Sometimes it seems like a major portion of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy is filled with “thou shalt not”s. Besides specific “thou shalt not”s to individuals, there are also general “thou shalt not”s to the entire nation:
- Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image…
- Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them…
- Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain…
- …thou shalt not do any work [in the sabbath]…
- Thou shalt not kill.
- Thou shalt not commit adultery.
- Thou shalt not steal.
- Thou shalt not bear false witness…
- Thou shalt not covet…
- Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live…
- Thou shalt not be to him as an usurer…
- Thou shalt not raise a false report…
- Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil…
- Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor…
- Thou shalt not curse the deaf…
- Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart…
- Thou shalt not avenge…
- Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing…
- Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of the poor…
- Thou shalt not oppress a stranger…
These are only a few examples of the 219 times the phrase “thou shalt not” is used in Scripture – not counting other phrases such as “neither shalt thou” or “ye shall not.”
In reading through these statements, where is the love of God? God is love; thus, everything that He says is from His love. However, “thou shalt not” seems inherently negative: “You’d better not do this or else,” or “Don’t you dare think about doing this.” After all, that is how we as people often use that type of phrase.
That is the roadblock I was stuck on every time I tried to consider these passages in light of the love of God. It says ”thou shalt not;” I cannot make it say something else just because I might not think it fits. Therefore, I was stuck.
I was stuck, that is, until I happened to read a particular verse in Psalm 91. What does it say?
“Thou shalt not…” – the same three words again; what are they attached to this time?
“Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.”
Psalm 91:5-6
That is different. The other occurrences of “thou shalt not” are apparently commanding the people not to do something, while this verse is commanding people not to be something. What does that mean? “You had better not be afraid or else”? “Don’t you dare think about being afraid”? Perhaps it is a parallel to Jesus’ command, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:1).
Perhaps it is – but could there possibly be another side to “thou shalt not”? Psalm 91 is not the only use of the phrase in that manner:
- “When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.” (Proverbs 3:24)
- “When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.” (Proverbs 4:12)
- “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” (Isaiah 43:2)
- “Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me.” (Isaiah 44:21)
- “In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.” (Isaiah 54:14)
- “But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 39:17-18)
- “A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.” (Deuteronomy 8:9)
- “For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.” (Deuteronomy 15:6)
These passages seem to lend a slightly different meaning to the phrase. When we lie down, we shall not be afraid – fear just won’t be there. It is not that we want to fear and have to force ourselves not to; rather, there is nothing to be afraid of – fear simply isn’t around. When we run, we will not stumble. It would seem ridiculous to command a runner, “Thou shalt not stumble.” Obviously, no runner wants to stumble, expects to stumble, or tries to stumble. A runner runs; he does not stumble. Because the LORD is holding us, there is no danger of stumbling.
The phrase takes on the meaning of a promise rather than of a command. When we walk through the fire, we shall not be burned – once again, how silly to view this phrase as a command, for there is no humanly possible way that we could walk through a fire and prevent ourselves from being burned. However, as the LORD covers us in His love as if in 100%-fireproof garments, we shall not be burned!
Similarly, “we shall not be forgotten of Him” – it is His work. We shall not fear – fear will not be around, for we are established in righteousness and far from oppression. “Thou shalt not fall by the sword” and “Thou shalt not lack any thing” again would seem ridiculous in light of commands, but precious in light of promises. “Thou shalt not borrow” is the same way – why would the people want to borrow when they were rolling in the blessing of the LORD?
The phrase is also used in the New Testament. Jesus declared in one of His parables, “I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.” (Luke 12:59). He is not saying, “Don’t you dare depart,” or “You had better not depart or else”; instead, He is saying that it is just not going to happen! A similar meaning is conveyed in the book of Acts: “Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” (Acts 13:35). There is no danger of that happening!
With this perspective on how the phrase is used elsewhere in Scripture, what about the original verses that we examined? “Thou shalt not be afraid…” Now this is not a threatening command, but a loving promise. Consider the context of Psalm 91:
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
Psalm 91
The entire Psalm is full of the love, care, and protection of the LORD. When we are in this position, the phrase “Thou shalt not be afraid” is not negative or threatening, but is rather a reassuring promise of confidence and security. In the secret place, under His shadow and His wings, with Him as our refuge, fortress, shield, and buckler, covered and delivered by Him, why should we be afraid? What is there to fear? Fear is just not around. The verse becomes a promise that in Him, we shall not be afraid. What love!
However – if the “thou shalt not”s elsewhere in Scripture turn out to be positive, reassuring promises that reflect the love of the LORD, what about the occurrences in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy? Consider again the list we examined previously:
- Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image…
- Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them…
- Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain…
- …thou shalt not do any work [in the sabbath]…
- Thou shalt not kill.
- Thou shalt not commit adultery.
- Thou shalt not steal.
- Thou shalt not bear false witness…
- Thou shalt not covet…
- Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live…
- Thou shalt not be to him as an usurer…
- Thou shalt not raise a false report…
- Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil…
- Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor…
- Thou shalt not curse the deaf…
- Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart…
- Thou shalt not avenge…
- Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing…
- Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of the poor…
- Thou shalt not oppress a stranger…
Perhaps, as we live in the love of the LORD and allow Him to live His life through us, these also become promises rather than merely commands! When we are in Him, He works through us and His law is in us. We no longer listen to our old nature that tells us to make graven images, take God’s name in vain, do work in the sabbath, steal, covet, raise false reports, hate, avenge, or oppress. Instead, we live HIS life – and IN HIM, it is not, “Don’t you dare do this,” or “You had better not do this or else.” As we rest in Him, such things are not even a part of us any longer. Such things have no part in His life, and His is the life that we are living. In freedom and security in Christ, we do not have to worry about our old sin nature in the same way. It is like the verse, “When you walk through the fire, thou shalt not be burned” – there is nothing that we can do in ourselves to prevent us from being burned by the sin and evil of the world as we walk through it – but in Him, we will not be burned by the sin and evil of the world! In Him, what promises we have! We shall not kill! We shall not follow a multitude to do evil! We shall not hate our brother in our heart – because we are seeking Him!
That puts a different perspective on to the idea of delighting in the law of God (Psalm 1). With such security in Him, how could we help but delight in what He has given us! The law is not a list of constraining rules to follow; it is the freedom in Him that we have as we abide and rest in Him.
Praise God for the peace of His promises of what life in Him and His kingdom looks like! Praise Him that within Him, we shall not break His commandments! In Him, there just isn’t lying. Or murder. Or coveting. Or having other gods before Him. Our takeaway, then, is to rest in Him and allow Him to live through us every moment–so that we shall not be a part of anything outside of His kingdom and His law!
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