Ceremonial Laws of God Part I

Ceremonial Laws

1. Introduction

There are many commandments in the Holy Scriptures which Yahweh the Almighty God of Israel gave mankind through His servant Moses. All these laws are recorded in the first five books of the Bible. As stated below they were initially given to Israel, but were intended for the benefit of all mankind. It is undoubtedly one of humanity's greatest blunders that Yahweh's laws have been rejected by all nations in favour of countless impotent human regulations, most of which need updating every generation. God's Laws were  intended to regulate all life on earth and they fall into several categories:

2. Facts about Yahweh’s Laws

Before we begin our study of the ceremonial laws in Scriptures, there are certain facts we need to recognize about divine law. The facts are as follows:
  • ALL the commandments of Yahweh are perfect
    Every one of the Almighty's commandments is faultless and is never in need of update no matter how many centuries roll by. Like their divine Author they change not, because they are already absolutely faultless.
    Psalm 19: 7: “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”
  • ALL Yahweh’s commandments are eternal
    By this I mean that the essence, the kernel, the high level spiritual requirement and objective of every divine commandment is everlasting and will apply throughout eternity. In other words, at its heart every divine commandment, moral and ceremonial, contains a sacred truth which can never become obsolete! By way of definition we may say that ceremonial or symbolic commandments are those which employ ceremonies or symbols to point out their inner truths. The symbol or ceremony may in time become unnecessary, but the moral requirement of every divine law is everlasting and will apply for all time. More about this fact later.
    Psalm 111: 7: “The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.
    8: They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.”
    Psalm 119: 44: “So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.”       

3. Ceremonial & Symbolic Commands

When we study the commandments of the Most High we notice that in addition to the above categories they may also be classified as follows:

(3.1) Divine Objectives

These are laws which simply define Yahweh’s objectives. They tell us what we should be, rather than what we should do or not do. They include directives such as:
  • “Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.” (Deuteronomy 18: 13)
  • “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5: 48)

(3.2) Moral Requirements:

These are moral commandments which explain how - with Yahweh's help - those divine objectives may be reached. Moral commandments include the Ten Commandments and those listed below:
  • “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” (Deuteronomy 10:12)
  • “And he (Jesus) answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” (Luke 10:27)

(3.3) Ceremonial or Symbolic Commandments

A ceremonial command is one which employs a ceremony or symbolic token to demonstrate or call to mind some high-level moral lesson or objective. Unlike plain moral commands (e.g. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not steal etc.) which quite plainly spell out a moral requirement, ceremonial commandments also contain symbolic activities or tokens which dramatise the inner moral lesson being taught. This article has been produced to explain a few (not all) of these ceremonial commands. They include commands concerning:
In these commandments you will notice that symbolic tokens or ceremonies are employed in order to demonstrate or explain the deep moral lessons contained in the command: lessons which would otherwise be missed.

4. Animal Sacrifices

Prior to the Messiah's death on Calvary, if a sinner wanted mercy he/she was obliged to sacrifice an animal and offer its blood to the Most High before forgiveness could be obtained. In short, no faith in the blood - no mercy. As the scripture says:
Hebrews 9: 22: “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”

Yahweh called for animal sacrifices in order to demonstrate to the repentant sinner the enormous price the innocent victim had to pay before pardon was possible. Every animal sacrifice was in fact a practical lesson pointing to Messiah's death on Calvary! Since the Saviour's sacrifice we sinners no longer need to kill literal animals. Faith in Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah is all that we now need to obtain mercy. In effect the ceremonial aspect of this law, that is, the slaying of an innocent animal, is obsolete: it is no longer necessary to sacrifice bulls, lambs or kids.

But, and here is a fact many Christians miss, the main lesson of this ceremonial command (that is the spiritual requirement which calls for faith in the Saviour's blood before forgiveness is possible) still stands! Even now, some 2000 years after the Messiah’s death on Calvary, we still need to approach Yahweh’s Mercy Seat with blood: though now it is with faith in the blood of His Son, the Lamb of God. In other words though the dramatized, instructional, ceremonial element involving the shedding of a farm animal's blood has ceased, the spiritual requirement to approach the Most High with faith in the Lamb’s blood still stands.

That part of the commandment is eternal: it will never cease to apply. Yes, throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity the redeemed will approach Yahweh's throne through the merits of His Son's shed blood. Sure we will not be everlastingly in need of forgiveness, for we will then be sinless: but we will, nonetheless, always be in need of the Almighty's favour and blessing which were won for us by His Son's blood. That fact, the inner core of the command, will never become obsolete; because time and space can never cancel our dependence on the Saviour's blood.

We can now see how that the essence of the sacrificial commands, the great moral truths they prefigure, are eternal; even though in ages past they needed a ceremonial drama (the slaughter of innocent animals) to explain their high-level objectives and deep spiritual meanings. For more details, see our online booklet on Animal Sacrifices.

Go To Here To Ceremonial Law Part II

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