How Then Shall We Live? - Part 1

Introduction

There are few topics more widely discussed than the relationship between Paul and the law, and by extension, the law and the believer. Specifically, to what extant is the OT law binding or authoritative for / on the believer. Israel is at Mt. Sinai and much of the law will be given to them over the next year, a time period that covers Exodus 19 - Numbers 10. More laws will be given after they leave Sinai. Much of this will be restated and enlarged upon in Deuteronomy, where will find the first of the great commandments according to Christ. Any we to follow any of these laws? What about the blessings and curses to go with them. Before we begin our study of the covenant law, we want to briefly discuss these issues. We will start with the nature of OT Law and its relevance.

Background

OT Law bears great similarity with broader ANE Law. The nature of law in the ANE was paradigmatic.[1] They weren’t made to address or regulate every conceivable circumstance. Rather they provided a framework for living, speaking, and acting with appropriate consequences for disapproval. They set down principles for judging matter and handling situations instead of providing exhaustive code books. Ancient law, especially Israelite law, necessitated extrapolation from those laws to the matters before the judge. For example: No Israelite could say: “The law says I must make restitution for stolen oxen or sheep [Exod 22:1], but I stole your goat. I don’t have to pay you back,”[2]. Laws were both specific, as shown above, and broad in nature, such as love the Lord your God (Deut. 6:5). The reality of this mixture: narrow and specific combined with broad and widely applicable allows for a comprehensive framework covering all aspects of covenant life for the participants. So our question is: what does the Christian today do with them? Let first begin by defining what our terms and looking at some characteristics.

Exposition

What the Law is and isn’t

Let us begin with some definitions of the Hebrew word ‘Torah’, which if often translated ‘law’.. According to the Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible: “Word translated “law” in the OT, derived from the Hebrew verbal root, yarah, which means “to throw” or “to shoot.” The idea behind the word is to inform, instruct, direct, or guide.”[3] The Dictionary of the Old Testament Pentateuch: “A survey of the 220 occurrences of tôrâ throughout the OT reveals three main aspects to this word. It involves (1) teaching or instruction to be learned, (2) commands to be obeyed and (3) guidance about how to live in specific situations.”[4] When most people think of Torah, the are probably thinking of the ten commandments, the laws found in Exodus - Deuteronomy or the Pentateuch as a whole. A somewhat different definition is provided by NT Scholar Thomas Schreiner. He first says: “In the vast majority of instances....the word torah focuses on doing what is commanded in the law, that is, the commands and requirements that were given to Moses on Mount Sinai. The emphasis on observing the law and carrying out what it demands is evident from the verbs of which torah is the direct object”. [5] He goes on to say: “When the word torah occurs in the Old Testament, the emphasis is not on instruction in terms of teaching, as if the word rehearses God’s saving work on behalf of his people. It is quite the contrary. The term torah concentrates on what God requires his people to do: his commands, statutes, and laws.”[6]

That was a lot of technical detail. Allow me to simplify it for you: When we think about OT Law, I want you to think about Yahweh’s perfect standard. It tells us who He is - it reveals His character, who we are - It reveals our nature and failings, and addresses how God’s people are to live in light of the LORD’s salvation of them - How then shall we live . It represented how the people of God were to respond to God’s grace on their behalf. This last point is significant as it corrects a misunderstanding about the nature of OT Law.

The OT Law was not giving as a means of salvation. Yahweh had already saved Israel. They were already freed from bondage. They were now before the presence of the LORD. There was already an inheritance prepared for them. The OT Law came after all this was done and therefore couldn’t be and wasn’t meant to be way of salvation or earning blessing from the LORD. The law was the answer to the question how then shall we live? It was to be Israel’s response to the LORD’s salvation. It is the means by which they could love God and their brothers and sisters. It provided the definition of faithful obedience. It follows then that outward adherence to the stipulations of OT law without a loving commitment to the God whom gave the law was / is worthless.

The Law as Grace

We often speak of grace and law as opposites. Those of us who grew up dispensational and / or in the pentecostal holiness movement probably have heard something like the following: ‘they lived under law, we live under grace.’ Grace and law are often seen as incompatible. I want to challenge that dichotomy. I submit to you that grace and law go together. The giving of the law was itself an act of grace. How can this be?

Consider the nature of the broader ANE world in contrast to what we have been discussing here. It wasn’t common for the gods to directly speak to their worshippers. It was incumbent on priests and /or magicians to figure things out via some form of divination. We saw a reference to this in Genesis when Joseph was testing his brothers (Gen. 44:5,15). Dr. Carmen Joy Imes, in her book Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters, writes the following: “The Israelites lived in a time when people were desperate to know what the gods were saying. Since the gods didn’t normally speak audibly as you and I do, priests were trained to read the signs they left in the natural world. Sometimes they manufactured situations in which the gods could reveal things to them, such as the elaborate rituals in which they dropped oil or flour into water and interpreted the results. They sacrificed animals and studied their livers or intestines (yes, their bloody guts) for clues about what the gods were thinking or what they would do next. They watched for strange births or newborn animals with defects. They studied the stars. They contacted the dead, doing whatever it took to forecast the future or discern the will of the gods. An answer was not guaranteed.”[7]

It is into this environment that the Yawheh stepped in. As we have said before, Yahweh didn’t rescue His people and then leave them to figure out how to please Him. The perfectly holy God did not subject them, and wouldn’t accept any form of, trail and error. He told them all they needed to know about Him and them. As Dr. Rebekah Josberger states in her Logos Course, Introducing Torah: “Torah is grace. It is God reaching into a culture where the heart cry of the people is that of confusion and answering the core cries of their heart. Who am I? I am God. What do you need to do? Torah. What happens if you get it wrong and I am angered? Sacrifice. Torah is grace.”[8] This is why the psalmist could speak as he did in our first text.

Let me draw some points from our first text:

Verse 7: Everything that the child of God needs is found it the word. It is complete and self-contained. It has all the soul needs to be turned to God in repentance and preserved in salvation. The sure word of God turns the naïve person, or the one inexperienced into a person of wisdom. They are a firm foundation to stand upon.

Verse 8: The Lord’s commands bring long lasting joy to the heart of the believer because of their straightness and usefulness in all facets of life. The Lord’s decrees enlighten us because of their cleanliness and clarity. They show us the way out of darkness.

Verse 9: The “fear of the Lord” here seems to refer to the word itself. The word of God endures forever. Every word is forever true and will forever stand the test of time. God’s judgments are always right. They are always correct. There is no bias, wickedness, malady, or evil in them. They completely represent what should be.

Verse 10: All the material wealth in this world cannot compare to the manifold blessing of God’s word. Whether in this life or the next we will eventually be separated from our wealth. Money can’t solve all problems. God’s sweet word will always stand. It will never fail. God’s word proceeds form HIM and like HIM not one jot or tittle will pass away or fail to come to pass. The word is precious because it reveals to us who HE is, as far as HE wants us to know. The forgiveness, life, joy, peace, salvation, etc. that we find in the word simply has no equal. If we lose all our wealth but can keep our copy of HIS word, we possess infinite riches.

Verse 11: God’s word shows us the paths of life and death. It shows us the way to the father, the way to eternal life. It shows us the way not to go. It tells us what not to do. It provides warnings and reward if we follow it (Psalm 119:9).

Verse 12 – 13: As we contemplate God’s world and HIS word, we come to understand our own sinfulness. We come to see to in and of ourselves we cannot measure up. We cannot stand before a holy and righteous God.

The Law Reveals Sin and Brings Death

Our first text is drawn from the OT and positions the law in a positive light. Our second text seems to take a contradictory view. These are the words of the Apostle Paul to the Romans. As Romans is one of the most treasured NT books for Christians, we made have read or heard these jarring words. What his Paul taking about? First, He is not calling the law sin. He is not saying the Law is unholy or evil. The law was to bring life (Ro. 7:10,12). There is no problem in the law. The problem is human sin. The problem is us. Our inclination to rebellion and desire to cast off the rule of God results in seeking after what the LORD forbids. Like our parents, Adam and Eve, we are not content to stay within God ordained boundaries. Therefore, the same law which was to lead to life brought was to death. Again, Paul stressed the problem is not the law. His argument then is the law brings us all under sin, increases our transgression, and reveals our need for a savior. That savior is Christ. Thomas Schreiner states it succinctly: “From an immanent perspective, the law was intended to give life; but from a transcendent perspective, it was given to increase sin. The former is not falsified or trivialized by the latter. The promise of life through the law was frustrated by human sin, not by any defect in the law.”[9]

Practical Application

We are not done at this point. This is a to be continued. For now we will say the law came after salvation. It came to Israel that they may know their God, themselves, and how to enjoy and maintain the freedom the LORD won for them. It had no power to save. It still doesn’t. It was the picture of a grateful response. We will explore this further in a few weeks but, for our purposes as NT saints, we can learn about what that same Holy God requires of us today. In that way it is still relevant.

Gospel Application

It should abundantly clear at this point that keeping the commands apart from God can’t save. The commands of God came after His salvation of Israel. If the LORD had said: ‘If you keep this commands, than I will free you for Egypt.’, Israel would still be in Egypt. We can’t earn God’s goodness. We will never be worthy of His grace. Our default is not to seek it or Him because we don’t think we need it. How wrong we are? The good news is things do have to remain this way. Jesus Christ came to save sinners. He will completely and perfectly save all those who put their trust in Him. If you have come to realize this then I call you to acknowledge your sin, guilty status and worthiness of judgment. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that he was born of the virgin, lived perfectly according to God’s law, was crucified and died on the cross, and rose on the third day. Confess Him as savior and Lord and you will be saved. Don’t delay. Repent and believe the gospel.

Bibliography

1. Stuart, D. K. (2006). Exodus (Vol. 2, p. 442). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

2. ibid. Pg. 443

3. Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Torah. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 2, p. 2081). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

4. Selman, M. J. (2003). Law. In T. D. Alexander & D. W. Baker (Eds.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch (p. 498). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

5. Schreiner, T. R. (2010). 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. (B. L. Merkle, Ed.) (p. 19). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic & Professional.

6. ibid. Pg. 21

7. Imes, C. J. (2019). Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters (pp. 33–34). Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press.

8. Josberger, R. (2018). OT285 Introducing Torah. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

9. Schreiner, T. R. (2010). 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. (B. L. Merkle, Ed.) (p. 81). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic & Professional.