"Earning God's favor by following the Law" in the Old Testament [THREAD]

As someone who grew up in mainly Evangelical Protestant circles, I regularly heard how Christians depend on God's grace, in contrast to how the people of God in the Old Testament had to "earn" favor with God. 2/10

The logic was that following the Law -- maybe better translated as Instruction -- would earn righteousness for the people. However, I was told, they could not achieve this because we now know through Jesus that everything from God must be gift. 3/10

Apart from the potentially dangerous anti-Semitic implications, I think there are other issues with this oversimplified reading of the situation. 4/10

The so-called Ten Commandments provide a good example. These words have been used in multiple places at various times. They are often treated as if they make up an objective moral code, maybe even an "entrance exam" for community belonging. 5/10

Some might say here, "The Ten Commandments were what the people had to follow to earn God's favor. But they weren't capable." 6/10

But what is often lost in those conversations is this: those words, the Ten Commandments, are part of a story. In fact, verse 1 of Exodus 20 says, "I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt . . ." before it goes into the Ten Commandments. 7/10

The Ten Commandments came AFTER God had rescued the people from Egypt. First, God delivered them. Then, God gave them the "Law," the Instruction. 8/10

The logic is the exact opposite of what some assume. It's not that the people had to earn God's favor by following the Law. God favored the people, and that's why God gave them the Law. Following the Law was seen as response to God's favor, not means of earning it. 9/10

This has implications for how readers might understand the Law. It also has implications for how Christians might understand the commands of Christ. But those two matters are topics for another day. 10/10