SCRIPTURE: Matthew 12
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
(Read my reflection from 2008)
He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? [Matthew 12:3-5]
Christians throughout the ages have wrestled with obeying God’s Law.
Are we bound by the letter of the Law, or by the spirit of the Law?
Why is God so strict sometimes (Numbers 15 where a man gathering wood on Sabbath is put to death), and lenient at other times (like when David eats the forbidden bread).
I have no easy answers for this, but I do think that Jesus is the key to this question.

I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” [Matthew 12:6-8]
One greater than the temple also means one greater than the Law.
Jesus is not only Lord of the Sabbath, He is Lord of the Torah.
You have heard that it was said… But I tell you… [Matthew 5:17-28]
Jesus didn’t come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it [Matthew 5:17].
In Jesus we see the Law fulfilled; all that it was pointing towards is realized.
It now takes a back seat to Him and His Law, the Law of love.

For every law we find in the bible, we need to discern the point or purpose.
What is the enduring, creation concern behind the command?
The Sabbath laws, for example, are not just about protecting the day, but protecting people from exploitation or overwork or self-reliance.
The temple laws (like sacrifices) were God’s way of teaching the difference between holy and unholy, and the need to be consecrated to Him.
But such laws should not be exercised in a way that harms people.
Mercy remains the highest standard, and how we follow God’s law must honour that.

As an idea I get this, but it gets harder in specific application.
I will often have people ask me about specific laws, and how we are to obey them today… and there are many differences of opinion (one example is tithing).
We will differ on how to do this, but what Jesus says remains.
Even if we disagree, mercy trumps tithing, or Sabbath rules.
Each one must be clear in their own heart that what they are doing is taking God seriously (and not just an excuse for doing what we want).
Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. [Romans 14:4-5]

PRAYER:
Lord, sometimes we get so worked up about obeying Your law that we neglect the purpose of Your law. Help us to be serious about obedience, but to do so in love!