I’ve written about Old Testament laws in the New Testament context before. In short, these days, we need to keep it simple: Love God, love people. But why wouldn’t God simply say that upfront? What’s the deal with those rules about animal sacrifice and interwoven fabrics? If those laws no longer apply today, does that mean all rules no longer apply?
Let’s start with the familiar and work our way into the ancient. Today, legislating morality is a tricky subject. In our postmodern era of “subjective truth,” the concept of prohibiting certain activities faces strong cultural resistance. Advocates for abortion, legalized drug use, and prepubescent gender changes clamor for the government to stay out of private affairs. The Western winds of culture are blowing decisively in that direction.
Yet, at the same time, Western culture forgets how other community standards exist. Take speed limits, for example–they are solely instituted for the communal safety of other drivers and pedestrians. A speeding driver has no intention to hurt anyone else–much like the addict’s fix–but the police are given the authority to punish the driver preemptively for endangering the public before anyone is actually hurt. With the support of statistical data, speed limits institute order on the roads and attempt to prevent injury and damage. In this case, personal choice must submit–against its hurried will–to the preemptive safety of the community, and culture mostly accepts them.
I want us to think about such communal standards when reading and understanding the Old Testament Law. There are many laws across Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. A careful study will reveal they are split into multiple categories–religious, civil, and moral. This nuance helps us better understand their modern-day implications.
Like our parents’ imposed curfews, some rules are simultaneously meant to protect the subject and respect authority. The Israelites’ many rules reinforced their humility in spirit and recognized God’s superiority. Before the sacrifice of Christ, the Israelites would routinely forget the ways in which God miraculously provided for their ancestors. Being intentionally set apart from the surrounding culture–in worship, diet, or fashion–was a reminder of their blessings.
It’s important to remember that not only was God the leader of the ancient Hebrews’ faith, but also their society. This was a Theocracy. Tithes were the taxes for public good. The dietary restrictions protected the growth of the country’s wealth and standard of living. The clothing restrictions were a reminder–a pledge, of sorts–of their allegiance. God’s “laws” were more than laws–the civic and religious ones set the tone for society’s structure.
So, let’s revisit those opening questions. Why were God’s OT laws so complicated? They were a societal toolkit to remind the ancient Hebrews how–and why–they were to be set apart from their surrounding cultures.
Why were there so many prescribed sacrifices if Jesus was the eternal plan for atonement? Because man needed to understand his inability to achieve righteousness on his own.
Why could the Jews not eat pigs and animals with uncloven feet? It protected the success of the community. Herding sheep is far less destructive than keeping pigs. Sheep also provided wool in addition to their meat–it was a wiser investment for the people to survive and build wealth in an arid land.
Why could the Israelites not wear clothes made of multiple materials? This forced them to separate themselves from surrounding cultures, which ultimately put pressure on them to trust in the Lord’s provision that much more.
In all these things, God was instituting rules to remind the Israelites to remember the Lord daily. These were preemptive measures to prevent the Jews from forgetting their God. It was a restriction of personal preference to benefit the communal good. These were their ancient “speed limits.”
Deuteronomy 6 answers our overarching question more bluntly. Beginning in verse 20, the book suggests that when our children ask why these rules exist, we should tell them, “The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.” (Deuteronomy 6:23-25, NIV) Like speed limits, the laws may feel oppressive, but were established for the benefit of the community and the safety of the individual’s health, wealth, and faith.
As Judeo-Christian morality influenced governments, the OT civil laws were no longer required. When Jesus finally atoned for our sins, the religious laws were fulfilled. As Gentiles were welcomed into the community, the laws protecting national identity were no longer necessary.
Does this mean that all laws are now null and void? No, the laws concerning morality still stand. These can be summarized as the two greatest Commandments from Matthew 22:36: to love God and love others. Loving God requires us to adhere to God’s intention for us. This includes our identity, body, faith, and purpose. Loving others sacrifices our pride. Humility is the prerequisite to living in God’s will. These moral laws are eternal, and offenses like murder, blasphemy, and sexual immorality still count as rebellion, as sin.
Theological debate rages over Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In it, He declares, “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:18, NIV) He also defends His disciples for breaking the Sabbath laws of the time (Mark 2:27) and the kosher laws (Matthew 15:11, Acts 10:11). To understand this nuance, Paul reveals, “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” (Romans 7:6, NIV). The Law remains–in its entirety–for those attempting to be justified by it through their works; yet by accepting Christ, we are free from that measuring stick (see Galatians 5). Faith is, and has been, the truest barometer, beginning with Abraham (Genesis 15:6).
Paul, the learned and accomplished Jew, wrote to the Colossians, “Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules” (Colossians 2:20, NIV) Sacrificing animals wasn’t loving God–it showed us something about ourselves. Wearing a single type of fabric didn’t improve our relationship with others–it reminded the Hebrews of their separation from the world. If a rule doesn’t affect God’s design for us or our relationship with others, it has been satisfied by our democracy or our Savior. And when our culture questions and abandons that moral code, the Bible’s records anchor us to God’s truest desire: to set ourselves apart from the world and align ourselves with Him, no matter the costs.
Just as our infant faith is formed by spiritual “milk” (1 Corinthians 3), the nascent Israelite society needed stricter Fatherly oversight. Like teenagers, the Bible records man’s rebellious stages–many of them. Now, with the new covenant firmly in place, it is time for us to leave behind the curfews of our historical past and present ourselves fully mature in Christ alone (Colossians 1:28).
40 - Why were there so many Old Testament rules?