The Four Shared Laws

The greatest differences in the values of each society can be seen in the laws themselves, what they cover and how they do so. Many of the laws in Exodus relate to agriculture such as Exodus 22:5, which deal with allowing livestock to graze on another man’s property. Agricultural vocabulary is also used throughout the book, indicative of a more agrarian economy. However, the Code of Hammurabi has a vast number of laws relating to material goods reflecting a much more financially centered culture than we see in ancient Israel. Numbers 15 and 16 in the Code of Hammurabi concern runaway slaves and the consequences of harboring them.

“We have a moral responsibility to disobey any law that conflicts with the law of god.” (Paragraph 16)

As mentioned in the paragraph above both mention about cheating against a partner. The code of Hammurabi says that if the woman of another man is caught with another man in bed, then the man and woman will be tied together and thrown into a river and both will drown together. If the husband wants to he can save the wife. That’s the nice thing about the commandments. They’re a lot nicer. That’s the nice part about free will. We can decide what to do for consequences.

The three pilgrimage festivals in Exodus 34.22-23 correspond to the three principal harvests: reaping barley, reaping and measuring grain, and gathering.

According to the tradition, God entered into a covenant or contract with the tribes of Israel, who believed that Yahweh had spoken to them through Moses. The Israelites promised to obey Yahweh and follow his law. In return, Yahweh promised to take care of his people,” (Spielvogal 38). The covenant between the Israelites and Yahweh could only be fulfilled by obedience to the law of God” (Spielvogal 38). “The Israelites believed that certain religious leaders or holy men, called prophets, were sent by God to serve as his voice to the people. These “men of God” went through the land warning the Israelites that they had failed to keep God’s commandments and would be punished for breaking the covenant: “I will punish you for all of your iniquities.” (Spielvogal 38,39). Family was the center of the social structure for Hebrew life. Family was made up of blood related individuals living in a common place. Marriage was also important to the Hebrew family. Similar to Hammurabi’s Code, some Hebrew people accepted polygamy, while the majority rejected it, and believed monogamy was preferred form of marriage. What makes Moses so different from Hammurabi is that Hammurabi’s codes are still used today, but mainly in the Middle East, while The Ten Commandments that Moses was given by Yahweh still have a

Throughout history there have been many laws put in place to ensure order and safety within different societies. The first set of written laws originated in Mesopotamia in approximately 1754 BC, called the Code of Hammurabi. “Code of Hammurabi” is considered to be one of the most valuable finds in human history. The code is actually used for the basis of our country's modern-day justice system. It is perceived to be the first advanced set of recorded laws put into a single, logical text. The “Code of Hammurabi” was years ahead of its time; written by King Hammurabi in 1754 B.C. Dating from the 10th century B.C. there were another set of laws created in the old Testament called the Hebrew code of laws, making up of Moses’s 611 commandments. Hammurabi’s Code and the Hebrews (in Mosaic Code) became supreme over all sources of authority; playing an important role in the legal process among society. There have been striking amount of similarities between the Hammurabi laws and the Mosaic code of the Hebrew Old Testament.

Many people soon learned not to do wrong or they would suffer the consequences. However, because of the severity and unfairness of the penalties Hammurabi’s law is not one that has the greatest significance in today’s society. The laws five through ten are what many parents and guardians teach their children and go by today. Obey parents, do not lie, steal, murder, or covet are the core foundations for a person to be a good citizen and to help a society flourish. The Hebrew Covenant Code is a serene law that applies to all people and is relevant for today’s time.

Several facts support the belief that the law in which Jeremiah wrote about in 31:33… is to be identified with "the law of Christ," which Paul referred to in 1 Corinthians 9:21 and Galatians 6:2.” According to Olufemi Adeyemi of Liberty University, these facts are:

Another religion in which the Ten Commandments is abided by is Protestant Christian. The Protestant Christians in this category consist of Greek, Anglican, and Reformed Christians. The Christians decided to validate which of the 613 mitvots were necessary to abide by. They came to the conclusion that out of all of the mitvots, the Ten Commandments were the only ones of importance. The Jews accused the Christians of just picking whichever laws they wanted to abide by (Smith, 2). The Protestant Ten Commandments is very similar to the Jewish version. They have the same commandments however slightly differ in the way they are worded. The first four commandments relate to god whereas the last six relate to humans.

The system of nearly 300 laws was inscribed on pillars around Babylon. The most well known of these laws is “eye for an eye”, and if this seems familiar, it is because some of these laws eventually developed into the first testament. This is a good example of how the laws were inflexible and harsh, but at their core, the concepts were fair.

And seeing how that one specific law can be viewed differently it shows how unlike the two places were. In one place they were realizing how much God does for them, and how he provides to them if they follow his laws or commandments. Whereas in the other (around Hammurapi) location Hammurapi just talks about they are following the laws, and them getting nothing in return. In the book of Exodus, it shows how

This lead the reader question why God did not provide defined rules, or expectations, prior to the commandments? Previous covenants focused on God’s obligations: to not destroy mankind again and to provide Abraham offspring and the land of Canaan, whereas Exodus focused on Israelite responsibilities (p. 114). In the end, the reader found Exodus a “rite of passage” that displayed God’s trust in the Israelites and a formalized relationship with God.

The Law of Moses, or Moses’s Law refers to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, sometimes call the Pentateuch, or Torah which is a central reference of Judaism. Of the covenants found in the Pentateuch are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These books contained the laws and instruction given by the Lord to Moses which establishes Israel as a nation. All five of the books are believed to be written by MosesIntroduction

The basic literary genres for the book of Leviticus are Narrative History and Law. The them is holiness. Although the authorship is unknown, evidence points towards Moses as the author of this book. According to Hindson and Duvall (2015), this book was written in 1445 B.C. The main individuals in Leviticus are Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu Eleazar, and Ithamar. The book of Leviticus is all about God’s covenant between Himself and His people. It provides specific instructions and guidelines for Priests. It is important to note that in the book of Leviticus Moses anoints and ordains Aarons and his sons before Israel. This book, also, provides the breakdown of the sacrificial system and specific times when man can celebrate. God Gave specific instructions to Moses as to how and why

The beginnings of the law were in God’s covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17:1 God said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless” (NIV). God then expounds upon law with the Sinaitic covenant when God give the full revelation of the Law to include the Ten Commandments. His purpose of this expansion of the law according to Arnold & Beyer was to make a “public and specific statement of the demands of having a relationship with God providing clear and uplifting instruction…[and] placed God’s Torah (‘law’), his divine instruction, at the very center of his relationship with Israel.” (2008, p. 112). For Israelites and us today the law was not a way to be saved, for they were already redeemed under God’s covenant it merely was a result of God’s love for them wanting the best relationship possible and serving to set them apart with righteous living as his redeemed people. The Law also