– 6 Min Read
Introduction
As we have been spending much time in the Old Testament this year we have been growing in our affection for God, His Son, His gospel, and our redemption in Him. Meditating on the entirety of the Old Testament, three questions have arisen for us to consider this week. We will narrow in on the language of Psalm 119 and the commandments of Exodus 20 as we work through this devotional. Hopefully, we will prepare our hearts along the way to deal with the questions in a way that is both pleasing to God and edifying to our souls.
How blessed are those whose way is blameless,
– Psalm 119:1-8 (LSB)
Who walk in the law of Yahweh.
2 How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,
They seek Him with all their heart.
3 They also do not work unrighteousness;
They walk in His ways.
4 You have commanded us,
To keep Your precepts diligently.
5 Oh may my ways be established
To keep Your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be ashamed
When I look upon all Your commandments.
7 I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
8 I shall keep Your statutes;
Do not forsake me utterly!
“How important is the Old Testament to New Testament believers?“
Well, very important! I would argue that your knowledge of the Lord Jesus will be extremely limited and your vision of Him blurred if you do not know your Old Testament. An example of this can be found in the words of Jesus Himself. Jesus said that the Old Testament testified about Him (John 5:39; Luke 24:25-27). Therefore, if we are reading the Old Testament and are not seeing Christ, learning about Christ, or growing in our appreciation of Christ, then we are reading it wrong.
The Old Testament anticipates Christ because it is all about Christ. From Genesis 3:15 onward, we are given more and more revelation as to who this seed is that is going to come and redeem us from the curse. “Testament” comes from the Latin word testamentum, which means “covenant”. The very fact that we have an Old Covenant anticipates a New Covenant. Jeremiah of course spoke of a new covenant that God was going to initiate with His people (Jer. 31:31-34). Therefore, you can not properly appreciate or understand the New Covenant unless you first know of the Old Covenant.
Matthew uses the Old Testament to begin his gospel which was written so that we may know that Jesus is the Christ (the word Christ means Messiah).
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham…
– Matthew 1:1,17,18 (LSB)
17 Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ, fourteen generations…
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows…
John begins his gospel the same way Moses begins the Pentateuch; “In the beginning…” (John 1:1; Gen. 1:1). There are approximately 8,000 verses in the New Testament and approximately 1,000 of them contain direct quotes, partial quotes, and paraphrases of the Old Testament. That means that 1/8th of our New Testament is Old Testament. This is why scholars refer to the New Testament as a commentary on the Old Testament.
The author of the Book of Hebrews makes a convincing case that Christ is greater by mainly using the Old Testament Scriptures. From childhood, Timothy was made “wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” by “the sacred writings,” which is the Old Testament (2 Tim. 3:14-15).
You have dealt well with Your slave,
– Psalm 119:65-72 (LSB)
O Yahweh, according to Your word.
66 Teach me good discernment and knowledge,
For I believe in Your commandments.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,
But now I keep Your word.
68 You are good and do good;
Teach me Your statutes.
69 The arrogant have smeared me with lying;
With all my heart I will observe Your precepts.
70 Their heart is covered with fat,
But I delight in Your law.
71 It is good for me that I was afflicted,
That I may learn Your statutes.
72 The law of Your mouth is better to me
Than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
“Do you love the Law of God?“
The longest chapter in our Bible opens up by praising God’s Law. The words “testimonies,” “ways,” “precepts,” “statutes,” “commandments,” and “judgments” are used synonymously to describe God’s Law (Psalm 119:1-8). In v.65-72, we read of how the author is delighting in God’s Law. In v.77, we read; “May Your compassion come to me that I may live, for Your law is my delight.” Do we speak of God’s Law in this way? Does the Law of God delight you?
The Hebrew Bible was divided into three parts, The Law, The Prophets, and The Writings. The Law was the Pentateuch (Greek for “five scrolls/books”) or the Torah (Hebrew for “The Law”), which contains Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Law is not at odds with the New Testament but is fulfilled in the New Testament.
Jesus fulfills Genesis because He is our new and greater BEGINNING. Jesus fulfills Exodus because He SAVES us from greater slavery; sin. Jesus fulfills Leviticus because He makes his people HOLY through His sacrificial death. Jesus fulfills Numbers because we are not left WANDERING anymore but have been found. Jesus fulfills Deuteronomy because in Him the people of God are RENEWED for a better land. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it.
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
– Matthew 5:17-19 (LSB)
Jesus also fulfills the “commandments” in the Law and certainly will not abolish them. The question then is which ‘law[s]’ is He referring to. God does abrogate some of the Old Testament laws upon the resurrection of Christ and the inauguration of the New Covenant (such as dietary, ceremonial, and civil). Therefore, these “commandments” Jesus is referring to must be the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments). This makes sense because Jesus interacts with them in Matt. 5:21,27.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
– Exodus 20:3-17 (LSB)
4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
5 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
8 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of Yahweh your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female slave or your cattle or your sojourner who is within your gates.
11 For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male slave or his female slave or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
“Have you memorized the Ten Commandments?“
The phrase “Your law” is used 25 times in Psalm 119 and is always spoken of in the most positive words one can use in the Hebrew language. Again, the longest chapter in our Bible and it is all about loving God’s Law. The Ten Commandments were written on tablets of stone by the very finger of God (Exod. 31:18) and have now been written on our hearts in the New Covenant (Ezek. 36:26-27; Jer. 31:33-34; 2 Cor. 3:3). A way we can look at the Ten Commandments is that they are the transcription of God’s righteousness.
A great spiritual discipline would be to memorize the Decalogue. To remember that there is only one true God that we should worship and that His covenant name is holy. To remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy for Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). To remember how we are to honor our parents, and that this commandment is the only one with a promise (Eph. 6:2). To remember how we are to love our neighbors. A great way we can delight in God’s Law is by memorizing God’s Law.
The Ten Commandments were so important that they were placed inside the ark of the covenant (1 Kings 8:9; 2 Chron. 5:10; Heb. 9:4). At the sound of the seventh trumpet we read in John’s Revelation that; “the sanctuary of God which is in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His sanctuary…” (Rev. 11:19). If these commandments are so special to God that they are kept in His presence, how much more should we keep them on our minds?
Conclusion
All of the Old Testament is inspired by God and is profitable (2 Tim. 3:16). The Old Testament is the eternal, inerrant, authoritative word of God and is able to make us wise unto salvation in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 3:15). This fact alone should cause us to delight in the Old Testament Scriptures. We should take great delight in God’s Law because “His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). The Ten Commandments are near and dear to the heart of God and are eternally binding upon the consciences of mankind, therefore they should become a delight to our heart and not a sourness to our souls. To grow in our love for God is to grow in our love for His word (Psalm 119).