From Regulation to Redemption

The weeks go by in a flurry, and I find myself in the middle of Lent before the new wears off the year. Thoughts of reflection and redemption swirl around in my mind as I contemplate the upcoming celebration of Christ’s resurrection.

A Trek Through the Desert

However, instead of reading through the gospels this Lenten season I’ve been trekking through the desert with the Israelites.  There have been mountains and miracles, scarcity and sufficiency, as well as regulations and redemption.

The Israelites were brought out of slavery by the strong hand of Almighty God. These men, women and children who were born into slavery and now brought into freedom had much to learn.

All their lives they had been bound by the demands of their taskmasters. Their mental thought life was that of a slave. In fact, each of their actions were regulated and controlled by another. God knew this and had a plan to teach them how to think with wisdom and clarity in their new life of freedom.

The miraculous redemption and the miracles performed paved the way to Mount Sinai. It was here at the Mount of God that change was to begin and a relationship with Yahweh forged.

A Covenant Formulated

Two months after the Israelites deliverance from Egypt they set up camp at the base of Mt. Sinai. Then Moses clambered his way up the rocky side of the mountain to appear before God.

This mountain rockface became the hall of justice where God’s covenant with Israel was formulated.

“Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, than ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” 

Exodus 19:3-6

Moses, as mediator between God and the Israelites, relayed the terms of the covenant. The people, as one voice, agreed to the covenant details.  They had seen and been the recipient of God’s loving-kindness in their lives.  It was through Him that deliverance had come.  Yes, of course, they were willing to become the 2^nd party in this God-given covenant.

A Safeguard and Structure

The broad overview of this covenant was that God chose the Israelites to enter His kingdom as priests that would lead all people to the future redemption through Christ. (1 Peter 2:9) It had been 430 years since God had given to Abraham the promise of spiritual inheritance through his offspring, Jesus. (Galatians 3:16 & 17) The laws and regulations were to safeguard them until the promise of Christ was fulfilled.

However, in present tense, the directives God laid out provided the structure that would form the Israelites into a holy people. They needed to be brought from slavery, not only physically but in their mindset, as well.

These regulations were never meant to be the savior of mankind. In fact, the Law served as an instrument of knowledge to help them to understand the holiness of God, as well as an agent of change that would prepare them for a relationship with a holy God.

At Mount Sinai, God spoke the words of the Ten Commandments. These commandments were the foundation of understanding that the people needed.

A Beacon Pointing Forward

As I read through the book of Leviticus, my mind is overwhelmed at the vast array of regulations that are given.  From ceremonial purity to sacrifices to personal hygiene, God covers it all. However, highlighted within these directives is the shadow of things to come.

The Israelites were tracing the pattern of spiritual freedom in Christ. The ceremonial laws and sacrifices could not cleanse the spiritual disease of the soul. Moreover, perfection was not achieved through obedience to the law.

The regulations of this covenant were prepared for a specific time and place. However, they were also a beacon pointing ahead to the new covenant. A covenant ratified by the supreme sacrifice of Jesus’ death on the cross.

A Broken Covenant

The commands of the covenant were given by God out of a heart of love. They were to lead them to a deeper connection with God. However, they broke their covenant with God. Murmurings, disobedience and unbelief marked their life story.

Again and again, God drew them back to Himself and reminded them of the agreements of the covenant. Change would happen and then before long idols took the place of their relationship with a holy God. In the end, just as God had said, captivity resulted from their continued disobedience.

Regulation or Relationship

By the beginning of the New Testament, the Jews found themselves bound by regulations. No longer did a relationship with God take precedence. They had enslaved themselves to a set of laws without real connection.

They had somehow lost sight of God’s purpose. The Law had been instituted for a specific time. It was not a way to become spiritually clean, but a reminder of our need for a Savior. No one can be made perfect through regulations. In fact, Galatians 3:10 tells us that when we depend on the law to make us right we are under a curse. It is this curse pronounced by the law that Christ came to rescue us from.

However, the Jews measured their righteousness by how many laws they kept. To become more righteous, they added more laws.

Redemption not Regulation

It was into this erroneous mindset and pious culture that Jesus came. He came declaring a new covenant. A covenant not formed by ceremonial sacrifices and rigid regulation but ratified through the blood Jesus shed on the cross. What’s more, Christ invites you to enter this covenant through faith.

We no longer have to carry the weight of ceremonial laws of the Old Testament. Christ came to deliver us from the bondage of the law. Furthermore, when we enter this new covenant everything is provided for us by faith and dependence in Christ.

Jesus has become our High Priest. We are no longer barred from entering the Presence of a holy God. Through Christ we have access by faith into fellowship with God. It is now redemption through faith and freedom from bondage not enslavement by regulations or rituals.

As we tread through these last weeks of Lent, sit with God’s Word. Come with reverent awe as you step through the days leading up to the resurrection. These moments in time hold the redemption that was planned since the foundation of the world.

Find the spiritual reality that was only a shadow at Mt. Sinai. Today, because of Calvary our redemption has been secured. Looking unto Jesus we are made right by faith.

Further study: The book of Galatians and the book of Hebrews.