I'd never thought about the law and grace in the way that my OT Survey textbook depicted them in relation to each other. While the extensivity (is that a word?) of this relationship would merit a much more in depth study than the excerpt below, I had never considered this specific point and context until the author presented it's possibility. I'm glad I found it so interesting because there was a question about it on the reading quiz. That aside, here's the snippet.
"We are used to drawing a sharp contrast between law and grace. This would have puzzled the ancient Israelite for whom there was hardly any greater display of God's grace than that demonstrated in his giving of the law. In the ancient Near East, gods were not known for their consistency. Worshipers were left to guess what might please their god or displease him, and this could change from day to day. That doubt and uncertainty led to a constant confusion, and one could only guess whether he or she was in favor or out of favor by evaluating one's daily fortune.
"The law changed all that for the Israelites. Their God had chosen to reveal himself and to tell them plainly what he expected of them...One result of this perspective is that in the Old Testament the Israelites are not heard complaining about the burdensomeness of the law. It was a great example of God's love for them that he would communicate to them in this way. They considered themselves fortunate to be able to know what God required of them. The law was viewed as a delight rather than drudgery, as freedom of revelation rather than fetters of restriction." (Hill 175)
While I doubt the author's ability to read the minds of the Israelites, it does seem like a plausible depiction of their regard for the law.
Hill, Andrew E., John H. Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament, 3rd edition, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 2009
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