The Law

At the beginning of the Torah, God creates humans, but they quickly rebel and forfeit the blessings of the garden. God then chooses Abraham and his family to restore Eden blessing to the world. But eventually, Abraham’s descendants end up as slaves in Egypt. Faithful to his covenant promise to Abraham, God rescues the Israelites and makes a new covenant with them. He says that he will bless and protect them if they follow their end of the covenant—a set of rules and rituals that we now refer to as Old Testament law.

Throughout the rest of the Torah, we see a continuous pattern of the Israelites receiving laws from God and breaking them. This pattern of instruction leading to rebellion continues all the way up to the conclusion of the Torah, where Moses tells the people that the only way they will ever be able to follow God's laws is if their hearts are transformed.

Moses’ warning to the people came true. Throughout the rest of the Hebrew Bible we see the death and destruction that besieges Israel because they are unable to follow God's laws. But later in the story, the Hebrew prophets begin to talk about a day when following God's commands would feel like a pleasure rather than a duty. The prophet Isaiah also spoke of a Messiah who would lead all the people in obedience to the law.

Together, all of these books form a cohesive story—one that is continued in the story of Jesus. Jesus said that he came to solve the problem with humans' hearts and fulfill the law. Jesus explained that all of the laws of the Torah could be summarized in one core command: to love God and love others.