As Israel was His redeemed people, He claimed their obedience. The trumpets, as emblematic of the voice of God, were to be blown only by the priests, v. 8, men who had been cleansed and commissioned, Num. 8:6–15. These men were to make known the Lord’s will to the people. As Israel was dependent on the sound of the trumpet, so we are dependent as His people on the teaching of His word. Conviction in the use of the trumpet is necessary as it must not give an uncertain sound, 1 Cor. 14:8. They were used for the gathering of Israel, v. 3, and God still calls His people together, Heb. 10:25; Matt. 18:20. They were used when the people journeyed, v. 2, and we are not to settle down in this scene. We are but passing through. They were to be blown in days of gladnes...