Judicial Laws of Moses (6) - Principles of Interpretation

We need a principle of interpretation to help us decide which parts of the law still apply. Several of the principles that have been considered do not work in practice.

1. One common approach is to say that only those parts of the Torah that are confirmed in the New Testament are still applicable in this age. This appears sensible at first glance, but it does not really resolve the problem. Some issues covered by the Torah are not dealt with in the New Testament.
2. A common principle of interpretation is to raise the Ten Commandments above other laws. They are the very well known, but they are not very helpful for deciding what is relevant to our world. They hang on many courthouse walls, but they are mostly ignored. Very few Christians could list all ten, and fewer still would want them applied. They are not the key that we need.
3. Some commentators have suggested that laws connected to land were nullified when Israel lost the land in AD 70. This criterion does not really work, because “connection to the land” is impossible to define.

Several principles help us to interpret the Torah.

1. History has a Place. The creation account in Genesis is really important for understanding the origins of the world. The history of God’s dealing with the patriarchs and the children of Israel are important for our warning and encouragement (1 Cor 10:6,11).
2. Significant parts of the Torah were specifically for Israel. Many of these were fulfilled by Jesus, so they are not binding on Christians. These laws were specifically for Israel, so they do not apply this side of the cross.
3. Leviticus is not universal. The book was specifically directed to the nation of Israel. It begins with God directing Moses to speak to the Israelites.