“In the years to come when your son asks you, ‘What is the purpose of these laws which the Lord our God has given us?’ you must tell him, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with great power and mighty miracles—with terrible blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people. We saw it all with our own eyes. He brought us out of Egypt so that he could give us this land he had promised to our ancestors. And he has commanded us to obey all of these laws and to reverence him so that he can preserve us alive as he has until now. For it always goes well with us when we obey all the laws of the Lord our God.’ -Deuteronomy 6:20-25 (The Living Bible)

To some Christians (especially who have come from some sort of legalistic background), the idea of Old Testament law is both disturbing and [perhaps even] annoying. However, reading God’s Word with an open mind (open to the power of the Holy Spirit for understanding) reveals a deeper truth that must not be missed. The law shows us our sin. Without the law, we don’t know about sin– at least not in the detail that it can be made available to us. More than just knowing of our sin, the law can protect us from ourselves and our behavior. God loves us very much. His love, expressed through His unending patience and amazing demonstration of grace, in actually incomprehensible to me as a human being.