What is
Mosaic Covenant?
Covenants
are a means that God graciously chose to relate Himself with man.
God
could execute His plan at proper times in the history of man without any
covenant.
He
is powerful to manage all events in this world from genesis to the
eschatological era according to His will and pleasure.
Still
God decided to enter into a covenant with His elected people, Abraham and his
descendents.
Thus
Yahweh stands alone, different from other gentile gods.
Yahweh
is the only God who has entered into a covenant with man.
Only
the descendents of Abraham enjoy a covenantal relationship with God.
And
He is faithful and powerful to fulfill the covenant.
There are 6 major
covenants in the Bible between God and man.
They are:
1.
Adamic covenant
2.
Noahaic Covenant
3.
Abrahamic Covenant
4.
Mosaic Covenant
5.
Davidic Covenant
6.
New Covenant or the Covenant of Jesus
Christ.
The Mosaic Covenant was the fourth covenant of
Yahweh.
The Mosaic Covenant is a conditional covenant made between God and the
nation of Israel at Mount Sinai as described in the book of Exodus chapter 19 to 24.
It is also called the Sinai
Covenant after the place where the covenant was made.
It is called Mosaic
Covenant since Moses was God’s chosen leader of Israel at that time.
The pattern of the covenant is very similar to
other ancient covenants of that time.
The covenant was made between a sovereign King,
Yahweh the Lord and his people or subjects, Israel.
This is a blood covenant.
On the other hand the Mosaic Covenant is a
bilateral agreement, which specifies the obligations of both parties to the
covenant.
At the time of the covenant, God reminded the
people of their obligation to be obedient to His law.
And the people agreed to the covenant.
Exodus 19 : 6 - 8
6
'And you shall be to Me a kingdom of
priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the
children of Israel."
7 So
Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all
these words which the LORD commanded him.
8 Then
all the people answered together and said, "All
that the LORD has spoken we will do." So Moses brought back
the words of the people to the LORD.
(NKJV)
By this covenant God announced the creation of
Israel, the nation.
The nation Israel came into being according to
this covenant.
Israel is the only nation that is formed by a
covenant between God and His people.
Primarily, it is a special covenant between God
and Israel as a nation.
The intention of God by entering into a covenant
with Israel as a nation is to set the nation apart from all other nations as
God’s chosen people.
In Mosaic Covenant God promised to make Israel “a
kingdom of priests and a holy nation”.
Israel was to be God’s light to the dark world
around them.
They were to be a separate and called-out nation
so that everyone around them would know that they worshiped Yahweh, the
covenant-keeping God.
The Mosaic Covenant was centered around God's
giving His divine law to Moses on Mount Sinai.
Mosaic Covenant differs significantly from the
Abrahamic Covenant and later Biblical covenants.
The Mosaic Covenant is a significant covenant in
both God’s redemptive history of man and in the history of the nation of
Israel.
Israel is the chosen servant nation through whom
God would bless the world with His written Word and the Living Word, Jesus
Christ.
Three
classes of the Law
The
Mosaic Law is divided into three classes.
1.
The first were those governing the moral life,
which would be the Ten Commandments.
This
instructed one on how to live righteously in relation to Yahweh and their
neighbor.
2.
The second were those governing the religious life.
It
was the Tabernacle, the sacrificial system, and the priesthood.
This
instructed one on how to enter the presence of a righteous and holy God.
It
also showed what was necessary to atone sin, having broken the moral code.
3.
The third class of laws included
those governing the civil life.
They
are also known as Judicial Law.
They
were the laws that dealt with civil law and the punishments given when one
violated these laws.
Study
Remember,
Mosaic covenant is the most complex covenant found in Scripture.
It
is surely a part of the redemptive plan of God.
All
revelations of redemption of mankind are progressively unfurled in the Bible.
Covenants
always are progressive revelations.
Later
covenants do not supersede previous revelation; rather, they help to reveal and
expand the earlier covenants more fully.
The
Mosaic covenant comes under the broader covenant of grace.
The
broader covenant is the Abrahamic Covenant.
The
Mosaic covenant further unfolds the Abrahamic covenant and both of these are
unfolded by the Davidic covenant.
The
new covenant displays the intent and purpose of these pacts most clearly
of all.
The Purpose of the Covenant
The
purpose of the Mosaic Law was not salvation.
In
particular, the exodus proves that the Mosaic covenant is rooted in the
covenant of grace.
God
is clear that nothing in the Israelites themselves moved Him to choose the
nation and deliver it from Egypt.
It
was a divine election out of His good pleasure and love.
The
same divine election is the only explanation for choosing Abraham as the Patriarch
and God signing a covenant with him.
We
see here the electing grace of God at work.
Deuteronomy 7 : 7, 8
7
"The LORD did not set His love on
you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for
you were the least of all peoples;
8 "but
because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore
to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed
you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (NKJV)
And
also, the Israelites were not required to obey the Law for the Lord to save
them.
As
the story goes, God rescued His people from slavery before revealing the Law.
Even
under the old covenant, salvation was wholly of the Lord and by His Grace.
Abrahamic Covenant and Mosaic Covenant
Abrahamic
Covenant is an eternal covenant that extends from the patriarch to the
eschatological era.
Abrahamic
Covenant is a covenant of Grace.
Mosaic
Covenant comes within the larger umbrella of Abrahamic Covenant.
The
Abrahamic covenant was characterized by promises.
It
did not stress, however, human sin and inability, and it did not instruct in
grace.
Nowhere
is there any great stress upon the fact that man is a sinner and need divine
justification.
Israel
at Sinai had been redeemed out of Egypt.
They
were already saved from the slavery of their enemy.
They
have become a nation under the leadership of Moses.
And
it is evident from the story of the nation that God thinks that they need a
tutor to instruct them in divine truth and in divine grace.
So,
they have come to Mount Horeb or Sinai, in order to receive a tutor.
The
law was a schoolmaster in order that they might admit the need of justification
by faith.
That
means, Mosaic covenant was added to Abrahamic
Covenant later at Mt. Sinai by God.
Galatians 3 : 19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was
added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise
was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. (NKJV)
Here
St. Paul is arguing that the Law was given so that we might know our
sinfulness, and the need of the mercy of God.
Albert Barns New Testament Commentary
To
further explain the above passage, let me quote the essence of the commentary
on this passage from Albert Barns New Testament Commentary.
The
Law was appended to all the previous institutions and promises.
It
was an additional arrangement, on the part of God, for great and important
purposes.
It
was an arrangement subsequent to the giving of the promise.
The law was
given to show the true nature of transgressions, or to show what was sin.
It was not in
itself a way to justification.
The true
purpose of the law was:
1.
to
disclose the true nature of sin
2.
to
discourage men from committing it
3.
to
declare its penalty
4.
to
convince men of it
5.
to
be preparatory to the work of redemption through the Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
The
interesting truth is that this use of the law still exists.
The
law was given in order to keep men from transgression.
It
was designed to restrain and control man by the fear of its threatened
penalties.
But
we are not to suppose that this was the sole use of the law; but that this was
a main purpose.
And
this purpose it still accomplishes.
It
shows men their duty.
It
reminds them of their guilt.
It
teaches them how far they have wandered from God.
It
reveals to them the penalty of disobedience.
It
shows them that justification by the law is impossible, and that there must be
some other way by which man must be saved.
Covenants have no expiry date
Covenants
have no expiry date unless it is mentioned in it.
No
expiry date is mentioned in the Mosaic Covenant.
That
means the Mosaic Covenant is not yet expired.
Our
Lord also vindicated the eternal existence of the Law.
Matthew 5 : 17,18
17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the
Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
18 "For
assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one title
will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. (NKJV)
Then,
what is the last day when everything is fulfilled?
Let
us read what Paul says about the last day.
1 Corinthians 15 : 22 - 26
22
For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ all shall be made alive.
23
But each one in his own order: Christ
the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming.
24
Then comes the end, when He delivers the
kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority
and power.
25
For He must reign till He has put all
enemies under His feet.
26
The last enemy that will be destroyed is
death. (NKJV)
Paul
simply states that the day in which everything is fulfilled is the day the last
enemy is destroyed.
Till
then the Mosaic covenant will stand valid.
Mosaic
Covenant was a part of a great and glorious whole.
It
was not an independent thing.
It
did not stand by itself.
It
was incomplete, and in many respects unintelligible, until Jesus came.
In
itself it did not justify or save men.
But
it introduced a system by which man could be saved.
It contained
no provisions for justifying men.
It was not a
whole in itself, but it was a part of a glorious whole.
But it was in
the design of God an essential part of a system by which man could be saved.
It led to the
completion and fulfillment of the entire scheme by which the race could be
justified.
Let us go
back to the three classes of Law, as we mentioned somewhere else above in this
study.
The
moral laws
are such as the duty of loving God and his creatures cannot be changed.
These cannot
be abolished.
It can never
be made right to hate God, or to hate our fellow-men.
Of this kind
are the Ten Commandments, and these our Saviour has neither abolished nor
superseded.
The
ceremonial laws
were appointed to regulate the religious rites and ceremonies of a people.
These
can be changed when circumstances are changed.
Those
designed to regulate mere matters of ceremony and rites of worship might be
changed.
That
means, the procedure may undergo changes, but the aim, to worship Yahweh the
Lord will not change.
A
third species of law was the civil or judicial Laws
These
were of the nature of the ceremonial law, and might also be changed at
pleasure.
The
judicial law of the Hebrews was adapted to their own civil society.
When
the form of their polity was changed this was of course no longer binding.
The ceremonial law was fulfilled by
the coming of Christ.
The
shadow was lost in the substance, and ceased to be binding.
The
moral law was confirmed and unchanged.
A
successful plan of God
The
old covenant law testified to the perfect holiness God demands, and it also
trained Israel to look for a Savior.
It
was not through keeping the Law that the ancient Israelites were commanded to
seek salvation.
As
with us, their doing of good works as outlined in Scripture was to be the way
in which they thanked God for saving them.
We
are also commanded to do good works, and the old covenant law can guide us in
the kinds of works that please our Lord.
The
Law revealed the righteousness and holiness of Yahweh and His standard of
righteousness for His people.
As
they looked at and studied the Law, they would see the righteousness of Yahweh.
They
would also learn what it meant for themselves to be righteous as well.
The
righteous standard of Yahweh would reveal the sinfulness of man.
As
one tried to meet the requirements of the Law, they would find time after time
that they could not meet the expectations of the Law.
This
failure would reveal the need for a savior.
Jesus
Himself was hidden within the Law, the sacrificial system, and the tabernacle,
ready to be revealed in His coming.
Thus
God prepared the people for the great atonement for sin, the crucifixion of
Jesus.
Jesus
was born historically and politically at the right time.
Jesus
was born only after the people got enough time and experience to realize the
need for a savior to atone their sins.
Mosaic Covenant
was not a failed plan of God.
Because God
concealed Jesus in it and everything worked out as God planned to the sacrifice
of Jesus.
Conclusion
Let me
conclude this brief study with few more sentences.
The
relevance of the Mosaic Covenant in the life of a New Testament believer is a
topic of discussion among great theologians.
Those
who believe in the replacement theology that the New Testament Church replaced
the Old Testament Israel argue that everything connected with the Mosaic
Covenant is abolished.
But
certain passages in the New Testament speak a different story.
It
seems, as we read them that Mosaic Covenant still continues into the New
Testament Church.
None
can explain effectively how the crucifixion of Jesus becomes the atonement for
human sin, without referring to the sacrificial system described in the book of
Leviticus.
Let
us read two passages from the New Testament:
1 Peter 1 : 16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I
am holy." (NKJV)
1 Peter 2 : 9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the
praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (NKJV)
Both
these verses are repetitions not just from the Old Testament, but precisely from
the Mosaic Covenant.
One
is the instruction to live a holy life.
The
second is the promise of the covenant, of what we are and will be in the
Kingdom of God.
Many
more verses connected with the Mosaic Covenant are repeated in the New
Testament, either as instruction or as promise.
This
shows, the Mosaic Covenant is relevant even today.
But
we are not under the ceremonial and judicial or civic laws because in Jesus all
ceremonial laws are fulfilled and the judicial or civic laws were for the
immediate society.
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