As men, our behavior is bound by laws, but societies and their laws come and go like grains of sand in the wind. I understand and obey man's laws to the extent that they are written not for the just, but for the unjust. Thus it occurred to me to go beyond man's laws, because man's authority is ultimately temporary, and to try and understand God's laws. I also thought that if I understood the Exodus with Moses as a central figure and the Ten Commandments, then I would have a firm understanding of Western society, if not the World-at-Large.
The following are a few notes that I took.
- The law was given to the Hebrews by God. The law was sacred and God-given. The origin of the law was The God.
- The law was a social law, an economic law, a moral law, a religious law. In it was codified tribal loyalty, economy, social relations, moral behavior and specific rituals.*Exodus 19-24
- The God loved the Hebrews that he delivered them from slavery "on eagles' wings" (Exodus 19:4). The God sent his plagues on Egypt and drowned the Egyptian army in the Red Sea while the Israelites watched, unharmed. They were refugees, about 600,000 of them, led by Moses. So, The God freed them and instituted among them a law so that they may form a nation. Thus, LAW IS THE BASIS FOR A NATION.
- Justice can be delegated vis-à-vis Jethro's advice to Moses.
- The Exodus experience provides the backdrop for understanding of the Law. For example, the slave laws were first in Law because the Jews had been slaves in Egypt.
- "The Law, rather than being a means of salvation, was a means of helping Israel to become a "holy people" set apart to The God (Exodus 19:6) for it defines holy behavior. The laws prohibit things that are destructive to Israel's relationship with The God (e.g. worshiping other gods, moral breaches that offend The God). It provides things that cultivate a proper relationship with The God.
- OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW WAS AN EXPRESSION OF FAITH THAT CULTIVATED ISRAEL'S AND THE INDIVIDUAL ISRAELITE'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE GOD..
To summarize, the Law given by The God to the Israelites was designed to be the basis of their society, but it alone wouldn't be responsible for their salvation (which is another thing altogether). Instead, following the Law would set the Jews apart from all other nations because that obedience would be more than just a civic duty, but an expression of culture and faith.
Source:
Sprinkle, Joe M., Law and Narrative in Exodus 19-24. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. June 2004. Link
