What Is The Law?

The “Law” is a portion of the Hebrew Bible
In both the New and the Old Testaments of the Bible, the word “law” is used as a title for God’s word that he revealed to Israel. Sometimes “the law” is speaking about the whole of the OT, and sometimes it is only used as a portion of it, such as when it is used in the phrase, “the law, the prophets and the psalms” (Luke 24:44). Often the Law (or in Hebrew, Torah) is used to speak of the first five books of the Bible, also called the “books of Moses” (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). When Jesus speaks of the Law, he is usually speaking of these books.

The Mosaic Law is the instructional material of the Hebrew Bible
The Law is also used to speak of certain kinds of writings in the Hebrew Bible. Specifically, it describes the commands and ethical stories of the first five books of the Bible. In this sense, the “Law” is the commands of God, given through Moses. When Paul speaks of the “law”, he is usually speaking of these commands. There are more than six hundred legal commands given to Israel in the books of Moses. Modern Judaism, when it speaks of the “Torah”, would also include their book of interpretations of the Mosaic Law, which is called the Talmud.

The Mosaic Law contain many kinds of commands.

a. Cultic Laws—These laws have to do with the priesthood, sacrifices and the Temple. These laws are no longer able to be obeyed because there has been no recognized Temple or priesthood since the Temple was destroyed in 70AD.
If the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer to the LORD a bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. Leviticus 4:3
The high priest shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. Leviticus 16:2

b. Cleansing Laws—These laws have to do with cleanliness laws and community acceptability. Some have to do with hygine and others with acceptable food, but those who violate these commands will be separated from the community and from the Temple.
If a person touches any unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean beast or the carcass of unclean cattle or a carcass of unclean swarming things, though it is hidden from him and he is unclean, then he will be guilty. Leviticus 5:2
If a woman has a discharge of her blood many days, not at the period of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond that period, all the days of her impure discharge she shall continue as though in her menstrual impurity; she is unclean. Leviticus 15:25

c. Ceremonial Laws—These laws have to do with feasts, memorials, months and Sabbaths. They command the people of Israel what days are set aside to rest and to celebrate before the Lord.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8
This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you… The tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers' households, a lamb for each household… It is the LORD'S Passover. Exodus 12:2-3, 11
Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. Exodus 23:14

d. Civil Laws—These laws have to do with practical concerns of justice. They are the kind of laws that were common in every legal code throughout the Ancient Near East in Moses’ day. They mostly speak of what are legal wrongs that need to be sentenced by a judge.
If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox and four sheep for the sheep. Exodus 22:1
You shall not curse God, nor curse a ruler of your people. Exodus 22:28

e. Ethical Laws—These laws have to do with underlying principles of moral goodness. Rather than speak to a specific wrong, they speak of general principles that other laws are based on.
You shall have no other gods before Me. Exodus 20:3
You shall love the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 6:5
You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Leviticus 19:23

The Mosaic law is impossible to obey today in every specific.
Many of the laws of Moses have to do with priests and a temple or tabernacle that no longer exist. And other laws have to do with peoples—such as Cannanites or Moabites—that no longer exist. Thus, the Mosaic Law, as a whole, no longer is able to be obeyed to the letter. Those who claim to obey the Mosaic Law are only obeying a part of it that they chose, or an interpretation of it, which changes what it literally says. There is no one today who can truthfully say that they obey the Mosaic Law in all of its specifics.

What are the Prophets?
The Prophets in Ancient Judaism are the “historical” books of the Old Testament of Joshua through Nehemiah and the “prophetic” books of Isaiah through Micah. These books apply the law to different circumstances and interpret the law within those circumstances. These explanations are a new part of God’s command.

There are greater and lesser commands in the Law
One thing that the prophets make clear is that there are greater and lesser parts to the Law. For instance, in Isaiah 1, the people’s obedience to the ceremonial and cultic laws are rejected because they failed to obey the civil law. If justice is not found in Israel, then one’s obedience to the other laws are of no use to be acceptable to God. The prophets also say that sacrifice is no use if there is no devotion to God or compassion for other’s needs. (Hosea 6:6).

There have been many schools of the Mosaic Law
Throughout history, and today, there are different ways to understand and apply the Mosaic Law. In Jesus’ day, it was said, that there were four main schools of thought about how to interpret Moses’ law—but there were many more beyond that even then. One of those schools of thought over time became Rabbinic Judaism that is the basis for the varieties of Judaism that we have today. Another school of interpretation was started by Jesus and was interpreted by the early church to become Jewish and Gentile Christianities. And throughout the last two thousand years quite a variety of thought about the Law has occurred. But any Christian understanding of the Law needs to be based on the teaching of Jesus and the apostolic teachings of the New Testament.