Lesson for October 6, 2019
The Mosaic Law
Galatians 3:24, “Therefore, the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”
The Mosaic Law was given to the nation of Israel as God’s client nation to provide freedom for the spreading of the Gospel to other nations and the preservation of the Word of God. The Mosaic Law is divided into three parts (codices). In the English translations of the Bible, these parts are called the Decalogue, the Ordinances, and the Judgments.
Codex one is the Decalogue or The Ten Commandments. The Decalogue is most commonly called the Ten Commandments and define human freedom in relationship to God and people. For example, they provide the freedom to accept or reject Jehovah (Jesus Christ) as seen in the first four commandments – “you shall have no other gods before Me,” “you shall not make for yourself an idol,” you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” and “remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Israel was still a theocratic (God as ruler) nation at the time the Law was given to Moses.
The Ten Commandments went on to define human freedom in terms of morality, family, privacy, property, life, and authority in general. For example, they provide freedom in relation to others as seen in the last six commandments – “honor your father and mother,” “you shall not murder,” “you shall not commit adultery,” “you shall not steal,” “you shall not bear false witness,” and “you shall not covet.” Therefore, within the Ten Commandments human freedom is guarded by volitional authority (authority over oneself), institutional authority (authority of parents over children) and governmental authority (authority of government over its citizens). (Exodus 20:1-17) According to Jesus the entire Mosaic Law is summed up in Matthew 22:34-40.
Codex two is the Ordinances or the spiritual code. The ordinances are principles and doctrines for Israel. They are the theological code designed to present Jesus Christ as Savior (Israel’s Messiah). The spiritual code for Israel included the doctrine of salvation (Soteriology), the doctrine of Christ as Messiah (Christology), the doctrine of the essence of God (Theology). These doctrines were communicated through oral teachings, through rituals, through feasts, through Holy Days and through typology. Oral communication initially came from Moses (Moses being the author of the first five books of the Old Testament) and his brother Aaron and his priestly descendants. The function of a priest with regard to ritual and typology, taught the Person and work of Jesus Christ and other important doctrines like salvation, Rebound and the Faith-Rest Technique. Even the structure and furniture of the Tabernacle taught doctrines regarding Christ. The spiritual code outlined in detail the spiritual life for believers under the Law of Moses. (Exodus 25-28)
Codex three is the Judgments or the Laws of Divine Establishment. This code included all of the governmental functions for the nation of Israel. Every principle and function related to governmental operation within the client nation was given to them in writing and oral communication. This included a detailed explanation of freedom, authority, privacy, rights, property, privileges, marriage and divorce, military policy, taxation, diet, health, sanitation, quarantine, criminal law, trials, punishment, laws of evidence and capital punishment. (Exodus 21:1-23:9)
Everyone within the framework of national freedom is expected to follow the established rules. Punishment for violation of these established laws for Israel was described in the Mosaic Law. Violators of the law have the right to use their own free will to violate these rights and principles, but the society who is violated by them has the right to punish them.
The Mosaic Law had everything necessary for ensuring the freedom of its citizens. The principle of the Law distinguished between criminal and civil, and develops the laws of evidence which exclude hearsay, and assign just punishment for criminal acts and violation of civil law. No one could be convicted unless there were two or three witnesses who independently, before the court, presented the same facts. Criminals were punished immediately. There is no such thing as rehabilitation of a criminal. Punishment was so severe as to restrain criminality. Part of the establishment code is capital punishment, which was first seen in the Scripture in Genesis 9:5-6 and incorporated into the Mosaic Law in Exodus 21:12; Numbers 35:30; and transferred to the Church Age in Romans 13:3-4.
The Mosaic Law had a just system of taxation. Tithing was the system of taxation for both believers and unbelievers. There was a separate system of offerings for believers only. (Deuteronomy 18:1; Nehemiah 13:10, Malachi 3:8-10) The offerings of believers were not assigned any percentage. There were three income tax systems in Israel. There was a ten percent income tax for the maintenance of the Levitical priesthood in Numbers 18:21, 24; Leviticus 27:30-33. There was a ten percent income tax for feasts and sacrifices in Deuteronomy 12:18; 14:22-24. There was a ten percent income tax gathered every third year for the poor of the Land in Deuteronomy 14:28-29.
Malachi 3:8-11 describes income tax evasion. Corrected translation, “Will a man defraud God? Yet you are defrauding Me. But you say, `How have we defrauded You?’ In tithes [taxation] and offerings [spiritual giving by believers only]. (Unbelievers did not want to pay income tax or the tax related to support of the Levitical priesthood) You are cursed with a curse; for you, the entire nation, are defrauding Me. ‘Bring your entire tithe [income tax] to the treasury, so that there may be food in My house [client nation], and test Me now in this,’ declares the Lord of the hosts, see if I will not open for you the windows of Heaven, and pour you out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Then I will rebuke the devourer [anything that would destroy the economy, like insects/pests or invading armies] for you, so that it may not destroy the production of the ground, nor will your vine in the field cast off its grapes.’ Says the Lord of hosts.”
Great blessing occurs to a client nation when its citizens faithfully pay legitimate income taxes. Spiritual giving has never been a certain percentage. While spiritual giving is mentioned, it is not an issue in the establishment code of the Mosaic Law. In the spiritual code, the offerings of a believer are a private matter between a believer and God. No percentage is involved. No one is to give so that it deprives their family.
Codex three included the function of free enterprise and profit motivation but rejected all forms of socialism and the welfare state but included charity for those in need. When you destroy wealth in a nation, you destroy jobs in a nation. Charity is always a valid part of the spiritual life, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Morality demanded by the Mosaic Law is not spirituality. Spirituality is infinitely greater than morality even in the Old Testament. Morality is produced by self-determination, whether by a believer or unbeliever and is human good. But spirituality under the Law of Moses was produced by a believer only using the Faith-Rest Technique and was divine good, which is infinitely greater than human good.
The Mosaic Law was given to the nation of Israel as the first client nation to God. (Exodus 19:3; Leviticus 26:46; Romans 3:19, 9:4.) The Mosaic Law was never given to the Church, which is the fallacy of what is called “Covenant Theology.” (Acts 15:5, 24; Romans 6:14; Galatians 2:19) The Church has a higher code than the Mosaic Law in the Law of Christ. (I Corinthians 9:19-21)
There were limitations to the Mosaic Law called “weakness and uselessness of the Law” in Heb 7:18-19. The Mosaic Law could not and cannot justify anyone before God. (Acts 13:39; Philippians 3:9) With regard to salvation, the Mosaic Law was given as a system for understanding sin, not as a system of salvation. The Mosaic Law pointed to the fact that everyone needed salvation, but it was not the means of salvation, Christ is. (Galatians 3:21-26) The Mosaic Law revealed Jesus Christ as the only Savior. (John 14:6) Generally speaking, most of Israel observed the rituals without ever relating them to the reality of Christ as Messiah (Savior). (Hebrews 7:18-19; Romans 3:20-22, 28; Galatians 2:16) Everyone in both the Old Testament and the New Testament are saved by faith in Christ. In the Old Testament, Abraham believed in Jehovah (Jesus Christ) and it was credited to his account as righteousness. (Genesis 3:15)
Keeping the Mosaic Law is not the spiritual life of the Church Age. (Galatians 3) The Mosaic Law did not provide the solution to the problems of Adam’s original sin and spiritual death. (Romans 8:2-3) The Mosaic Law has never been able to provide a righteousness acceptable to God. (Romans 3:20)
The Mosaic Law belongs to the Word of God and still has value for the Church Age believer. The proper purpose of the Mosaic Law is found in I Timothy 1:8-11, “We know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully. Know this fact that the Law was not made for the righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who murder their fathers and mothers, for murderers in general, for fornicators and homosexuals, for kidnappers and liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine according to the glorious Gospel of the blessed God with which Gospel I have been entrusted.”
The Mosaic Law contains truth that applies to every generation of history with regard to the principles of morality, freedom, authority, privacy and protection of property. However, the Mosaic Law is completely excluded from the believer’s spiritual life and spiritual freedom, but still has value in defining human freedom within the human race. Spiritual freedom is based on our relationship with God. (II Corinthians 3:15-18; Galatians 5:1)
The Mosaic Law was set aside by Christ and a new law of grace in Christ was introduced. During the dispensation of the Hypostatic Union, Jesus Christ fulfilled the Mosaic Law and established a new precedence for the Church Age (grace of the Law of Christ). Therefore, only those portions of the Mosaic Law that are repeated as principles in the New Testament are to be applied today. (Romans 8:2-8) While Israel was to live by the Mosaic Law, Church Age believers are to live by the Protocol Plan of God.
Summary
The Mosaic Law was written for everyone’s instruction, in order that we might learn the Divine Establishment Laws. (Romans 15:4) The Mosaic Law and its principles form the pattern and policy for good government. It demonstrates the proper place of authority and its proper use. It teaches the importance of fair taxation, universal military training, proper justice, and the importance of freedom, privacy, property, and life. Its present purpose is to define human freedom, to teach that we are not under the Mosaic Law but under grace, and to provide the perfect standard for the function of a client nation.
The Mosaic Law was a demonstration of spiritual death and showed the way to spiritual life by directing unbelievers to Christ as Messiah (Savior). (Galatians 3:24) The Mosaic Law is called a minister of condemnation, not a minister of spirituality (righteousness) in II Corinthians 3:9. The doctrine of the impeccability of Jesus Christ includes the fact that He kept the Mosaic Law perfectly and ended the Mosaic Law as a way of life for Church Age believers. Jesus Christ condemned the legalistic distortions of the Mosaic Law and the Pharisees who sponsored those distortions. (Matthew 23) He also observed every ceremony of the Mosaic Law fulfilling codex one by keeping the Ten Commandments, codex two by living a sinless life, and codex three by keeping the Laws of Divine Establishment. (Matthew 22:21)
Salvation has never been by keeping the Mosaic Law. (Galatians 2:16). Keeping the Mosaic Law is not spirituality and not the Christian Way of Life. (I Corinthians 13; Romans 8:2-4; Galatians 5:18, 22-23)