Proverbs and many Scriptures in the old testament describe the blessings and requirement of God to obey the Law. Before Jesus came, these references pointed to the Mosaic Law. What are we to do now when we read these verses? Are we to obey the Law on this side of the new covenant? How do we uphold the full counsel of God’s Scriptures and not through out any of it in regard to these verses in the Old Testament?
Many of the articles on this site discuss the New Covenant that Jesus made and offers to everyone, Jew and Gentile. Jeremiah 31:31-34 foretells of this new covenant that Jesus was going to offer. It seems God knew that many would say this new covenant would be a “renewed” covenant of the old one. Yet, in Jeremiah 31:32, God explicitly says that this new covenant will NOT be like the old and then goes on to describe what that old one was. It was the one after He lead them out of Egypt, meaning the Mosaic Covenant.
With this new covenant comes a new law. Hebrews 7:11-28 describes how Jesus is a new priest and brings a new law through a new covenant. He is not even from the bloodline of the levites so there could be no tie to Him in being of the levitical priesthood. Instead, Jesus is referred to as being from the order of Melchizedek. This distinction only solidifies how Jesus’ law, commandments, covenant and priesthood is completely new and not like the old.
Hebrews 8:1-13 describes Jesus as a new priest who brings a new covenant with better promises. This chapter even references Jeremiah 31 to show how Jesus fulfilled this prophecy also. Hebrew 9:15 shows why Jesus is the mediator of this new covenant. It was to set us free from the sins committed under the old covenant. We need the old covenant to know we are sinners in the eyes of a holy God, that is why not one part of it has been removed yet. God in His amazing love and perfect design, sent the Messiah, Jesus the Christ, to save us from that law and give us life in the new covenant.
So, what law are we to obey in order to honor the scriptures such as Proverbs 28:9, Psalm 37:1, Joshua 1:8, etc? We obey the Law of Love established through Jesus Christ in His new covenant to those who would accept (John 13:34, Romans 13:10, James 2:8, Galatians 5:14).
