Africa Study Bible Sampler - Flipbook - Page 49
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Laws about ceremony, for instance, “On the
eighth day each person being purified must
bring two male lambs and a one-year-old female lamb, all with no defects, along with a
grain offering of six litres of choice flour moistened with olive oil, and a cup of olive oil” (Leviticus 14:10).
Laws that told the Jews how to govern their
nation and dealt with issues of land, economics, and justice (civil)—for instance, “Suppose
someone digs or uncovers a pit and fails to cover it, and then an ox or a donkey falls into it. The
owner of the pit must pay full compensation to
the owner of the animal, but then he gets to
keep the dead animal” (Exodus 21:33-34).
The Jews did not distinguish between these
various kinds of laws or consider one kind
more important. In addition, there is often
overlap between such laws. Nevertheless, noting these differences is a helpful way of knowing how to apply the Old Testament today.
Laws about morality are based on God’s holy
nature and valid for all people everywhere.
The laws that governed ceremony and worship by the Jews before the coming of Christ
have been replaced by church worship. The
specific ceremonies, dress, and forms of worship do not need to be practised by Christians.
The civil laws that told the Jews how to govern
a nation that no longer exists as it did in the
Old Testament can help guide us in governing
with wisdom but are not followed today since
each nation has its own laws. But not all laws
are easily distinguished. Is the commandment
to observe the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11), for
instance, still in effect today?
Questions to Help Apply the Old Testament
in Africa Today
We should not say, “Old Testament people practised polygamy; some Africans today practise
polygamy; there is no difference.” Instead, we
should ask what God was telling the Old Testament people by a particular law, ask how the
teaching of Jesus and the New Testament gave a
fuller understanding of that truth, and then apply it to our time. We can do this by asking the
following four questions:
• What did the law mean to the people in the
Old Testament?
• What are the differences between those people and believers today?
• What was the principle or truth that God
revealed in the Old Testament by this law?
• How does the New Testament teaching give
a fuller understanding of God’s principle or
truth in this law?
How should Christians apply to their lives
the Old Testament truth in light of New
Testament teachings?
How does this work out in real life? Let us use the example of circumcision. In Genesis 17:9-14 God told
Abraham, “This is the covenant that you and your
descendants must keep. . . . Every male child must
be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth.”
What did this law mean to the people of the
Old Testament? Circumcision was an outward
sign that a person had a covenant relationship
with God. God said to Abraham, “I will always
be your God and the God of your descendants
after you” (Genesis 17:7).
What are the differences between those people and believers today? Circumcision was a sign
of God’s relationship with the Israelites, a group
of people who were unified ethnically (along with
foreigners who served God and followed the law)
and politically. Today, however, God is the God
of “Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female”
(Galatians 3:26-29). He welcomes all, no matter
what their ethnic or political identity.
What was the principle or truth that God revealed by this law? Those who belong to God are
aware of their relationship with God and are set
apart—are different and should live differently—
from those who do not belong to God.
What does the New Testament say about this
principle or truth? The New Testament is clear
that what is important is not physical circumcision. What is important is a pure heart and a
clean life that is set apart for God (Romans 2:2829; Philippians 3:2-4).
How should Christians apply these things
to their lives? We do this by seeking to have a
pure heart and living in such a way that identifies us as belonging to a holy God—just as
circumcision identified Jews as belonging to
God. Today children of Christian parents do
not need to be circumcised for spiritual reasons, although Christian parents may want to
circumcise their sons because circumcision can
provide health benefits or to honour their tradition of dedication or Christianity’s Old Testament
roots. It is a matter of personal choice.
Examples of Marriage, Law, and Grace
Here are two examples of understanding and
applying the Old Testament in Africa.