August 21st, 2008 by Kristi Stephens

Oh, how I love your law! I think about it all day long…
How sweet are your words to my taste; they are sweeter than honey.
Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life.
Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.
I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise again: I will obey your wonderful laws.
Psalm 119:97, 103-106 (NLT)

I’m guessing that when you think about Old Testament law this is not the overriding feeling you have! David and others who walked with the Lord understood something that has been largely forgotten, ignored, or mistaught in our modern churches: there was purpose to the law, and God reveals Himself in it. Probably 99% (or more!) of us who endeavored to read through the Bible at some point in our lives got to Leviticus and suddenly stopped in our tracks, and then flipped to Matthew! So, let’s take a look… and may God open our eyes to His great plan which includes even Leviticus!

First of all, let’s look at the main thing we get tripped up on when looking at Old Testament law. Some of the laws sound familiar, and we know that we are supposed to follow them. For instance, Exodus 20:13-16: “You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Got it. Now, what do we do with passages like Leviticus 19:19: “You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your livestock breed with another kind. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed. Nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you.”? Hmmm…

Misunderstanding Old Testament law has caused all kinds of problems within the church and outside the church. My husband recently was required to attend an in-house training session at work. The topic was cultural sensitivity and “education” regarding homosexuality. One of the handouts was addressing the problem that “religious people” have with homosexuality. It took various passages from the Bible that address the issue, and then said, “But the Bible also says…” and quoted this verse from Leviticus 19:19 about not having a garment of mixed linen and wool. The implication: The Bible is outdated and irrelevant, and because Christians don’t follow Leviticus 19:19, they can’t defend their position about homosexuality being classified as sin.

To help clarify things in our minds, let’s compare this with something we’re familiar with. The laws of England and the laws of the United States are very similar in many ways. Both provide for freedom of speech, both require taxes of the citizens, both provide police protection, both have freely elected executive and legislative branches of government, both provide for health care, etc. However, if England passes some random law that all brunettes must dye their hair blond, would I have to do that? Absolutely not! Why? Because I’m not a British citizen. I am an American. Even though our laws are very similar, I am technically not under any of their law! I pay taxes to my government not because England requires that, but because the United States requires that.

Comparatively, as New Testament believers, we find that our “law” is very similar to the Old Testament law. Both tell us to love God, love our neighbor, tell the truth, etc. However, although our law is similar to the Old Testament law, technically we’re not under any of it! It was an Israel-specific covenant. Israel was a theocracy ruled by God Himself, set apart as a unique kingdom of priests. As we will discuss in the next post, there were many different reasons for the variety of laws given. And yes, as God’s unique nation, they were not to have a shirt made up of a linen/wool blend. However: I don’t live in Old Testament Israel! Much of the law might be similar, but technically we’re not under any of it. The moral laws (love God, love neighbor, tell the truth, etc.) apply to us because they are still part of the New Covenant. We will discuss this in coming posts, as well.

God’s Word is awesome! So, before you tear Leviticus out of your Bible and chalk it up to a literary failure, keep reading… Our God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow… and Leviticus has some very important principles for us to meditate on.