Page 71 - Laying Down the Law

II Corinthians 3:7-9
But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious,
so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses
because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how
will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

We read that when Moses descended the mountain with the tablets of the Law,
he commanded the Levites to slay their brethren and 3,000 fell on that day. Later,
Moses commanded those who had transgressed by sinning in the matter of Baal of
Peor to be hung. Over and over we see Moses carrying out the Law, slaying men, for
the wages of sin is death. The Law could not deliver men from their slavery to sin. It
could only carry out the judgment for sin.
Moses, like the Law, retained his strength until the end. In truth, the very last
act of the Law was to put the Son of God to death. What incredible strength was in the
Law.

Hebrews 2:2
For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every
transgression and disobedience received a just penalty...

Christ did not die for His own sins. He took mankind’s sin upon Himself. The
Law effectually slew all men when Christ hung on the cross, for He died in our place.
Until the very end, the Law retained its power. When its last act was accomplished,
having slain every man, Christ removed the Law, putting it away.

Colossians 2:13-14
When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your
flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our
transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees
against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having
nailed it to the cross.

There is further significance in the fact that Moses was buried, not in Israel, but
in Moab. We read: “He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but
to this day no one knows where his grave is.”
Moab was outside the land of Canaan. Yahweh did not give the Israelites any
portion that belonged to Moab.

Deuteronomy 2:9
Then Yahweh said to me, “Do not harass Moab, nor contend with them in
battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession.”