Lesser Laws, Higher Laws

A look at the laws of God shows that all his laws constitute the terms of covenants he made somewhere with someone. God’s covenants are twofold in nature: Breaking their laws brings covenant curses—misfortunes or ill effects that are a consequence of doing evil. Keeping their laws brings covenant blessings—good fortune or the benefits of living in harmony with God.

As different spiritual levels exist of God’s children, so, in order to accommodate them all, God’s covenants are higher and lower. The Sinai Covenant, for example—God’s collective covenant with his people Israel—forms a conditional covenant on the most basic spiritual level. As no covenant God makes is temporary, the Sinai Covenant still operates with his people to this day.

Like the Sinai Covenant, all of God’s covenants start out being conditional—meaning that their blessings depend on a person’s or people’s keeping their laws. Covenants turn unconditional or “everlasting” after a person or people pass every test from God on their spiritual level. At that point, if they choose, their challenge is to covenant with him on the next highest spiritual level.

On a basic level in today’s materialistic society, it is thus a higher law to abstain from alcohol and tobacco than to indulge in them; to improve on one’s time rather than watch TV; to enhance family relationships than attend sports events, etc. As what one spends time and resources on constitutes worship (‘avodah), many lesser “laws” or practices are idolatrous in nature.

Instead of engaging in frivolous activities, on the other hand, covenanting with God under the terms of the Davidic Covenant gets you started on the path to becoming his elect. Keeping God’s laws on that spiritual level—by serving as proxy saviors of others, beginning with your family—involves purifying your life of every idolatrous addiction and becoming a saint.

Paradoxically, however—as when commanded personally of God—in rare instances a lesser law or practice may constitutes a higher law, as when Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac or when Nephi slew Laban. Yet, under no circumstance do God’s laws operate according to a person’s own predilections—as with Satan, who wanted to “save” humanity his own way.