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Although the Ten Commandments have been the center of much recent controversy in American politics, scripture contains many laws about which Christians are perplexed. If the Bible contains laws, shouldn't those laws be followed? What does the law that prohibits reaping a harvest to the very edges of your field mean in modern times? Or, what about God's prohibition, in Leviticus, not to round off the hair on your temples or to mar the edges of your beard? The Decalogue and the Holiness Code in Leviticus contain guidelines to ethical behavior that originally helped to shape a covenant community and still have meaning for us today.
In the newest addition to the Conversations with Scripture series, Kevin Wilson offers fresh insights into the meaning of the Law for today. In chapters that explore the Law in Exodus and Leviticus, Wilson examines the historical and cultural contexts of these legal codes. He discusses rituals such as sacrifice and rituals related to purification from defilement. Wilson demonstrates the ways in which the temple priests used many of these laws as their own code of purity and their own method of enforcing purity in the covenant community.
As with other books in the series, Wilson's book features definitions and sidebars in each chapter on particular topics, as well as study questions.
"Kevin Wilson's introductory exposition of biblical Law is a must read. Unusually wide-ranging and broadly informative for a book of its size, it is jam-packed with information about the Torah's commandments, sacrifices, rituals, and theology. Wilson works hard to explain clearly how we hear God's Word today in these texts of the Law. He shows us how we can access the Law's power to form the people of God. He moves us away from outdated approaches, giving us instead a vision of the Law as the foundation of the faith community and a crucible of patterns of life that lead to true freedom and spiritual growth. God's Torah speaks loud and clear today, according to Wilson, giving us life-patterns that form and inform us as the people of God." --Stephen L. Cook, Department of Old Testament, Virginia Theological Seminary
"Fresh insights into the meaning of the Law-and how Exodus and Leviticus provide guidelines for ethical behavior that helped shape a covenant community."-Diocesan Dialogue, September 2006
"This addition to the series breaks new ground. This is a gem for adult education."-The Living Church, November 2006
