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First thoughts...
Surely we no longer need to obey all the old testament laws???...
if you do a search on internet you can find several sources that list the
613
laws
of the old testament (which is commonly referred to as the "Mitzvot").
As you read the list of 613 laws you will see some that are really strange
(strange by today's standards but were very meaningful in old testament times).
So, lets take a look at the scriptures and attempt to understand some of the old
testament laws.
Lets start this study by
listing the first 10 of the 613 laws (the bold wording in black is the actual
old testament law)... following each law is the source in the old testament
where the law was explained in the scriptures:
1. To know that God exists (Exodus
20:2...
"I
am the Lord your
God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.";
Deuteronomy 5:6...
"I
am the Lord your
God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.")
2. Not to entertain the idea that there is any god but the Eternal (Exodus
20:3...
“You shall have no other gods before Me.")
3. Not to blaspheme (Exodus 22:27-28...
"for
that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his body. What else shall
he sleep in? And it shall come about that when he cries out to Me, I
will hear him, for
I am gracious.
You shall not curse God, nor curse a ruler of your people.";
Leviticus 24:16...
Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall
surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him.
The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to
death.)
4. To hallow God's name (Leviticus 22:32...
“You shall
not profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel; I
am the Lord who
sanctifies you, who
brought you out from the land of Egypt, to be your God; I am the Lord.”
5. Not to profane God's name (Leviticus 22:32... “You
shall not profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the sons of
Israel; I am the Lord who
sanctifies you, who
brought
you out from the land of Egypt, to be your God; I am the Lord.”)
6. To know that God is One, a complete Unity (Deuteronomy
6:4...
“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is
our God, the Lord is
one! )
7. To love God (Deuteronomy 6:5...
You shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.)
8. To fear Him reverently (Deuteronomy 6:13...
You shall fear only the
Lord your
God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name;
Deuteronomy 10:20...
You shall fear the Lord your
God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name.)
9. Not to put the word of God to the test (Deuteronomy
6:16...
“You shall not put the Lord your
God to the test, as you tested Him at
Massah.)
10. To imitate His good and upright ways (Deuteronomy
28:9...
The Lord will
establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the
commandments of the Lord your
God and walk in His ways.)
Here are a few other
laws of the 613 laws:
18. To put fringes on the corners of clothing (Numbers
15:38...
“Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them that they shall make
for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their
generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a cord of
blue.)
19. To bind God's Word on the head (Deuteronomy 6:8...
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as
frontals on your forehead.)
21. To affix the mezuzah to the door posts and gates of your house (Deuteronomy
6:9...
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your
gates.)
442. To keep fire always burning on the altar of the burnt-offering (Leviticus
6:6...
Then he shall bring to the priest his guilt offering to the Lord,
a ram without defect from the flock, according to your valuation, for a guilt
offering,)
479. Not to offer up any offering unsalted (Leviticus
2:13...
Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with
salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from
your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.)
Discussion thoughts about the first 10 laws listed above and how the new
testament confirms that these "old laws" are still "laws to be followed today"...
Law #1, 2, 6, and 7
are all part of the 1st commandment of the ten commandants which is confirmed in
the new testament
Matthew 22:37
where Jesus said... "You
shall love the Lord
your God
with all your heart, and
with all your soul, and
with all your mind."
Law #3
is verified in
Matthew 12:32
where Jesus said...
"Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be
forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be
forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to
come."
Laws #4 and 5
are verified in
Revelation 21:27...
and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever
come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Law #8
is explained in
Matthew 10:28...
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but
rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Law #9
is explained by Jesus in
Matthew 4:7...
where Jesus said "On
the other hand, it is written, ‘You
shall not put the Lord
your God
to the test."
Law #10 is explained by Jesus in Matthew
19:16-17...
someone
came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain
eternal life?”
And He said
to him, “Why
are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One
who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
This discussion only touches on the first 10 "old laws" and attempts to explain
(and confirm by references to new testament scriptures) that these particular laws are still to be kept today... they are "old" laws but
they still apply to the world of today and must be followed today! There
are "hundreds" of the old laws that must still be followed today and are just as
relevant as when they were originally written!!! Some of the "old laws" do
not apply to the world of today, which will be discussed below.
This paragraph will discuss
a few of the "other old laws" that do not apply to the world of today and are no
longer relevant...
Law #18...
research tells us that the tassels were put on garments to remind a person that
whenever they saw a tassel it was there to remind them to remember the laws.
Some male Jews to this day wear a special outer garment called a
"tallith"
when in the synagogue...
other Jews wear a
"modern tallith"
which is an under garment.
Law #19...
this law referred to passages of the law that were written on strips of
parchment... the parchment was then tied around the head on the forehead or on
the left wrist... these parchments were worn at prayer time by the worshippers.
Law #21... the mezuzah (much like the parchment strips referred to in law
#19) is a
square piece of parchment, inscribed with Deuteronomy
6:4-9
and Deuteronomy
11:13-21,
which is rolled up in a small cylinder of wood or metal, and affixed to the
right-hand post of every door in a Jewish house. The pious Jew touches the
mezuzah on each occasion of passing, or kisses his finger, and speaks Psalm
121:8 in
the Hebrew language.
Law #442 & 479... these laws and many, many other laws of the "613
laws" referring to burnt offerings and animal sacrifices no longer apply to
religious practices of today!
This discussion
of laws that we are no longer required to keep is interesting... laws 18, 19, 21
and others that we no are no longer required to keep are not bad laws and we may
do a version of those laws today (as a "for instance" wearing a cross and chain
around the neck as a reminder to remember that Jesus is our salvation).
Other laws like 442, 479 and others are simply no longer required.
General scriptures and discussion comments...
Several scriptures suggest that the "old laws" are no longer in effect:
Romans 7:4...
Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of
Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the
dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.
Romans 7:6...
But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were
bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the
letter.
Romans 10:4...
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone
who believes.
Romans 3:28...
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.
Galatians 3:23-26...
But before
faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith
which was later to be revealed.
Therefore
the Law has become our tutor to
lead us to
Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
But now
that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
For you are
all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Galatians
2:16...
"-----since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
Galatians
2:21...
"----- if righteousness comes through
the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”
Discussion...
Romans 7:4
says we "die to the Law"... "to be joined to another" (Jesus).
Romans 7:6 says "we have
been released from the Law"...
"so that we serve in newness of the Spirit" (God).
Romans 10:4... says "Christ
is the end of the law".
Romans 3:28...
says "man is
justified by faith (Jesus) apart from works of the Law".
Galatians 3:23-26... says
clearly that before "faith", there was "the Law", now "the Law has become our
tutor to lead us to Christ-----through faith in Christ Jesus"
Galatians
2:16...
says "the Law will not get us to Heaven!
Galatians
2:21...
this verse is very profound statement... and very clearly says "the Law" will
not get us to heaven... we need faith in Jesus!
My Beliefs...
So... to answer the question "Must We Still Obey Old Testament Laws?"... the
answer is SOMETIMES!
When an Old Testament Law has been confirmed in the New Testament as a
commandment that must be followed the confirmed law must be followed!
The discussion immediately above is quite clear that the "old laws" have been
replaced by requiring faith in Jesus Christ and following his commandants...
following just the laws (old and, or new) will not get us to heaven...
John 3:16 states very clearly, the one and only way, how we can have eternal
life in Heaven
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. |