When many people hear the term "the law of the Old Testament or Covenant" they immediately think of the Ten Commandments. But is this the only law that was given to the children of Israel while they were at Mount Sinai? No!
If we read through the first five books of the Holy Bible we will find that there were several laws given to the children of Israel at Mount Sinai. There was, of coarse, the Ten Commandments or the Moral Law, the law of the sacrifices or ceremonial law, the laws of health, the laws to handle civil problems, and the laws about possession and use of the land. To make things even more confusing for us, the Israelites added many more laws to these laws.
Therefore when one talks about "the law of the Old Testament", it is very important for one to clarify which law of the Old Testament he/she is talking about.
However, if we talk about the law of the Old Covenant there should be no confusion at all. The reason being is that in the book of Hebrews chapters 8, 9, and 10 the Apostle Paul explains to us what the Old and New Covenants are. From this information we can easily tell which law is connected with the Old Covenant.
Some of the things Paul tell us are:-
- Both Covenants have a sanctuary - Hebrews 9:1; 8:2.
- The earthly sanctuary was a copy of the heavenly- Hebrews 8:5.
- Both Covenants had Priests - Hebrews 9:6, 7, 11, 12.
- Both needed blood for cleansing of sins - Hebrews 9:13, 14.
- The law which pertained to the sacrifices, was a shadow of good things to come - Hebrews 10:1.
- The new Covenant blotted out the old law - Colossians 2:14-17; Ephesians 2:15.
- There were sacrifices done daily with the old Covenant - Hebrews 10:11.
- The sacrifice was only done once with the new Covenant - Hebrews 10:12.
Looking at the information above, it is clear that the law of the Old Covenant was the law that pertained to the sancuary services or the ceremonial law. In this law the children of Israel were given instructions on who was to offer what sacrifice for what sin, or sickness, as well as special Holy Days which were to be celebrated once a year. On these special Holy Days the children of Israel were to do no work. They were to be a day of rest or Sabbath - the word Sabbath means rest. These were known as Ceremonial Sabbaths. When one of these Ceremonial Sabbaths fell on the weekly Sabbath of the Ten Commandments, it was called a High Sabbath.
Now that we have defined the law of the Old Covenant, we will have a look at the differences between this law and that of the Ten Commandments or Moral Law.
- Moral Law
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Called a royal law and a law of liberty:
"If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:Ceremonial Law
But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty." James 2:8-12.
Called law of commandments contained in ordinances:
"Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;" Ephesians 2:15.
Spoken to the children of Israel by God:
"And God spake all these words, saying,Ceremonial Law
I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:1-3.
"And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.
And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone." Deuteronomy 4:12, 13.
Spoken to the children of Israel by Moses:
"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:" Leviticus 4:1, 2.
"This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings;
Which the LORD commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai."
Leviticus 7:37, 38.
Written by the finger of God on stone:
"And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them." Exodus 24:12.Ceremonial Law
"And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God." Exodus 31:18.
Written by Moses in a book:
"Also Jehoiada appointed the offices of the house of the LORD by the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was ordained by David." 2 Chronicles 23:18.
"And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses." Ezra 6:18.
Called the Commandments of God:
"Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God." 1 Corinthians 7:19.Ceremonial Law
Called the law of Moses:
"As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings." Joshua 8:31.
"But the children of the murderers he slew not: according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, wherein the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin." 2 Kings 23:18.
Placed in the Ark of the Covenant:
"And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:" Exodus 40:20.Ceremonial Law
"Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;" Hebrews 9:4.
Placed in the side of the Ark of the Covenant
"And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,
That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,
Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee." Deuteronomy 31:24-26.
Will stand fast for ever and will be kept by the living saints at the end of this world history
"The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.Ceremonial Law
They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness." Psalms 111:7, 8.
"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Revelation 12:17.
"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14:12.
Blotted out and nailed to the cross of Jesus
"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." Colossians 2:14-17.
"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." Daniel 9:27.
Gives knowledge of sin:
"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."Ceremonial Law
1 John 3:4.
"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." Romans 3:20.
"What shall we say then? is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." Romans 7:7.
Was given because of sin:
"Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator." Galatians 3:19.
"Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them." Genesis 3:21.
"And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell." Genesis 4:4, 5.
"By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh." Hebrews 11:4.
Is not grievous, but a delight:
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." 1 John 5:3.Ceremonial Law
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." Psalms 1:1, 2.
"I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart." Psalms 40:8.
That was against us and contrary to us:
"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;" Colossians 2:14.
All men shall be judged by:
"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.Ceremonial Law
For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty." James 2:10-12.
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14.
Judges no man:
"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." Colossians 2:16, 17.
Spiritual:
"For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." Romans 7:14.Ceremonial Law
Carnal:
"Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation." Hebrews 9:10.
Is the Truth, Perfect and converts the soul:
"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple." Psalms 19:7.Ceremonial Law
"Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth." Psalms 119:142.
Shadow of good things to come:
"For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect." Hebrews 10:1.
Is fulfilled by keeping it:
"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.Ceremonial Law
For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."
Romans 13:8-10.
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:17-19.
Fulfilled by Christ's death:
"And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:" Luke 24:44-46.
"Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;" Ephesians 2:15.
It is clear that from the time of the death of Jesus Christ, nobody needs to keep the Ceremonial laws which includes animal sacrifices and Holy Days for these pointed forward to His death as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. They were a shadow of good things to come, that is Jesus Christ. But this cannot be said of the Moral Law or the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments do not foreshadow or point forward to anything. There is only one Commandment that points to anything, and that is the fourth. This Commandment, however, points us back to Creation when God made the world and rested on the seventh day, and blessed and hallowed it. God's Moral Law is what His whole government is based on - supreme love to God and love to our fellow man.
May each and every one of us always keep God's Holy Moral Law, the Ten Commandments that we may be fit to go to heaven and eat of the tree of life for -
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments,
is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected:
hereby know we that we are in him." 1 John 2:4, 5."Blessed are they that do his commandments,
that they may have right to the tree of life,
and may enter in through the gates into the city." Revelation 22:14.© D & S Goeldner, 2001.
BIBLICAL ARTEFACTS AND STUDIES
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