ABOUT MOSAIC LAW (2)

1. About Mosaic Law

a) The Mosaic Law takes up a large portion of the Old Testament and was of vital importance to the Hebrews of old. Even though we who are in Christ are no longer under the Law (Galatians 5:18), there is much we can learn from this part of God’s Word. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful” (2 Timothy 3:16). 

i) The Mosaic Law predicts that God will not forsake His children. 


@1. There were blessings promised to Israel for keeping the Law and curses for breaking it (Deuteronomy 30). God predicted, through His prophet Moses, that Israel would be disobedient and spurn the Law (Deuteronomy 32:21–22). Yet, in His great mercy, God promised to “vindicate his people” (Deuteronomy 32:36) and “make atonement for his land and people” (verse 43).

ii) The Mosaic Law establishes the principle of sowing and reaping. 


@1. The Old Covenant was conditional; God promised to bless Israel in the Promised Land only if they adhered to the Law. “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today” (Deuteronomy 11:26–28). The underlying principle of reaping what one sows is a natural law and one repeated in the New Testament (Galatians 6:7).

iii) The Mosaic Law demonstrates the value of an intercessor between God and man. 


@1. The whole concept of the Levitical priesthood was based on the need for an intercessor between man and God. Only the priests could enter the tabernacle, and only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies—and that only once a year with the blood of a sacrifice. Even then, there were special requirements placed on the priests concerning their behavior, physical appearance, clothing, and ceremonial cleansing. The point was that God is holy, and we are not. We need a go-between, and God is the One who chooses the mediator. Under the Mosaic system, the intercessor was a son of Aaron (Numbers 3:3); under the New Covenant, the Intercessor is the Son of God (1 Timothy 2:5).

iv) The Mosaic Law shows the efficacy of a substitutionary sacrifice. 


@1. The Law graphically depicts God’s requirement of the blood of an innocent sacrifice to atone for the sins of the guilty. As the author of Hebrews says, “The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). The burning carcass on the altar was a vivid reminder that the consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Without such a substitute, the wrath of God would fall on the transgressor. The Law allowed for an animal sacrifice to be a propitiation for sin, and the Law called the sacrifice “a pleasing aroma” to the Lord (Numbers 28:6).

v) The Mosaic Law provides many pictures of Christ and His redemption. 


@1. Every lamb that was offered under the Old Testament Law was a foreshadowing of the Lamb of God and His sacrifice on the cross (see John 1:29; Hebrews 7:27). Every priestly duty heralded the work of Christ on our behalf. The lampstand in the temple prefigured the Light of the World (John 9:5). The table of showbread was a picture of the Bread of Life (John 6:35). The veil separating the two compartments of the tabernacle was a symbol of Christ’s body, destined to be torn to provide access to the very presence of God (Luke 23:45; Hebrews 10:20). In fact, the entire sanctuary built under Moses’ superintendence was filled with “copies of the heavenly things” (Hebrews 9:23).

b) Christians today can benefit much from a study of the Mosaic Law. We understand that the Law was not meant for the church, and we are responsible to “correctly handle the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). But, properly understood, the Law remains “our tutor to lead us to Christ” (Galatians 3:24). Once we come to Christ, we find He “is the culmination of the law . . . for everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4).    

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