A lot of people suggest that living under the Law would’ve been so difficult, and they are certainly right. No one but Jesus Himself was able to keep the law perfectly. That said, how much more difficult was it for the Jews in the Old Testament than for modern believers? Do we have any laws that are difficult to follow, and how do they stack up to the Old Testament Laws.
Let’s consider some of the Ten Commandments again, since they should be fresh in our minds from last week. The first one we’ll look it is the commandment not to murder. This seems simple enough at first, but confusing afterwards. What is the difference between murdering and killing for war? Was Joshua justified in killing for God when He went to war? Surely he was, as God commanded it. How about when one Hebrew would kill another? Well if it was premeditated it would be considered murder and they would be put to death. If, however, it was accidental, the Hebrew could flee to a city of refuge and if found not guilty of murder, he would be allowed to live within the city of refuge for the rest of his days (or until the high priest passed away).
Now for Christians there are not cities of refuge so it shouldn’t be ambiguous for us, right? Well many Christians will argue over things like the death penalty for the worst criminals and whether this constitutes as murder for us. Or they will argue whether Christians should be police offers or members of the armed services where deadly force may be necessary. Unfortunately (or fortunately) these questions are outside the scope of what we’ll be discussing, but they need to be brought up as they pertain to the difference between Christians and an Old Testament Hebrew living under Mosaic Judaism.
Let’s look at Matthew 5:21. Jesus explains that while they have been told to not murder, He expounds on this to include not only murder but also harboring anger towards a brother. Jesus equates having anger for a brother to actually murdering one! Now let’s consider our Old Testament law of simply not murdering. How does Jesus’ take on it compare to the simple reading? Surely Jesus expects even more!
How about Jesus’ take on adultery in verses 27-28? Jesus says that simply by looking at a woman with lust, one is guilty of adultery! Is this more difficult than simply not committing adultery in the Ten Commandments? Surely it is!
How then are we to think of the law compared to our law (the Law of Christ 1 Corinthians 9:21)? Surely our law is harsher. Jesus expects more of us than was expected under the Old Testament version of these laws. How then are we able to comply if no one could keep the less harsh version of those laws? Through the Holy Spirit, grace, and mercy of our God and by remaining humble through all things. Dear brothers and sisters, let’s strive to keep Jesus’ commandments and to be perfect as He is perfect, fully knowing that we are not perfect this side of eternity, but through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the plurality of the church, and through our own sanctification we can become more like Christ each day. Amen!
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