Understanding Mosaic (Old Testament) Law pt.1

In many Christian circles we seem to have a divisive understanding of what old testament laws particularly the Mosaic laws apply to those who walk in the the faith today, leaving many skeptics without understanding and some believers without the ability to defend what they believe. In this short series I hope I can give each believer and perhaps skeptics a much broader perspective of the meaning and purpose of some of these laws broken down in categories and kept in their proper context. Before we get started I do not claim to know everything and everyday is a learning experience, I invite all to a friendly discussion and hope to sharpen my understanding and grow closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” - Matthew 22:36-40

First, there are the main and plain things of the scripture that point to natural order and moral law. Romans 1:18-19 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the ungodlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

Also we no longer have to offer up sacrifices for our sins, sacrificial and ceremonial laws are ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ Hebrews 10. I will touch base on that as well , that is the whole purpose of the death of Christ. Righteousness Is not accounted by how perfect we keep the law, but by faith. The first and the greatest commandment is Love God and the second to that is Love your neighbor as yourself.

I’m going to list categories and scripture from my vantage point and belief. This is not limited to however we can look at these laws and learn a great deal from them. These four points i’m just focused on the simplified general purposes, but never meant to go into detail.

Noahide law former to (Mosaic law)
Civil Case laws
Natural law
Moral law (commandments and statutes).

Commands and Laws of God, for Jew or Gentile

Noahide and Mosaic Laws (Gen. 9)

The Noahide law is the former law of the (Mosaic law) that was commanded by God for all mankind. Although there were many binding commands in the Mosaic law, however all the commands were not intended for all mankind (Kosher food laws) see, Leviticus 11, these food laws are explicitly given to the Jews. This is confirmed by Moses in Deuteronomy 14 (recapitulated from Lev 11), as blinding laws (covenant laws) not constituted for all men. Verse 21 states after the kosher laws are given that even the foreigners can have that what they could not eat (Noahide law). 21 “You shall not eat anything that dies of itself; you may give it to the alien who is within your gates, that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner; for you are a holy people to the Lord your God. Noahide law Genesis 9 backs this command

9 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.

However the purpose and meaning of these kosher laws are not exhaustive to just a simple command. There is a much deeper meaning within the whole of scripture. What do we perhaps think that meaning is? Before we focus on the meaning of these laws and commands of clean and unclean let me first point to other passages to broaden our understanding, but not limited to.

Matthew 15:10-11;15-20 NASB

10 After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand. 11 It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

15 Peter said to Him, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 Jesus said, “Are you still lacking in understanding also? 17 Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? 18 But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. 20 These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

Acts 10:28
28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.

Acts 15:8
And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; 9 and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.

God is Mercy and Justice.

Hosea 6:6
6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Psalm 51:16-17
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.

It’s clear that God desires mercy and justice over all things. These complexed kosher and ceremonial laws are all tied to moral justices and holiness (1 Peter 1:16) 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” Also a type of separation from the surrounding nations, set apart just as ‘God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it’ or “set it apart.” (Gen. 2:3).

By closer examination of these food type regarding animals there is a pattern of things going on here. The unclean animals are different that of the clean animals, unclean in a sense that an eagle crosses over these boundaries from it’s own domain of the air to preying on land and sea animals, or the eating of “blood”. Also there is another side to the coin, not just the predatory side but the victim and vulnerable side. The Israelites were not to eat anything that has been devoured by a beast, a type of victim, or such as and aquatic animal are considered unclean if they lack scales but may have fins, just as an orphan or widow is vulnerable we are not to prey on the poor because they lack something in life that makes them vulnerable.

I like this quote from Dr. Paul Copan, Is God a Moral Monster?: Understanding the old testament God.

“Whats most clear in all of this is that holiness and predatory behavior don't mix. Holiness represented respect for human life, and the eating of blood (symbolizing violent death) represents predatory activity. Clean animals don't represent virtue in their own bodies, just as unclean animals’ bodies don't represent vice. They just follow the “rule” of avoiding blood. If scholars who claim that certain unclean animals symbolize vulnerability and defenselessness are correct, then this representation of the oppressed - the alien, the widow, the orphan (Deut. 14:29; 16:11; cf. Isa. 1:17) - would serve as a reminder that they ought to be respected.

Israel’s entire way of life - down to the very food they ate (or didn't eat) - mattered to God. Their diet served as a reminder of the holy and the unholy: Israelites were to avoid the unholy activity of preying upon the vulnerable in society.”

So we can’t assume or make the claim that the foreigners among them were wicked based off what foods they eat or what type of fabrics they wear. Israel was called to be a blessing to the surrounding nations and different from pagan practices. That now brings us to the next part of this series, the moral and civil laws.

God Bless,
Danny Crypto