Moses brought their case before the LORD. And the LORD said to Moses… Numbers 27.5, 6

As Moses sought the Lord concerning the inquiry made by the daughters of Zelophehad, he believed that God would reveal a solution to this question. He was not mistaken. God responded to their seeking Him by providing additional revelation which clarified the intent of His Covenant, secured the promises to rightful heirs, and prevented injustice against godly women.

As we are seeking the Lord in order to understand His Law, we must begin by searching the Prophets, or, the entire corpus of Old Testament revelation. By reading the histories, prophecies, and writings of the Old Testament in the light of God’s Covenant and Law, we are able to discern ways in which God’s holy and righteous and good intent in His Law takes further shape and development.

Jesus, for example, justified David’s eating of the showbread as a way of discovering to His interlocutors that God’s intention in His Law is to liberate His people to wellbeing, not to enslave them to burdensome and petty obligations (Matt. 12.3, 4). In the book of Ruth (chapter 4) we are given an example of how local authorities, seeking the Lord together, must extrapolate beyond the letter of the Law in order to discern its true spirit and just application. In Haggai 2 God Himself uses His Law to enlarge and clarify the thinking and practice of His people concerning their work before Him. And all the prophets, as well as all the writings and psalms, reinforce the plain teaching of the Law and insist on the universality of its demands. As Solomon put it at the end of Ecclesiastes, the Old Testament makes clear that fearing God and keeping His Law are the fundamental and defining characteristics of what it means to be a human being (Eccl. 12.13).

So as we pursue understanding the Law of God and learning how to apply it to our everyday lives in the Kingdom of God, we, like Moses, turn to the Lord for additional revelation, beginning with Spirit-directed insight into His Word to the Prophets (Ezek. 36.26, 27), to clarify our thinking and guide us in the paths of justice, righteousness, and love.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Book Store.