The MosiacLaw - An Overview

Many seem to think that the Mosaic Law was an unwieldy, complex set of laws. Such a notion is far from the truth. There are over 600 laws in the entire code. That may sound like a lot, but just think: By the end of the 20th century, the federal laws of the United States filled over 150,000 pages of legal books. Every two years some 600 more laws are added! So in terms of sheer volume, the mountain of human laws dwarfs the Mosaic Law. Yet, God's Law governed the Israelites in areas of life that modern laws do not even begin to touch. Consider an overview.

The Law exalted Jehovah's sovereignty. Thus, the Mosaic Law is beyond comparison with any other law code. The greatest of its laws was this: "Listen, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah. And you must love Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your vital force." How were God's people to express love for him? They were to serve him, submitting to his sovereignty. -Deuteronomy 6:4, 5; 11:13.

Each Israelite showed his acceptance of Jehovah's sovereignty by submitting to those placed in authority over him. Parents, chieftains, judges, priests and eventually the king all represented divine authority. Jehovah viewed any rebellion against those in authority as rebellion against him. On the other hand, those in authority risked Jehovah's wrath if they dealt unjustly or arrogantly with his people. (Exodus 20:12; 22:28; Deuteronomy 1:16, 17; 17:18-20; 19:16, 17) Both sides were thus responsible for upholding God's sovereignty.

The Law upheld Jehovah's standard of holiness. The words "holy" and "holiness" occur over 280 times in the Mosaic Law. The Law helped God's people to distinguish between what was clean and unclean, pure and impure, citing about 70 different things that could render an Israelite ceremonially unclean. These laws touched on physical hygiene, diet and even waste disposal. Such laws provided remarkable health benefits. But they had a higher purpose-that of keeping the people in Jehovah's favor separate from the sinful practices of the debased nations surrounding them. Consider an exammple.

Next time: Conclusion of The Mosaic Law - An Overview

Draw Close To Jehovah, 2002