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Saved for the Law

We're not saved by the Law, but for it.

Foundations for a Christian Worldview: The People of God (6)

“Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to themin the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God isto us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?” Deuteronomy 4.5-8

Such statutes and judgments
To understand the proper place of the Law of God in the life of His people, we must always bear in mind that the Law was given after God had delivered the people to Himself at Mt. Sinai. Israel had already realized the first step of His saving grace. God had wrested them from the hand of Pharaoh and the misery of slavery, escorted them through the Red Sea, and brought them safely to the mountain to worship Him.

The operative power in this great work of deliverance was the grace of God only. God was remembering His promises to their fathers (Ex. 2.24, 25), and He carried out all the actions necessary for their deliverance. All they had to do was believe to receive the salvation He accomplished – to not be afraid, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, and look forward to enjoying His peace.

At Mt. Sinai, God showed a further measure of His grace to His people, by giving them His holy and righteous and good Law. The Law outlined the Lord’s requirements for Israel to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, a people who lived in love for God and their neighbors in communities that flourished in justice, righteousness, peace, and holy worship. The Law was given to show God’s people how to live in the freedom He had provided for them. The Law – in its commandments, civil statutes, and religious rules – speaks to every area of life. It provides the keys to wisdom and understanding, and outstrips in beauty, simplicity, and fairness all the laws of all the other nations of that day or this.

God saved Israel to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation; He saved them to learn, love, obey, and delight in His Law – statutes and righteous judgments such as the world had never seen before, and has never known since.

Israel was not saved by keeping the Law, but for keeping it – unto wisdom, understanding, and the admiration of the nations.

For wisdom and understanding
Keeping God’s Law would make Israel a wise people. They would relate to one another and conduct all their affairs with a skill in living that set them apart from all their neighbors. They would flourish as individuals and communities, because the Law showed them the way to full and abundant life, life as God intended it from the beginning (Lev. 18.1-5). In their wisdom and obedience, they would realize all the promises of God for blessing in every area of their lives (Deut. 28.1-14).

The more God’s people kept the Law, the more thinking like God Himself would inform all their daily activities. The Law speaks to every area of human life, but not specifically. It sets up patterns and templates for thinking about all of life. The more God’s people practiced what the Law explicitly commanded, the more they would understand how to apply the Law in those areas where the Law was silent. One example from the Law will illustrate this.

In Numbers 27.1-11, a question arose to which the Law as given by God did not speak explicitly. A man named Zelophehad had died as part of the rebellion of Korah, which God suppressed. This man had no sons, who, by the express teaching of the Law, might have been in line to inherit his possession in the land of Canaan. Instead, Zelophehad had five very astute daughters. They presented themselves before Moses, insisting that they were the lawful heirs of Zelophehad’s possessions, since he had no sons. Moses was not quite sure how to respond, so he took the matter to the LORD. The LORD replied by saying that the daughters of Zelophehad had judged rightly – they had understood what the Law implied but did not expressly teach – and that they should be given their father’s portion in the land of promise. Then God amended His own Law to make sure this important precedent was not forgotten in the days to come.

Israel had been saved as the people of God to obey His Law. As they did, they would increase in wisdom and understanding above all the nations around them.

And this would get the attention of their neighbors, for sure.

For the nations
Seeing the wisdom and understanding of God’s people, and how they flourished in glorious worship, diligent neighbor love, and the blessings of goodness on every hand, the neighboring nations would say “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” As both Isaiah (2.1-4) and Micah (4.1-8) would later testify, the Law of God, lived out before the nations of the world, has attracting power. It gets people’s attention, piques their curiosity, heightens their interest, causes them to introspect, and draws them toward the context in which that Law is consistently obeyed, and to the Giver of that Law Who rules there.

The Law was never intended to save. It should not be regarded as a burden or yoke too great to bear. The Law liberates us from foolishness to wisdom, from ignorance and confusion to understanding, and from irrelevance to prominence in the affairs of men and nations. This is what God intended for His people, and it is why He saved us for His Law.

Questions for reflection
1. Read Psalm 1. What does this psalm recommend, and what does it promise, for those who make good use of God’s Law?

2. Are wisdom and understanding important traits for Christians? Why? Can we realize these apart from God’s Law?

3. How would you explain to a new believer the role of the Law of God in the life of faith?

Next steps – Transformation: Review your answers to the three questions above. Make a plan to allow the Law of God a larger place in your walk with and work for the Lord. Implement your plan right away, and ask a Christian friend to pray for you as you do.

T. M. Moore

For a concise summary of the Law of God, and of all its statutes and rules, order a copy of The Law of Godby clicking here. To learn why the Law still matters, and how you can make better use of it, order The Ground for Christian Ethicsby clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
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