Law
If you've ever tried to read through the Old Testament, chances are you’ve hit a wall when you get to Exodus 20 and following and thought, “Soooo… many … rules.” And you’d be right—there are a lot of laws in the Old Testament. According to Rabbi Moses Maimonides of the 12th century, there are 613 of them. That’s a lot.
Most of us don’t love being told what to do. Whether it’s speed limits, school rules, workplace policies, or terms and conditions we never actually read, we like our freedom. So when we hit the long lists of commands in the Bible, our reflex is often to skim, skip, or sigh.
But before we do that, it’s worth asking: why are they here? What’s their purpose? What was God doing in giving so many detailed instructions to Israel, and how are we supposed to make sense of them today, especially as followers of Jesus? How do we respond?
To start unpacking that, let’s go back to where these laws first take shape: in Exodus 20–23.
1. Law and Exodus
In Exodus 20-23, God gives the law to show us His holiness and how He wants us to live. Let’s unpack that.
To show us his holiness
Exodus 20 particularly reveals God’s holiness. By holiness, we mean his total exclusive set-apartness. He is unlike anyone else.
Before any command is given, Exodus 20:1-2 reminds us who is speaking:
And God spoke all these words: ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.’
Exodus 20:1–2
He alone rescues his people from slavery. He alone is the LORD, their God. The Ten Commandments that follow highlight his unique holiness.
No other “gods” (20:3). Because God is holy, there is no place for other “gods”.
No idols (20:4–6). Because God is holy, there is no place for idols.
Don’t misuse his name (20:7). Because God is holy, there is no place for misusing his name.
Because God is holy, we’re crazy to do anything other than obey his laws.
When the people see the thunder and lightning on the mountain, they’re terrified:
They trembled with fear... ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.’
Exodus 20:18–19, NIV
When people catch but a glimpse of God’s holiness, they’re terrified. The law—and the very sight and sound of God giving of the law—shows us just how holy God is.
To show us how to live
And, of course, the commandments and laws show us how the holy God wants us to live.
Love God and Love Others. In Exodus 20, God gives the Ten Commandments, calling his people to love him and to love others. The first four commandments focus on devotion to God—having no other gods, not making idols, honouring his name, and keeping the Sabbath. The final six focus on how we treat others—honouring parents, and avoiding murder, adultery, theft, lying, and coveting. The chapter ends with instructions on how to approach God in worship, highlighting reverence and humility. Together, these show that God desires obedience, honour, and right relationship with both himself and others.
Justice and Respect. Exodus 21 continues with laws about servants, violence, and personal responsibility. These laws protect human dignity and life, showing that God values fairness and wants to look after the vulnerable. He calls his people to act justly and take responsibility for harm caused.
Community and Compassion. In Exodus 22, the laws extend into daily life, covering property rights, sexual ethics, and how to care for the weak and marginalised. These commands further reveal God's desire for honesty, purity, and compassion within the community.
Integrity, Rest, and Trust. Exodus 23 emphasises the importance of living with integrity. God commands impartial justice, condemns oppression, and calls for rest through Sabbath rhythms and annual festivals (more on this in coming posts).
Over and over, God shows that his holy character is the basis for how his people are to live.
2. Law and Jesus
When we come to the New Testament, we realise: The law reveals our sin and why we need Jesus.
The law reveals our sin
While the law is supposed to guide us to live the right way, it also exposes our flaws. In Romans 3:20, Paul says that “no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin” (Romans 3:20). Snap. The law shows us that, no matter how hard we try, we don’t measure up. We lie. We’re selfish. We chase approval, comfort, and control. We break God’s law all the time—not just in what we do, but in what we love. As Paul goes on to say in verse 23, “We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
The law leads us to Jesus
But here’s the good news: God didn’t leave us there. “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known… This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Romans 3:21–22). As we saw in the previous post, Jesus kept the law perfectly. Then, in love, He died in our place, satisfying God’s demand for justice and making forgiveness possible. “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith” (Romans 3:25).
So what does the law do? It shows us that we’re stuffed. But it also shows us our need for a Saviour and leads us straight to Jesus.
3. Law and Me
So, the law reveals our sin and shows us why we need Jesus. Jesus has come to fulfil the law. He’s forgiven us for our massive failures. What does this mean for us? If Jesus has fulfilled the law, does it still matter how we live?
When asked what the greatest commandment in the law was, He said: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37–40). Similarly, in Romans 13:10, Paul states that “love is the fulfilment of the law.”
So, how do we respond to the law today? Love God, Love Neighbour.
Let’s unpack that a bit. (I’m borrowing some material from my article Loving the God Who is Love)
Love God
How do we love God?
With everything. With everything we’ve got. Loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind means dedicating everything to him, including our emotions, desires, and intellect. Mark 12:30 and Luke 10:27 add “with all your strength” to this list. So, we also dedicate our physical strength to God as well. It’s a catch-all way of saying, “God has to be number one.” Nothing less will do.
And what does this look like?
Obediently. How does Jesus love God? By keeping his commands (John 14:31). According to Jesus, obedience is a key way—the key way—that we love God. It comes up several times. For example, in John 14:15 and 21, Jesus tells his disciples: “If you love me, keep my commands. … Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” Similarly, in 1 John 5:3 we read: “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands.”
If we truly love God, we will obey him. To obey him, we need to know what he wants and commands. So, we need to dig deep into his Word to ensure that we know his commands so that we can keep them and thereby love him. He says it, we do it.
Feeding Sheep. In John 21:15–17, Jesus asks Peter if he loves him three times. When Peter says “yes”, Jesus then tells Peter to feed his sheep. Jesus isn’t talking about literal sheep and food. He’s talking about looking after people who belong to Jesus and sharing the good news of the gospel with them. Loving Jesus means feeding his sheep.
Following. Then, in John 21:18–22, Jesus tells Peter to follow him. To the point of death, no less. Imitating Jesus. Loving Jesus means following Jesus.
Love Neighbour
Loving God also means loving your neighbour. If we love God, we obey him and keep his commands. The greatest commandment is to love God. The second greatest commandment is to love your neighbour.
There’s so much that could be said here.
But, put simply, loving means seeking the good of another. It means putting their needs above your own. 1 Corinthians 13 gives us a helpful description of what love looks like. Love is:
Patient. It endures with others, even when they’re slow or difficult.
Kind. It seeks the good of others with gentleness and generosity.
Humble. It doesn’t envy others, boast about itself, or act with pride.
Honourable. It treats others with respect, not disgrace.
Selfless. It isn’t focused on its own interests or gaining advantage.
Peaceful. It isn’t quick to get angry and doesn’t hold grudges.
Righteous. It hates evil but rejoices in the truth.
Protective and faithful. It always looks out for others, trusts, hopes, and doesn’t give up.
When Jesus says, “Love neighbour,” there’s a sense in which he means that we should love everyone. We should. But there’s something special about that word “neighbour” as well. Jesus doesn’t say here to love “everyone”, though he would like us to do that. He says, “neighbour.”
Who’s your neighbour? As the parable of the Good Samaritan shows us, it’s the people right in front of us. These are the most important people to love. It's those in your household, those in your workplace, school, or uni, those on your soccer team. It includes the people you like and the people who drive you up the wall. Even the people who never stop yapping and make lame jokes that aren’t funny.
