In literary circles, the term foreshadowing is used to indicate that the author of a piece of fiction suggests that something is going to happen, before he or she actually gets to that part of the story. It’s kind of a hint as to what lies ahead.
The Bible talks about things in the Old Testament being shadows of things to come. Paul talks about the law being a schoolmaster, teaching the Israelites about the things of God; providing a framework that Christ could build on. Jesus said He had come to fulfill the Law, but, at the same time, we are not under the law, but under Grace.
Christ brought about a lot of changes in the way things are done; for example, dietary restrictions were pretty tough under Old Testament Law, but there’s really very little that we can’t eat, now (some of our doctors might wish that we were following Old Testament Law in that regard, though—bacon double-cheeseburgers aren’t kosher, you know). At the same time, there are a lot of things in the Law that foretell the life of Jesus.
I have posted before about how the Passover sacrifice was an image of Christ’s crucifixion. Beyond that, though, the Bible says that Pharaoh had the infants killed at the time of Moses’ birth, just as the Bible says that Herod had the infants killed at the time of Jesus’ birth. Moses spent forty days on the mountaintop without food or water; Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness without food or water. Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt, to the Promised Land; Jesus came out of Egypt, into Israel. Peter also tells us that the story of Noah and the Ark is a figure of baptism.
The point is that the Law was a stern ‘schoolmaster,’ and yet, it provided a framework for the coming of Christ. A lot of those things were physical commandments, but intended to show the kinds of actions that would be taken by one with a right mindset. We aren’t under the Law, now, and yet, we shouldn’t completely ignore the Law, either. I think it’s pretty safe to say that we can ignore the dietary restrictions (not only did God indicate as much to Peter, but refrigeration and better cooking techniques mean that foods that were once dangerous are not any longer). Still, if you are living a life that is completely inconsistent with Old Testament Law, then I think that you should be asking yourself why that is. If you are being led by the Spirit (the Spirit that dictated the law to Moses), shouldn’t your actions be somewhat in line with Old Testament Law? Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not suggesting that you should make an effort to live according to the Law, because if you are under the Law, then you have forsaken Grace (and you don’t want to do that, believe me). But, the Law was the schoolmaster that helped prepare the way for Christ. Many of the commandments in the Law are still good things to do, with the understanding that Jesus is our sacrifice, we don’t have to sacrifice sheep and goats any more. Jesus said that the whole Law was really fulfilled in two commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and Love thy neighbor as thyself.
If you call yourself a Christian, but you worship some other God, then obviously that would be wrong. If you are a Christian, but you are also a murderer, then what kind of Christian are you? If you lie about other people, or covet things that other people have…
If you are led by the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
The Bible talks about things in the Old Testament being shadows of things to come. Paul talks about the law being a schoolmaster, teaching the Israelites about the things of God; providing a framework that Christ could build on. Jesus said He had come to fulfill the Law, but, at the same time, we are not under the law, but under Grace.
Christ brought about a lot of changes in the way things are done; for example, dietary restrictions were pretty tough under Old Testament Law, but there’s really very little that we can’t eat, now (some of our doctors might wish that we were following Old Testament Law in that regard, though—bacon double-cheeseburgers aren’t kosher, you know). At the same time, there are a lot of things in the Law that foretell the life of Jesus.
I have posted before about how the Passover sacrifice was an image of Christ’s crucifixion. Beyond that, though, the Bible says that Pharaoh had the infants killed at the time of Moses’ birth, just as the Bible says that Herod had the infants killed at the time of Jesus’ birth. Moses spent forty days on the mountaintop without food or water; Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness without food or water. Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt, to the Promised Land; Jesus came out of Egypt, into Israel. Peter also tells us that the story of Noah and the Ark is a figure of baptism.
The point is that the Law was a stern ‘schoolmaster,’ and yet, it provided a framework for the coming of Christ. A lot of those things were physical commandments, but intended to show the kinds of actions that would be taken by one with a right mindset. We aren’t under the Law, now, and yet, we shouldn’t completely ignore the Law, either. I think it’s pretty safe to say that we can ignore the dietary restrictions (not only did God indicate as much to Peter, but refrigeration and better cooking techniques mean that foods that were once dangerous are not any longer). Still, if you are living a life that is completely inconsistent with Old Testament Law, then I think that you should be asking yourself why that is. If you are being led by the Spirit (the Spirit that dictated the law to Moses), shouldn’t your actions be somewhat in line with Old Testament Law? Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not suggesting that you should make an effort to live according to the Law, because if you are under the Law, then you have forsaken Grace (and you don’t want to do that, believe me). But, the Law was the schoolmaster that helped prepare the way for Christ. Many of the commandments in the Law are still good things to do, with the understanding that Jesus is our sacrifice, we don’t have to sacrifice sheep and goats any more. Jesus said that the whole Law was really fulfilled in two commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and Love thy neighbor as thyself.
If you call yourself a Christian, but you worship some other God, then obviously that would be wrong. If you are a Christian, but you are also a murderer, then what kind of Christian are you? If you lie about other people, or covet things that other people have…
If you are led by the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
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