Chapter 13 – Nailed to the Cross
Ancient Roman Soldiers employed various methods of torture and execution such as leather peeling and Damnatio ad bestias (throwing people into lion’s den). Leather peeling was whereby hot water would be poured upon the skin of the victim and what followed afterwards was the ripping of the skin using a knife. Another popular method of execution was crucifixion where the victim was nailed or tied to a large wooden beam. Before being crucified, the victim was heavily scourged and would lose a lot of blood. Afterwards he would be forced to carry the very heavy beam (cross) to his place of execution where he would be nailed to the beams. Death was not instant, it would take several hours or even days till the victim dies due to exhaustion, suffocation, dehydration, or bleeding as a result of injuries. In the war between evil and good, Jesus Christ was executed through crucifixion. When Jesus was crucified something else was crucified together with him. In this chapter we shall learn about what was nailed together with Christ on the cross.
Nailed at the cross
Some Christians believe that the law of God was nailed at the cross, meaning it ended at the death of Jesus. This they say based on Colossians 2:14-17 and they are correct. There is a law which was nailed at the cross and we need not observe it anymore. However, we have to be clear as to which law is this as Jesus Himself said He didn’t come to destroy the law but to fulfil it (Matthew 5:17). If Jesus didn’t come to destroy the law then which law is it that was nailed to the cross? In our previous chapter, we considered the purpose of the commandments of God and the fact that Satan fights those who keep them (Revelation 12:17). Certainly, the devil cannot make war against you for keeping a law which was repealed, he can only fight you for keeping a law which God requires you to keep. In this chapter, we want to consider which law exactly was nailed at the cross and which one is still effective. Though I might use the word law in the singular it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm referring to a single law but I relate to a set of laws which can be grouped together.
“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man, therefore, judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” Colossians 2:14-17 [KJV]
From the preceding scriptures, we can establish that there is something written which had ordinances (rules) which were contrary to us and was wiped out and nailed at the cross. Therefore, let us seek to establish what exactly is this scripture referring to.
Two Types of Laws
When the word law is used in the Bible, it doesn’t mean that in all instances it is referring to a single set of laws. There are different laws in the Bible, just like in your home you might have your own laws which govern your family, the local government (municipality) has its own by-laws which govern the city, and the country as a whole has a constitution.
So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments that you might observe them in the land which you cross over to possess. Deuteronomy 4:13-14
The preceding scripture makes us aware of the two different sets of laws. The first one being the Ten Commandments (Decalogue) which were written by God on two tablets of stone. The second set being statutes and judgments which Moses here is saying he was commanded by the Lord to teach the people. The Decalogue was declared by The Lord Himself, whereas the statutes and judgements were taught the people by Moses.
Another scripture which confirms that there are two sets of laws is 2 Kings 21:8 which reads; “and I will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their fathers--only if they are careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that My servant Moses commanded them." There are laws which The Lord commanded and there are other laws which the servant of the Lord Moses commanded, these are two distinct sets of law.
Let us consider another scripture also:
Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. Daniel 9:11
This is Daniel praying and in his prayer, he says all Israel transgressed YOUR LAW (referring to the Law of God whom he is offering his prayer to), and he also goes on to say by the reason of that transgression they are now suffering from the curse which is written in the LAW OF MOSES the servant of God.
We have established our foundation so far that The Lord has laws which He gave and Moses also has laws which he gave. Now let’s go a step further in trying to identify these two laws.
The law on stone
The Decalogue – that is the Ten Commandments - were written by the finger of God Himself. Exodus 31:18 reads “And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.”
It was not Moses who wrote these commandments, though he was a prophet of God and an able writer, he was not given the task to write the Decalogue lest some people could have argued that these laws were not from God but Moses. For the avoidance of doubt, God wrote them Himself on two tablets of stone. Even Exodus 32:16 tells us that the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.
Moses came down from the mountain where he had received the two tablets with the Decalogue and made his way into the camp. He then saw the children of Israel dancing as they worshipped the golden calf which Aaron had made at their request. Moses became angry and threw down the tablets of the commandments out of his hands and they broke (Exodus 32:19). The stones which had the Decalogue were now in pieces. Later on, God instructed Moses to make some new tablets of stone, just like the first pair he had broken.
At that time the LORD said to me, "Hew for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to Me on the mountain and make yourself an ark of wood. And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke; and you shall put them in the ark.' "So I made an ark of acacia wood, hewed two tablets of stone like the first, and went up the mountain, having the two tablets in my hand. And He wrote on the tablets according to the first writing, the Ten Commandments, which the LORD had spoken to you in the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly; and the LORD gave them to me. Then I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark which I had made; and there they are, just as the LORD commanded me." Deuteronomy 10:1-5
After making the new tablets, Moses was supposed to hand them over to God, who was going to rewrite the commandments just as they were in the first place. God did not entrust Moses with the task of rewriting the laws, his duty was only to make ‘blank’ tablets and God did the rewriting. The Lord could have told Moses to rewrite the laws since his memory was still fresh with what God had commanded, but had that happened, some back then or today might have accused Moses of adding to or subtracting from the Ten Commandments. So again, for the avoidance of doubt and to make no room for errors, God rewrote the Decalogue Himself. You see, God entrusted many people with His word to write it on His behalf, the various authors of the Bible were assigned by God with His Holy word to write it down, but the penning of the Ten Commandments on the tablets of stone was not assigned to any human being but God did the work by Himself.
After God Had rewritten the law on the tablets of stone, He told Moses to put them in the ark of the covenant and the prophet did as he was instructed (Deuteronomy 10:2,5). Take note these tablets where placed INSIDE the ark and not outside. After Moses had died and many years later in the days of King Solomon at the dedication of the Temple, we are again told about these tablets of stone which had the law. 1 Kings 8:9 reads; “Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt.” This scripture confirms the positioning of these tablets of stone to be INSIDE the ark. This is a crucial point which we must remember.
In summary, the Ten Commandments were written by God Himself on two tablets of stone and where placed in the ark of the covenant.
The Law in a Book
So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book when they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying: "Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there as a witness against you; Deuteronomy 31:24-26
The preceding passage of scripture points us to a different set of laws which the Bible is saying was written by Moses (not by God). Unlike the Decalogue which was written on tablets of stone, these laws where written in a book. The Ten Commandments were placed INSIDE the ark but this book of the law was placed BESIDE the ark.
The Lord said that this book of law served the purpose of being a witness AGAINST the people.
This book of the law, among other things, gave instructions with regards to the Jewish feasts and ceremonies (read Nehemiah 8:1-18; Deuteronomy 31:9-13).
Handwriting of ordinances
Colossians 2:14 tells us that there is a handwriting of ordinances which was blotted out. Firstly, we need to establish what are ordinances. The word ordinance is first mentioned in the New Kings James Version (NKJV) Bible in the book of Exodus specifically in the 12th chapter. In that chapter it is used 4 times on verses 14; 17; 24 & 43. Let’s consider all these verses in the next four passages.
Exodus 12:14 So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ORDINANCE.
Exodus 12:17 So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ORDINANCE.
Exodus 12:24 And you shall observe this thing as an ORDINANCE for you and your sons forever.
Exodus 12:43 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the ORDINANCE of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it.
In all these preceding verses the word ordinance is used to refer to two feasts that are the Passover and the feast of the unleavened bread. These feasts were introduced when the Israelites where are about to leave Egypt, they did not exist before that and they are not part of the Ten Commandments.
If we are to read Luke 1:6, it gives an account of Zacharias and Elizabeth the parents of John the Baptist who obeyed the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. The verse suggests a distinction between commandments and ordinances.
And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. Luke 1:6
If commandments and ordinances were the same, they could have been lumped up in one word, but the fact that they are mentioned separately by Luke, suggests that they refer to two different things.
The Bible does not refer to the Decalogue as ordinances.
That was against us
The scripture (Colossians 2:14) says the handwriting of ordinances which was blotted out was against us. Now let us consider what the statement ‘that was against us’ really means.
When something is against people it means that it is not in favour of them but it is hostile. Can this be said about the Ten Commandments? If one commandment says you shall not steal, how is this against you when in fact if this law is obeyed it will protect your property from being stolen and also no one will go to jail for stealing since everyone obeys the law. Therefore, this law is not against us but it is there to protect us. When you see a marriage breaking down because on infidelity you will appreciate that when the commandment number seven says you shall not commit adultery, that law was not against us but it is there to protect us from all the negative things which come with adultery.
When Moses had finished writing the book of the law, The Lord told him that the book was going to be a witness against them.
"Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there as a witness AGAINST you; Deuteronomy 31:26.
So there it is, the contents of the book of the law which Moses had written were against the people. It was against us in the sense that it contained curses which would come upon those who broke those laws.
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "CURSED is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the BOOK OF THE LAW, to do them." Galatians 3:10
As Apostle Paul is making it clear in the preceding scripture, there were curses for those who did not follow