MC: Exodus to Deuteronomy

Have you ever started reading the Old Testament and got stuck in the law of Leviticus? If so, get unstuck with trusted teacher Gary Holloway.

The stories of Exodus—Deuteronomy remind us that right relationship with God is reflected in right relationship with the neighbor. God's people are often reminded of their obligations to family, tribe, and nation. What's more, they are to have right relationships with strangers and foreigners, remembering that God has love for all nations. The Lord calls them to treat people, animals, and the land as God treats them. They are to be "for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exod. 19:6). 

The laws found in Exodus—Deuteronomy (and there are many of them) reflect and embody the covenant God has made with Israel. They show what it means to be God's people and to have relationship with him. This is why the first phrase of the Ten Words (or Ten Commandments) is "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery" (Exod. 20:2). Relationship with God is based on the Lord's gracious act of choosing and delivering Israel. It is not based on their obedience (which is good, because they often did not obey). However, because God has chosen them to be his people, the laws show them what it means to reflect the character of God, to "be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy" (Lev. 19:2). 

While you might get lost in Leviticus, you must remember that obedience is all about relationship to God. That's why Israel is often reminded of what the law and obedience are about: "Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deut. 6:5).