Antiquity That Echos Beyond Today
For the Law was given through Moses; Grace and Truth came through Yeshua Christ.
- John 1: 17Law has existed in mind since man began to exist...later being written to remember their number.
Where they were found written on one's heart, they were usually obeyed.
Very few people have read or are aware of the thousands upon thousands of laws in the civilized world... known as 'code' and 'statute' and other terms, yet often times the vast majority of those laws are not broken.
The basic foundation of Law (moral and ethnical) is extended into the massive complex of further laws and codes of men.
Almost every culture has their version of 'thou shall not steal', and that idea reminds the individual when they are tempted to take something that is not theirs, or a myriad of other situations.
Unfortunately, we live in a world where some people make excuses and justify themselves, thus the law doesn't simply disappear.
History is full of such justifications, and many times the justifications are politicized...and law change to meet the carnal argument.
Such instances thrown truth to the ground and the morals and ethics of society wain.
Thus laws do have to specifically mention situations where 'thou shall not steal' would be questioned by someone who has a confused political stance or a mindset that would make excuses.
The same goes with 'thou shall not kill'.
When dealing with ego, arrogance, religious pride and emotions, 'thou shall not kill' needs to be ever clarified.
Sadly, people still justify killing even in the laws of men, and sacredness of life is justified away.
This is a clear sign of confusion and disobedience to the Law's simplicity and clarity...and the following of other ideas, typically carnal and vacant of morality and ethics.
The Law of Moses has many details also found in the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi.
The dating of that code supposedly precedes Moses.
Is this a cause for concern for the believer?
Only if someone views the world and its people through a narrow lens with blinders, I say.
Why?
God is Sovereign over all things, all peoples and all places.
And when we remember the teaching in Romans 2: 5-16 (and elsewhere), every human being who has ever walked the earth will be judged according to what they knew, their 'law', their words and actions, and their hearts when revealed in the Light of Christ.
Thus, seeing similarity in the ideas of ancient peoples, or their codes, is reflective of God's Presence and eternal testimony.
It shows that either people carried with them ideas originating from previous times and people, or ideas were shared and conveyed between peoples, or other reasons...even supernatural ones.
Where testimony is silent in Scripture, does this mean God did not also bless other people elsewhere on the earth?
I think people sometimes shortchange God.
People doubt so easily when thinking God has been ruthless and unloving to the rest of mankind outside of those the Scriptures identify as chosen and Today saved.
Consider the descendants of Adam (from whom came all mankind), and then Noah's descendants (from whom came all of mankind) and how all of mankind are children of God in the most basics of senses.
We don't know how specifically the descendants (the three sons) of Noah's carried the testimonies of God, but we can read today how they may have developed, or retracted, or became something very different, or mirrored in a fascinating way what continued to develop as Scripture.
Although unique and eternally important details arose through Abraham, the notion of a God over all other 'gods' and the world was already present since Noah...and continued alongside contesting ideas, at times being abrogated, other times being acknowledged.
One such abrogation was the rise of Buddhism from Hinduism, the latter acknowledging (depending on interpretation) a single God over all other 'gods', and others a pantheon of gods.
Buddhism became a philosophical focus on man and the ignoring of the idea of God, likely due to the trouble and division coming from varying religious ideas and discussions of the invisible.
Another example of alternating ideas was in ancient Egypt with the king Akhenaten and his acknowledgement of a single God.
Akhenaten abolished of all other forms of worship of the traditional 'gods' of Egypt, removing also the priesthoods of these different 'gods'.
Consider these historical realities when thinking of how the Law of God speaks to one man's heart, while it does not speak to another man...and both men are convinced in their own minds they are 'right'.
Consider how different the understanding of what is moral and ethical when reading the simplest of laws.
As exemplified earlier with 'thou shall not steal' and 'thou shall not kill', one man considers obedience to these without arguing a justification in going around them...while another man may choose to make excuses or find reasons that will allow 'stealing' and 'killing' in certain situations, defining 'stealing' and 'killing' as justice or a lawful act.
Ironically and historically, both sides of the argument have been 'accepted' by people even of the highest learning.
Thankfully there is the continuity of a justice that is not contaminated with an earthly interpretation.
But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the Right Hand of God, and since that time He waits for His enemies to be made His footstool. For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First He says:
“This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put My laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”
Then He adds:
“Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more.”
And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
- Hebrews 10: 12-18
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