(REFLECTIONS ON Deuteronomy 25:1-19)

When Christians talk about the Old Testament Law, there is usually some level of negativity to it. Either we say that it is just a bunch of rules and regulations that make no practical sense in today’s world, or we say that it is the basis of a religious structure and not the basis for a relationship with God.

However, the Law was something that the Israelites rejoiced in, mediated on, and delighted in. That is because the Law is the Word of God, at the core of the covenant between Israel and the God that called them to be His own.

The Law is the basis for a relationship with God, because it is God’s heart, but the issue is that when it is in the hands of the created rather than the Creator, the Law turns from being the Word of God, to the word of man, and becomes religious rather than relational.

Yes, there were issues in how the Law was applied, but that doesn’t mean that the Law in it of itself was bad. In fact, the Gospel for us today, is that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to fulfill His perfect Law.

In Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus said,

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

If we take time to re-read today’s Scripture, we will find that in these seemingly random rules and regulations, is God’s heart for justice and human dignity, compassion towards all of His creation, preserving and upholding widows and the family line, respect for the body and preserving future generations, honesty and fairness within a community, and protecting the weak and vulnerable within God’s chosen community.

We are reminded today that God is good, He is love, and His Law is His Word and it is good and it is love. As God’s people, we may sometimes turn His Law into something other than His heart, and that is our own heart. As Jesus came to fulfill the Law, it is a reminder that in Jesus Christ, God’s Word, His heart, His goodness, and His love is preserved.

May this draw us closer to Jesus, because it is only through His Son, that we can enter into the Law, the basis for a relationship with God, and be His sons and daughters. Jesus didn’t come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill the Law, and doing so lifting up those that believe in His name to God’s standards of love and righteousness, rather than diminishing God and bringing Him down in order for us to climb over Him.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy 25