Law

 Law

 

The rules God gave Israel to make the Israelites righteous and loving 

 

Have you ever heard of the Golden Rule? It came from something Jesus said, “Do for other people the same things you want them to do for you.” (Mt 7.12) It’s called golden because it’s such a good rule. It helps people know how to be kind. 

God gave the Israelites good rules called the law. All the rules showed how wise and righteous God is. They also showed people the best way to live to have a good and peaceful life. 

God’s people struggled to follow the law. The most famous rules of the law were the Ten Commandments. But there weren’t just ten rules – there were more than six hundred! We read about them in the first five books of the Bible, along with a bunch of stories about the Israelites not following the rules. It’s like if you were playing football and you kept picking up the ball over and over again. You kept fouling. The Israelites kept failing to trust and obey God.

When Jesus came to earth, He ‘fulfilled’ the law, which means He followed God’s commands when no one else could. Jesus also said the whole point of the law is really about two important commands. To love God and to love people. When we love like Jesus did, we fulfill the law too. 

 

 

Exodus 19-20,24

 

Have you ever wondered what God’s handwriting looks like? God wrote part of the law – the Ten Commandments – on stone tablets! Not long after Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses walked up a mountain, lightning flashed, and the ground shook. There God gave the Ten Commandments, “Worship God and no one else. Show Him respect. Have a day of rest. Obey your parents. Keep your promises. Don’t be jealous or hurt anyone. Don’t lie or steal.” Then God gave Moses two stone tablets with the commands written on them to share with the Israelites. God’s handwriting was probably really neat, but Moses would know for sure!

 

The next time you’re in a car, ask the driver to name some driving rules. Then watch and try to spot each rule the driver is following. Is he stopping at stop signs? Waiting on another car before she turns? What would happen if they forgot those rules? Yikes! Someone could get hurt. They’re following good rules that protect and take care of people. God’s rules are like that too. 

 

 

God, thank You for helping me to live Your way.