Reading the Old Testament is an exciting experience. It is packed with stories of war, love, family drama, miracles, and more. But readers of the Bible find a particular challenge when confronted with the Old Testament law. Does the law have anything to do with modern believers? After all, didn’t the Apostle Paul tell us we are no longer under the “guardian” of the law (Gal 3:24-26)?
But the Apostle Paul also wrote that all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for our spiritual maturity (2 Tim 3:16-17). This certainly includes the Old Testament law. So how does a Christian in the 21st century apply the law to his or her life, even when believers are no longer bound to it in the same way as the Israelites were?
Seven New Testament Principles for Old Testament Application
Seven principles guide the modern believer, all drawn from the teaching of the New Testament. For each of these principles, we will use Lev 19:9-10 as a test case to illustrate how they apply: “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.”
- The law reveals how to love God.
In Matthew 22, the religious rulers attempt several times to challenge Jesus on various points of doctrine and practice. Each time, Jesus successfully answers, shutting them down and wowing the crowds. The Pharisees—supposed experts on the law—ask Jesus, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (22:36). Jesus’ response is worth quoting in full: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment” (22:37-38).
Skipping down to vs 40 (we’ll come back to vs 39 in a moment), Jesus adds, “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” In other words, if you want to know the priority of the Old Testament law, here it is: love God.
It doesn’t matter whether you read from the Ten Commandments, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, or somewhere in between. The law teaches you something about loving God, and it teaches you how to express that love through actions. Each time you read a command in the Old Testament, you should ask, “What does this law reveal to us about how to love God?”
Consider our test case: Lev 19:9-10. Obeying God’s command by not reaping the edges of the field demonstrated an Israelite’s fidelity to the covenant and love for the God behind that covenant. Obeying this command was a visible sign of love for God.
- The law reveals how to love others.
Going back to the verse we skipped, Jesus says, “And a second [greatest commandment] is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (22:39-40).
Each law you read will teach you one or both of these first two principles, without exception. All laws teach us how to love God, because an outgrowth of love for God is obedience to the law (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3). But many laws also helped Israelites know how to express love for each other and outsiders.
Keeping the edges of the field unharvested showed love and care for the needy or for the traveling foreigner. A modern Christian can ask the question of each law, “What does this law reveal to us about how to love others?”
- The Law reflects the character of God.
Peter considers this principle when he quotes from Leviticus in 1 Peter 1:15-16: “But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”
Consider that statement. The Israelites were commanded to be holy. Why? Because God is holy. The law, “be holy,” flows from the very holiness of God. Holiness has value because God is holy.
Why is love good? Because God is love! Why shouldn’t we lie? Because when God speaks, he never uses false or empty words! The law is an extension of God’s character and every law reveals to us something about the character of the God who gave the law. Keeping free food at the edges of the field reveals to us that God cares about the destitute and least privileged. With every law you read, you can ask, “What does this law tell me about God’s character?”
- The law reflects the character of humanity.
The Apostle Paul has a few dreary things to say about the law. Among other thoughts, he writes that the law never had any ability to save because through the law comes knowledge of sin (Rom 3:20). How does that work? Go back to Principle #3: the law reflects God’s holy character. When we measure ourselves up against the perfect holiness of God, we always fall far, far short of his glory.
If Israelites were always perfectly faithful to their spouses, they wouldn’t need to have the command written in stone, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” If Israelites were always perfectly honest, they wouldn’t need God to say, “Thou shalt not lie.” If Israelites were as concerned about the poor as they should have been, they wouldn’t need God to make a commandment about keeping the edges of their field unharvested.
With each law, Christians can ask the question, “How does this law demonstrate humanity’s sinfulness?” The law might do so in two main ways: the very fact that we need it, and the very fact that we can’t keep it.
- The law points forward to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The law demonstrates humanity’s proclivity toward sin, and even exacerbates it (Rom 5:20). From the very beginning, the law begged for a better solution.
Enter Jesus.
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Rom 10:4). “End” likely has both “goal” and “end” in view in this context. Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law. The law culminated in him and his ministry. And when we put our faith in Jesus, his righteousness is applied to us (Phil 3:9; 1 Cor 1:30; Rom 10:4). He took our sin upon himself and in exchange gave us his righteousness (2 Cor 5:21). What a gospel!
The Lev 19:19-20 command points forward to the gospel. Jesus came for the poor and rich alike (Luke 4:18). With each law, Christians should ask, “How does this law point forward to the gospel?”
- Christians interpret according to the spirit of the law.
Theologians squabble over terminology here—spirit, principle, paradigm, and so on—but they appear to all say something similar. Since Christians are no longer bound to the literal letter of the law—although it’s still relevant for personal sanctification and application (2 Tim 3:16-17)—we need to consider the spirit or intent behind each command and seek to apply that.
Consider how Paul applies the following law: “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain” (Deut 25:4). In Israel’s context, this law governed humane treatment of work animals. But twice Paul applies it to those who work in ministry in order to advocate appropriate pay for them (1 Cor 9:9; 1 Tim 5:18). How did he get from muzzling oxen to paying ministry workers? By extracting the principle behind the text. God’s people should pay animals their due for their work; and if animals get that treatment, how much more a laborer for the gospel?
Christians should ask of each law, “What is the spirit behind this law?” How does a Christian apply the spirit of Lev 19:9-10? Donate 10% of your groceries to a local food shelter. Use your extra change to support organizations that care for the destitute. Consider practical ways to minister to those in need in your community.
- The law has a missional focus.
This final principle draws from texts such as Deut 4:6: “Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’”
Ideally, the Israelites’ adherence to God’s law would cause the surrounding nations to take notice. The way the Israelites behaved helped set them apart from other nations. This would catch the attention of the outsiders and function as a way to draw them in. They would recognize that Israel had something special. In this sense, the law was missional. The obedience of God’s people would act as a magnet, drawing others in to them and to their God.
So, each time we read a law, we can ask, “What about this law would have set the Israelites apart enough for the other nations to look in and want what they had?” Consider once more the law to keep the edges of the field unharvested. By doing so, Israel became a haven for those in need, even those from other nations. This should attract others to Israel and her God.
By applying these principles, modern believers have a framework through which to understand, interpret and apply the Old Testament law to their lives. By doing so, Christians experience the excitement and relevance of even the more challenging parts of the Bible.
Bryan Murawski (Ph.D, Westminster Theological Seminary) has served in pastoral ministry for the last 15 years. He teaches classes for Cairn University and Moody Theological Seminary and is the author of Preaching Difficult Texts of the Old Testament.
This article is adapted from material in Bryan Murawski’s book, Preaching Difficult Texts of the Old Testament (Hendrickson, 2021), and is used here with permission.
