Which parts of the Old Testament should we keep? source
Apostle Paul agrees with your overall assessment of God's law:
"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, 'You shall not covet.' . . . Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good." (Romans 7:7,12, NKJV)
There are three parts of the Law of God:
The spiritual law, codified in the Ten Commandments, which tell a person how to conduct their spiritual lives and which also teach us how to deal with our fellow man.
The "civic" or government laws that dealt with the running of civil society with God as the head of that society and literally dwelling with the children of Israel .
The Levitical or ceremonial laws that included all the animal sacrifices and other ceremonies associated with the Levitical priests.
The spiritual laws abide forever.
Since we do not live under a civil government headed by God, we cannot strictly enforce the civil parts of the Law, although the judical systems of many countries contain (at least in principle) parts of God's law. As for the Levitical laws, Paul explains in Hebrews chapters 7 though 10 that we have had a change of priests under the New Covenant. This change does away with all human priests and recognizes only Jesus as our High Priest:
"For the priesthood BEING CHANGED, of necessity there is also a change of the law. For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar.
"For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.
"Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
"For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.
"But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." (Hebrews 7:12-16, 23-28, 10:12-14, NKJV)
Paul directly answers your question about whether we should keep other parts of the law such as sacrifices and sin offerings:
"For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law." (Hebrews 7:12, NIV)
We are not obliged to keep any of the law associated with the Levitical priesthood such as the the ceremonial law.
Their interpretation is off. You will find verses describing literal animal sacrifices to be made, even when Jesus comes back.
◘ First and foremost, Jesus himself said he would eat the passover meal again (passover—an Old Testament, "ceremonial law", feast day observance—requires sacrifice):
Luke 22:14-16 (NIV)
14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
Jesus looked forward to the passover meal with his disciples because it was going to be a while before he ate it again. Yet he WILL eat it again. It's not the "passover seder" you see Jews doing nowadays (due to their lack of temple, and thus lack of temple sacrifices).
side note:
despite some groups today (who consider themselves to be operating under "Judaism" i.e. the Samaritans) who, to this day, continue to sacrifice on Mt. Gerizim, the fact of the matter is that no obedient worshiper of YHWH will sacrifice outside of Jerusalem / outside of the appointed place, because YHWH commanded it so; the Samaritans, by sacrificing this way, are guilty of bloodshed according to God's law (even Jesus was sacrificed in Jerusalem). So, this isn't obedient at all.
Leviticus 17:3-4 (NIV)
3 Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox,[a] a lamb or a goat in the camp or outside of it 4 instead of bringing it to the entrance to the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord—that person shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; they have shed blood and must be cut off from their people.
Footnotes:
a. Leviticus 17:3 The Hebrew word can refer to either male or female.
As further evidence of this, when the Israelites were exiled into foreign countries in the past, YHWH said any sacrifices made, while they were in those foreign places, would be unclean (if they tried to make sacrifices), and would be only for themselves. I would say God almost mocked them by asking them what they will do when the date rolled around i.e. Hosea 9:3-5).
Hosea 9:3-5 (NIV)
3 They will not remain in the Lord’s land; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in Assyria. 4 They will not pour out wine offerings to the Lord, nor will their sacrifices please him. Such sacrifices will be to them like the bread of mourners; all who eat them will be unclean. This food will be for themselves; it will not come into the temple of the Lord.
5 What will you do on the day of your appointed festivals, on the feast days of the Lord?
...and thus, YHWH's threat to end their feasts in Hosea 2:11 (I will stop all her celebrations: her yearly festivals, her New Moons, her Sabbath days—all her appointed festivals). They couldn't observe certain festivals while in exile: they're living in a foreign society and there is no temple, no appointed place to sacrifice, and not just "any" place, but "the" place). We can observe Exodus 20:8-11 and 16:26 literally, but we can't observe Numbers 28:9-10 literally (because there is no temple).
Can:
Exodus 16:26 (NIV)
26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”
Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV)
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Cannot (yet):
Numbers 28:9-10 (NIV)
9 “‘On the Sabbath day, make an offering of two lambs a year old without defect, together with its drink offering and a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah[a] of the finest flour mixed with olive oil. 10 This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
/end side note
That said, other verses which suggest sacrifices will continue in the future (in a way YHWH actually views as obedient):
◘ the Old Testament prophets:
- The prophet Zechariah (I'll quote the verses after God gathers all nations to loot Jerusalem):
Zechariah 14:9-21 (NIV)
9 The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.
10 The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up high from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses, and will remain in its place. 11 It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure.
12 This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. 13 On that day people will be stricken by the Lord with great panic. They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another. 14 Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected—great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. 15 A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.
16 Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain. 18 If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord[a] will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.
20 On that day holy to the Lord will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. 21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite[b] in the house of the Lord Almighty.
Footnotes:
a. Zechariah 14:18 Or part, then the Lord b. Zechariah 14:21 Or merchant
- The prophet Ezekiel describes the temple in the future as well. I would recommend reading chapters 40-44 in their entirety so you get the full context (that this is off in the future). For comparison: it's near the Gog and Magog war, prophesied to happen at end times, as described in Ezekiel 38-39; the war is prophesied by the apostle John in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 20:7-10) too.
To quote a bit from Ezekiel, so you see this is a literal, physical building and not a reference to the spiritual "temple" (collective body of believers):
Ezekiel 40:42 (NIV)
42 There were also four tables of dressed stone for the burnt offerings, each a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half wide and a cubit high.[a] On them were placed the utensils for slaughtering the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices.
Footnotes:
a. Ezekiel 40:42 That is, about 2 2/3 feet long and wide and 21 inches high or about 80 centimeters long and wide and 53 centimeters high
Ezekiel 40:46 (NIV)
46 and the room facing north is for the priests who guard the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who are the only Levites who may draw near to the Lord to minister before him.”
- Even the apostle John made a distinction between temple and worshipers at the end times when it was being measured:
Revelation 11:1-2 (NIV)
1 I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. 2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.
And as I hinted at earlier by quoting Zechariah 14, though we may not be in Jerusalem now, other Old Testament prophecy suggests people will be making trips there, if not permanently moving there, in the future:
Micah 4:2 (NIV)
2 Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Zechariah 8:23 (NIV)
23 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’”
Isaiah 60:7 (NIV)
7 All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth will serve you; they will be accepted as offerings on my altar, and I will adorn my glorious temple.
Isaiah 66:22-24 (NIV)
22 “As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure. 23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,” says the Lord. 24 “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”
Ezekiel 47:22 (NIV)
22 You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners residing among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
...speaking of Eze 47:22, like I mentioned before, the Gentiles who lived in the midst of the Jews could and would participate in the feast days too:
Exodus 12:19 (NIV)
19 For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel.
Exodus 12:48-49 (NIV)
48 “A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat it. 49 The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you.”
Leviticus 16:29 (NIV)
29 “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves[a] and not do any work—whether native-born or a foreigner residing among you—
Footnotes:
a. Leviticus 16:29 Or must fast; also in verse 31
Leviticus 17:15 (NIV)
15 “‘Anyone, whether native-born or foreigner, who eats anything found dead or torn by wild animals must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be ceremonially unclean till evening; then they will be clean.
Leviticus 18:26 (NIV)
26 But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things,
Leviticus 19:34 (NIV)
34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 24:16 (NIV)
16 anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord is to be put to death. The entire assembly must stone them. Whether foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to death.
...so when the prophecies start suggesting that Gentiles NOT living in the midst of the Jews must come up to worship and observe feast days, that's a head's up: this is off in the future, not under the Old Covenant, but some time under the New one.
But until then, the reason we can't keep certain ceremonies (and the reason why even if we trekked over there right now we couldn't do it), is because there is no temple in Jerusalem.
(if you haven't read the side note I made earlier in this post, do so now; this statement will make much more sense with those verses in mind: we literally cannot keep certain commands outside of the appointed place; spiritual sacrifices like praise, prayer, and openly professing his name [Psalm 54:6;Psalm 141:2;Hebrews 13:15], sure; but not literal sacrifices that require the shedding of blood. They must be made in Jerusalem/the appointed place, period, if they will be done obediently).
Those verses and chapters will convince anyone that has actually read them (with an alert mind) to the fact that, "actually, no, the ceremonial laws have not been done away with". For one, their use is still off in the future. Second, those ceremonies do not speak "contrary" to us: even Gentiles participated in the past—and thus a clear indicator that mainstream interpretation of Paul's Colossians 2:14 is erroneous (an interpretation that tries to ascribe "the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross" to God's law and ceremonies): "the handwriting" that was against us is the handwritten curses, a paper priests would write curses on as part of the jealousy offering, described in Numbers 6:11-31, the priest writes it down in v. 23, all a part of the bitter drink that accompanies the jealousy offering).
When Jesus comes back to reign for 1000 years on earth, reigning from Jerusalem, he's not bringing a new plan of government alongwith him. His Father's government is it. Moses received it directly from God. It is perfect: his "civic" laws are the perfect balance of justice and mercy, even in the case of capital punishment; his government, which is perfect, becomes abusive when there are corrupt people in power. But Jesus and the saints will be reigning, judging people and angels (when the time comes to condemn, for now we warn them to repent).
1 Corinthians 6:3 (NIV)
3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!
Revelation 20:4-6 (NIV)
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They[a] had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
Footnotes:
Revelation 20:4 Or God; I also saw those who
People who hate God's laws are going to hate his reign (which includes sacrifices); Jesus is going to be eating his passover meal, even though those animals are atoning for no one; they never did really: we would just get "credit" until God prepared the body that would. (Nor did the Old Covenant ever promise to rid our inner-being of wanting to sin nor get rid of the feeling of guilt over our sin; that's why the New Covenant is better: better promises. New nature, clean conscience). Sacrifices for sin is over (Jesus was it). But sacrificing animals, in and of itself, is not over.
Hebrews 10:4 (NIV)
4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
