Interpreting Biblical Law Three different meanings of “law”: • Law/Torah = Genesis–Deuteronomy (also “Pentateuch”) • law/torah = the law of Moses (collection of laws) • law and gospel = God’s commands and teachings throughout Scripture Inductive Bible Study Applied to the Law (Example: Leviticus 19) 1. Observation: What do you notice about the text? What questions does it raise for you? (Read the text in at least two different versions of the Bible.) 2. Interpretation: What is the author trying to communicate? Who is the author? (traditionally, Moses wrote the Pentateuch, but the text does not name the author) What is the literary context? (within narrative of the exodus; context of other laws) In the literary context, what does this chapter communicate to the reader? (Lev. 19: be holy as the Lord is holy) What is the historical context (of the laws, of the passage, and of the book)? (giving of the law at Sinai during the exodus; some later laws may be included) What are some things in the text that are specific to that time and culture? What did this law or passage mean in its historical context? What does this passage communicate about who God is, how he relates to his people, and how he wants his people to live and act? 3. Evaluation: How does this relate to the rest of Scripture and to the faith of the church? Does this law occur elsewhere in the OT? How do the wording and setting compare? Are there examples of this law in practice elsewhere in the Bible? How does this compare to the law itself? Does this law occur in the NT? How is it discussed or applied there? Examples: gleaning in Lev. 19:9-10; see Lev. 23:22; Deut. 24:17-22; Ruth 2; Matt. 12 love your neighbor in Lev. 19:18; see Matt. 5:43; 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31; Rom. 13:9; Gal. 5:14; James 2:8 Is this law culturally bound (specific to that time and place) or more universal? For laws that are culturally bound, are there general principles behind them that are more universal? What is the basic principle behind the law (what is God trying to teach his people)? How does the NT teach us to apply this law or similar principles? How does this law relate to the catechism or the teachings of the church? 4. Application: How does this passage relate to my life? What is a modern equivalent or corresponding situation where this principle is relevant? How should I apply this principle or universal law to my own life? How does what this passage teaches about God and his people inform my own faith and relationship with God? .