Download the Law - Hamilton Seventh

Lesson 1 for April 5, 2014
Jesus and the Apostles lived in
the 1st Century. Several kinds
of laws governed the Jewish
society in that time:
1. Human laws:
I. Roman Law.
II. Rabbinic Law.
2. Divine laws:
I. Civic Law.
II. Ceremonial Law.
III. The Moral Law.
“Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s
sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who
are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of
those who do good.” (1 Peter 2:13-14)
Both Jesus and the Apostles taught that we should obey the human civil laws
(Roman Law in their case). Now, we shouldn’t obey if it is in conflict with the
divine Law.
The Roman Empire made a very strong legal system. Most of current civilized
legal systems are based on the Roman Law.
The Roman Law may help us in understanding some of the stories in the New
Testament. For example, the crucifixion (Mt. 27:26), Paul appealing to Caesar
(Acts 25:11) or Paul’s Roman citizenship (Acts 22:25)
“not giving heed to Jewish fables
and commandments of men who
turn from the truth.” (Titus 1:14)
The Jewish people promised to keep
the 613 main laws they found in the
Pentateuch during the
intertestamental period.
They also added innumerable rules
(rabbinical laws) which were written to
the Mishnáh and the Midrash.
The Pharisees accused Jesus of
transgressing “the Law” when
He healed on Sabbath day (John
9). But they were actually
accusing Him of transgressing
some of those rabbinical rules.
“Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in
Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.” (Malachi 4:4)
The law of Moses or the Torah comprises
the first five books in the Bible—the
Pentateuch. The civil laws of Israel were
part of the Torah.
Those laws ruled the taxes in the Temple,
divorce, circumcision, the field system,
protection for poor people, witnesses…
The Roman Empire allowed the Jews to
keep using their own rules, always under
the Roman Law. Therefore, the Sanhedrin
could often pronounce sentence according
to the civil laws in the Torah.
“It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and
sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the
service perfect in regard to the conscience—concerned only with foods
and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the
time of reformation.” (Hebrews 9:9-10)
The Ceremonial Law involves everything
related to the Sanctuary and Israel’s religious
festivals.
God instituted this Law to teach His plan of
Salvation. All rites and ceremonies
represented the ministry of Jesus Christ.
The Ceremonial Law was fulfilled in Christ, so
those rules are not mandatory for the
believer anymore.
Nevertheless, we can better understand
Jesus’ redeeming work by studying that Law.
“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he
is guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do
not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you
have become a transgressor of the law.” (James 2:10-11)
The Ten Commandments are the eternal
Moral Law. That is the basis of all laws.
Therefore, we must obey every law only
if it is in accord with the Ten
Commandments.
Jesus told us to keep the Commandments
(Mt. 19:16-19). The apostles also did
(Rom. 13:8-10)
Everyone must comply with the Moral
Law, even if he or she is not submitted to
the Roman, Rabbinic, Civil or Ceremonial
Law.
“He did not even then trust His precepts to the memory of a
people who were prone to forget His requirements, but
wrote them upon tables of stone. He would remove from
Israel all possibility of mingling heathen traditions with His
holy precepts, or of confounding His requirements with
human ordinances or customs. But He did not stop with
giving them the precepts of the Decalogue. The people had
shown themselves so easily led astray that He would leave no
door of temptation unguarded. Moses was commanded to
write, as God should bid him, judgments and laws giving
minute instruction as to what was required. These
directions relating to the duty of the people to God, to one
another, and to the stranger were only the principles of the
Ten Commandments amplified and given in a specific
manner, that none need err. They were designed to guard the
sacredness of the ten precepts engraved on the tables of
stone.”
EGW (Patriarchs and Prophets, cp. 32, pg. 364)