expr:class='"loading" + data:blog.mobileClass'>

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

The Law of Moses, Senior - I, Lesson - 12

SENIOR

AGE GROUP: 14 - 15 YEARS

STANDARD (GRADE): IX & X

LESSON – 12

THE LAW OF MOSES

Click this link to get Senior lessons 1 - 15

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.

Picture credit: Tanny Keng, https://treasureboxmy.blogspot.com/

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 earliest known Ten commandments in stone tablets, 
Photo credit: Matt Roppolo/Heritage Auctions, HA.com via AP

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),

A sukkot booth to made to celebrate the sukkot festival, Photo credit: Effi B.

Ø  Specific regulations meant to show the separation of Israelites from their pagan neighbors (e.g., circumcision, clean and unclean food, clothing restrictions etc.),

Tzitzit is a specially knotted ritual tassel attached to the corner of the garment to fulfill the commandment given in Numbers 15:38 - 40, Photo credit: Etan J. Tal

Ø  Signs that point to God’s salvation plan and the coming Messiah (e.g., the Sabbath, Passover, and the redemption of the firstborn).

A Jewish man wearing a tefillin or phylacteries on his forehead, tefillin is a black box containing four hand-written texts from the Bible. They do this to fulfill the commandment given in Deuteronomy 6:6-9, in which the Israelites were commanded to wear certain words on the hand and between the eyes. Photo credit: https://free.messianicbible.com/
Mezuzah is a piece of parchment paper inscribed with Hebrew verses kept inside a decorative case and hung on the doorpost to fulfill the law in Deuteronomy 6:4-9

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

  Click this link to learn how to organize VBS / Retreats

For Sunday School activities and stories in English https://jacobsladderactivity.blogspot.com/

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:

 1. What did Jesus mean when he said “I came not to abolish, but to fulfill the law?

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment