Lesson for March 5, 2025

The Mosaic Law

Lesson 2

The Mosaic Law was divided into three codices, the Ten Commandments, the Ordinances, and the Judgments. The Mosaic Law contained 613 laws when it was finally completed. Eventually, it was all recorded by Moses when he wrote the first five books of the Old Testament, called the Pentateuch.

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments 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 defined 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 was guarded by volitional authority over oneself, parental authority over children, and governmental authority over its citizens. (Exodus 20:1-17)

The Ordinances

The ordinances are principles and doctrines for the nation of Israel. They were designed to present Jesus Christ as Israel’s Messiah, Savior. This spiritual code for Israel included the doctrine of salvation (Soteriology), the doctrine of Christ as Messiah (Christology), and 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, his brother Aaron, the High Priest, and the Levitical priests. The function of a priest, with regard to ritual and typology, taught the Person and work of Jehovah (Jesus Christ) and other important doctrines like salvation, Rebound, and the Faith-Rest Technique. The spiritual code outlined in detail the spiritual life for believers under the Law of Moses. (Exodus 25-28)

The Judgments

The Judgments 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 written and oral communication. This included a detailed explanation of freedom, authority, privacy, rights, property, privileges, marriage, 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 was expected to follow the established rules. Punishment for violation of these established laws for Israel was described in the Judgments. People were free to use their free will to violate these rights and principles, but society had 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 developed the laws of evidence which excluded hearsay, and assigned fair punishment for criminal acts and violation of civil law. No one could be convicted unless there were two or three witnesses who independently presented the same facts in court. Criminals were punished immediately. There was no such thing as rehabilitation of a criminal. Punishment was so severe as to restrain criminality. Part of the code was 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 fair 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, 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]. 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. The offerings of a believer were a private matter between a believer and God. No percentage was involved. No one was to give so that it deprived their family.

The Judgments included the function of free enterprise, rejected all forms of socialism and welfare but included charity for those in need. Charity has always been a valid part of the spiritual life, 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 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, which is the Law of Christ. (I Corinthians 9:19-21)

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 demonstrated the proper place of authority and its proper use. It taught the importance of fair taxation, universal military training, proper justice, and the importance of freedom, privacy, property, and life.

The Mosaic Law showed the way to salvation by directing unbelievers to Christ as the Messiah (Savior). (Galatians 3:24) The Mosaic Law is called a minister of condemnation (spiritual death), not a minister of righteousness (salvation), in II Corinthians 3:9. The doctrine of the impeccability of Jesus Christ includes the fact that He kept the Mosaic Law perfectly and abolished it as a way of life for Church Age believers.

Jesus 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, the Ten Commandments, codex two, the Ordinances, by keeping them perfectly, and codex three, the Judgments, 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)