This is from the out of print book The Law of the Covenant: An Exposition of Exodus 21-23 by James B. Jordan.
Hebrew law is public and addressed to all. Increasingly in our modern world, law has become a complicated, esoteric matter which can be understood only by lawyers. This is a trend away from Hebrew-Christian law, which is simple and public. In the ancient world, both cultic and judicial laws were often hidden from the people, but in Israel the law was to be read to everyone, every seven years (Deuteronomy 31:10-13). Moreover, since the law is addressed to everybody, not just to rulers and Priests (indeed, Israel was a “nation of priests”), ” everyone is held personally responsible for the observance of the law. This leads, in turn, to the concept of individual and joint responsibility. No longer is it the sole concern of the leader of the community ( e g, the king in Mesopotamia) to maintain justice and to protect the rights of his community. This responsibility is now shared by every member of the society…” [M. Shalom Paul, studies in the book of the Covenant in the light of cuneiform and Biblical Law. Supplements so Vetus Testamentum XVIII (Leiden: E. J. Brill), p. 38].
Because God’s law is publicly addressed to everyone, it has a strongly pedagogical (teaching) function. Thus… Israelite law differs from heathen law and that it has motivations included in it…
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