Mosaic Laws: Divine Revelation or Human Tradition?

To properly understand Grace, it is important to have a basic understanding of the Mosaic Law.

John 1:17 (KJV): “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

The Apostle John seems to place the Law and Grace in direct opposition.

The Mosaic Law was a collection of commandments, rules, and regulations given to the nation of Israel through Moses after they were freed from slavery in Egypt, traditionally dated to around the 13th–15th century BC. The Law was introduced at Mount Sinai, beginning in Exodus 19–20. It included the Ten Commandments, moral instructions, religious practices, dietary restrictions, and laws governing Israel's social and religious life.

The Mosaic Law was specifically given to the children of Israel as part of God's covenant with them (Exodus 19:3–6; Deuteronomy 5:2–3). It established how Israel should live as a separate nation, worship God, and conduct its affairs. Although its principles have influenced many generations beyond Israel, the Mosaic covenant was not originally given to all humanity. It was a covenant between God and Israel, serving a specific purpose in their history.

Interestingly, historical evidence raises some important questions about the origin of certain laws within the Mosaic Law. Centuries before Moses, ancient civilizations already had established legal systems, including the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi, dating to around 1750 BC. Several Mosaic laws are very similar to these earlier laws, including rules concerning slavery (Exodus 21:2–11), compensation for injuries (Exodus 21:18–25), and responsibility when an ox kills someone (Exodus 21:28–32).

Furthermore, practices such as slavery, polygamy, and divorce were already common in ancient societies. Rather than completely abolishing these practices, the Mosaic Law often provided rules to regulate them. This raises an important question: Were some of these laws direct revelations from God, or were they existing cultural practices that became part of Israel's legal system? These similarities do not necessarily prove that Moses borrowed the laws, but they certainly give us something to think about.

Even more interesting is how the New Testament speaks about the origin of the Law. Jesus (God Himself) repeatedly referred to it as the Law of Moses (John 7:19; Luke 24:44). In Matthew 19:8, while discussing divorce, Jesus said:

“Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.”

This suggests that at least some things permitted under Moses did not reflect God's original intention.

Furthermore, Stephen stated in Acts 7:53 that Israel received the Law “by the disposition of angels,” while Paul wrote in Galatians 3:19 that the Law “was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.” Hebrews 2:2 also refers to the word spoken through angels.

These verses do not necessarily mean God was not involved, since angels could have been His messengers. However, they raise an interesting question about the roles of God, angels, and Moses in giving the Law. Could there be a difference between what God originally intended, what Moses permitted, and what eventually became part of Israel's covenant? Perhaps we should examine this more carefully before assuming that every law given through Moses represents God's eternal and unchanging character.

Interestingly, the Mosaic Law does not appear to have remained exactly the same throughout Scripture. Even within the books attributed to Moses, we find laws that were expanded, explained further, and adjusted to different situations. Rules concerning slavery, inheritance, and worship appear to have changed over time (Exodus 21; Deuteronomy 12, 15; Numbers 27, 36).

Tithing is another interesting example of a practice that existed long before the Mosaic Law. Historical records from ancient civilizations, including Babylon and Ugarit, show that giving a tenth of one's resources to temples or religious leaders was already a common practice. Even the Bible records Abraham giving a tenth to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:20) and Jacob voluntarily promising to give a tenth to God (Genesis 28:22), both before Moses.

The Mosaic Law later made tithing part of Israel's religious and economic system. This raises another important question: Was tithing introduced as a completely new command from God, or was it an existing cultural practice that was given a specific purpose within Israel's covenant?

Ritual cleansing is another example of a religious practice that existed long before the Mosaic Law. Historical evidence from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia shows that water was already being used in religious cleansing ceremonies centuries before Moses. The Mosaic Law later included different washing and cleansing requirements, especially for priests and matters of religious purity (Exodus 30:17–21; Leviticus 15). These practices continued to develop within Judaism, eventually including ritual immersion, which was already familiar by the time of John the Baptist.

In Conclusion, the Law Is Fallible

The reason for highlighting these points is to make a case that the Mosaic Law is fallible. The Mosaic Law served as a constitution for the Israelites who had been freed from slavery in Egypt and needed laws and structure to govern their new society. Tithing also served as part of their taxation and economic support system.

The Mosaic Law was a collection of cultural and social laws for a particular nation. Throughout history, many nations and cultures have claimed that their laws and traditions came from God. So why should we assume that Israel was any different?

This also raises another interesting question. Hebrews 10:5–8 and Psalm 40:6 tell us that God did not desire sacrifices and offerings. Yet these same sacrifices were required under the Mosaic Law. If God did not desire these sacrifices, why were they included in the Law? What does this tell us about the difference between what the Law required and what God truly wanted?

It is easy and convenient to read the Bible and assume that everything written in it is a direct word from God. But this is not always the case. The Bible records different people speaking, different events taking place, and different laws and traditions being practiced. It is our responsibility to carefully examine what we read and hold on to what is true.

Jesus is the Truth. Jesus is the only infallible truth revealed in Scripture. Everything else can be questioned, examined, and debated.

Jesus is the complete and perfect revelation of God in Scripture. This is what John points us toward in John 1:1, where he identifies Jesus as the Word who was with God and was God.

God is gracious. His Grace is an expression of His love. And Jesus Christ is the fullest revelation of that Grace.

The Gospel of Grace is the only Gospel.