The Lord called Joshua to be strong and courageous as Joshua replaced Moses as Israel’s leader and led the people into the promised land. This calling was based on his obedience and submission to the Word of God. As the Creator, God knows how life is meant to be lived and the way for people to experience life to the full (Jn 10:10). The gift of the law was a gracious act of God to instruct his people in his ways. It was never intended to be a moralistic plan to earn God’s favor. Rather, the law was given to those who had already experienced God’s redeeming grace. In the law, God provided instructions for how his children can love him and other people. This law is not a collection of arbitrary dictates from a malevolent deity, but instead it is the wisdom of God distilled in human language. It is a path to joy and life — the way people were meant to live.

The Bible continually portrays the law of God in this fashion. For example, in the longest psalm in the Bible, Psalm 119, the author says that he loves, treasures, delights in, and longs for the law. It is a source of hope, peace, joy, and direction. In Psalm 19, the psalmist says the law revives the soul, makes wise the simple, gives joy to the heart, and gives light to the eyes (Ps 19:7 – 8). The law is a beautiful gift from a gracious God.

Jesus testified to the lasting value of the law when he said that he did not come to abolish the law (Mt 5:17). Instead, Jesus amplified the law, explaining the transformation that should result as a proper response to his work. In his masterful Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 through 7, Jesus called people to a far greater standard of obedience than mere conformity to external regulations. Instead of simply condemning murder, Jesus unmasked the anger that fueled this act. Adultery is not the prime culprit, but lust rooted in the human heart is the real problem. Jesus methodically outlined the heart-level change that the law relied upon. Rather than rendering the law obsolete, Jesus showed that the law continued to provide an authoritative standard and guidance for God’s people. Now, because of the finished work of Christ, believers have hope that the price for their disobedience to the law has been paid and that they have God’s Spirit dwelling within them, providing them the power to live the life God intends.

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Content adapted from The Jesus Bible, available in the NIV and ESV translations. In The Jesus Bible, profound yet accessible study features help you meet Jesus throughout Scripture. See him in every book so that you may know him more intimately, love him more passionately, and walk with him more faithfully.