[Feb 10]--Study the Law, Why?

Psalm 1

As I mentioned before, I find it really sad that many (if not most) Christians ignore God’s word, and treat it as if three-quarters of it wasn't there. They only read the New Testament and completely disregard the Old Testament (except maybe the Psalms and Proverbs) as irrelevant and boring.

Of course, the section that Christians avoid the most is the Law, also known as the Torah, the Pentateuch, and the books of Moses. After they finish reading Genesis and the story part of Exodus, they move on to something else. The rest of the books of Moses seem to be just a bunch of rules and regulations which have no meaning for our daily lives.

Is this the attitude which Jesus showed towards it? When he was faced with Satan out in the wilderness, he could have simply ordered him away or met him with force, but he didn’t. Instead, he quoted Scripture, specifically from the book of Deuteronomy (one of those books which we avoid).

Here’s a couple of other hints as to how Jesus regarded the Law. When confronted with his critics who believed in Moses but rejected himself, he expressly claimed that Moses was talking about him. In other words, when we examine the Law, we’ll find Jesus there. In the Sermon on the Mount, he explicitly stated that he “[did not] come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. . . but to fulfill them.”

But didn’t Paul say that we aren’t under the Law anymore? In fact, isn’t that the whole point of the book of Galatians? It's true that as Christians we aren’t subject to the Law as a means of pleasing God. We don’t need to observe the dietary laws, we don’t need to keep the holidays, and we don’t need to be circumcised. But if Paul meant it when he said that “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” then we need to get past the question of “Is it relevant?” and start asking “How is it relevant?”

Father God, all of your word is precious and I need to treat it as such. Jesus said that I don't live on bread alone but on every word that comes out of your mouth. Please help to live like I believe that.