The impetus behind my focus is I've found the main critique leveled against the Old Testament is that it alienates people. Most of the laws are so antiquated and the punishment for law-breaking seems overly harsh. Even this morning I read a blog post from someone claiming that Jesus himself proved the worthlessness of the Old Testament law. He was the biggest law-breaker of them all, they argued. Their evidence was when Jesus refrained from stoning the adulterous woman while the law required it (John 8:1-11) But then I read Jesus say, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." (Matthew 5:17) Then Jesus follows that statement up with a series of clarifications:
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. (Matthew 5:21-22)
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28)
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. (Matthew 5:33-37)When Jesus says "you have heard that it was said..." he is referring to statutes in the Old Testament law. So what he is doing is clarifying the Old Testament for us. He's not watering down the law, in fact, he's making it more difficult to obey. Whereas before someone had to physically commit adultery to be guilty, now all someone has to do is look at another person lustfully!
What Jesus is saying here is that the written laws we read and understand with our heads are just the expression of spiritual laws we should have in our hearts. Where the written law says "do not murder" the spiritual law says "do not harbor anger towards someone". Where the written law says "do not commit adultery", the spiritual law says "do not lust". These spiritual laws existed before the written law. How do we know this? Paul says sin was in the world before the written law was given to Moses (Romans 5:13) and this means there was lawbreaking before there was a written law to break. So the law that was broken was the under-girding spiritual law, not the written law.
Why is this important? Because it means that the written law in the Old Testament must be understood through the lens of Jesus Christ and what He revealed. Paul says the law acted as our "our guardian until Christ came" but "now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith." (Galatians 3:24-26). Yet Jesus said, "For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished." (Matthew 5:18) What Paul and Jesus meant is while the written law (our guardian) has passed away, the spiritual law is still in place. Not one iota of it has been removed. That's why we are told not to be angry with our brother, or lust, or make promises that we will not keep. The two greatest commandments--love God and love your neighbor--are the spiritual law. That's why Jesus said "On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:40)
When we read the Old Testament and see the severity of God towards the people for breaking His law it should affect us. First, we should understand that breaking God's law has serious consequences. That's why Christ had to come and die to suffer the punishment for our lawbreaking. Second, we should understand that every law serves a purpose. Some are practical like the ones intended to prevent the spread of disease, some are intended to protect relationships with other people, and some are intended to protect relationship with God. Finally, we need to understand that under-girding the entire written law is a spiritual law that God writes on our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. Romans 2:12-16
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