In his epistle to the Galatian assemblies, Paul corrected the erroneous teaching that, to “make perfect” the salvation begun by the Spirit (Gal. 3:3), one must continue keeping certain commands of the Law. In doing so, he quoted Deuteronomy 27:26 by saying, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the Law, to do them.” (Gal. 3:10) What is the “book of the Law” to which Paul refers?
It may be helpful to view the book of the Law as the “Bible” of the Old Testament believer, also known as the book of Moses or the book of the covenant. It was this book (lit. writing; sepher1) that guided the Israelites of old from their wilderness wanderings until the postexilic reforms under Ezra and Nehemiah. It represented the heart of God’s Word in those days. There were no gospels for Isaiah to meditate upon, no epistles for David to exegete, and no Acts of the Apostles for Elijah to preach. From generation to generation, the Israelite who hoped to know the mind of God had to find a true prophet of the Lord or meditate upon the book of the Law (Isa. 8:19-20). As years passed, this “book” was combined with other scrolls, including the Prophets (Nebi’im) and the Psalms or Writings (Kethubim)—the three categories our Lord mentions in Luke 24:44b.
What the book of the Law was?Traditionally the book of the Law was another name for the Pentateuch. More specifically, it referred to the scroll(s) on which Moses progressively recorded the events of the Exodus, and the laws by which Israel was guided until Christ came. The reader might not be aware of the many scrolls available and used in the days of Israel (Num. 21:14; Josh. 10:13; 2 Sam. 1:18; 1 Ki. 11:41; 14:29; 1 Chron. 29:29; 2 Chron. 9:29; 33:19; Neh. 12:23, Ecc. 12:12). As Dr. Luke may have consulted certain written accounts in his writing of the gospel (Lk. 1:1), so the “holy men of God” may have been led of the Spirit to consult these scrolls in writing an account of God’s dealings with His people. They were certainly led to mention them. (Notice also Dan. 9:2; 2 Tim. 4:13). Yet, none of the books referenced above, unless they represent alternative names to books in the Hebrew canon, held the status or importance of the book of the Law.
What the book of the Law accomplished?The book of the Law was holy, just and good (Rom. 7:12). It was spiritual (Rom. 7:14), perfect (Ps. 19:7), and the delight of the psalmist (Ps. 1:2). To read it was to hear God! It was a holy lamp to the feet and light on the dark path (Ps. 119:105). And, as a light, it performed a second role that was by no means unintentional: the book of the Law continually revealed the condition of Israel as having fallen short of the righteous standard of God (Rom. 3:20). It forced her to acknowledge her need for a Saviour (Rom. 7:7; Gal. 3:24). Paul’s epistle to the Romans is quite instructive on this point: the book of the Law was not given to the Gentile nations, but to Israel. Romans 2:12-16 and 3:19 clearly teach that ancient Gentiles will not be judged by the Law, for it was not given to them, nor were they under it (Ac. 14:14-17; 17:29-31). Israel was under it (Rom. 3:2, 19) and responsible for it. It was to Israel that God revealed His righteousness and, thus, her transgressions (Rom. 4:15). The book of the Law made the character of God become visible, so that the offense of sin appeared (Rom. 5:20). Sin had a sort of dominion by the Law (Rom. 6:14; 7:1, 5, 6 “held”, 8-10), the goal of which was to force Israel to see that sin was sinful (Rom. 7:13). As our incarnate Lord exposed the guilt of man by revealing the moral glory of God, so did the book of the Law before Christ. The revelation of the one brought knowledge of the other.
On a more practical level, the book of the Law showed Israel how she could enter into the good of the Abrahamic Covenant. The keys to blessing in “the land,” or cursed removal from it, were clearly spelled out in Deuteronomy 27-28. The instructions for the tabernacle, priestly service, sin, and sickness were minutely recorded in Exodus and Leviticus. The criteria for identifying true prophets and false prophets are made plain in its pages (Deut. 13, 18). All the laws for civil life, justice, and national holidays were written in the book of the Law that Israel might be a testimony to the nations. Finally, and most importantly, the book pointed the illuminated reader to the coming Christ (Lk. 24:27, Jn. 5:46).
How the book of the Law was compiled?It is not clear whether Moses wrote the book of the Law in several scrolls that were later combined or continuously added to one long scroll during the wilderness journey. The physical length of scrolls and Moses’ ignorance as to how much revelation God would impart, imply the former. Whatever the case, several passages clearly speak of Moses physically writing (Ex. 17:14; 24:3-4; 34:27; Lev. 26:46; Num. 33:1-2; Deut. 31:9, 24; Jn. 5:46). The clear implication is that Moses penned the book of the Law at points throughout the wilderness. Numbers 33:2 is helpful in that we are told that God commanded him to write down geographic information and not just commands of the Law. Deuteronomy 31:24 hints at a completion of Moses’ writing of the book of the Law, and Joshua 24:26 clearly suggests Joshua also had a hand in writing the book.
The actual phrase, “book of the Law,” occurs 19 times in Scripture. 2 Kings 23:2, 21 suggests that the “book of the Covenant” was synonymous with the “book of the Law” mentioned in 2 Kings 22:11. A comparison of 2 Chronicles 25:4 and 2 Kings 14:6 shows that the book of the Law was also called the “book of Moses.” After completing the book of the Law, Moses instructed that it be kept in the very presence of the Lord beside the ark (Deut. 31:26). Prior to this command, Moses instructed that each new king must make a personal copy from this original (Deut. 17:18). The book of the Law was to sit at the center of the nation to show its leaders the way of the Lord from which they were not to stray (Josh. 1:8). Regrettably, Israel’s history indicates that these commands were most certainly not obeyed.
The book of the Law is mentioned during the reforms of Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. 17:9) and Amaziah (2 Ki. 14:6). Sadly, in a graphic illustration of the dark history of Judah, the book of the Law was lost (likely during the reign of Manasseh or Amon), like an old heirloom in the attic. During repairs to the dilapidated temple under the reign of Josiah it was rediscovered, almost as if to announce that the curses it predicted (Deut. 27, 28) were about to be fulfilled.
There is both devotional and preaching potential for the reader who will spend time thinking upon God’s words as to how His people were to handle the book of the Law. Two examples will suffice. Deuteronomy 28:58 teaches that fearing the Lord is accomplished, not by having an isolated reverence for the Lord, but by “observing to do all the words” in the book of the Law. Fearing the Lord is as much a lifestyle as it is a mindset. Secondly, Joshua 1:8 merits an article all its own. It is God’s will that His people meditate day and night upon the book of the Law. One cannot obey the book without knowing its words. One cannot know the Word without meditating upon it. Since Luke 24:27 tells us that the book of the Law speaks to us of Christ, then to meditate upon its many types and figures of Him is to enter into its spiritual importance for us today.
Endnote
1 Sepher is not the Hebrew word for scroll (megillot) but was most certainly a scroll when translated “book.” A sepher could be a writing in the form of a certificate of divorce (Deut. 24:1), official document (Jer. 32:14), or longer writing in scroll form. In Jeremiah 36:2, both words are used to refer to a scroll. Bound books as we know them are first recorded as showing up in 1st century A.D. They were written by hand and are called codices (codex; singular) by scholars. The codex was popularized by Christians in the 3rd and 4th centuries. The printed book eventually replaced the codex. See also Vine’s Expository Dictionary on the OT word for “book.”