Previously, I mentioned the Passover Meal became part of the Law God gave to the Israelites through Moses. What was this law that Moses was given on Mt. Sinai? It consisted of three parts. This is also part of the Covenant of Grace.
The first part we know as the ten commandments. This is the part discussed most in the New Testament. It consisted of two sections: the first four commandments dealt with our relationship with God; the second six commandments dealt with our relationship with other human beings. This part of the law was applicable to all people; it has no limit to nationality or anything else. This is why all people are considered sinners for their own acts because no one has ever kept these commandments for their entire life. We might be pretty good at somethings like not committing adultery, but we will mess up on something else, and the Bible states that, if we sin in one thing, we are guilty of all. For example who has ever loved God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength all the time? No one has!
The second part is the national law given to the Israelites so they would know how to treat their neighbors and foreigners in their land. It had many requirements, it listed specific punishments for specific crimes. For example, homosexuality was a capital offense as was prostitution. Murder was a capital offense. Theft required certain fines that were paid to the person injured. There were laws regarding voluntary servitude (slavery if you want to call it that); it was a way for people who were destitute to voluntarily become servants until they were able to work and get back on their feet. Land lost because of misfortune was to be returned to the original owner every seven years. Wealthy farmers were not to harvest all of their crops, but to leave some standing for poor people to gather in order to survive.
The third part was the religious law; it was about the priests, the sacrifices, the required financial gifts to the church, etc. This law was very specific and pointed people to the promised Messiah who would relieve the people of their guilt of sin.
So how did these three parts of the law become part of the Covenant of Grace? The Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 3 the reason the law was given. “Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example for everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case. God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say ‘to his children’, as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says ‘to his child’ –and that, or course, means Christ. This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise. Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angles to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham. Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom on by believing in Jesus Christ. Gal3:15-22 (NLT).
Paul goes on to tell us “Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on the character of Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. Gal 3:23-29 (NLT). But Paul is not saying people were saved by being good and keeping the law during Old Testament times. He is saying that God had not as yet revealed His entire plan. God was giving the people what they were able to understand at the moment. The Old Testament saints were saved by believing in the promised Messiah just as Adam, Eve, Noah, and Abraham were. The law was given to reveal more of God’s plan but not everything. Paul goes on to tell us in Hebrews, “Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.” Heb 1:1-4 (NLT)