The Law of Moses teaches the world that we must never give up and be willing to live out our faith. Whether Moses wrote it all or it was a collaborative effort, followers know and trust that it is the Word of God. Angela Guzman is a contributor for Thrive Global and also a regular contributor for Beliefnet.
Surely, the giving of the Law and the falling of the Spirit occurred on the same Hebrew feast day of Shavuot or Pentecost, though some fourteen hundred years apart. That is what I believed as I had heard it so often. It only made sense, and it made for great preaching. One day, however, I read something that upset my apple cart.
“Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb [Sinai] for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments” (Malachi 4:4). That was good advice in Malachi’s time—and it is still good advice today! Ralph Levy is a native of London, England, and now a naturalized citizen of the United States.
The laws of Moses are not to be cast aside in this 21st century. They should all be read according to their intent and purpose for our edification and applied in our lives individually and as communities, as we are able.
Under Moses, the Israelites were instructed, You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the LORD. (Leviticus 23:17)
Another connection between the giving of the Law and the pouring out of the Spirit is by way of contrast. In Deuteronomy 16:12, the Lord commanded Israel that , on the Day of Shavuot, You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.
From these two passages we can determine that Israel left Egypt on the fifteenth day of the month of Aviv. Also, according to Leviticus 23:15-16, Shavuot is fifty days after the first day of Unleavened Bread (the second day of Passover); therefore, fifty days after the Exodus from Egypt. It was fifty days from the Exodus to Shavuot.
Notable Parallels between the Two. Indeed, there are notable parallels between the two, the most obvious of which is that the giving of the Spirit in Acts 2 did occur on Shavuot, the day that the Law had been given some fourteen hundred years earlier; but perhaps the most significant parallel of all is that each of these occasions brought about ...
Philo, a Jewish philosopher contemporary with Yeshua, and Josephus, a first century Jewish historian, each wrote of Shavuot (Josephus wrote of it on five occasions [2]); and neither one of them connected Shavuot with the giving of the Law. This is corroborated by Talmidim Yeshua Fellowship (3): "Abraham Bloch tells us, ...
Another argument in favor of believing that the Law was given on Shavuot is that there is a typological connection between the Shavuot observance and the pouring out of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Under Moses, the Israelites were instructed, You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves ...
Moses could not have received the tablets on the Shavuot of the second year. He arrived at Sinai nine days after Shavuot, and then easily within three or four months, received both sets of the tablets of the Law. Conclusion: Moses could NOT have received the Law on any Shavuot.
2 Timothy 3:16 answers that. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful.
Today, Christians can (and should) live out the Law of Moses within their daily lives. The inspirational life lessons can be summarized to:
Jesus Christ the Savior acknowledged the Law of Moses as He was engaged in His titanic battle with Satan, the adversary of God. Jesus Christ the Savior acknowledged the Law of Moses as He was engaged in His titanic battle with Satan, the adversary of God. The battle is known as the temptation of Jesus, and it is recorded in Matthew 4:1-11 ...
The Law of Moses is quoted by Jesus, Paul and others in the New Testament. What is the Law of Moses and how do the various laws apply to Christians today? “Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments” (Malachi 4:4).
Paul and the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses is repeatedly quoted in the New Testament, including dozens of references in Paul’s letters. What’s more, the apostle Paul tells us rather clearly that we are to be instructed and edified by all of the Scriptures, including the laws of Moses. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, ...
Exodus 22:26-27 is an interesting example of an ancient law with a modern application. “If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.”
Exodus 21:17 instructs the judges of Israel to put to death any who curse father or mother. This law connects directly with the Fifth Commandment, which commands us to honor our parents (Exodus 20:12).
Jesus had fasted for 40 days and nights, so this was a powerful temptation. The Savior’s reply comes straight from the Law of Moses: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”. This is quoted from Deuteronomy 8:3, part of the Law of Moses.
Speaking of oxen, the apostle Paul used an ancient Mosaic law to provide the rationale for ministers of the gospel to live off the gospel in New Testament times. The law reads, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain ” (Deuteronomy 25:4).