Messiah says in his Sermon on the Mount, ―Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matt 5:17).
Law written on the heart
It was always YHWH's intent to write the law on the hearts of his people. In Deut 6:6 we read: ―These
commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts‖. Jeremiah speaks of a day when this will
become a reality: ― ̳This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time‘, declares the
LORD‘. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my
people'" (Jer 31:33). The writing of the law on the heart is thus finally accomplished by the New Covenant.
Christians claim a right in the New Covenant by adoption through Y‘shua. They assume that they are then
automatically engrafted into the olive tree of Israel. Now we must ask: what is involved in this covenant?
What is involved in having the law written on our hearts? Is it just for show? Is Elohim just doing some
unusual exercise in calligraphy?
All indications are that the law is written on the mind and in the heart for a purpose. The divine intention is
that the law would be perfectly fulfilled in each individual life. The purpose is that YHWH's people should do
what the law says. James exhorts us: ―Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what
it says‖. (James 1:22). Clearly, those who only hear the law are deceived. Obviously, those who reject the
law are equally deceived.
The Father wills that our lives should be lawful, law-abiding and not lawless. However, we are living in an
exceedingly lawless age. Today, Christians, without knowing it, are being swept along with the tide of this
age and are becoming more and more lawless. Let us consider what it means to have the law written on the
heart.
Some examples of law on the heart:
For centuries, Christians have said that the Beatitudes are only an ideal and not reality. However, the
Beatitudes are reality. They are the marks and characteristics of YHWH's men and women. Let us consider a
few of them.
The poor in spirit have the law of humility written on their hearts. It is a lowly and humble spirit that the Father
prizes, rather than a spirit of pride and self-sufficiency. In that great passage of Micah 6:8, the prophet states:
―He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to
love mercy and to walk humbly with your God‖. It is strange that poverty in spirit would be listed first among
the graces. The philosophers and worldly wise men have not regarded it so. Y‘shua reckons the poor in spirit
as truly happy and blessed. They inherit the kingdom of heaven. In Jewish writings, the concept of "heaven"
is a standard substitute for "YHWH‖, in order that the sanctity of the divine name may be protected. Thus, the
poor in spirit ultimately inherit YHWH and the certainty of his presence forever.
The mourners have a sorrow at lawlessness written on their hearts. We must learn to cry at our own sins and
the sins and abominations of our lawless age. In Ezek 9:4, YHWH says to his messenger, ―...Go throughout
the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable
things that are done in it‖. In this case, the order was given to slay those who were not found mourning. We
also read this admonition in Scripture: ―The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of
fools is in the house of pleasure" (Eccl 7:4). Those who mourn have this comfort in Rev 21:4. At the end of
this lawless age, the Master himself will wipe away all the tears from their eyes.
The meek have submission written on their hearts. The meek have learned to be like their Master. Y‘shua
says in Matt 11:29-30: ―Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light‖. Meekness has often been
described as strength under control. Moses was called the meekest man on earth (Num 12:3). This must not
be confused with weakness. Moses in his righteousness indignation could fling the tablets of the law to the
ground and break them to pieces. For the meek, these gentle, lowly and God-led souls, we have this promise
in Psalms 37:11: ―But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace‖.
The merciful have kindness written on their hearts. In the Bible we see that mercy is the very name of
Yehovah, for he is ―...merciful and gracious..." (Exod 34:6). Elohim's original idea was that mercy be written
on the tablet of our hearts and that we wear it as a necklace (Prov 3:3). From Matt 23:23, we learn that
mercy is a "weightier matter" of the law. There are many pictures of mercy in the Old Covenant. In Deut 22:8,
the Israelites were instructed to make a parapet on the roof to avoid needless injury or death. This was an
added expense in building a house, but it was also a necessary act of mercy. The command to not boil a kid
in its mother's milk (Exod 23:19) and the sparing of the mother bird when the young are taken (Deut 22:6-7)
are obvious acts of mercy. Today, we see many supposedly wise people who shun mercy; but the Bible
informs us that the wisdom that comes from above is full of mercy (James 3:17).