The Old Testament law influenced and regulated every aspect of the ancient Jewish life. It provided instructions on how the people were to worship God, relate to and treat their neighbor, govern the civil and militaristic affairs, and behave in their families. The law was unique to the ancient Israelites in that it was not derived from the consent or collective thoughts of the people, nor was it passed down by the elite of their society. Rather, the law came directly to the people from God through the mouth of his servant Moses. The law also had many characteristics that set it apart from what is the norm in modern day laws. Author Roy Gane makes the following observation:
Regarding formulation, many of the OT laws articulate principles, cases, and penalties for violation that could be administered by human beings, as in modern legislation. However, a significant number of the OT laws do not specify penalties, or the penalties that they mandate are administered by God, and in some instances enforcement by humans is impossible (e.g., “You shall not covet,” Exod. 20:17). Unlike modern legislation, many of the OT laws contain motivational elements clearly designed to persuade hearers/readers to comply.1
The purpose of the law can be summed up as the primary means by which God’s covenant with the nation of Israel was administered. It was through the law that the people became aware of God’s character, the specifications for living within his covenant of grace, and how to behave as a nation of light in the midst of the other nations around them who were living in darkness.2
The theological function of the law was to reveal both the nature and consequence of sin. The apostle Paul says of the law: “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” (Rom. 7:7). The consequences of sin is death (Rom. 6:23) and anyone who does not abide by the whole law is under the curse of death (Gal. 3:10). The law was given by God to reveal to the people that they are sinners by nature (Rom. 8:7) and that righteousness cannot be obtained through it without unfailing obedience (Jam. 2:10). Yet, the law was in place, with its complex set of atoning sacrifices, to look forward to a time when the ultimate sacrificial lamb would come along to put an end to the curse of the law. “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us,” (Rom. 8:3-4a). Because of the atoning work of Jesus on the cross, people are no longer held to the observance of the law as a requisite for maintaining a covenantal relationship with God. Rather, it is based on grace through faith in what God has done (Eph. 2:8-9).
Aside from the legal aspect, observance of the law has many applications to Christians today. Theologically, observance of the law is still exhorted and commanded in the New Testament. In the gospels, Jesus answered the rich young man’s question about inheriting eternal life by telling him to keep the commandments (Matt. 19:17), he told the crowd that “those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28)3 are the blessed ones, and he told his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15). Likewise, in the epistles, John identified the believer’s love of God with their observance of his commandments (1 John 5:3), James exhorted his audience to not be merely hearers, but to be “doers of the word” (Jas. 1:22), and Paul elevated observance of God’s commandments as the ultimate expression of one’s life (1 Cor. 7:19, 1 Tim. 6:14). Practically, observance of God’s law benefits the life of the believer in many ways. David identified some of these benefits when he wrote:
“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.” (Ps. 19:7-9).
God promises his blessings upon those who walk in his ways and keep his commandments (Deut. 28:1-14) and likewise promises curses for disobedience (Deut. 28:15-68). The heart of the relationship God wants with his people is their love, faith, and obedience. Observance of God’s law is the primary way of expressing those things to him. He has taken away the penalty of the inability to keep the law perfectly, but God still desires to perfect his people though their obedience to him.
1 Roy Gene, Old Testament Law for Christians: Original Context and Enduring Application, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2017), 37.
2 Ibid, 46.
3 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016).
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