How to Prioritize Biblical Instructions

As unrealistic as it is, modern readers often have the impression that God expected every Israelite to memorize all the laws and teachings of the Bible from Genesis to Malachi and then to be ready to put these instructions into effect in a moment’s notice. But the list of regulations in the Old Testament was far too long for anyone to remember them all, much less obey them all. And to deal with this challenge, Rabbis in Israel tried to discern the priorities of Old Testament instructions.

In Matthew 22:36, attempts to prioritize Old Testament teachings led an expert in the Law to ask Jesus this question:

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?

Jesus replied in verses 37-40:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. (Matthew 22:37-40)

In this well-known scene, Jesus identified the command to “Love the Lord your God” from Deuteronomy 6:5 as the law of the highest order. And without being asked, he immediately added the second greatest commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself” from Leviticus 19:18. From his point of view, these two commandments had priority over every other biblical instruction.

Jesus put these two commandments together because they share a common focus. They both speak of love. Above all, we are to love God and love our neighbor. So, it’s no wonder that Jesus gave these commandments priority over all others. They deal with the deepest issues of the heart — the attitudes, commitments, motivations and goals that God expects of his people.

Not only did Jesus identify the two greatest commandments in Matthew 22, but in Matthew 5:19, he also taught his followers to observe what he called the “least” of the commands. Listen to what he said there:

Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.

This verse and other passages make it clear that Jesus’ followers were to observe all of the commandments, from the least to the greatest.

In addition to this, in Matthew 23:23 Jesus also acknowledged a range of instructions between the greatest and the least when he rebuked the Pharisees:

You hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices … But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

Notice that Jesus referred to “justice, mercy and faithfulness” as “the more important matters of the law,” and he contrasted them with the lesser issues of giving “a tenth of your spices.” Once again, he indicated that his followers were to observe all Old Testament commands, but that they had to keep the right priorities in mind.

It helps to visualize Jesus’ outlook on God’s instructions in the Old Testament in the form of a mobile. At the top of the mobile you would have the universal principles, the two greatest commandments: “Love the Lord your God” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” We’re told that “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two.”

Beneath these hang additional principles that indicate how the greatest commandments are to be observed. These include the many general guidelines found in the Old Testament like the Ten Commandments and principles like justice, mercy and faithfulness.

Beneath these broad principles hang the “least of these commandments.” These are the relatively specific instructions in the Old Testament that indicate how different people in certain circumstances are to observe the higher commands. For instance, the instructions for worship in Leviticus, the directives of the Psalms, and many instructions found in wisdom books, such as Job and Proverbs, and prophetic books like Isaiah and Ezekiel.

At the bottom of the mobile, are numerous historical examples that appear most often in Old Testament narratives and in the Psalms and wisdom books as well. These passages focus on the ways particular men and women either obeyed or disobeyed the commands of God in their specific circumstances.

This hierarchical arrangement helps us understand many facets of how Jesus wanted his disciples to deal with the full range of instructions that appear in the Old Testament.