Moses and Law

Objectives

• Students will determine to trust on Christ for their righteousness instead of a legal code.

Opening

Bring some copies of a regulatory book to class. If you have a library nearby you might pick up a copy of the FAR/AIM, the FAA list of regulations. The idea here is that the book should be thick and include lots of rules.

• What are some examples of rules?

• Take a look at this book, what do you notice?

• Why do we have so many rules?

Main Body

The Mosaic Covenant

The Creation of the Covenant

The Mosaic covenant is often associated with Exodus 19-24.

• What conditions are set forth in Exodus 19:5?
  • Obedience

• What promises are given in Exodus 19:5-6?
  • God would make Israel his treasured possession and a kingdom of priests.

• According to Exodus 19:7-9, who agrees to the covenant?
  • Both God and the people agree to the covenant.

• In Exodus 19:10-11 what actions are taken to ratify the covenant?
  • The people wash themselves and set themselves apart.

Obedience

• The condition placed on the covenant was that of obedience. What was it that the people were supposed to obey?
  • The Old Testament Law was the standard God set forth. Exodus 20 has the 10 commandments but throughout Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, we find details on the laws that God expected Israel to obey.

• What are some examples of laws set forth in the Old Testament Law?
  • Ten Commandments
  • Laws on purity
  • Laws regulating interactions with other people
  • In fact, some Jews apparently codify the laws into 613 distinct commandments, 365 negative commandments, and 248 Positive commandments.

• According to Galatians 3:11, what was the Law unable to do?
  • Justify someone

Types of Law

One of the biggest challenges some theologians face is how to determine which Old Testament Laws apply today and which do not. In my opinion the answer is easy. The Old Testament served Israel as a legal code but for the Christian today the Old Testament serves as a means of teaching who God is and what holiness is. However, it may be helpful to try and understand how other theologians have looked at the Old Testament.

• What type of law is discussed in Lev. 24:17-23 and Deut. 21:1-4?
  • Civil laws appear to be discussed here

• What type of law is discussed in Ex. 29:1-46 and Lev. 11:1-47?
  • Ceremonial laws

• What type of law is discussed in Lev. 19:11 and Lev. 19:13?
  • Moral laws

From this perspective theologians have then argued that certain laws are still in effect today.

Non-theonomic reformed view

For example, the non-theonomic reformed view of law and gospel can be summarized by the acceptance of the traditional reformed view that the civil elements of the law are no longer applicable while also maintaining continuity between the times before Christ and the time after Christ. The insistence on continuity in time and the division of the law into moral, ceremonial, and civil components forms the backbone of the non-theonomic reformed view.

Theonomic reformed view

Bahsen claims that any denial of the applicability of the moral law to society today brings the risk of reducing our stance to cultural relativism in ethics. He does, however, recognize that the digital age is significantly different than the agrarian society of the Old Testament. Ultimately Bahsen claims that “some discontinuities with the mosaic law (or laws) are redemptive-historical in character and pertain to the coming of the new covenant and the finished work of Christ, while others are cultural in character and pertain to simple changed of time place or lifestyle </blockquote>

• From where then does the Christian get their rule of life?
  • The moral law of God is immutable. This law, on which the Mosaic Law was built, is still written on human hearts (Romans 2:14-15). First Corinthians 9:20 teaches that Paul, while not bound by the law remained faithful to the law. The Law of Christ is the new law, which the Christian should hold. The Law of Christ is not a rephrasing of the Mosaic Law but a ministry of the Holy Spirit.