If moses isn't yelling at you, and you're not an israelite, there's no reason to follow them
Not sure I understand this. The commands from the old testament are historical artifacts, and don't apply directly to Christians? It's the thousand or so commands in the new testament that are to be obeyed?
Not all of them - just the commands from moses to the israelites specifically.
So, he also commanded them to cross the nile. Does that mean you and I have to cross the nile? Of course not. What about mixing fabrics? Again, just to the israelites. Hence the name, mosaic law. Moses to Israelites = MoSiac
This is all new to me. Are there other things in the old testament that can be connected like this? I guess I'm asking if there's a standard for grouping the things Christians are supposed to observe there, or is it sort of "everything that isn't MoSiac"?
Well, basically there's two kinds of teaching in the bible - prescriptive (say, the ten commandments - we are to obey them. They're not for moses, and not just for the israelites), and descriptive - is to say, a record of what happened.
An easy way to remember is one is prescribed to you, one is described to you.
So, the way I usually do it is use common sense. If God commands the israelites to cross the jordan river, I tend to think that's descriptive of the commandment God gave them at that time. It doesn't apply to me.
However, when Jesus says turn the other cheek, I see no way that could be just for those people around him at that time, so that is a commandment that is prescriptive.
Not sure I understand this. The commands from the old testament are historical artifacts, and don't apply directly to Christians? It's the thousand or so commands in the new testament that are to be obeyed?
Not all of them - just the commands from moses to the israelites specifically.
So, he also commanded them to cross the nile. Does that mean you and I have to cross the nile? Of course not. What about mixing fabrics? Again, just to the israelites. Hence the name, mosaic law. Moses to Israelites = MoSiac
Thanks.
This is all new to me. Are there other things in the old testament that can be connected like this? I guess I'm asking if there's a standard for grouping the things Christians are supposed to observe there, or is it sort of "everything that isn't MoSiac"?
Well, basically there's two kinds of teaching in the bible - prescriptive (say, the ten commandments - we are to obey them. They're not for moses, and not just for the israelites), and descriptive - is to say, a record of what happened.
An easy way to remember is one is prescribed to you, one is described to you.
So, the way I usually do it is use common sense. If God commands the israelites to cross the jordan river, I tend to think that's descriptive of the commandment God gave them at that time. It doesn't apply to me.
However, when Jesus says turn the other cheek, I see no way that could be just for those people around him at that time, so that is a commandment that is prescriptive.
Thank you. You've given me something to think about.