These chapters are in the thick of what we think of when we think of the Law. Admittedly they don’t offer the most devotional reading, but let us understand what their significance is. Obviously, no law can cover every instance. Further, God doesn’t intend that His law be nothing more than items on a checklist that we can check off and consider our relationship good. Does that speak of devotion, of love, to you? If you need help answering that question, think about how you would like for your dearest love relationships to boil down to a checklist for your loved ones to follow. When they have all the items on the list done, they expect you to be satisfied; would you be?
The requirements in the Law gave principles by which God’s people would know how to please Him. In the Old Testament these were required by the covenant Israel had with God. Jesus came to fulfill the Law, and the New Testament teaches that we are no longer under the Law. However, if we love God we will want to please Him. If we love Him we will actively seek to please Him. We will want to understand the principles God puts before us in these requirements, and what that shows us about how we can better please Him. Think about what each requirement means, what it reveals of God’s heart, and how that principle applies to you today.