Introduction to the "Law"
This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.
This study is an introduction to the law of God, what it consists of, for whom it is intended and what purpose it fulfils. We will examine the Hebrew roots of the words that describe the Law and the context in which they are used to give us a better understanding and insight.
What is the Law of God?
The "Law of God" in the Bible generally refers to the commandments, statutes, and principles that God provided to humanity for righteous living. In the Old Testament, the Law of God is primarily found in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, which include the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai.
The Law of God encompasses various aspects of life, including moral, ethical, ceremonial, and civil laws. It addresses issues such as worship, interpersonal relationships, justice, and societal conduct.
Overall, the Law of God serves as a guide for believers to live according to God's will and to practice righteousness.
Vocabulary of God's Laws
These passages from the Bible offer insight into the terminology used to describe God's laws, from the patriarchal era to the time of Moses and beyond. They highlight the diverse terms used to express God's instruction, including "charge," "commandments," "statutes," "ordinances," and "laws." This vocabulary reflects the multifaceted nature of God's guidance, encompassing moral, ethical, ceremonial, and legal aspects.
Genesis 26:4-5
4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My charge (מִשְׁמֶרֶת-mishmeret), My commandments (מִצְוָה-mitsvah), My statutes (חֻקָּה-chuqqah), and My laws (תּוֹרָה-torah).”
Note that the concept of “law” came before Moses received it and before it was written down.
Exodus 15:25-26
There Yahweh made for them a statute (חֻקָּה-chuqqah) and an ordinance (מִשְׁפָט-mishpat), and there He tested them, 26 saying, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of Yahweh your God, and do what is right in His eyes, and pay attention to His commands (מִצְוָה-mitsvah), and keep all His statutes (חֻקָּה-chuqqah), then I will not bring on you any of the diseases I inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am Yahweh who heals you.”
Exodus 24:12
12 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and stay here, so that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law (תּוֹרָה-torah) and commandments (מִצְוָה-mitsvah) I have written for their instruction.”
Deuteronomy 4:8
8 And what nation is great enough to have righteous statutes (חֻקָּה-chuqqah) and ordinances (מִשְׁפָט-mishpat) like this entire law (תּוֹרָה-torah) I set before you today?
Deuteronomy 11:1
1 You shall therefore love Yahweh your God and always keep His charge (מִשְׁמֶרֶת-mishmeret), His statutes (חֻקָּה-chuqqah), His ordinances (מִשְׁפָט-mishpat), and His commandments (מִצְוָה-mitsvah).
1 Kings 2:3
3 And keep the charge of Yahweh your God to walk in His ways and to keep His statutes (חֻקָּה-chuqqah), commandments (מִצְוָה-mitsvah), ordinances (מִשְׁפָט-mishpat), and decrees ( עֵדוּת-eduth), as is written in the Law (תּוֹרָה-torah) of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you turn…
Mishmeret
מִשְׁמֶרֶת
-
מִשְׁמֶרֶת (mishmeret) means to keep, preserve, guard, watch over, be in charge of, service.
Exodus 12:5-6
5 Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats. 6 You must keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight.
Leviticus 8:35
35 You must remain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days and keep Yahweh’s charge so that you will not die, for this is what I have been commanded.”
Numbers 1:53
53 But the Levites are to camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony and watch over it, so that no wrath will fall on the congregation of Israel. So the Levites are responsible for the tabernacle of the Testimony.”
Numbers 3:7
7 They are to perform duties for him and for the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, attending to the service of the tabernacle.
Numbers 18:8
8 Then Yahweh said to Aaron, “Behold, I have put you in charge of My offerings. As for all the sacred offerings of the Israelites, I have given them to you and your sons as a portion and a permanent statute.
1 Chronicles 23:32
32 So the Levites were to carry out the responsibilities for the Tent of Meeting and the Holy Place, and, under their brothers the descendants of Aaron, the service of the house of Yahweh.
Nehemiah 12:45
45 They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had prescribed.
Mitsvah
מִצְוָה
-
מִצְוָה (mitsvah) means commandment, law, ordinance, precept, usually it describes ritual laws like feasts and offerings.
Exodus 16:28
28 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and instructions?
Leviticus 22:31
31 You are to keep My commandments and practice them. I am Yahweh.
Judges 3:4
4 These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out whether they would keep the commandments of Yahweh, which He had given their fathers through Moses.
Chuqqah
חֻקָּה
-
חֻקָּה (chuqqah) means something prescribed, statute, firmly established custom.
Exodus 12:14
14 And this day (Passover) will be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a feast to the LORD, as a permanent statute for the generations to come.
Exodus 27:21
21 In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamps before Yahweh from evening until morning. This is to be a permanent statute for the Israelites for the generations to come.
Leviticus 10:9
9 “You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute for the generations to come.
Leviticus 16:29-30
29 This is to be a permanent statute for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you shall humble yourselves and not do any work—whether the native or the foreigner who resides among you— 30 because on this day atonement will be made for you to cleanse you, and you will be clean from all your sins before Yahweh.
Leviticus 18:3
3 You must not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you. You must not walk in their customs.
Leviticus 19:19
19 You are to keep My statutes. You shall not crossbreed two different kinds of livestock; you shall not sow your fields with two kinds of seed; and you shall not wear clothing made of two kinds of material.
Torah
תּוֹרָה
-
תּוֹרָה (torah) means instruction, direction, law, it is often used to describe the whole law.
Exodus 16:4
4 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether or not they will follow My instructions.
Leviticus 6:9
9 “Command Aaron and his sons that this is the law of the burnt offering…
Numbers 19:2
2 “This is the statute (chuqqah) of the law that Yahweh has commanded: Instruct the Israelites to bring you an unblemished red heifer that has no defect and has never been placed under a yoke.
Deuteronomy 4:44
44 This is the law that Moses set before the Israelites.
Deuteronomy 17:18
18 When he (king) is seated on his royal throne, he must write for himself a copy of this instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.
Deuteronomy 31:24-26
24 When Moses had finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end, 25 he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh: 26 “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you.
Joshua 1:8
8 This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.
Joshua 8:32
32 And there in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.
Joshua 24:26
26 Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God.
2 Chronicles 17:9
9 They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of Yahweh. They went throughout the towns of Judah and taught the people.
Isaiah 2:3
3 And many peoples will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 31:33
33 “But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares Yahweh. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.
Mishpat
מִשְׁפָט
Edut
עֵדוּת
-
עֵדוּת (edut) means testimony, witness.
Exodus 25:22
22 And I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony; I will speak with you about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.
Exodus 31:18
18 When Yahweh had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.
Exodus 38:21
21 This is the inventory for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony, as recorded at Moses’ command by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.
Psalm 78:5
5 For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children...
Who is the Law for?
In the beginning the law was only for the land of Israel so that it could be kept by both Jews and willing gentiles who would join Israelites, but later it was prophesied that it would spread to the rest of the nations. Partially this prophecy was fulfilled at the first coming of Christ and it will be fully fulfilled during the Millennium after Christ returns to set up His kingdom on earth.
Exodus 12:48-49
48 If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate Yahweh’s Passover, all the males in the household must be circumcised; then he may come near to celebrate it, and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised man may eat of it. 49 The same law shall apply to both the native and the foreigner who resides among you.”
Numbers 15:15-16
15 The assembly is to have the same statute both for you and for the foreign resident; it is a permanent statute for the generations to come. You and the foreigner shall be the same before Yahweh. 16 The same law and the same ordinance will apply both to you and to the foreigner residing with you.”
Leviticus 24:22
22 You are to have the same standard of law for the foreign resident and the native; for I am Yahweh your God.’ ”
Isaiah 51:4
4 Pay attention to Me, My people, and listen to Me, My nation; for a law will go out from Me, and My justice will become a light to the nations; I will bring it about quickly.
Micah 4:2
2 And many nations will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.
What is the purpose of the Law?
The purpose of the Law, as you will see in these passages, is to guide in righteous living, ensuring blessings and security for those who obey it, while warning of consequences for disobedience.
Leviticus 18:5
5 Keep My statutes and My judgments, for the man who does these things will live by them. I am Yahweh.
Leviticus 26:3-5
3 If you follow My statutes and carefully keep My commandments, 4 I will give you rains in their season, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until the grape harvest, and the grape harvest will continue until sowing time; you will have your fill of food to eat and will dwell securely in your land.
Leviticus 26:14-16
14 If, however, you fail to obey Me and to carry out all these commandments, 15 and if you reject My statutes, despise My ordinances, and neglect to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenant, 16 then this is what I will do to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting disease, and fever that will destroy your sight and drain your life. You will sow your seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it.
Deuteronomy 5:29
29 If only they had such a heart to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever.
Deuteronomy 28:1-2
1 “Now if you faithfully obey the voice of Yahweh your God and are careful to follow all His commandments I am giving you today, Yahweh your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the voice of Yahweh your God…
Deuteronomy 28:15
15 If, however, you do not obey Yahweh your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you…
Leviticus 25:18
18 You are to keep My statutes and carefully observe My judgments, so that you may dwell securely in the land. 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, so that you can eat your fill and dwell in safety in the land.
2 Chronicles 19:10
10 For every dispute that comes before you from your brothers who dwell in their cities—whether it regards bloodshed or some other violation of law, commandments, statutes, or ordinances—you are to warn them, so that they will not incur guilt before Yahweh and wrath will not come upon you and your brothers. Do this, and you will not incur guilt.
Psalm 19:7-11
7 The Law of Yahweh is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of Yahweh is trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of Yahweh are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of Yahweh are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of Yahweh is pure, enduring forever; the judgments of Yahweh are true, being altogether righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. 11 By them indeed Your servant is warned; in keeping them is great reward.
The Law of Moses fulfilled in Christ
The obvious thing we can see about the Law under the Old Covenant is that it was tied to the land of Israel and that keeping the Law led to blessings and breaking the Law led to curses. As you may know, the Old Covenant did not provide one's salvation, that's why God established a New Covenant through Yeshua (Jesus). In further studies, we will take a deeper look at the Law and see how it points to the Messiah and how it is fulfilled in Him.
44 Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
46 And He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and in His name repentance and forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
Further reading: