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Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday. My name is Darrell Darnell. Whaling is illegal in my landlocked state of Oklahoma. And I believe that if you aren’t learning, you aren’t living.
You may think it’s weird that a state with no whales would make it illegal to hunt and kill them, but it’s actually part of a larger conservation-focused law which protects all threatened animal species, including whales.
Isn’t going through TSA at the airport fun? No? What’s not to love? You show up extra early and shuffle through a slow moving line like cattle. Eventually you make it to the front of the line where you show your ID and boarding pass to an attendant, then you have to quickly put those away and keep shuffling forward as you take off your shoes and belt. You have to wrestle your luggage onto a conveyor belt and pull out your laptop. Then you go through a scanner of some type only to then grab your luggage and try to get dressed, put your laptop back in your bag and keep shuffling so you’re not impeding those behind you. It’s an adventure! What’s not to love about it? Okay you’re right. It sucks. It’s not fun at all.
Likewise, for most of us, reading the Old Testament is not fun. All of those names and laws are difficult to read and are the reason many who have tried reading the Bible from cover to cover often fail once they get to Leviticus. Those books do serve a purpose, though, and today we’ll explore that. It’s a bit of a deep dive, but because the laws are so misunderstood by today’s culture, it’s important we take the time to explore this fully.
In the beginning, God created humanity to reflect His image and have a direct relationship with Him, but eventually, they chose rebellion. Rather than abandoning His creation, God selected Abraham, promising that through his family, all nations would be blessed. Abraham’s descendants grew into the nation of Israel, who found themselves enslaved in Egypt until God stepped in and dramatically rescued them.
At Mount Sinai, the freed slaves gathered as God established a covenant with them. There, Moses received the first laws—the ten commandments. As Israelites came to Moses to help them judge various conflicts and situations, Mose sought God for guidance. Through this, a total of six hundred and thirteen laws were given that would shape Israel into a nation unlike any other. These laws formed their constitution, covering everything from worship practices to civil justice, designed to show surrounding nations what God was like.
We now find these laws, known as the Torah, in the first books of the Old Testament, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These laws can all be sorted into three categories: civil laws, ceremonial laws, and moral laws.
Civil laws established governance structures for maintaining communal order and resolving disputes. These laws regulated everyday societal interactions, prescribing methods for administering justice, conducting business, and preserving social harmony within the community. These ordinances detailed the appointment and responsibilities of judges, outlined proper legal proceedings, and specified appropriate penalties for different infractions.
Ceremonial laws prescribed Israel’s worship practices, establishing specific rituals, sacrifices, and regulations for approaching God. These statutes governed temple service and outlined requirements for maintaining ritual purity, which was a prerequisite for proper worship. They included detailed instructions for performing sacrificial offerings, observing religious festivals, and conducting priestly duties through the Levitical priesthood.
Moral laws establish fundamental principles of righteousness derived from God’s unchanging nature. These foundational statutes, which include the Ten Commandments, communicate God’s standards for human behavior that transcend cultural contexts. They also outline God’s expectations for how people should honor their relationship with Him through proper worship and reverence, while also governing how people should treat one another.
One other key component was linked to the Torah laws: the tabernacle. The tabernacle was a portable sanctuary constructed after Israel’s exodus from Egypt. It represented something revolutionary: God choosing to dwell among His people. It was built according to precise divine specifications given to Moses on Mount Sinai, and this elaborate tent structure served as the central place of worship during Israel’s wilderness journey and early settlement in Canaan.
God’s purpose for the tabernacle was multifaceted. It provided a visible reminder of His presence, established a controlled space where sinful humans could safely encounter divine holiness, and created a system for atonement through sacrifices. In the Torah you will find the detailed design and strict protocols required for the tabernacle and these protocols revealed important theological truths: God is holy, sin requires atonement, and approaching God must happen on His terms.
Israel was broken down into twelve tribes. Service in the tabernacle was restricted to the Levites, the tribe set apart for sacred duties. Among them, only descendants of Aaron could serve as priests, performing sacrifices and maintaining the holy areas. Israelites from the other tribes could only enter the outer courtyard to bring offerings.
At the tabernacle’s heart stood the Holy of Holies—a place separated from everything else and it contained just one object: the Ark of the Covenant with its mercy seat, representing God’s throne. This innermost sanctuary was separated by a veil and was so sacred that only the High Priest could enter, carrying sacrificial blood to atone for Israel’s sins, and only once yearly on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).
Once Israel settled into the promised land, King Solomon constructed a permanent temple for sacrifices and worship. Like the tabernacle, it contained the Holy of Holies which was separated from the rest of the temple areas by a veil or curtain that was approximately 60 feet tall, 30 feet wide, and about four inches thick.
All of these things: the moral laws, civil laws, ceremonial laws, priesthood, tabernacle and temple practices all comprise what is known as the old covenant or Mosaic covenant. The Old Covenant was a divine agreement established between God and Israel at Mount Sinai. In short, it promised blessings for obedience and consequences for disobedience. This arrangement included an animal sacrificial system with priests mediating between God and people. Its purpose was twofold: to distinguish Israel as God’s chosen nation and to reveal God’s holy character to the world.
As Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, Moses delivered his final address. After leading them for forty years, he knew them quite well. He acknowledged what had become painfully obvious when he said, “You will not follow these laws. Your hearts are too hard.” The subsequent history confirmed his prediction as Israel repeatedly abandoned God’s ways after settling in their new homeland.
The prophets who arose during Israel’s decline spoke of a future solution. Ezekiel envisioned God transforming Israel’s stone-hard hearts into hearts of flesh. Jeremiah foresaw a time when God’s law would no longer feel like external rules but would be written on human hearts. Isaiah prophesied about a coming Messiah who would lead people into true obedience.
Here’s what I learned.
Several years ago I purchased TSA PreCheck. For those of you who also have TSA Pre, you know what a game changer it is. Essentially, it’s a new set of guidelines that does away with the other rules. Now when I show up at the airport, I wait in a much shorter line. I don’t have to take off my shoes or take out my laptop. In OKC, I’m typically through security in five minutes. Why? Because the old rules of TSA security no longer apply to me.
While it’s not a perfect analogy, I think it’s good enough to get the point across.
The book of Hebrews says, “When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves, but he entered the Holy of Holies once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God. For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant.”
At the moment of Jesus’ death something astounding and wonderful happened. The veil in the temple was ripped in half. Remember that it was four inches thick and 60 feet tall. No human could perform that feat. Furthermore, it was ripped from top to bottom. God ripped the temple veil in half making it clear that the barrier between God and man had been lifted. Jesus’ death was the all sufficient sacrifice for all time. The old covenant was fulfilled and a new covenant was made.
Does this mean that we are no longer bound by ANY of the Old Testament laws? No. So how do we know which laws to follow?
The ceremonial laws are the easiest to understand. Accepting Jesus as the perfect, final sacrifice renders the former animal sacrificial system obsolete. Returning to the old covenant’s animal offerings would actually dishonor Christ’s work by implying His sacrifice was somehow inadequate or incomplete. His once-for-all atonement fulfilled and superseded the temporary sacrifices that merely foreshadowed His definitive work.
As for the civil laws, those no longer apply either. Christians exist outside the ancient nation of Israel and therefore aren’t bound by its civil legislation. Since God no longer governs through a physical nation-state, the judicial codes found in Leviticus and elsewhere have been fulfilled in Christ. While believers may draw wisdom from principles embedded in these ancient regulations—such as provisions for public health or care for vulnerable populations—the specific legal requirements themselves no longer carry binding authority. These laws served their divine purpose within Israel’s historical context before finding their completion in Jesus.
To be clear, many cultures, states, and nations draw many of their laws and rights from many of the principles and laws found in the civil laws of the Old Testament. Christians are bound by those laws as citizens or visitors of those respective lands just like any other person is. But we are not bound by the civil laws of the Old Testament otherwise.
And so that leaves the moral laws. Unlike the time-bound civil and ceremonial regulations, these moral standards reflect God’s unchanging character and eternal distinctions between right and wrong. When addressing these laws, Jesus consistently reaffirmed or even deepened their implications rather than dismissing them.
Jesus simplified all the laws when he said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Okay, so just love God and love people. Jesus made it easy, right? Actually, Jesus raised the bar. When addressing “do not murder,” he expanded it to include hatred and contempt. True love, Jesus showed, must extend even to enemies—a standard that revealed humanity’s inability to fulfill even this simplified command. Likewise when teaching about adultery, Jesus declared that even lusting after a woman makes one guilty of adultery. Why? Because lusting, when it comes down to it, is coveting.
Christians don’t observe moral commands as a means of earning salvation. Instead, the indwelling Holy Spirit transforms believers’ desires, creating a genuine love for God’s standards. This produces a fundamentally different kind of obedience—not compliance driven by external obligation, but faithfulness flowing from a transformed heart that delights in God’s ways and longs to reflect His character.
How do we know which laws and commands are moral laws instead of ceremonial or civil laws? There are two easy ways to determine this. First, if in the Old Testament, God judges a nation or people group other than Israel for breaking that law, then we know it’s a moral law. Second, we look to the New Testament. If there is a law from the Old Testament that is repeated as a standard of living or declared to be a sin, then we know it is a moral law and still applies to humanity today.
The journey from stone tablets to transformed hearts represents God’s ultimate purpose. As Paul succinctly declared, “The one who loves fulfills the law.” Though our culture has distorted love’s true meaning—a topic I’ll explore thoroughly in February—understanding biblical law provides essential context for Christian living.
When others accuse believers of arbitrarily selecting which biblical commands to follow, remember the distinctions we’ve examined between civil, ceremonial, and moral laws. This isn’t arbitrary selection but faithful interpretation—reading the Old Testament through the lens of New Testament fulfillment. So enjoy your shellfish without guilt, while still honoring the moral principles that reflect God’s unchanging character.
I’m Darrell Darnell, and this has been Stuff I Learned Yesterday.
I want you to be a part of the next Monday Mailbag on December 29th! Monday Mailbag is your opportunity to Share what YOU’VE learned, so that other listeners and I can learn from YOU. It can be a message as short as 30 seconds or several minutes long. It really doesn’t matter just as long as it’s something that will benefit others. You can send in questions or responses to my SILY episodes, and I’ll respond to them via Monday Mailbag episodes. You can participate in Monday Mailbags by visiting the Golden Spiral Media listener feedback page.