Understanding Mosaic (Old Testament) Law pt.2
I want to focus briefly on the civil (case) laws. All case laws derive from the constituted law of God (Ten commandments). A great and simple example of a case law would be when Jesus was tested by the Pharisees in Matt. 19.
(case law)
3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” Deut. 24:1-4
4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT SINCE THE BEGINNING, Gen. 1:27 & Gen. 2:21-25 The Kingdom as it was originally intended).
7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”
8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”
I see Jesus points to three different laws when talking to the Pharisees in Matthew 19,
Natural law (v4-5). Jesus first point to creation and the beginning and gives a very straightforward definition of marriage as being one male and one female.
Case law (v8). Jesus defines this as being a case law and points to natural law once again.
Moral law or the Constitution (v9). Jesus expounds on the law of the 7th commandment. Sex outside of marriage is a sexual immoral act.
So because of the hardness of their hearts this case law was given to them in Deut. 24:1-4. Case law is build upon the foundations of the constitution and giving us the “IF” introducing a conditional clause verse 3. However you are still in violation of the greatest commandment (Love). Also to add to this case law regarding the hardness of the heart, that still applies today, this law may appear to be misogynistic, however this is not the case. This law was given to protect women because of the hardness of the man's heart.
Perhaps you are in a mentally or physically abusive marriage or your unbelieving husband abandons the relationship. We are called to live in peace, however, despite what some may argue I think it is quite misogynistic to defend the opposite and suggest she should put up with the beatings of an abusive husband and compromise her safety. I believe at this point separation is an option.
1 Corinthians 7 points to this very case, v15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?”
Much more can be said about this topic however the main point is recognizing the differences in laws that are most argued and misunderstood. However we must remember the Mosaic law was not meant to be permanent, universal, and the standard for all nations (Heb. 8), and not the ideal law (Gen.1,2) such as what Jesus stated, v4 “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female” and v8 “but from the beginning it was not so”. But the universal laws are usually made clear and consistent through the whole of scripture for all nations. That brings us to the moral and Universal laws.
God Bless,
Danny Crypto