Looking at the Law from a New Perspective
When many people think of the law or the God of the Old Testament (Tanakh) they think of cruelty and harshness. Probably the most often heard association with the law is "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth".
Was the God of the Old Testament different than the God of the New Testament? Was the law that was given to Israel ruthless and merciless? In this brief article we will take a brief look at the Old Testament law from a different perspective.
First, let's see how God reveals Himself to Israel in the Old Testament.
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. (Exod. 34:6-7 NIV)
Isaiah shows the only threefold repetition of God's attributes in the Old Testament:
And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." (Isa. 6:3 NIV)
Now, moving over to the New Testament (the Brit Chadasha) we find that the God of the Old Testament and the New Testament are the same.
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Heb. 1:1-3 NIV)
And once again we find the only threefold repetition of God's attributes in the New Testament:
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." (Rev. 4:8 NIV
And one of the more famous verses from the Old Testament tells us:
I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. (Mal. 3:6)
With this in mind, now we need to consider the law that was given to Israel. At the time of the exodus society was quite different than it is today. As the Israelites left Egypt, there was a lifestyle without law. The law that was given t Israel was a manifestation of God's grace. An "eye for an eye" was an equitable law.
Before Israel had a law picture what would happen if a person snuck onto another's property at night and stole a camel or a fine piece of clothing. When it was discovered, the offended part would want to respond. And normally a response out of anger is more severe than the original. The person's whose camel was stolen may come and burn the guilty person's property, or something else far more serious than a camel or a piece of clothing.
The Old Testament law as described in Exodus chapters 21-24 is a fair and good law. It lifted the Israelites out of barbarianism and helped set the stage for the next phase, which was Jesus Christ.
Taking it to the Next Level
In the King James Version we read the following in John 1:16-17:
And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
There are a couple of points to note about this translation. First of all, the word "but" is italicized, meaning that it was not a part of the original translation. Although many italicized words in the KJV make the text easier to understand I feel this one is a little deceiving. The word "but" usually denotes a contrast. Such as in the statement "You did a fine job on the test but you were slightly off on question nine". Or, "Tony's pitching was wild today but he got the one batter out that he needed to."
The ""but" in this verse is tending to contrast the first grace from the second grace. The first grace is referring to the law that was given to ancient Israel. The second grace is referring to the grace demonstrated by Jesus. The first "grace" or the "law" was not a harsh set of rules and regulations to limit our enjoyment. The first grace was given to Israel to lift them out of a barbarian society into a society with fair and equitable judgments. It was a temporary administrative covenant to hold Israel in place until the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant, which was Jesus.
Although Christians are no longer "under the law" it still has application. Paul told us the law is holy, just and good (Rom. 7:12). The law is not contrary to God; in fact it is a revelation of who God is, a revelation of his character. In fact it has been called "our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Gal 3:24 NKJV).
When Jesus came to the earth he brought things to a new level in two different ways. First of all he told us told us that we should not break the physical aspects of the commandments, but we should even gain control over ourselves so that we don't even harbor ill thoughts in our minds. Jesus describes the "spirit of the law" in Matt.5:21-37.
During the same sermon Jesus also tells us that we really need to bring forgiveness to another level as well. "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you (Matt. 5:38-42).
In my opinion, when we think of the second grace mentioned we need to realize that it involves controlling our thoughts, which we need the Holy Spirit to be successful at, as well as having a whole new attitude of forgiveness toward person who have slipped and fallen with mistakes. It's a brand new life, and let's be grateful for it.
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