law – Page 2 – Be Still…

Deuteronomy 19:14-21 – Concern for Justice

The Ten Commandments with bibles on a black background

When they say, “Moses gave the law,” it’s true. Here is another fine example of some of the specifics God chose to offer the people. A couple present day examples come to mind. Do you ever notice how the “terms of service” go on and on when you sign up for something? Think of the side effects of a prescription medication or the warnings that come with a new purchase. That’s because the company is covering their tush, or that such things have happened and it’s likely they will happen again. That is especially true with the warning labels on products. Someone has gotten hurt, sued the company, and now the company has to be clear on their packaging to be careful not to be stupid when using the product.

I apologize if I ruffled your feathers here with my bluntness. I suppose after years of being a paralegal I have seen it all. The crazy situations people get themselves into and then want to blame the other person never ceases to amaze me. A good lawyer will look at a situation and assess the negligence in an instant. If a person is wrongfully injured because of the negligence of another, then by all means, justice should be served. Moses is giving more examples of how justice can be served here in the new land.

Deuteronomy 10:1-11 – The Ark of the Covenant

Read Deuteronomy 10:1-11

I can’t help but think of the movie, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” when I read Biblical accounts about the Ark. I know that movie was only someone’s imagination, but the power of the Ark of the Covenant should never be forgotten. God’s laws were contained in the Ark.

Recall from our last reading that Moses demolished the first stone tablets out of his anger at the people’s disobedience. God was gracious enough to give him a second chance with new tablets, now securely placed in the Ark. God’s grace was also extended to the people as a result of Moses’ begging and pleading. God’s grace is all sufficient.

Deuteronomy 5:1-22 – The Law

Read Deuteronomy 5:1-22

There are many gems in today’s reading. Of course, we recognize right off the 10 Commandments. We’ll look at that here in just a bit. First of all, I want to make sure you don’t miss something I almost missed. Verses 2-4 say, “The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Mount Sinai. The Lord did not make this covenant with our ancestors, but with all of us who are alive today. At the mountain the Lord spoke to you face to face from the heart of the fire.” What’s our take-away?

That Moses wanted to make it clear to the people he was talking to (and that includes us today) that God gave this covenant to “us.” Understand that the people he was addressing were, for the most part, not the ones who stood at the base of the mountain witnessing God first hand. Those people have already died, and it is their offspring listening to Moses now. It would be easy for them to say, those laws were given to “them,” not us. The law from God was given to them, and to us, and we are then given the responsibility to keep the commandments and pass them on to the next generation as if given directly to us. Cool huh?

Matthew 5:17-20 – Obey the Law

Read Matthew 5:17-20

Wow – this could definitely be the wake-up call we all need to get back on track! If we had any doubt why Jesus came to earth, he clears it up for us right here. He didn’t come to abolish the laws of Moses but to “accomplish” them. So what does that mean exactly?

To be clear, these are not Moses’ laws, but the laws God gave to Moses to share with the people. For the years and years before Jesus came, these laws were what guided God’s people. As you can imagine, there were plenty of folks who broke the law or twisted the law, much like people do today. But there were also God-fearing people who followed the law, to the letter.