Not Under Law!

Not Under Law

Reading Zanchius' Absolute Predestination, he observes that Abram didn't think ill of God's command to slay his son (Gen 22), though mankind knew such an act was evil (Gen 4). Abram knew the expressed will of God was better than the prohibition against taking a life without cause. Similar to the order to plunder Egypt (Ex 3) contrasted with the word to not steal (Ex 20). Is God of two minds? Perish the thought. His purpose and plan are often hidden from us, but ever being worked out to bring Him glory and do good for His own.

We read time and again how Jesus came to do the Father's will - echoing Abram! In John 4:34 Jesus said His food was to do the Father's will; in John 6:38 He said He came from heaven to do His Father's will. And in Matt 7:21 we read that those who do the Father's will are the ones who inherit heaven; For I have come down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me: that I should lose none of those He has given Me but should raise them up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”  (John 6:38-40). God desires mercy, not the sacrifices demanded by the law. The One Who made a pleasing sacrifice on our account gives us His righteousness and provides mercy, day-by-day.  As our call to worship reminds us, Moses was faithful as a servant in the house but Jesus is a Son over His own house. When Peter asked Him about paying the temple tax (Matt 17:24-27), Jesus said strangers pay the tax but the sons are free. God the Father was not subject to the Mosaic Law; the Son is Lord over His house and is free. All the sons and daughters are free! When Jesus began His public ministry, He was showing people a better way, revealing a covenant built on better promises. He did not lead people to the Old Covenant, He led people away from it as it was being brought to its end. He left the Old Covenant to show us the way to the New.

We also read of God violating laws of nature that He established, making the sun stand still (Joshua 10:13) and giving life to that which was dead (John 11). He cured leprosy with dirty water (2 Kings 5).

God is not bound the laws He gives man!

It was against the Mosaic Law for a healthy person to touch one with leprosy (Lev 5:3 - page 127).  Some lepers were healed in the Old Covenant era, but the lepers were not touched. They were not touched when declared clean by the Levitical priests. Jesus was sending a message by touching this man. When Jesus began His kingdom ministry, He was no longer under the Mosaic Law as He was as a minor child, else He would not have touched the man. He was working to show the Jews that their Messiah was greater than Moses, even God in the flesh, bringing a new and better covenant founded on better promises to His spiritual people. In Luke 8:19-56 Jesus touched a dead child and raised her to life; touching the dead was prohibited by the law (Num 19:11). The Mosaic Law forbade spitting on a person: Num 12:14 declares one unclean who has been spit-on; Deut 25:9 refers to spitting in in another's face as a curse on the person. Jesus spit on the ground, made clay to apply to a blind man's eyes to bring healing (John 9:6); He spit on a mute man's tongue to heal him (Mark 7:33); and He spit in a blind man's eyes to heal him (Mark 8:22-25), contrary to Mosaic Law. Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:15, 19), contrary to the Levitical law; He healed a paralytic on the Sabbath (John 5:7-10), for which they wanted to kill Him (John 5:18), for He not only violated their Sabbath, He made Himself equal with God. In Matt 12, Jesus defended His disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath, positioning Himself as greater than David (who had eaten bread meant only for priests) and greater than (Lord of/over) the Sabbath. In this instance, He cites Hosea 6:6, "For I desire mercy and not sacrifice." While the law was not full of mercy, it provided no specific exceptions to the weekly Sabbath for acts of mercy. Healing was required in the law but no provision for doing so on the Sabbath was given. Circumcision was required on the 8th day, which sometimes happened on a Sabbath. Jesus pointed out the priests broke the Sabbath to keep the law of circumcision. I think these points of tension were there to lead the Jews to seek guidance from YHWH, but they built up a system of rules that they thought they keep and be pleasing to God. Of old He told them, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice."

God is not bound the laws He gives man - He is Lord over both man and law!