“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”
Matt 5:17-19, NKJV
It seems so long ago that we began this series, discussing the life and mission of Jesus. We opened the study with His declaration that He came, not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. After a quick discussion regarding the breadth of His declaration (“Law and Prophets”), we began our study by carefully examining the specific passage in Genesis where the word Law is first mentioned:
“And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
Gen 26:4-5, NKJV
In this passage, we found God giving approval to Abraham for keeping (remember – not fulfilling, but keeping) His laws. We noticed that God broke the fullness of His Law into several parts: His voice, His charge, His commandments, His statutes and His laws. We then began to examine each of these specific aspects of God’s Law to begin to understand its nature, and to explore its fulfillment in Jesus. We have now studied God’s voice, charge, commandments and statutes. Now, finally, we are ready to discuss the “Law” itself, (תורה) – the Torah!
We have discussed this word, Torah, before. We have seen that it can have multiple meanings, including the broad scope in its use as a title for the first five books of the Old Testament – the Pentateuch. But before we move any further in our study, it might serve well to consult the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament for greater insight into this important word:
The word tôrâ means basically “teaching” whether it is the wise man instructing his son or God instructing Israel. The wise give insight into all aspects of life so that the young may know how to conduct themselves and to live a long blessed life (Prov 3:1f.). So too God, motivated by love, reveals to man basic insight into how to live with each other and how to approach God. Through the law God shows his interest in all aspects of man’s life which is to be lived under his direction and care. Law of God stands parallel to word of the Lord to signify that law is the revelation of God’s will (e.g. Isa 1:10). In this capacity it becomes the nation’s wisdom and understanding so that others will marvel at the quality of Israel’s distinctive life style (Deut 4:6). Thus there is a very similar understanding of the role of teaching with its results in the wisdom school, in the priestly instruction, and the role of the law with its results for all the people of the covenant.
Specifically law refers to any set of regulations; e.g., Ex 12 contains the law in regard to observing the Passover, Some other specific laws include those for the various offerings (Lev 7:37), for leprosy (Lev 14:57) and for jealousy (Num 5:29). In this light law is often considered to consist of statutes, ordinances, precepts, commandments, and testimonies. … Later the word extended to include the first five books of the Bible in all their variety.
Law and Covenant
Covenant precedes law; and the law was given only to the nation which had entered into covenant with God [although in the sense of moral principle, law is as old as human sin and God’s governance, Gen 3:7; Gen 9:6; Gen 26:5. –R.L.H.]. The law specifically is the stipulations of the covenant. But in the broad sense of law, namely God’s teaching, covenant plays the central part. Law and covenant may parallel one another (e.g. Ps 78:10), Since they are so closely tied together, to break one is to break both. Their interconnection is further witnessed to in that the tables of the testimony were placed in the ark of the covenant and a copy of the book of the law placed beside it as a perpetual witness to the covenant between God and his people (Ex 40:20; Deut 31:26).
The law, as well as the covenant, brings with it blessings or curses. He who follows its precepts will be blessed (Deut 29:8 *), but whoever breaks them will be cursed (Deut 29:19-20 *). Following the law is the source of life; it makes life a joy and lengthens its days (Deut 6:1-2). On the other hand, as the standard it tests Israel to determine whether they follow God completely or not (Deut 8:2; Judg 3:4).
(Excerpted from Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Copyright © 1980 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
Recognizing, then, that the Law (תורה)) is such a broad concept, for the purpose of the next several sessions, we will define Torah as the Five Books of Moses, and in our next blog, we will start with that part of the Law which is probably the best known, the Ten Commandments.
And God spoke all these words, saying:
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
“You shall have no other gods before Me.
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image — any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
“You shall not murder.
“You shall not commit adultery.
“You shall not steal.
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Exodus 20:1-17, NKJV
We will work through these commandments one at a time. Notice that they can be categorized in two parts: the first four commandments are focused on our relationship with God. The last six, on the other hand, are related to our relationship with each other as fellow human beings.
I challenge my readers to take the time between now and the next blog to read these words carefully. Ask yourself: What do these commandments say about God’s desired relationship with us? What do they say about the Glory of God? And, What do they say about us, as His creation?
Until next time, may God richly bless you in the study of His holy Word!
YouJi