Church Series-The Church's Relationship to the Mosaic Law-The Indivisible and Conditional Nature of the Law
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday January 12, 2017
The Church Series: The Church’s Relationship to the Mosaic Law-The Indivisible and Conditional Nature of the Law
Lesson # 31
One of the great controversies that have plagued the church for centuries, in fact from its very inception is that of the Mosaic Law.
This study will deal with the Mosaic Law in relation to the church and will answer the question, “is the church required to keep the commands and prohibitions of the Mosaic Law” and thus “is the life of the church governed by the Mosaic Law?”
Last evening, we noted that the “Law of Moses” or “Mosaic Law” was given to the nation of Israel according to Romans 9:1-5.
Tonight, we will note the indivisible and conditional nature of the Mosaic Law.
The Mosaic Law consisted of 365 negative commands and 248 positive for a total of 613 commands.
These commands can be divided into three parts or sections as we noted earlier: (1) The moral code (2) The ceremonial code (3) Civil or political code.
Therefore, we can see that the Law governed every possible area of the life of Israel.
It is common to divide the Mosaic Law into three parts but though this is helpful for analysis and the study of the Mosaic Law and the way it functions, such a division is never stated as such in Scripture but rather it is seen as a unit.
Part 1: The Moral Law or the Ten Commandments.
This part of the Law governed the moral life giving guidance to Israel in principles of right and wrong in relation to God and man (Exodus 20:1-17).
Part 2: The Ordinances or the Ceremonial Law.
This was the spiritual portion of Law, which guided and provided for Israel in her worship and spiritual relationship and fellowship with God.
It included the priesthood, tabernacle and sacrifices (Exodus 25-31: Leviticus).
Part 3: The Judgments, or the Social Law.
This part of the Law governed Israel in her secular, social, political, and economic life (Exodus 21:1–23:13).
Though the Law is usually divided into three parts, as described above, it is important to see that it was an indivisible unit.
Thus, when Paul stated that we are not under the Law, this included all three parts, including the Ten Commandments.
Some will agree that parts of the Old Testament Law have been done away, but assert the Ten Commandments are supposedly still in force today.
But all three parts of the Law were designed to function as a unit to guide Israel in all of its life.
The Ten Commandments cannot be separated from the rest.
Further, even though most recognize this three-fold division, the Jews so numbered all the commands that they approached the Law as a unit.
The Jews did not view the Law as having a three-fold division but rather they divided the 613 commandments of the Law into twelve families of commandments which were then subdivided into twelve additional families of positive and twelve additional families of negative commands.
Further, that it is a unit is evident by the fact that the recognition of any of its features, i.e., as a meritorious system of righteousness with God, obligates the person to fulfill the entire Law, as we are taught by both Paul and James (cf. Galatians 3:10, 12; 5:3; James 2:8-11).
Further evidence that the Law is a unit is the penalty of death for disobedience is attached to all three parts of the Law.
Noticing the penalties attached to certain commands further emphasizes the unified character of the Law.
When the command to keep the Sabbath (one of the “commandments”) was violated by a man who gathered sticks on that day, the penalty was death by stoning (Num. 15:32-36).
When the people of Israel violated the command concerning the Sabbatical Year for the land (one of the “judgments”), God sent them into captivity where many died (Jer. 25:11).
When Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire before the Lord (one of the “ordinances”), they immediately died (Lev. 10:1-7).
Clearly these commands from various parts of the Law were equally binding and the punishment equally severe.
Therefore, the Law was an indivisible unit.
The Mosaic Law was a conditional covenant made specifically for Israel alone to govern her life in the Promised Land.
From the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen.12) we see Israel was a chosen nation, an instrument of God to become a channel of blessing to all nations.
The Lord was her Theocratic King who was to rule and guide the nation in her destiny that she might not become polluted or contaminated by other Gentile heathen nations and could thus fulfill her purpose.
For this reason the Mosaic Law was instituted to direct Israel as a nation in all spheres of her life: (1) Morally (2) Socially (3) Politically (4) Economically (5) Religiously.
The indwelling presence of the old Adamic sin nature, made it impossible for anyone to obey completely the Mosaic Law.
However, in the spirit of the Law it did set forth moral principles which were applicable and would bring blessing to all people anywhere and at any time when applied and used as a standard of right and wrong.
There were certain economic provisions in the Law to govern and protect the economic life of Israel in their promised land.
For example there was the right of property ownership, free enterprise, protection of the poor which guarded against the evils of great concentrations of wealth in the hands of a few with the consequent impoverishment of others.
But the poor were provided for in such a way as to avoid the loss of free enterprise and the individual’s initiative by high taxation as well as to avoid making leeches out of men who refused to work.
However, the strict application of these laws to our world is impossible since the original conditions in which God directly intervened cannot he reproduced, at least not until the millennium.
Yet, politicians and economists could study and learn much from these laws and principles.
The foundation and basis of the Mosaic Law is the covenant God made with the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
In several places in Exodus and Deuteronomy, there are references to the Abrahamic Covenant which established the fact that the giving of the Law at Sinai was based on the covenant with Abraham and God’s continuing plan for the nation of Israel as a priesthood nation (cf. Ex. 19:4-6; Deut. 4:4-8 with Ex. 2:24-25; Deut. 4:36-38; 29:31; 1 Chron. 16:15-19).
God had given many promises to bless the descendants of Abraham and the heathen Gentile nations through them and these divine promises were reiterated and expanded to Abraham and to Isaac and Jacob (Gen. 12:1f; 15; 17:1ff; 26:24f; 28:13f).
The Abrahamic covenant is an unconditional covenant meaning that its ultimate fulfillment is dependent on God’s sovereign and faithfulness to His promises to Abraham regardless of Israel’s continued disobedience (cf. Ezek. 20:1-44).
The Mosaic Covenant, however, was a conditional covenant.
Though its ultimate fulfillment is dependent on God, for any generation to experience the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant, there had to be faithfulness to God.
Thus, enters the Law, a conditional covenant given to Moses for the nation of Israel after their redemption out of the land of Egypt.
It was through obedience to the Mosaic Covenant (the Law) that Israel would be able to experience the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant in the Promised Land.
For obedience there would be blessings; for disobedience, cursing (cf. Deut. 28-30).
The Mosaic Law is holy, good, and spiritual (Rom. 7:12, 14) but it was only temporary as the book of Hebrews so clearly teaches.
As such, the Mosaic Law was designed to maintain a proper relationship between God and His people Israel (blessing versus cursing), but only until the coming of Messiah and the establishment of a New Covenant.