The Law Is Not a Burden — It Is a Delight
The Word of God Under Attack
This text from the book of Exodus is of key importance nowadays. The Word of God is under attack — not by Muslims, and not by Jews — but by Christian pastors and professors in some Christian institutions. With the authority and integrity of the Word of God, from Genesis to Revelation, being questioned and destroyed, the very base of our knowledge of God and faith in Yeshua as the Messiah is being eroded.
The New Testament does not abhor law — it is not a book of lawlessness. It is a book of law, and every good and righteous law has been built into it, also grace, because without grace, there cannot be a righteous law. As disciples of Yeshua, we are not slaves. We are servants, out of our free will, out of our choosing God. And we have laws that govern our relationship with the Almighty God.
What Obedience Actually Looks Like in the New Testament
Most churches don't even teach that a disciple of Yeshua the Messiah should keep even the most basic commandments and requirements of our Lord and His apostles. Here is what the writers of the New Testament actually say:
"…but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath…" — Romans 2:8 [NKJV]
"Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?" — Romans 6:16 [NKJV]
"O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?" — Galatians 3:1 [NKJV]
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." — Ephesians 6:1 [NKJV]
"And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him…" — Hebrews 5:9 [NKJV]
"For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?" — 1 Peter 4:17 [NKJV]
"Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." — 1 John 2:3 [NKJV]
"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." — 1 John 5:2,3 [NKJV]
The Law Is a Delight — Not a Burden
Yes, we are not under the law, and we ought not to be under the law! However, we must still be obedient to the commandments of God. To be under the law means to be burdened so much that we forget the grace of God, and everything becomes an unpleasant task. In this kind of situation, we are not happy, and God is even less happy about us. Look at what Paul said about the law of God:
"For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man." — Romans 7:22 [NKJV].
And the Psalms:
"I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart." — Psalms 40:8 [NKJV]
"Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; For Your law is my delight." — Psalms 119:77 [NKJV]
"Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction." — Psalms 119:92 [NKJV]
"I long for Your salvation, O LORD, And Your law is my delight." — Psalms 119:174 [NKJV]
The Psalmist states so clearly what the truths and the blessings of having a divine law given to us on Mount Sinai by God's own hand are:
"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward." — Psalm 19:7–11 [NKJV]
Please notice verse 11 of this Psalm:
"Moreover by them your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward."
We learn from this Psalm that the Torah was given as a prophylactic to prevent sin and wrong-doing and not essentially as a list of punishments for wrongdoers.
The Law in Today's Judaism — and a Warning to Christians
The saddest thing about all this is, in our own Jewish camp, we have twisted and wrapped the good laws of God and taken them so far from the Torah that God gave us, and so strange to the Spirit of the Torah or even the Spirit of the Sanhedrin of the Second Temple, that today's Judaism is like some Medieval parody of the Torah and the intent of the Lord in the Torah. I see the present form of Israeli Orthodoxy as a reflection of Quasimodo — as the deaf, pitiably ugly protagonist of Victor Hugo's novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He was a good person with good intent and with the ability to love and sacrifice for others, but he looked twisted and unseemly on the outside.
Christians don't gloat over what I said about today's Judaism and the Torah. Most of so-called Christianity has gone far beyond where Jews are today. There are only four branches of Judaism and many thousands of Christian denominations. Jews never built concentration camps or had decades of wars against other Jews or even not for our enemies. We are all sinners and we have all made mistakes and keep making them.
However, we have the following instructions from the book of Hebrews 10:19–25:
"Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." — Hebrews 10:19–25
The most important thing is that the Torah is still today exactly the way that the Psalmist described it: the law of the LORD is perfect!
As we read Parashat Mishpatim in our cycle of reading through God's word, let's take it for what it is: The word of God. And let's open our hearts to be challenged by it.
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Joseph Shulam
Founder
Joseph is the pioneering founder of Netivyah, one of Israel’s first official Messianic non-profits. Dedicated to restoring the Jewish roots of the faith, he has authored numerous books and lectured globally for over 50 years.
Glossary
Commandment (mitzvah, מצווה) refers to an instruction from God that reveals His will and teaches His people how to live.
Parashat (פָּרָשַׁת) means “the portion of” and is used before the name of a weekly Torah portion.
Torah (תּוֹרָה) means “instruction” or “teaching” and often refers especially to the Five Books of Moses. Psalm 119:1 reminds us that those who walk in God's Torah are blessed.
Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) is the Hebrew name of Jesus, meaning "salvation"
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