SENIOR
AGE
GROUP: 14 - 15 YEARS
STANDARD
(GRADE): IX & X
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LESSON – 12
THE LAW OF MOSES
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What is the “Law of Moses”?
The Law of Moses or the Mosaic Law refers to the laws God gave
Moses on Mount Sinai during their forty years sojourn in the desert after their
release from Egyptian slavery. The Law of Moses can refer to the provisions of
the Mosaic covenant or the entire Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, Deuteronomy) in general also.
Mosaic Covenant:
The Mosaic covenant also refereed to as the Sinaitic Covenant or Mount Sinai Covenant is a conditional covenant (to understand
conditional covenant, refer to Lesson – 7) between God and the nation of
Israel. It is also called as the Sinai Covenant but is commonly called the
Mosaic covenant since it was given and revealed through Moses. The Mosaic covenant was made only with the nation of
Israel (Exodus 19:3-6), and all the other nations called as the gentiles were
not part of the Mosaic covenant. The gentiles who are not part of the Mosaic
covenant are under the “Law of the Conscience” (Romans 2:14 – 16). The Mosaic Covenant is
otherwise called the “Old Covenant”.
The 613 Commandments:
The Jewish Talmud which is a compilation of the writings of
ancient Jewish rabbis state that there are 613 commandments in the Mosaic
covenant; 248 positive commandments (do’s) and 365 negative commandments (do
not’s) (1). (Rabbis are the religious leaders of Judaism who are qualified in Hebrew Bible and Talmud) Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, known by the acronym “Rambam” was the
author of the Mishneh Torah, considered by some to be one of the greatest codes
of Jewish law. He has compiled a list of the 613 commandments which is the most
widely accepted list.
Example: (The first 3 commandments compiled by him are)
1. To know that God exists (Ex. 20:2; Deut. 5:6).
2. Not to entertain the idea that there is any god but the
Eternal (Ex. 20:3).
3. Not to blaspheme (Ex. 22:27), the penalty for which is death (Lev. 24:16). (2)
Which is the greatest commandment?
When Jesus Christ lived on this earth, there were a sect of
Jews called the Pharisees who they tried to strictly follow every single one of
the 613 laws. They also had their own understanding of the law which they tried
to thrust on the Israelites. Consequently, great confusion existed among the Israelites
as to the purpose and observance of these Laws. One of the Pharisees an expert
in religious law wanted to test Jesus, and asked Him a question
saying, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This
is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like
it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Jesus Christ gave the
summary of the entire Law of Moses saying that “On these two commandments hang
all the Law and the Prophets.”
The Components of the Mosaic Law:
There have been several attempts by theologians to classify
the Mosaic Law into categories. Thomas Aquinas, an ancient Christian theologian
is credited with forming the tripartite or threefold division of the law (3).
The three categories are
1.
Moral laws
2.
Ceremonial laws
3.
Judicial / Civil laws
The moral laws gave the moral standards
by which the Israelites ought to live as a chosen nation. The moral law included
the Ten Commandments and also various regulations regarding justice, respect,
and conduct with one another. Penalties for failure to obey these commandments are
also given in the moral law.
The ceremonial laws consisted
of ordinances, ceremonies, rituals and sacrifices related to the Tabernacle,
worship and religious life of the Israelites. All these ceremonial laws pointed
to the Messiah and the future redemption of the entire mankind through Jesus
Christ.
They included instructions on
Ø Worship
and Purification Rituals (e.g., sacrifices and other ceremonies regarding
“uncleanness”),
Ø Remembrances
of important events and God’s deliverance in Israel (e.g., feasts and
festivals),
Ø Specific
regulations meant to show the separation of Israelites from their pagan
neighbors (e.g., circumcision, clean and unclean food, clothing restrictions
etc.),
Ø Signs
that point to God’s salvation plan and the coming Messiah (e.g., the Sabbath,
Passover, and the redemption of the firstborn).
The Judicial / Civil Laws gave
various instructions for the government of the nation of Israel as a Theocracy.
Theocracy means a nation ruled by God; or God is the King and Judge of the
Nation.
Jesus Christ and the Law of Moses
Jesus was often faulted by the Pharisees of not following the
law. The problem with the Pharisees was that they were only concerned with the
external appearance of keeping the Law rather than the inward purpose and spirit
of the Law. Their good deeds merely consisted of meticulous attention to ceremony and
ritual requirements and great emphasis to man-made ordinances and to the
external forms of law observance , but forgot almost completely the true requirement
of the law itself—“Justice and mercy and faith”
(Matthew 23:23). Further, the Pharisees considered their own traditions as
important as the Word of God , and even enforced their teachings on the people.
For example, in the Mosaic Law, one of the commandments is
to keep the Sabbath holy, which means that the Jews had to rest and were not supposed to work on Saturdays. But to clarify this, the religious
scholars created thirty-nine separate categories of what “work” means, and
within those thirty-nine categories there are many sub-categories. So, to
observe the commandment of not working on the Sabbath, there are literally thousands of
sub-rules to follow, including how many steps you can take, and how many
letters you can write on the Sabbath. (4) These traditions deprived the law of Moses of its true motive and thus robbed the law of its power and direction it could give the children of Israel.
Christ fulfilled the demands of the Mosaic law, which called
for perfect obedience or else imposed a “curse.” He fulfilled the law of Moses
in that, He was the only human being to perfectly obey all aspects of the law at
all times with its true motive. His was the only perfect life. He met all the
requirements of the law of Moses. Jesus is the substance of the shadows portrayed
in the Law, the antitype of the types mentioned such as the Passover lamb, and
the very personification of all the moral proclamations of the law. Christ did
not simply do away with the law, He ended or fulfilled it. Christ was the
end of the law in that He fulfilled it.
Not to abolish but to fulfill the Law:
Jesus Christ, during his days on earth emphasized that, “He
did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.” The Law of Moses was the
shadow of things to come, but the reality was in Christ Jesus (Hebrews 10:1). So
how did Jesus Christ fulfill the Law of Moses?
Christ came to fulfill the Ceremonial Laws in every
detail. He was the Antitype of all the types and shadows of the ceremonial law
— the Tabernacle and Temple with their sacred objects and sacrificial
offerings. By one sacrifice for sins forever, Jesus, our Great High Priest has
done away with the need for the various ordinances and rituals in the Ceremonial
law.
The Civil law given to the Nation of Israel as a
Theocracy, for a specific period, until the appearance of Messiah too has passed
on. The Israelites indicated their rejection of Theocracy when they said, “We
too want a king like other nations!”. Our Lord, Jesus Christ announced the
demise of Theocracy when the Kingdom passed from Israel to the Church. ‘The
kingdom of God’, said Jesus to the Jews, ‘will be taken away from you and given
to a people who will produce its fruit’ (Matt. 21:43). That ‘people’ is
the Church which is to be found among all nations.
The Mosaic Moral Law included moral principles that
were applicable to the Nation of Israel as a chosen nation, and there were also
universal moral principles that are applicable to all mankind (e.g., do not steal,
do not murder), that were given by God to mankind even before the time of Moses.
So, we are obligated to follow those moral rules, not in virtue of them being
in the Mosaic law, but because they are universal for all people. We have to
distinguish between these as we consider how we relate to the Mosaic covenant
now.
Old Covenant Vs New Covenant
As mentioned in the beginning of the lesson, the Mosaic
covenant was made only with the nation of Israel, and all the other nations
called as the gentiles were not part of the Mosaic covenant and were under the
“Law of the Conscience” (Romans 2:14 – 16). The Mosaic Covenant, otherwise
called the “Old Covenant” was replaced by the “New Covenant” by Christ Jesus.
The Israelites under the Mosaic covenant, and the gentiles under the Law of Conscience,
were both brought under the new covenant after the death of Jesus Christ on the
cross and His resurrection.
Covenant of Law Vs Covenant of Grace
The Old Covenant was established through laws. The Old
Testament Israelites were required to fulfill these laws for their
justification, and there was punishment for those who did not fulfill these
laws, they were saved through their “works” in fulfilling the law of Moses. The
new covenant was established through the revelation of grace and truth. Those
who believe in Christ Jesus, both Jews and Gentiles, do not have to fulfill any
of the laws given by Moses for their justification and salvation, instead they
are justified through their “faith” in Lord Jesus by the grace of God. (Note:
As Christians although the work of fulfilling of the Law of Moses for our
salvation does not apply to us, but once we are saved we have other works to do
such as good works [Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:14; 3:1; 3:8] and the
works of faith [2 Thessalonians 1:11; James 2:14 – 26])
New Covenant– The Covenant of Grace and Truth
There are two aspects that are essential and inseparable when
talking about the New Covenant, they are “grace and truth.” According to John
1:17, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and
truth came through Jesus Christ." Our Lord Jesus Christ incarnated
into this world as a human full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
Grace can be defined as “unmerited
favour.” Kindness, goodness and mercy that is shown to an undeserving person
can be called grace.
Truth was revealed by Christ Jesus. According
to John 17:17, “the word of God” is the truth. The words of God are
spirit-breathed and written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy
3:16,17) and they are the truth.
There is a recent Christian movement wherein a “sort of grace”
is preached leaving out the truth of the word of God regarding repentance and
sanctification in the New Covenant. Truth without grace would end up as another
law, leading to judgement and condemnation. Grace without truth revealed by
Christ Jesus would be a twisted grace, mentioned in the book of Jude verse 4,
leading people to eternal damnation. We have to know the grace of God in truth
(Colossians 1:6); and also have to test whether we are standing in the true
grace of God (1 Peter 5:12).
Note to Teachers:
1)
This is a very important lesson that would help to
understand the foundational doctrines of Christianity, hence this lesson requires
thorough study and adequate preparation before teaching.
2)
It would be beneficial to go slow with the lesson
and teach it in 2 0r 3 classes.
Reference:
(1)
Hencht, M. The 613 Commandments (Mitzvot). Chabad–Lubavitch
Media Centre. Retrieved November 22, 2021, from https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/756399/jewish/The-613-Commandments-Mitzvot.htm
(2)
Maimonides: The Rambam. The life and works of
Moses Maimonides (1135-1204). Chabad–Lubavitch Media Centre. Retrieved November
22, 2021 from https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/889836/jewish/Maimonides-The-Rambam.htm
(3) Bayes J. F. (2017). The Threefold Division of the Law. The Christian Institute. Retrieved November 23, 2021 from https://www.christian.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/the-threefold-division-of-the-law.pdf
(4) What are some Sabbath observance rules that the Pharisees made? Retrieved on November 24, 2021 from https://bibleask.org/rules-pharisees-made-sabbath-observance/
Memory Verse: For this reason Christ is
the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may
receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom
to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant - Hebrews
9:15
ASSESSMENT
ACTIVITY
I.
Give one-word
answers:
1. The gentiles who are not part of the
Mosaic covenant are under the “………………………………………………..”
2. According
to Jewish Talmud, there are ………………. commandments in the Mosaic covenant.
3. ……………………………
means a nation ruled by God; or God is the King and Judge of the Nation.
4. According
to John 17:17, “…………………………….” is the truth.
II.
Give short answers:
1. What is a “Mosaic
Covenant”?
2. What are ceremonial
laws?
3. What are the “works”
Christians have to do?
4. Why is grace and truth both essential to understanding the new covenant?
III.
Give
brief answers:
