The ceremonial laws provide a context for learning and practicing self-denial.

“…you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Leviticus 19.18

Jesus commanded His followers to emulate His example by making their lives living sacrifices, gifts of love to God and neighbors (Matt. 16.24, 25). By the system of sacrifices and offerings Israel would have been continuously reminded that everything they had was from the good hand of God. They would have been led to emulate the grace of this giving God by giving back to Him and to their neighbors through regular and prescribed offerings. Thus all of life in ancient Israel would have been lived from the heart with a view to exemplifying the grace of God in thanksgiving, praise, and offerings of love.

God’s greatest gift is Jesus Christ, Who proved the grace of God on the cross. It is not surprising, therefore, that as God, in the ceremonial laws, taught and led Israel to acknowledge and reflect His grace, so Jesus, in the command to take up our own crosses, calls His followers to emulate His “greater love” for them. The sacrifice of Jesus demands that we love God and lay down our lives for our neighbors, and that we take on the obligations of God’s Law of love in order to show the grace of the Lord to the people around us.

Such giving can only be done from the heart, with a new heart, one given by the Spirit of God as we confess faith in Jesus Christ. If we know Jesus, we will see in the ceremonial laws of Israel abundant reminders of the holiness and goodness of God, as well as ample means for God’s people to nurture grace in their souls by various forms of giving to God and to their neighbors. And when we consider the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and see there enacted the great principle of giving which the ceremonial laws foreshadow, we cannot help but acknowledge God’s grace in Jesus Christ and take up our crosses as living sacrifices of love for God and for our neighbors.

For a fuller study of the pattern of worship revealed in Scripture, order the book, The Highest Thing, by T. M. Moore, from our online store. These studies and brief essays will help you to see how the pattern of sound worship, which began in the Law of God, comes to complete expression in the rest of Scripture. Pastors, we’re getting ready to start the next season of The Pastors’ Fellowship. Write to me today at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for information about how you join in these online discussions. Our theme for the coming series is “The Worldview of God’s Law.” There is no charge for participation, but you must reserve a place for these monthly gatherings. Subscribe to Crosfigell, the devotional newsletter of The Fellowship of Ailbe.