The Law of God

God's Law in our time.

1. Why is there a need for a Law?

2. What are those laws in God's Law?

3. To whom was God's Law given?

4. Is that Law still in effect today?

Why is God's Law needed?

Do you think mankind needs God's Law?

How do you view having a law? Does it affect you negatively? Most of the people nowadays have a disdain for anything that may have something to do about laws.

They view laws as being restrictive, anti progress and anti-self expression. While they glorify "freedom".

Is it correct? Do we miss out things because there are laws that bind our hands?

Most importantly, is having the Law of God the same as having the laws of man?

When God created man, and He put them in the garden of Eden, He gave them only one law. Wow! life could not be simplier. We all know how that story end up.

After the man was driven out of that paradise home because of disobedience to that single law, God may have said more guidelines for a man to live, but they were not written down and maybe they were just passed on verbally.

We can be sure there were laws, or man will not know how to deal with Godly matters, but reading the story of the Hebrew patriarchs, we see glimpses of conduct which relate to their worship of God. Some getting approval for their actions like Abel, Enoch, Noah and several others, while some got reprimanded like Cain.

After the flood, God slowly defined His will for mankind, so that we will not be left groping and guessing what He dislikes or actually abhors. God always wanted man to understand Him so He kept the rules simple, instead of giving man a long list of what to do, He chose to just outline what man should actually avoid in doing so that He will not get angry with us.

Slowly God provided the laws.

Noah and his family received seven simple prohibitions.

Then when Abraham came, He outlined the requirement of circumcision.

And again later, seeing that man is having a hard time practicing good in their own accord, He provided a detailed list of laws, He let Moses write them down and was then read for all Israel to hear and learn.

According to the Jewish tradition, the whole Law of God is composed of 613 articles, both negative and affirmative; things a man should do and things a man should not do.

Is there a need for God's Law?

Yes, there is. It is actually a very loving provision on God's part to give us the Law. Let me give an illustration; Imagine you applied for an important job to a well known company, and the owner and manager of that company are famous for being exacting. They remove every employee that never measure up to their standard. What would you like to have on your first day at work? Right! You will surely want some kind of guide, you may even want a briefing of everything that has to do with your job. Now if someone prepared a full list of things to do and not to do for you, how will you feel about it? Should you feel burdened? Or Should you be grateful?

Similar to that illustration, we all begin to live our lives as "newcomers" on Earth, our life is the same. We all come into this world without really knowing anything and we all learn along the way, much of what we know, we gained by trial and error. How many times we wished we knew before what we know at the moment so that we could have saved ourselves from much of the pain we went through?

That is the reason why God's Law is such a loving provision from God. Instead of letting us try various things to please Him, we can know exactly how to please Him by learning and understanding those laws! We can actually gauge ourselves if we are doing well or doing bad towards God. So this is one of the purpose of the Law.

More importantly, the Law plays a vital part in God's covenant with man particularly through Israel. This is the sign that will show the willingness of a man to be in the covenant. Anyone who put forth the effort of obeying the Law is actively claiming that part of the agreement. And anyone who is not interested to follow the Law is showing too the disinterest of having a part in that covenant.

Consider these words found on the book of Deuteronomy:

1 These are the terms of the covenant the Lord commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb.

..9 Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.....

12 You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the Lord your God, a covenant the Lord is making with you this day and sealing with an oath, 13 to confirm you this day as his people, that he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 14 I am making this covenant, with its oath, not only with you 15 who are standing here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God but also with those who are not here today...

19 When such a person hears the words of this oath and they invoke a blessing on themselves, thinking, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way,” they will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. 20 The Lord will never be willing to forgive them; his wrath and zeal will burn against them. All the curses written in this book will fall on them, and the Lord will blot out their names from under heaven....25 And the answer will be: “It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt. - Deuteronomy 29:1,9,12,13-15, 19-20, 25

There! All in black and white. Do those provisions in the Law and you'll surely be in the favor of God. On the other hand when you disobey them you will reap the curses pronounced in the Law. All laid out and will operate automatically.

We, as the people who come to know the wonderful works of YHWH, His dealings with His chosen people, His covenants and His Law, only have to decide if we want to be included in that covenant or not. We have that choice.

What are Those Laws of God?

Find God's Law.

All the laws of God are contained in the 5 books written by Moses.

• Genesis

• Exodus

• Leviticus

• Numbers

• Deuteronomy

The most famous of these laws are the 10 commandments. Christ further simplified matters by condensing all God's laws into 2 basic code of conduct: Love God above all else and Love your neighbors as yourself. (paraphrased from Matthew 22:37-39)

While it is so easy to say that "I love God above all else" the actual application is far from being easy. Because it means that whenever we are faced with a choice, we have to consider God's thought on the matter before we actually choose and then choose God's preference in spite of the personal preference we may have at that moment. Again, even that is easier said than done.

For example: If we have decided from now on to Love God above all else and follow His commandments, then we are considering our day of worship, a day to rest and consider God. A day that we will keep holy. In human point of view, this can be anyday. As long as we set aside a day or some days to be used in service and worship for God, any day can be chosen. That is the perspective from the human point of view. What about God? Does YHWH have any say about what day we should use to keep holy? A day we should worship Him? If He have such a preference for a particular day, are you going to choose that because you love God above all else? Or will you just reason that; "our time is different now and keeping that day is not really practical these days"?

I hope that you are getting my point. God's laws are simple and clear, yet we have such a hard time putting them into practice and instead we find it easier to make excuses on why we couldn't keep them.

We may even look for like minded people to lend strenght and support for those reasoning. We find ways not to "Love God above all else".

We come to read the list of laws of God and think to ourselves "this is impossible to fulfill!" "No one can do these!" or like the above mentioned we may think it is not practical anymore.

The wonderful secret in this issue is that, when you try, when you wholeheartedly try to obey YHWH and His laws, you feel God's immense power, you feel the unspeakable peace and security that only full obedience to God can give you.

The whole world of God snobbing people will have no power to defeat you. Much like how they did not defeat our Christ.

The stability and steadfastness that result from being God obedient is amazing! Because for the first time in your life you are 100% sure that you are doing the right thing, literally.

When you obey God's commandments, you are not in a trial and error mode anymore in your life. You are in fact following the USER'S MANUAL provided by the maker. (Psalms 111:10, Proverbs 1:7 and 9:10)

You are using God's immense wisdom in your choices! (Psalms 19:7)

You are entering into God's covenant too. (Deuteronomy 29)

By obedience to God you will be among those who will rule the physical creation in the future as God has intended man from creation. (Genesis 1:26)

Do you have more reasons to obey God?

Below is the list of God's commandments to the covenant part of mankind.

• Man must worship YHWH as the only God deserving of worship.

• Man must not disrespect YHWH’s name (His person and everything about Him).

• Man must love God with all they have. (Heart, soul, strength)

• Man must praise YHWH’s name. (Exodus 20:2-7)

• Man must not put God to a test. (Deuteronomy 6:16)

• Man must be holy as God is holy. (Leviticus 11:44-45)

• Man must learn all the laws of God and teach them to their children. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)

• Man must not believe false prophets adding and subtracting from God's law (Deuteronomy 13.1-5)

• Man must circumcise all males on the 8th day from birth (Genesis 17:12)

• Man must wear tassels on 4 corners of garments to remind him of God's laws (Numbers 15:38)

The above laws are primarily about man's worship to God.

• Man must love their neighbor (Leviticus 19:18)

• Man must consider the poor and make provisions for them (Leviticus 19:9-10)

• Man must not steal, lie, deceive (Leviticus 19:11)

• Man must not swear (oath)

• Man must not cheat and hold the payment of a worker overnight. (Leviticus 19:13)

• Man must not put harm to the unknowing and defenseless (Leviticus 19:14)

• Man must not hold grudge against their neighbor but instead correct them frankly (Leviticus 19:17)

• Man must set aside any grudge against their neighbor and help them when they need.

• Man must take care of the poor, the widow, and the orphaned, do charity (Exodus 22:21 Deuteronomy 24:19)

• Man who worships YHWH must be considerate of those who are not but are living in their land. (Deuteronomy 10:19)

• Man should not intermarry with the unbelievers of YHWH. (Deuteronomy 7:3)

• Man may lend to unbelievers with interest and let them payback. (Deuteronomy 15:3, 23:20)

• Man should respect and provide for their parents (20:12, 21:15,17)

• Man should have many children (Genesis 1:28)

• Man must not let sterilized male enter the holy temple of God. (Deuteronomy 23:2)

• Man must not marry anyone born by a married woman to another man. (Deuteronomy 23:3)

• Man must not let any woman who worship YHWH to become prostitute. (Letting more than one man have sex with her while married to a living man) (Deuteronomy 23:18)

• Man cannot remarry a woman he divorced and had sex with another man. (Deuteronomy 24:1)

• A newly married man should have 1 year to spend with his wife after marriage.(Deuteronomy 24:5)

• A man should provide for all the needs of his wife. (Exodus 21:10)

• A woman suspected of adultery should be dealt with as prescribed in Numbers 5:14-30

• A man who wrongly accused his wife of adultery will have to live with that woman as long as he lives. (Deuteronomy 22:19)

• A man may marry more than one wife provided he can support them all properly with food, clothing and sexual need. (Exouds 21:10)

• A man may only divorce a wife on lawful grounds and with a written notice.(Deuteronomy 24:1)

• A man must marry the widow of his deceased childless brother, unless freed from such obligation (Deuteronomy 25:5,7-9)

• A man must not commit incest with the following relatives found in Leviticus 18: mother(v.7),step-mother(v.8) sister, and/or half-sister(v.9)grandchild and/or step grandchild(v.10,17) aunt and/or aunt-in-law(v.12,14) daughter-in-law(15) sister-in-law(v.16) daughter and/or step daughter(v.17)sister in law while the sister is still alive(v.18)

• A man must not have sex with a woman with her monthly period. (Levticus 18:19)

• A man must not have sex with another man's wife (Leviticus 18:20)

• A man must not have sex with another man (all cases) (Leviticus 18:22)

• Man must not have sex with any animal.(Leviticus 18:23)

• Man must rest on the Sabbath and keep it holy by thinking about YHWH that day (Exodus 20:8-11)

• To celebrate 3 Festivals (Passover, Shavu'ot and Sukkot) for YHWH (Exodus 23:14-16)

• Man must celebrate a Jewish New Year (Rosh hashanah)(Leviticus 23:24)

• Man must deny self on Yom Kippur (day of atonement) (Leviticus 23:27)

• Man must celebrate the feast of the tent(sukkot)(Leviticus 23:35-42)

• Man must eat only the animals that have divided hoofs and chews the cud (Leviticus 11:3)

• Man must only eat fishes that have both scales and fins (Leviticus 11:99)

• Man must only eat locust (and similar insects) from all of the insects.(Leviticus 11:21)

• Man must not eat the meat of animals found dead. (Exodus 22:31)

• Man must not eat any of the birds of prey. (Leviticus 11:13-19)

• Man must not eat all crawling, creeping and gliding animals( Leviticus 11:41-43)

This list will be continually updated....

This is to show the laws and the principles outlined by God's law.

Which can be condensed in these TEN COMMANDMENTS:

1And God spoke all these words:

2“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

3“You shall have no other gods beforea me.

4“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,

6but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

8“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

9Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

10but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.

11For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

13“You shall not murder.

14“You shall not commit adultery.

15“You shall not steal.

16“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

17“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”- Exodus 20:1-17

Same list can be found in Deuteronomy 5:6-21

All these commands is further condensed by Christ in Matthew 22:37-39

For Whom are These Laws

The above laws apply only to Israelites or the Jews that will worship YHWH and want to stay within the covenant of God.

It means that a fleshly Jew who will not keep God's commandments is removing himself from this covenant. (Deuteronomy 28:15)

While a man from any race who will obey God's laws is entering into God's covenant. Thus becoming like a native born Jew. (Exodus 12:48-49)

Is It Still In Effect Today?

Yes. It is in effect indefinitely until the law giver removes it. (Deuteronomy 29:29)

Even Christ said the same thing; " 17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. " - Matthew 5:17-19

and

"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments." - Matthew 19:17

There is no doubt that God has the same requirements for His worshippers.

After all we can only show our love for God through obedience. (1 John 5:2)