The Book of the Covenant

At times, I’d like to be given the chance to follow a strict set of laws. It must have been so simple. Eye for an eye, tooth for tooth (Exodus 21:24).

But perhaps people thosuands of years from now will look at my day and wonder, “man, all they had to do was love their neighbor…go minister. visit people and spend some time with them.” I’ve always known we’re now living the “higher” law. Perhaps it’s truly inverted - the world no longer has the social bonds it once had. It no longer has the familial requirements. Mostly no longer has oxen.

What’s the point of this law? (The 10 commandments and the Book of the Covenant are the beginning of the law.)

• 2 Nephi 25:24-25 - “wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith;”
• Jarom 1:11 - “teaching the law of Moses, and the intent for which it was given; persuading them to look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he already was”
• Alma 25:15 - “But notwithstanding the law of Moses, they did look forward to the coming of Christ, considering that the law of Moses was a type of his coming,”
• Mosiah 13:27-31 “salvation doth not come by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses.”

The point of the law was to have no other gods, or in other words, to have One God. To look forward to the coming of the Messiah.

Conclusion

The archaic law, despite being “eye for eye” was “fair”. It’s the definition of fair - he hit me, so I should be able to hit him. This is the law our children want to live. Equal. You get some, i get some. You get a cake, I get a cake.

But the Lord wanted them to see the unfairness and the lack of mercy in all of it. Some people relish in “fair”. But Christ wanted them to see that it really wasn’t actually fair at all. Or, there was no progress in the law. It was a zero-sum game.

By coming Himself into the earth, and taking all of our wounds and stripes (Exodus 21:25) upon himself (Isaiah 53:5), he created…progress.

Perhaps we were given the strict law first, to satisfy our natural man desires for “fair”. And he created carve-outs for every little thing (here’s what you do if some guy makes a pothole for your ox…here’s what you do if you…). Then he fulfilled those carve outs and said, “It’s time to love one another.” And he took away the details. He created Zion - a place where people don’t sweat the small stuff, don’t nit-pick the oxen gorings, and where they love each other and forgive each other’s debts. He created the 7th year.