Topical Bible: The Law of Moses: All Israelites Required: To Remember

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Topical Encyclopedia

The Law of Moses, also known as the Mosaic Law, is a foundational component of the Hebrew Scriptures, encompassing the commandments, statutes, and ordinances given by God to the people of Israel through Moses. This body of law is primarily found in the first five books of the Bible, known as the Torah or Pentateuch, which includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Purpose and Significance

The Law of Moses served as a covenant between God and the Israelites, establishing them as His chosen people and setting them apart from other nations. It provided guidelines for worship, moral conduct, civil justice, and religious rituals. The law was intended to guide the Israelites in their relationship with God and with one another, promoting holiness, justice, and community welfare.

The Call to Remember

A recurring theme within the Law of Moses is the call for the Israelites to remember the commandments and the mighty acts of God. This remembrance was not merely an intellectual exercise but a call to active obedience and faithfulness. The Israelites were to remember their deliverance from Egypt, the covenant at Sinai, and the laws that were given to them.

In Deuteronomy 6:4-9 , known as the Shema, the Israelites are instructed: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates."

Feasts and Festivals

The Law of Moses instituted several feasts and festivals as times of remembrance and celebration. These included the Passover, which commemorated the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt, and the Feast of Weeks, which celebrated the giving of the Law at Sinai. These observances were designed to remind the Israelites of God's faithfulness and their identity as His people.

Symbols and Practices

Various symbols and practices were established to aid in the remembrance of the Law. The use of phylacteries (tefillin) and mezuzahs, as mentioned in Deuteronomy 6, served as physical reminders of the commandments. The Sabbath, observed weekly, was a perpetual sign of the covenant and a reminder of God's creation and rest.

Warnings Against Forgetfulness

The Law of Moses also contains warnings against forgetfulness and the consequences of neglecting God's commandments. In Deuteronomy 8:11-14 , Moses cautions the Israelites: "Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God by failing to keep His commandments and ordinances and statutes that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses in which to dwell, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."

Role in the New Testament

In the New Testament, the Law of Moses is acknowledged as a precursor to the coming of Christ. Jesus affirmed the importance of the law, stating in Matthew 5:17 , "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them." The apostles taught that the law was a tutor leading to Christ, emphasizing the need for a heart transformed by faith.

The Law of Moses remains a vital part of biblical teaching, illustrating God's holiness, justice, and mercy, and calling His people to a life of remembrance and obedience.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Malachi 4:4
Remember you the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded to him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Book 4 Footnotes
... the elders, but keep close to the written law, with Jerome ... and observation of the
laws of God by Moses, be frequently inculcated in all the sacred ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/book 4 footnotes.htm

Boniface viii Ad 1294-1303.
... But this new Jubilee had nothing to do with the law of Moses, and was ... The Colonnas
were scattered in all quarters, and it is said that one of them, named ...
/.../chapter xvi boniface viii ad.htm

The Woman of Samaria
... keeping Moses' law, ended by crucifying him who made Abraham, and Moses, and his
law, and them ... All Christ asks of you is, to receive him when he comes to ...
/.../kingsley/town and country sermons/sermon xxvi the woman of.htm

Introduction
... were sharply distinguished from "the Law of Moses." The "Law of Moses," excepting
the ... But the moral Law of God, unlike the Mosaic, is binding on all men. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the law and the saint/introduction.htm

Twelfth Sunday after Trinity Gospel Transcends Law.
... you remission of sins: and by him every one that believeth is justified from all
things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.". 31. ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/twelfth sunday after trinity gospel.htm

Stedfastness in the Old Paths.
... of John the Baptist, still gives this charge, "Remember ye the law of Moses, My
servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol vii/sermon xviii stedfastness in the.htm

That the Scriptures are Divinely Inspired.
... being in the number of clean beasts, Moses commands to ... place; or that no precepts
of the law are to ... field, filled with plants and flowers of all kinds; while ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/chapter i that the scriptures are.htm

The Israelites
... whom Meneptah is said to have triumphed all have the ... Moses died on the summit of
a Moabite mountain and ... of the high-priests and of the Law they administered ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter i the israelites.htm

Faustus Willing to Believe not Only that the Jewish but that all ...
... merely because he is not subject to the law of the ... to Abraham, saying, In thy seed
shall all nations be ... broke one of the commandments given by Moses is not a ...
/.../faustus willing to believe not.htm

The Earlier Hebrew Histories.
... various observances enjoined in the laws of Moses; but there ... they were a God-fearing
and a law-abiding people ... at the age of ten, which, making all allowance for ...
/.../gladden/who wrote the bible/chapter iv the earlier hebrew.htm