December 28, 2015

THE LAW WAS A SHADOW

Memory verse: Hebrews 10:1 “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect”

Many actually do not understand the purpose of the law in the Old Testament. When we examine the Law of Moses, we find many interesting things therein. We have the Ten Commandments and over three thousand instructions that the Israelites were to keep so when we look at it properly, why would God give a people ten cardinal commandments and a further three thousand commandments to keep and failure to do so led to death most of the time. Why?

We must understand that the law was not a revelation of God’s character; it was actually a revelation of the state of fallen man’s heart. In his heart, he was a murderer so God said he should not kill. In his heart he was a fornicator so God told him not to fornicate. In his heart he was a thief and covetous so God said he should not steal. God never intended to deal with man according to laws but according to his grace and mercy Galatians 3:17 “¹⁷ And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.” we see that the promise of righteousness by faith was given to Abraham by grace and mercy. A relationship based on faith was the foundation of the Abrahamic covenant and not one based on rules and codes of conduct as we see later in the old covenant. As we can see in the above scripture, the law came 430 years after God entered a covenant with Abraham on the basis of grace and mercy through faith. So why the law? Galatians 3:19 “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.” the law was given or added because of transgressions. It was never the original plan; it was to make men conscious of their wrongs so that when the savior comes, they will acknowledge their need for him. The law was our schoolmaster, our guardian to chaperone us unto Christ. Now that Christ has come and has taken away all our sins, we no longer need a schoolmaster.

CONFESSION: Christ has come, I walk in him without the shadows, and I walk in the light as He is in the light.

Further Bible Reading: Genesis 13, 1 Peter 3

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