One of the most challenging and interesting subjects to study in the Bible concerns the laws of the Old Testament. Firstly, they give us an insight into the culture of the people to whom God spoke directly through His prophets. Secondly, they give insight into God and our relationship to Him. And thirdly, they shed light on the New Testament and the life of our Savior.
It is especially important for a Christian to be aware of these laws because many attacks on our faith come from those who do not understand us or the Bible. It usually goes something like this, “You Christians are hypocrites. You don’t really believe the Bible because if you did you would follow all the laws of the Old Testament.”
Those who want to change morality in modern times will often argue that we do not keep many of the laws of the Old Testament. We eat pork. We wear clothes of mixed fibers. We do not sacrifice. We happily eat shellfish. So why can’t homosexual action or abortion be treated in the same way, as a Law that was appropriate for the Old Testament but not today? How do we decide which laws to obey and which to ignore?
Usually the answer is that the moral laws (all of which are repeated in the New Testament) apply at all times and in all places while the dietary/ceremonial and civil laws no longer apply. That is true, as far as it goes. But, what we often fail to point out is that even when the outward practice of a law no longer applies, the intent behind the law still does. All of God’s laws are valid at all times though the way in which they are implemented may change.
As an example, we no longer practice circumcision or sacrifice as sacramental worship. Both were confirmation of God’s promise of salvation pointing ahead to the coming Savior. Once the Savior came, the outward practice of the law no longer made sense. Circumcision, which pointed ahead to the fulfillment of the promise that one of Israel’s descendants would be the Savior, no longer made sense once the Savior had arrived. However, the intent behind that Law, to give us confirmation of God’s promises and to strengthen our faith, remains and is proclaimed in the practices of baptism and communion.
Another example, each Israelite man was to wear tassels at the hem of his garment with at least one blue thread. Tassels on clothes, because they were merely decorative, and blue, because of the expense of the dye, both represented nobility. Each member of Israel, therefore, gave testimony that, no matter their earthly circumstances, they were members of the family of the King of the universe and, therefore, free and noble in His eyes.
We are no longer required to wear blue or tassels. Paul, however, when speaking to the Greek believers of Corinth, told the men not to wear hats to worship and the women to cover their hair. In 1st century Greek society male slaves wore hats while free men did not and vice versa for woman. The outward practice changed but the intent behind the law did not. Believers of all times come before God as His children, noble and free, no matter our earthly circumstances.
So, the argument that any Law of the Old Testament may be ignored because it no longer fits our society and times does not hold. While the practical application may be fluid, the intent and moral foundation behind the laws of the Old Testament remains solid and immutable.
In this study we will look at these laws and see what they have to say about us, the God Whom we serve, and how He relates to us.
No comments:
Post a Comment