In this series, we are considering five distinct genres that are found within the sixty-six books of the Bible: Narrative History, Legal Documents, Letters, Poetry and Apocalyptic Literature. In this second article of the series, we will concentrate on legal documents.
Legal documents form a large proportion of the first five books of the Bible. Amongst other things, these Books of Moses (known to us as “the Pentateuch” or “the Torah”) tell the story of Israel’s formation. Beginning with one man, Abraham, the reader can trace Israel’s development from an extended family to a vast nation. Unlike any other nation upon earth, the nation of Israel was brought into covenant relationship with God, which gave rise to a comprehensive treaty between the Lord and His people covering every aspect of public and private life (Exodus 19; 24).
Consequently, significant portions of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy set out the legally-binding arrangements for Israel to live under theocratic rule in the land into which the Lord their God would bring them. At the heart of this body of literature is an acknowledgment of Yahweh’s Lordship over His people and of His benevolence to them. Alongside this is the acceptance of Israel’s obligation to serve the Lord and give Him whatever He is due.
Many Bible commentators find it helpful to divide Israel’s law into three distinct sections: the moral law, the civil law and the ceremonial (or religious) law. Moral commands governed personal conduct, thus setting out how individuals were to behave in both their personal and family lives. The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) are a prime example of this subgroup of the genre. Civil law governed relationships within wider society and dealt with matters of social justice. The so-called “Book of the Covenant” (Exodus 21:1-23:33; see also 24:7) contains many such regulations. Finally, ceremonial laws were concerned with how the people worshipped the Lord, particularly when coming to the central sanctuary. Much of the Book of Leviticus, dealing with stipulations for offering sacrifices and maintaining ceremonial cleanliness, is concerned with this type of legal document.
Legal documents in the Bible resemble contemporary writings from other cultures in the ancient Near East. In particular, the Book of Deuteronomy has a structure which is replicated in many similar writings from that period. Typical of covenant treaties between a master (“suzerain”) and a servant (“vassal”), Deuteronomy begins with a historical prologue, outlining the relationship between the two parties (chapters 1-4). In the middle section, the terms of the covenant are made explicit (chapters 5-26), and this is followed by a list of blessings for obedience and curses which would result from disobedience (chapters 27-29).
Consequently, the Law of Moses provided the Israelites with a framework by which they could understand their relationship with the Lord. Its importance within Old Testament history cannot be overstated and it sets the tone for the rest of the Hebrew Bible: the Law is celebrated in poetic literature (e.g., Psalms 19; 119) and the Hebrew prophets frequently make a call for Israel to return to the commandments laid out in the Torah (e.g., Zechariah 1:3-6; Malachi 3:7).
By contrast, the New Testament contains no legal documents whatsoever. This is on account of the very different circumstances in which the New Testament authors wrote. Instead of writing for a single nation, the apostles and their co-workers were writing for a continents-wide network of local churches comprised of people from many nations.
Even so, the Law is prominent in the New Testament. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), the Lord Jesus provides a running commentary on how the Law is to be interpreted and the Epistle of James (written initially to Jewish Christians) contains similar material.
Yet, how are New Testament believers to view the legal documents of the Bible? Some within the early church rejected them completely. For instance, an early heretic by the name of Marcion taught that the God of the Old Testament was different to the Father revealed in the New Testament. Sadly, such false teaching continues to have an influence over some Christians today, with the result that many books within our canon of Scripture are almost completely neglected.
The Christian’s relationship to the Law of Moses has always been a source of much discussion within the church. As with all Scripture, the student of these legal texts must consider the original audience for whom the books were composed. After this has been ascertained, it will be evident that believers today live in a very different context to that of Old Testament Israel and, therefore, the next logical question is how these ancient writings have a bearing upon life today as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Careful examination of New Testament teaching shows that disciples of the Lord Jesus are no longer subject to the jurisdiction of Old Testament law (Acts 15:10; Romans 7:1-4; Galatians 3:10-14; etc.). Nevertheless, the apostle Paul is also quick to stress that all Scripture emanates from God and is therefore relevant to the way we live today (Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:16).
The Law is a reminder of God’s absolute holiness and righteousness and may also be used as a mirror to the soul, confirming our completely wretched and unrighteous state before Him (James 1:23-25). Consequently, if the Law makes people aware of their sin (Romans 3:20), it may also be used to bring a sinner to repentance.
Supremely, however, the legal documents of the Old Testament reveal Christ in all His perfection, and this is their enduring legacy to the church today. In the first Psalm, it was the author’s delight to meditate upon God’s law (Psalm 1:2) and it should be the delight of believers today to similarly meditate and, through doing so, to see divinely-inspired pictures of their beloved Saviour.
When understood properly, the reader, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, is able to see that Christ is the fulfilment of the Law (Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:44; John 5:46; Romans 10:4; etc.). Undoubtedly, the relationship between God and His Old Testament people was understood through the prism of the Law, and equally certain is that present-day believers recognise the person and work of Jesus Christ to be all important in their walk with God. Consequently, when disciples today look at Old Testament legal documents, they should be doing so with the aim of seeing how Christ is revealed within them.
