I have some older friends who are a generation ahead of me.
Yes, some are fairly set in their ways, but they are also tech-savvy seniors
who like to email their finds to everyone who will read them. So a few years ago when this clip of an Obama
speech showed up on YouTube, they were burning up their ‘Forward’ keys and
expressing plenty of bewilderment at his audacity.
In his speech, he asks rhetorical questions, "Should we go
with Leviticus, which suggests slavery’s okay? Or we could go with Deuteronomy,
which suggests stoning your child?"
The tone is smarmy and sarcastic. You can watch it for
yourself if you haven’t already seen it. It can be found here— http://youtu.be/Hi-V_ilJu0w
And while a good deal of indignation was expressed, no one actually
answered his questions.
I know, they were rhetorical, and no answer was expected, but
many longtime Christians seemed stumped just the same. When some contentious atheist whips out
Matthew 5:18 and proclaims, “Jesus said until heaven and earth pass away, not
one jot or one tittle shall pass from the law. Last time I checked, earth is
still here. You’re a hypocrite! You’re wearing a wool blend!” many Christians
are left speechless. While it is true that Levitical law says linen (plant
fiber) and wool (animal fiber) should not be mixed together, there is no need
to be thrown for a loop at this simple challenge.
There are different kinds of law. The Bible deals with three
of them.
1.
Civil Law. Civil laws were given to the nation
of Israel when they returned from captivity in Egypt. The Israelites did not have
a Constitution. They did not have Congress or Parliament. They had civil laws
given by God that applied as long as they were a theocratic state. These laws are easy to identify because they
include specific, temporal punishments. When Israel ceased to exist in 70 AD, the
laws had no citizens to apply to and no system for implementing them. Obama was mocking laws that apply to no one.
2.
Ceremonial Law.
Ceremonial laws specified procedures, sacrifices, and offerings for
worship. A Tabernacle or Temple is required to keep these. Many of these laws were
patterns of things that Jesus would do, and most were pictures or symbols of
God’s plan of salvation and redemption. Jesus
fulfilled the ceremonial laws and now born again Christians are the ‘temple’ of
the Holy Spirit b giving Him residence in their hearts.
3.
Moral Law. Moral laws apply to all creation.
They existed before, during, and after Israel was a nation, both within and
without her borders. Moral law is eternal and absolute. The
most succinct summary of moral law is found in the Ten Commandments, although
additional details may be found throughout both Testaments.
If Mr. Obama believed he was giving a witty and clever
speech, he was wrong. He was mocking the civil laws that applied to another
country long ago and far away. What the audience saw was a display of a fundamental dearth of understanding the law.
