“Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father.’”
—John 14:9

Reflection

One of the purposes of the Law was to reveal God’s nature.

When God appeared before Israel at Mount Sinai, He came in awesome, terrifying glory. There was fire, smoke, dark clouds, thunder, lightning, the sound of trumpets, and even the mountain itself shook violently. The people trembled and stood at a distance.

But God’s revelation to the Jewish people was not just a one-time physical event. God revealed Himself more by giving His people the Law, which was an expression of His very nature. The Lord did not give the Jewish people just regulations, rituals, and commandments. He gave them a picture of who He is.

Many of us today read the passages of the Torah that convey the Law and feel overwhelmed by their extraordinary details. But if that is all we get out of our reading, we are missing the point. Throughout the Law we find multiple revelations of God’s heart, not just dry regulations.

We get a clearer picture of who God is the more we examine the details of the Law and what is behind those details. Within the Law, God revealed His holiness, His love, His forgiveness, His justice, His generosity to both Jew and Gentile, and His compassion and concern for the poor and oppressed. The Law was not just hard rules but part of God’s self-revelation.

We must also remember that God first drew the Israelites into relationship with Him, and out of that relationship came the Law. He first showed His compassion, mercy, provision, safety, love, forgiveness, and grace when He delivered them out of slavery and bondage. The Law was given as an expression of His relationship with His people.

In short, the Law revealed more of God.

When Jesus came, He took this revelation to a whole new level. Because of Jesus, people could now see God up close and personal. Yeshua gave us a fuller image of God and revealed more of His nature.

“He who has seen Me has seen the Father,” Jesus said.

By looking at Yeshua, living, breathing, and speaking before them, His followers were seeing God revealed in the flesh. Jesus fulfilled one of the purposes of the Law: to reveal God.

Application

• When you read the Torah, look beyond the regulations and ask what they reveal about God’s holiness, love, justice, mercy, and compassion.
• Look to Yeshua to know the Father more fully, because in Him God’s nature is revealed up close and personal.

Prayer

Father, open my eyes to see Your heart in everything You have revealed in Your Word. Help me not to see Your Law as dry rules, but as an expression of Your holiness, love, justice, mercy, and compassion. Thank You for drawing Your people into relationship with You and revealing more of Yourself through Your Word. Help me see You more clearly as I look to Yeshua. Let my knowledge of Your truth lead me into a deeper knowledge of who You are. Amen.