Did GOD give any Laws to people before Moses?

The law that was added because of sin can't be the same law that defines sin when broken.

Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”

That law written personally by God's own finger that no man has authority to change one jot or tittle Mat 5:18 is found in Exodus 20.

Sin separated man from God Isa 59:2, which is breaking His law the Ten Commandments- so it always existed. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they broke a lot of commandments.

The law is a generic term, the context determines which law. Not all laws are the same either....


Neh 9:13 “You came down also on Mount Sinai,
And spoke with them from heaven,
And gave them just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.

If we study the different laws and know once something is blessed and holy it can't be the law that is cursed or contrary. The scripture defines this for us but not everyone allows scripture to interpret scripture so get totally lost especially with Paul's writings because he often just says law and it could be the Ten Commandments, it could be the law of Moses the context explains it, but many never read around the one verse they use to try and prove their point. but end up missing God's meaning.

Whatever

The term "law" has been applied in Scripture as follows, depending on context:
1. The entire Tanakh (the whole OT)
2. The Torah (the first five books in the Bible, or the five books of Moses)
3. All the laws in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy
4. The Ten Commandments (generally used by Paul when speaking of "the Law".

I should also mention that Numbers has some laws within it. But it is primarily about numbering Israel and setting up the tabernacle.

"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:17

"For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2

"For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God." Galatians 2:19

You need to die. Then you will not be so obsessed with something that no longer applies to you.

None of those verses say we do not have to obey God's commandments. If Christ is in us, we would not be hostile to His law Rom 8:4-8. He gives us His Spirit so we can keep His commandments John 14:15-18. It amazes me why anyone would argue against obeying God's law, when it is holy, good and just.

This is one of the last verses in the bible before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ

Rev 22:14 14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

You might want to compare that to the next verse.

I do keep His commandments, but not as you believe then to be. I also depend on the Life of Christ within me to lead me and to live in a way that pleases God. You legalists miss the point of the New Covenant of grace entirely. The law is a shadow. The reality is in Christ. The law requires outward obedience. If you don't lie, don't slander, don't do the act of adultery etc, under the law you are OK. Jesus told the rich man that keeping the law was not enough. In your philosophy, it is enough.

Christians are led by the Spirit, not by the law. There is nothing wrong with the law, but it is obsolete. And it is now impossible to keep. There is no temple, no sacrifice and no Aaronic priesthood.

The rich man wasn't keeping God's law, he broke the very first commandment by placing his great riches over Jesus.

There is no scripture that says the Ten Commandments is a shadow, because its what we all will be judged by. James 2:10-12, Ecc 12:13-14, Mat 5:19-30, Rev 22:14-15 - How one comes up that we can worship other gods, vain His holy name, steal, covet or break the least of these as a shadow, despite Jesus telling us not to do that Mat 5:19-30 is always surprising, even if its a popular doctrine. God instead of deleting His law, wrote it in our hearts and minds in the New Covenant Heb 8:10 Jer 31:33 and Jesus taught when we keep our rules over obeying the commandments of God- quoting from the Ten our hearts are far from Him Mat 15:3-14 Mark 7:7-13- the opposite of the New Covenant- God law written in our hearts, keeping Him close.

If you consider being obedient to God is a legalist I guess Jesus is one too as He faithfully kept all of the commandments John 15:10 as it our example to follow. 1 John 2:6

Guess we will have to agree to disagree.

Jesus also came as a Jew, the lineage of Judah to fulfill the prophecy of David's Throne/Kingdom.
And He also """WORKED""" on the Sabbath. In John chapter 5 Jesus said on the SABBATH that His Father is working this very day so He (Jesus) is also working.

So if we are working for God we can work on the Sabbath.

And, if I may, “rest” is a state of life where we cease from our own work and, instead, do only the work of our Father. That life is lived every day since “we no longer live but Christ lives“ through us.

Jesus never broke the Sabbath- His work is not secular, just like work of the priest on the Sabbath was not a sin, because it was not secular. Just like preachers today who preach on the Sabbath, not a sin.

So follow the example of Jesus on the Sabbath, He was reading and teaching God's Word as His custom Luke 4:16

That means if I am preaching, teaching, doing things for God (not secular) I can do it on the Sabbath like Jesus did.

He also let His Disciples pick grain, which is secular work on the Sabbath.

It’s not a sin to eat on the Sabbath this is the legalistic perspective not what Jesus taught.

But they picked the grain which is secular work. They should had picked it on Friday morning by Law.

They ate grain because they were hungry. No different than picking a piece a fruit from a garden on the Sabbath and eating, it’s not a sin why Jesus held them blameless.

I live in the country surrounded by farmers who pay people to pick their crops. If I help they pay me. It is technically work.

They weren’t paid, they weren’t farming they were eating because they were hungry. Mat 12:1

So, there's many things we can do on the Sabbath besides rest. We can shop for food or go out to eat, or do the work of God, or feed my cattle, horses, dogs, have a picnic. Even though there's work involved, it can be done in order to eat or Do God's Work?

God’s law seems to predates Adam & Eve, it would have been necessary to define iniquity (I.e transgression of the law) before Satan tempted them:

[Gen 3:1-5 KJV] 1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

[Eze 28:11-19 KJV] 11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone [was] thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14 Thou [art] the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee [so]: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never [shalt] thou [be] any more.

[Eze 28:11-19 KJV] 11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone [was] thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14 Thou [art] the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee [so]: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never [shalt] thou [be] any more.