Old Testament Law

We cannot deny that the New Testament seems to reduce the number of capital offenses. By comparison the Old Testament seems radically severe. What we fail to remember, however, is that the Old Testament list represents a massive reduction in capital crimes from the original list. The Old Testament code represents a bending over backwards of divine patience and forbearance. The Old Testament law is one of astonishing grace.
Astonishing grace? I will say it again. The Old Testament list of capital crimes represents a massive reduction of the original list. It is an astonishing measure of grace. The Old Testament record is chiefly a record of the grace of God.
How so? To make sense out of my strange words we must go back to the beginning, to the original rules of the universe. What was the penalty for sin in the original created order? "The soul that sins shall die." In creation all sin is deemed worthy of death. Every sin is a capital offense.
RC Sproul, The Holiness of God, p.148-149