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The Relation of the Law to
the Messiah Moses the Man. Next to Abraham, probably Moses is the
most outstanding character in Hebrew history. His name is
revered wherever the Bible is known. "As a historian, an
orator, a leader, a statesman, a legislator, a patriot, and as a
man. Moses stands preeminent. But no mere genius could have made
him the originator of sound jurisprudence and the great teacher
of monotheism and sound morality--except he had also been a
prophet of the Most High, supernaturally guided and aided in his
work." Young's Analytical Concordance. P.670.
Our chief concern in this study is to note the part, which
the law of Moses played in introducing righteousness.
Remembering that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of
prophecy, (Rev. 19:10), we are not surprised to find a close
relationship between the law and the gospel and between Moses
and Christ. The inspired writer to the Hebrews wrote thus of
Moses, "He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter…esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than
the treasures in Egypt…for he endured as seeing him who is
invisible." This shows how closely Moses was associated
with Christ by faith.
Covenant Nature of the Law. The name of Moses is inseparably
connected with the Law. The first five books of the Bible are
known as the Pentateuch: "Penta" meaning five, and
"teuch" meaning tool or book. Webster. They are also
referred to as the Books of Moses or the Law of Moses, or just
the Law. Sometimes they are called statutes and judgments and
they were venerated as Divine injunctions by the Hebrew people.
The terms of the Old Covenant or Testament which, God made with
Israel under Moses rightly engage our attention at this point.
In Ex. 2:24, we read, "And God heard their groaning, and
God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with
Jacob." Notice here, the continuity of God's covenant with
Abraham, which was essentially a covenant of justification by
faith, and designed to bless every family on earth. Let us see
how the law advanced the cause of justification by faith.
In Exodus 19:5, 6 we find one of the most important
statements concerning this law. "Now therefore, IF ye will
obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, THEN ye shall be a
peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is
mine; and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy
nation." The "IF" and "THEN" of the
above agreement suggest conditions which Israel had to fulfill
before they could claim any blessing from the contract. Again we
turn to Deut. 11:26-28 and read, "Behold I set before you
this day a blessing and a curse; a blessing IF ye obey the
commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day;
and a curse IF ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord
your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this
day to go after gods which ye have not known"
The covenant Broken. The story of Israel's transgression is
told in Exodus Ch. 32. Moses had been forty days on the mountain
communing with God and during his absence the people had made a
golden calf and worshipped it. In doing so, they not only broke
the covenant of the Ten Commandments but they forfeited all its
blessings and became exposed to the curse. Only persistent
importunity in prayer by Moses prevented God from destroying the
nation and beginning over again with Moses at the head of it.
(Ch. 32:10). God punished Israel and never did renew to them the
particular promise that they should be a "kingdom of
priests, and a holy nation." It was not lost however, for
God's purpose cannot fail. Thus we find a new "Israel"
composed of a priesthood of believers, an holy nation, redeemed
by the blood of Christ; fulfilling the conditions in 1 Pet. 2:9,
"But ye (believers) are a chosen generation, (that is the
chosen people,) a royal priesthood, and holy nation, a purchased
people, that ye should shew forth the virtues (marg.) of him who
hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
The reason Israel failed is told by Paul in Rom. 9:32,
"They sought it (i.e. righteousness) not by faith."
They forfeited their claim to the main promises given them and
these were transferred to the faithful followers of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
We should not lose sight of the fact that the law provided a
curse for disobedience as well as a blessing for obedience. This
is reiterated time and again throughout Deuteronomy. A correct
understanding of God's promises is not possible unless we
recognize the conditions on which they are given. We must
remember that a Covenant is an agreement, the terms of which
must be carried out by both contracting parties in order for it
to remain in force. It is evident that the one who fails to
fulfill his part of the contract automatically loses the right
to claim any benefit from it. Considering the fact that the
terms of the law Covenant are so clearly stated, and so
flagrantly broken by the Jews, it seems passing strange that
anyone could overlook the significance of this. The bitter
complaint of Moses and the prophets was that the people had
forsaken, transgressed and had broken the law of God. The curse,
therefore, became a certainty. At first glance it may appear
that a law, which demanded such a high moral and spiritual
standard, with the threat of such dire consequences for an
infraction of the sacred covenant, was an unjust requirement by
God. It is quite apparent that the average worshipper found its
attainment impossible. This was what God intended, for it
permitted the operation of His grace, which was their only hope.
God's benign purpose will be unfolded more fully as this
important phase of the subject is considered in the following
chapter.
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