The Two Tables of the Law

Written by Neil Buckman

, on 30 December, 2021

It has become customary to think that when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, one of the stone tablets contained the first four, and the other, the remaining six. Why? Because the first four commandments concern our relationship with God, and the remaining six our relationship with our neighbours. So we sometimes hear references to “the two tables of the Law”.

When the Lord Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment in the Law, He answered: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38)

He then immediately continued with, “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ ” (Matthew 22:39)

We notice in His answer two things. The first is that these two commandments perfectly sum up the two tables of the Law. The second thing we notice is that He placed love for God first, before love of our neighbour.

The order is very significant. All sin flows out of a wrong relationship with God, and a righteous life begins with a right relationship with God. But despite this, virtue is usually thought to be quite independent of any belief in, or love for, God, and even Christians sometimes think this way. The result is that their understanding of sin is distorted and with it, their understanding of the Saviour and what the life is that He has called them to live.

It would be very strange indeed if we could unquestionably charge a person with sin when they steal or commit adultery, but not when they dishonour God, because we feel that to dishonour God is either not so serious or, at least, more excusable. But it seems that this is where we find ourselves. The first table of the Law is largely disregarded, and only the second (and not even all of it) is taken seriously.

To those who think like this, the wrath of God seems disproportionate, or worse, itself a fault. The Lord Jesus’ death seems more extreme a remedy than was necessary, and the righteousness that should characterise a Christian’s life appears to be nothing much out of the ordinary.

However the grievous nature of humanity’s sin is most clearly seen in the hatred of God. You may feel that few people truly hate God, and that they are simply indifferent or unbelieving. Indeed, we are tempted to think that, because people claim that they see little evidence for the existence of God, unbelief is almost rational and not truly sinful.

But what if the truth is that we have in us such an aversion to God that we refuse to see or hear the witness that is both within us and around us? And what if there is a fundamental rivalry or battle for supremacy (absurd as this sounds) between ourselves and God? Put another way, what if the real issue is who is to be God? The sad truth is that, deep down, people hate even the God they say they do not believe in.

When the last trumpet sounds and the Lord Jesus returns, people will call for the mountains to fall on them to hide them from His face. Deceptions and excuses will be swept away, and humanity’s seething and bitter hatred of God will be laid bare. No one will think that the judgment that follows is either unjust or too severe.

Until then, while still without understanding, men will believe that the Saviour came to bring peace on earth, when in fact He came to reconcile us to God. They will think it sufficient to be moral, when He calls us to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. They will think common decency will do for love of one’s neighbour, when He told us to love and bless even our most bitter enemies.

The two tables of the Law stand as an immovable witness to God’s righteousness and to what humanity will be when rightly related to Him and to one another. We may seek to ignore the commandments, or some of them, but God will not. They expose the depths of our sin and cause us to flee “for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.” (Hebrews 6:18)

Neil Buckman
Having been converted from a nominal Christian background at the age of 17, Neil has spent the last 50 plus years learning too slowly and growing too little. He is, nonetheless, one of many ordinary people increasingly amazed at the grace of God in Jesus Christ and at the wise perfection of this glorious salvation.

1 Comment

  1. Merlin Rajendram

    Out of ignorance and arrogance grow a host of sins like unbelief, refusal, rebellion. But the light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it. It is very pathetic that those who do not believe but refuse and deny the existence of God are considered to be very noble. The day will reveal that morality and decency can’t save them.

    Man needs peace. But first he needs peace with God, then with others and last with him.

    Reply

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