The Beauty of God’s Law

Readings for today: Leviticus 26-27, Numbers 1-2

Wow. You’ve just finished Leviticus! Well done! Your reward? You now get to read Numbers! ;-) In all seriousness, this is one of the harder stretches of the Bible for sure. But if we persevere, we reap the rewards of our reading. Take our passage for today which describes the purpose of the Law.

Theologically speaking, God’s law serves three distinct purposes. The first is to act like a mirror. It mirrors the perfect righteousness of God as well as our imperfect unrighteousness and reveals our desperate need for Christ. Second, the law restrains evil. While the law itself cannot change human hearts, it can protect the vulnerable from oppression. The righteous from the unjust. The third purpose of the law is to train us on how to live for God’s glory alone. To show us what it means to bring Him honor in all we say and do. As we finish Leviticus today, we see all three of these “purposes” on display.

In verses 1-13, God lays out the blessings of obedience. “If you live by my decrees and obediently keep my commandments, I will send the rains in their seasons, the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit…I’ll make the country a place of peace—you’ll be able to go to sleep at night without fear; I’ll get rid of the wild beasts; I’ll eliminate war. You’ll chase out your enemies and defeat them…I’ll give you my full attention: I’ll make sure you prosper, make sure you grow in numbers, and keep my covenant with you in good working order…I’ll set up my residence in your neighborhood; I won’t avoid or shun you; I’ll stroll through your streets. I’ll be your God; you’ll be my people.” (‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭26‬:‭3‬-‭13‬ ‭MSG‬‬) It’s a beautiful picture of what happens when we commit our way to God and something Jesus Himself reinforces when He commands His disciples to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all the rest will be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

The script flips in verses 14-39 where God invokes the second purpose of the law. “But if you refuse to obey me and won’t observe my commandments, despising my decrees and holding my laws in contempt by your disobedience, making a shambles of my covenant, I’ll step in and pour on the trouble: debilitating disease, high fevers, blindness, your life leaking out bit by bit…I’ll discipline you seven times over for your sins. I’ll break your strong pride: I’ll make the skies above you like a sheet of tin and the ground under you like cast iron. No matter how hard you work, nothing will come of it…If you defy me and refuse to listen, your punishment will be seven times more than your sins…And if even this doesn’t work and you refuse my discipline and continue your defiance, then it will be my turn to defy you. I, yes I, will punish you for your sins seven times over: I’ll let war loose on you, avenging your breaking of the covenant; when you huddle in your cities for protection, I’ll send a deadly epidemic on you and you’ll be helpless before your enemies…And if this—even this!—doesn’t work and you still won’t listen, still defy me, I’ll have had enough and in hot anger will defy you, punishing you for your sins seven times over…I’ll abhor you; I’ll turn your cities into rubble; I’ll clean out your sanctuaries; I’ll hold my nose at the “pleasing aroma” of your sacrifices. I’ll turn your land into a lifeless moonscape…I’ll scatter you all over the world and keep after you with the point of my sword in your backs…You’ll perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will eat you up. Any who are left will slowly rot away in the enemy lands. Rot. And all because of their sins, their sins compounded by their ancestors’ sins.” (Leviticus‬ ‭26‬:‭14‬-‭39‬ ‭MSG‬‬) If we reject God’s law, He becomes our adversary. He disciplines. He punishes. He gives us over to the consequences of our sin and removes His protective hand.

Finally, as chapter 26 comes to a close, we see the first purpose of the law on full display. “On the other hand, if they confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors, their treacherous betrayal, the defiance that set off my defiance that sent them off into enemy lands; if by some chance they soften their hard hearts and make amends for their sin, I’ll remember my covenant with Jacob, I’ll remember my covenant with Isaac, and, yes, I’ll remember my covenant with Abraham. And I’ll remember the land…in spite of their behavior, while they are among their enemies I won’t reject or abhor or destroy them completely. I won’t break my covenant with them: I am God, their God. For their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I, with all the nations watching, brought out of Egypt in order to be their God. I am God.” (Leviticus‬ ‭26‬:‭40‬-‭45‬ ‭MSG‬‬) The reality is God’s people will not be able to fulfill God’s law and this is by design. God is teaching us that righteousness and holiness are beyond us. He brings us to our knees in what I call “holy despair.” He drives us to the end of ourselves. The end of our strength. The end of our ability. The end of our self-sufficiency. All so we get to a point where we cry out to Him for mercy and grace and turn to Christ. This is the beauty of the law.

So here’s the most important question as you finish Leviticus...do you find yourself resenting the Law of God? Dismissing the Law of God? Or do you find yourself overwhelmed by a deep sense of inadequacy before the Lord? If it’s the former, I would encourage you to go to prayer and ask God to soften your heart towards Him. If it’s the latter, be encouraged that you are drawing ever closer to Christ and He stands ready to take your place! 

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 3-5

Reading Leviticus

Readings for today: Leviticus 1-4

Leviticus. The book where well-intentioned Bible reading plans go to die. The laws seem archaic at best. They deal with issues that seemingly have little relevance to 21st century postmodern Christians living in the wealthiest nation the world has ever seen. The cultural distance is extreme and difficult to overcome. The minutiae wears down even the most faithful reader. And yet, Leviticus is God’s Word as much as the Gospels. The laws contained in this book are as divinely inspired as the “red sections” of the gospels. Reading them devotionally helps shape our hearts as much as the language of the Psalms. So how can we read in such a way that we profit from spending devotional time in this book? 

Two keys principles...

First, keep in mind there are three different kinds of laws listed here. There are the ceremonial laws that govern worship. Sacrifices. Personal hygiene. Disease. Particularly focused on ritual purity, these laws were designed to create the conditions where holiness could flourish so the people could come before their God without fear. Second, there are the civil laws that govern the nation of Israel. Tithing. Inheritance. Sentencing guidelines. These laws were necessary to maintain order in society, create revenue for the national government, and promote social welfare. Third, there is the moral law governing behavior. Exemplified by the Ten Commandments, these laws were designed to teach us righteousness. Many of the laws governing violence, sexuality, lying, honoring parents, and how to observe the Sabbath were created to embed this moral law in the day to day and shape a covenantal understanding of life.

The second principle to remember is that Levitical law served three overarching purposes. First, as I just mentioned above, it was given to us by God to teach us righteousness. Righteousness is not a relative category. It is not something we create for ourselves. God sets a standard for righteousness that we, as His creation, are bound to follow. The Law is His standard. Second, the Law was given to restrain evil. Because we live in a society based on the principles of proportional justice, we fail to see how radical “an eye for an eye” truly was in ancient near east culture. Setting limits or restraints on vengeance was a massive leap forward for human society and while not necessarily unique to Israel, it did set them apart. The punishment must fit the crime and be serious enough to act as a deterrent to potential future crimes. Third, and most importantly, the Law was given to teach us our need for a Savior. We cannot keep the Law. We cannot achieve righteousness on our own. Our sinful nature rebels against God’s commands and, if we’re totally honest, we find ourselves violating them on a daily basis. The Law acts as a mirror of sorts to show us the true condition of our souls. Not to make us despair but to bring us to a point where we’ll cry out to God! The Law ultimately humbles us. Brings us to our knees. Breaks our stubborn pride. It paves the way for Jesus. 

As you read through Leviticus over the next several days, keep these things in mind lest you get lost the weeds of this important book. Put yourself in the place of an ancient Israelite living in abject poverty in a subsistence agragrian economy where the most important daily task is to secure enough food for you and your family. Imagine yourself living in a village with one to two hundred of your relatives. Raising kids together. Doing life together. Learning to survive together. Imagine going up to Jerusalem a few times a year to worship and the preparations you have to make for that particular journey. Then think about your own life. Do you live with the same intentionality? What would it look like if you did?

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 5-7

The Glory of God’s Law

Readings for today: Leviticus 26-27, Numbers 1-2

Wow. Congratulations! You’ve just finished Leviticus! It is a significant accomplishment to make your way through one of the hardest books of the Bible. But you persevered. You pushed through. Even if you find yourself a little behind, you are going to make it! Well done! ;-)   

One big question that a lot of people are afraid to ask about Leviticus is this...what is the purpose behind all these laws? Or big picture, what is the purpose behind God’s Law? The late, great R.C. Sproul described it this way... 

“The first purpose of the law is to be a mirror. On the one hand, the law of God reflects and mirrors the perfect righteousness of God. The law tells us much about who God is. But perhaps more important, the law illuminates human sinfulness. As Augustine once wrote, “The law orders, that we, after attempting to do what is ordered, and so feeling our weakness under the law, may learn to implore the help of grace.’” In other words, the Law of God highlights our innate weakness so that we might seek the strength found in Christ. 

“A second purpose for the law is to restrain evil. The law, in and of itself, cannot change human hearts. It can, however, serve to protect the righteous from the unrighteous. John Calvin put it this way, “The Law, by means of its fearful denunciations and the consequent dread of punishment, curbs those who, unless forced, have no regard for rectitude and justice.” The law allows for a limited measure of justice on this earth, until the last judgment is realized.” 

“The third purpose of the law is to reveal what is pleasing to God. As born-again children of God, the law enlightens us as to what is pleasing to our Father, whom we seek to serve. The Christian delights in the law as God Himself delights in it. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). This is the highest function of the law, to serve as an instrument for the people of God to give Him honor and glory.”

We see these three purposes at work in Leviticus 26. In verses 1-13, God clearly lays out the blessings of obedience. If God’s people will live in a way that is pleasing to God, they will bring Him honor and glory. God will dwell with them and walk with them and they will be blessed. This is the third purpose of the Law. Then, in verses 14-39, God clearly lays out what will happen if God’s people don’t follow His Law. God Himself will become their adversary. He will fight against them. He will walk contrary to them in wrath and fury. He will punish them. They will suffer. This is the second purpose of the Law which is to restrain human evil. Finally, in verses 40-46, we see the first purpose of the law come into play. Repentance. The reality is God’s people will not be able to fulfill God’s Holy Law and this is by divine design. It’s to teach us that righteousness and holiness are beyond us. It’s to bring us to our knees in what I call “holy despair.” It’s to drive us to the end of ourselves, our strength, our ability, our self-sufficiency. It’s to bring us to a place where we cry out to God for mercy and grace! We look to Christ to take our place! We glorify Christ for doing what we could not! We surrender to Christ and exchange His righteousness for our own. It’s a beautiful exchange!

So here’s the most important question as you finish Leviticus...do you find yourself resenting the Law of God? Dismissing the Law of God? Or do you find yourself overwhelmed by a deep sense of inadequacy before the Lord? If it’s the former, I would encourage you to go to prayer and ask God to soften your heart towards Him. If it’s the latter, be encouraged that you are drawing ever closer to Christ and He stands ready to take your place! 

Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 3-5

Divine Principles

Readings for today: Exodus 22-24

Someone recently asked a great question, “If God were to come down and speak to us today, would his laws be the same or changed for the current day?” The laws we read about in Exodus, or later in Leviticus, definitely seem foreign and strange to us.  They have to do with the customs of the ancient near east and while they represent in many cases significant advances in human rights for the time, we don’t often see them as such because of how far human civilization has advanced. 

One key to answering this question can be found in the difference between Exodus 20:1 and 20:22. In Exodus 20:1, God gives the Ten Commandments. They are written on stone tablets by his very finger. They are words directly from the mouth of God. However, in Exodus 20:22, a shift takes place. Now Moses will become the lawgiver. He will be the one to flesh out the details of the laws that will govern the daily life of Israel. It’s one of the main reasons the people of God historically have kept the Ten Commandments but not necessarily kept all the laws of Moses as they are written.

A second key to answering this question is pushing beyond the letter of the law itself to the principles they represent. This is where our study of these laws becomes fruitful even in our 21st century American context. For example, it’s worth considering the dignity the Hebrews assigned to slaves, women, children, and families. Again, for their day, these were utterly unique among ancient law codes and represent a trajectory towards our understanding of modern human rights. Consider as well the laws of proportional justice which limit revenge by making the punishment fit the crime. This principle still undergirds much of our modern legal system today. The principle of restitution is another one we understand and practice. As is God’s concern for widows, orphans, and the poor. 

At the same time, there are clear areas where we struggle to implement the principles God’s given us in His law. Consider our current national struggle with immigration and refugees. I know these are somewhat separate issues legally but what does our reading from Exodus today have to say about the principles that should shape our policies in these areas? Consider the following verses, “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” (Ex. 22:21) “You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” (Ex. 23:9) “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.” (Ex. 23:12) God makes it very clear to His people that they should treat the immigrants and refugees in their midst with compassion and mercy and kindness and care. Why? Because this is how God treated them when they were immigrants and refugees in Egypt. Now what would that look like in our context? It’s a worthy debate full of all sorts of complexity. But what’s not complex is God’s call for compassion. To treat those seeking asylum with dignity and honor because they are fellow human beings made in the image of God. Doing all we can to keep families together for example and come alongside them and care for them even as we work through the legal processes governing immigration in our modern world. 

What’s the fundamental point? The most important truth that undergirds the entire law of God is this idea that we should treat one another as we have been treated by God Himself. We should extend to others the same kindness, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness that God has shown us. We should deal with one another righteously not just because “God said so” but because God DID so with us! This is what it means to keep and follow God’s law and it’s something Jesus Himself will affirm in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) which, by the way, is simply a restatement of the Ten Commandments.  

Readings for tomorrow: 25-28