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Keeping the Law


inquiry

Desecration of laws
When David ate the bread which was meant for the priests, he violated
the ceremonial law in his day. Was he punished for that?

When Jesus spoke about him in the new testament, and pointed out that
as David did so, there is a hierarchy of laws, where one law can
precede the other. But what if people use this as the basis for
irrational acts, like in a similar way, anyone who is hungry today,
can just take whatever food there is to eat, and offer the reason that
just as David did, I need nourishment too, and therefore, justifies
their acts as good, and not violating and law. How would you answer
these 2 questions?

response

No, David was not punished for violating the ceremonial law because he
understood the basic principle that Jesus made clear in the New Testament
which is summed up in the statement that the Sabbath was made for man, not
man for the Sabbath. You may say that Jesus and the New Testament came after
David, however, the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Christ) indwelt David and
guided him accordingly.

Regarding the second part of your question, what you are asking is the whole
difference between legalistic religion and authentic Christianity. What most
people will say is that "everything is bad or you can't do it unless the
Bible says its good or okay to do." However, authentic Christianity says
that "everything is good, unless the Spirit of God who indwells you, lets
you know it is not good."

If a person understands this difference it will radically alter their
lifestyle. The first way is one of legalistic bondage where one is worried
about their every action and whether it is sinful or not. The second way,
the way Adam lived intially before the Fall and that Jesus Christ lived and
has now restored mankind to by faith in His death, resurrection and life is
what is available  to us as we understand the magnitude of what Christ has
done on our behalf. As we live this way the Law is now fulfilled in us as we
walk according to the Spirit (Rom 8:4) and we therefore do not need to be
worried about the irrational acts your question raises - which is the
freedom the New Covenant has to offer versus the bondage of the Old
Covenant.

Best wishes,