Wasn't the Law nailed to the Tree? Col 2:14

While we're here in the book of Colossians let's take a look at another often times misunderstood passage,

Col 2:14: Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

What are the "ordinancesthat were against us"? I'd like to take a moment here to explain something that some people may not be aware of. In the Torah there are, commandments, statutes, and ordinances (Deut 8:11).

A "commandment' is a law such as "thou shall not" or "thou shall" do a certain thing.

A "statute" is a condition pertaining to that 'commandment' in how it is to be observe.

and the 'ordinance' is the "judgment" in the event that commandment "is not" obeyed.

Let's take for instance the 4th commandment, "keep holy the Sabbath Day," the 7th day of the week. (Exo 20:8) That would be the "commandment".

The statutespertaining to that commandment are,

1) we should not bake and/or boil any food on the Sabbath Day. The food should be prepared ahead of time, on the 6th day of the week. (Exo 16:23)

2) We should not 'kindle' or start a fire on the Sabbath Day (Exo 35:3)

3) We shouldn't do any work on the Sabbath Day, it is to be a day of rest. (Exo 20:10 )

4) We should not seek our own pleasure on the Sabbath Day. It's a 'sanctified day that belongs to Yahuweh (Isa 58:13-14)

Again, these 4 rulings dictating how to observe the Sabbath are called 'statutes.'

Ordinances

In the event that someone should violate one of these statutes governing the Sabbath Day, there are what's called "ordinances" or "judgments."

If the entire congregation, or a priest, or any individual, should 'unintentionally' violate one of the 'statutes' pertaining to the Sabbath Day then a sacrifice could be made that person or group of people could and would be forgiven for that sin (Lev 4:20,26,31,35; Num 15:29-30). That is the "ordinance" or "judgment" pertaining to someone 'unintentionally' violating of the Sabbath day.

If someone "intentionally" violated the Sabbath day, by working when they shouldn't have, or 'baking or boiling' on the Sabbath day, or kindling a fire on the Sabbath day, the "ordinance" or "judgment" for such an act was "death." and there wasn't anything, "according to the Torah" that a person could do to change that. (Exo 31:14-16; Num 15:32-36)

And that is one of the "ordinances against us" that the Messiah died for. He did not die to do away with His Father's Law, he died for the "ordinances, or judgments, that were against us," because we violated that Law.

In other words the Messiah died to redeem us from the 'curse' of the Law, the 'ordinances that were against us,' NOT from the Law itself.

Gal 3:13 Messiah has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree:

You can read of many other 'curses' in Deut 28:14-61, and keep in mind as you read them,

"the Almighty did not change His mind"