By
Pastor Scott Denham of Harvest Fellowship,
Clarinda
Herald Journal Publication Date : 07/18/2007
“After my brother’s death, his
Christian widow believes God wants her to marry my other brother, according to
Old Testament law—does this still apply today?”
There is no denying, that under Old
Testament law, the next-oldest brother was to marry the older brother's widow
(Deut 25:5). In those times, widows lost their means of provision—laws governing
their remarriage helped keep them from poverty.
The bigger question is; "To
what degree are New Testament Christians under Old Testament law?" If we
are still under that Testament (covenant) then Christians are forbidden from
eating pork, wearing clothing with blended fibers, and must keep the feast
days, ritual washings, blood sacrifices, stoning laws, sabbatical laws... and
on, and on--over 680 laws regulating, rituals, government, and morality.
However, Jesus "fulfilled"
the laws of the Old Testament (Luke 24:44) by taking the sins of the world upon
himself, dying on the cross, and therefore ending the sacrificial system for
those who believe, and providing a lasting forgiveness and means of
reconciliation with God through a new covenant.
The Old Testament covenant is called
"The Law," and is mentioned more than 20 times in the book of
Galatians, teaching the Christian that; "man is not justified by observing
the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ" (2:16), that The Law cannot bring a
person into "right-standing" with God (2:21), nor offer any promise
of eternal life (3:21). Rather, The Law exposes our sin, and "lead us to
Christ" (3:24). "Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the
supervision of the law" (3:25).
Therefore, the Christian is no
longer under The Law of the Old Testament, but is to live under the New
Testament—a faith-based covenant with God. This new covenant is summed up in
The Great Commandment—to love God with our entire being, and to love our
neighbor as ourselves (Matt 22:37-40). A covenant of love, not Law.
That's the long way around saying
that your brother is under no obligation to marry his brother's widow, however,
the love of Christ in us, should lead us to seek the highest good and
well-being of this widow. If this widow persists in her demands, a gentle
reminder, that to adhere to The Law, requires obedience to the entire Law (Gal
5:3)—that is more than 680 commands—then she just might change her tune.
--Pastor Scott (www.askpastorscott.com)