Christ in the Old Testament

Exodus 20:20

Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” (NIV)

Today’s Reading: Exodus 20:1-21 and Romans 7:7-24

Today we will pause briefly at Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai is a foundational period of time for the Israelites as well as for us as Christians. Moses receives the law from God over the next several chapters of Exodus. It would guide the Israelites in understanding the character of God and his expectations for his people. Even today, the Ten Commandments are posted in our courtrooms and classrooms.

The connection between the law and Jesus is not as direct as we have encountered in other events. The tablets of the Ten Commandments don’t represent Jesus or some future event in the life of Jesus particularly. But they are foundational to our understanding of God and why Jesus had to come to earth.

Our obedience to the basic laws of God wasn’t enough for salvation. We can obey outwardly all the laws of God but that won’t save us. We are still born into sin. But let’s be real, we cannot obey all of the Ten Commandments. So God’s law shows us the standard that God expects from us and it reveals to us that we are not capable of meeting that standard. Paul says, “I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law” (Rom 7:7).

So the law reveals to us that we can’t save ourselves and we need a savior. And once Jesus came, he paid for our sins and gave us the Holy Spirit so that the law would no longer be a prescription of rules to meet. They would become a way of life written on our minds and in our hearts.

“This is the covenant I will make with them
    after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
    and I will write them on their minds.” (Heb 10:16)

Jesus simplified the law for us at the end of his life on earth. A Pharisee who was an expert in the law tested Jesus by asking him, ““Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘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 neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt 22:36-40).

In loving God with all our hearts and loving one another the way Jesus loves us, we are fulfilling the whole law. And the world will know we belong to Him. The Ten Commandments were necessary in God’s ultimate plan to bring His love to mankind through Jesus Christ. They showed us our need for Jesus. Once we accept Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit, it frees us to love those around us just as Jesus did.

Today’s Prayer: Thank you Lord for revealing yourself to me through your law. Knowing we would fall short, thank you for sending Jesus show us how to love like you.