The different commandments found in the Law of Moses can’t all be interpreted in the same way, and today’s passage illustrates that point with three examples. Because Verses 6 and 7 deal with our responsibility to protect the environment, they are universal in their application, needing no translation into different cultures or eras. This law makes clear that, although we are allowed to harvest wildlife from the land, we must take care to preserve the overall health of the ecosystem.

Verse 8 is quite different. It seems nonsensical to us, until we remember that the Israelites lived in a semi-arid area. As a result, houses were often constructed with flat roofs that served as living spaces, so having a fence of some kind around the roof prevented people from falling. We still have the same obligation to make our homes safe for our families and friends, but now we take different sorts of precautions: putting handrails on staircases or erecting fences around swimming pools. We take the general principle of the law – the need for safety in our homes – and translate it to fit our current cultural practices.

Verses 9-11 obviously have symbolic meaning – while trying to plow with two different kinds of animals might be difficult, there’s no practical reason to avoid wearing blended fabrics. These verses seem to point to the need for Israelites to separate themselves not only from sin but from the non-believing nations around them.

Since Christ has broken down the wall dividing Jew from Gentile (Ephesians 2:11-22), it would not be appropriate for Christians to apply these verses literally anymore. Instead, Paul explains in II Corinthians 6 that we should not be “unequally yoked” with unbelievers, so that we won’t be dragged into sinful practices. Instead, he encourages us to “cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God” (II Corinthians 7:1). As we follow Paul’s teaching we move past the Old Testament symbols, instead applying the spiritual principles to which they point.

So no, we can’t just throw out God’s Old Testament Law as somehow outdated or unnecessary. Instead, we have to try to figure out how it still holds meaning for us today, and put its principles into practice as best we can. That’s a great way of expressing our love for God with all our heart and strength and mind.

Deuteronomy 22:6-11 (NASB)

6 “If you happen to come upon a bird’s nest along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young;
7 you shall certainly let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, in order that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days.
8 “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone falls from it.
9 “You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest all the produce of the seed which you have sown, and the increase of the vineyard become defiled.
10 “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.
11 “You shall not wear a material mixed of wool and linen together.