The Mosaic Covenant
Exodus 20:1-21; Exodus 24:3-8
We often look at laws as an obligation, a burden and limit on our freedoms, or as a challenge to see what we can get away with when no one is looking. Israel recognized what a gift the Law is to them. While other nations worshipped gods who were selfish, dishonest, and had all the faults of humans, Israel’s God always moves toward his people and clearly lays out his covenantal obligations to his people; giving Israel a clear expectation of what God expects from his people and who he is calling them to be. There are no surprises, no guessing.
This covenant begins in Exodus 19:3-6, “Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’” The Lord tells Moses to give the people these 10 Commandments. God begins by reminding them he’s the one who saved them from slavery. Everything else flows from this reminder that God is their redeemer and saviour.
God makes this covenant with them to shape and form them into a people who reflect God to the nations. They’re called to make no images of any anything because that can lead them away from worshipping God. They’re to use God’s name respectfully, and then they’re to set aside one day a week to simply spend time with him instead of focusing on work and business; trusting God to provide for them. All these commands are still applicable today, reminding us of who God is and how we’re called to relate to him. The Holy Spirit keeps pointing us to the importance of our relationship with God and what that relationship should be like.
Then God moves into how we’re to live with each other, and just as respect is the foundation for our relationship with God, so respect for each other is the foundation of these next commandments. We’re called to honour our parents as it imitates honouring God, we don’t take another person’s life since God is the giver of life, as we don’t have sex with anyone who is not our spouse as it brings brokenness into our relationships, we respect the property of others by not taking it for ourselves, don’t hurt our neighbour’s name or reputation, and be content with what the Lord has given us.
Moses sees the law as a test for the people to demonstrate their commitment to God through keeping the Law. Moses then shares with the people more of the commands the Lord has given them that reflects the character of God. The people respond, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.” To help them remember the laws, Moses writes them all down. The next day the covenant is ratified with a blood sacrifice where blood is splashed on the alter and then splashed on the people. God commits himself to making them a kingdom of priests.
As one commentary writes, “Priests were the primary religious leadership in the ancient Near East. Their duties varied according to the region and religion. All priests are defined primarily by their intercessory role. Priests acted as representatives of the divine to the people, and representatives of people to the divine.” The people have committed themselves to being God’s people and the blood covenant reminds everyone that this is a deep committed and serious relationship with consequences if the covenant is broken. The covenant shapes the values and way of life of the people, values that reflect who God is and how we are to live with God and our neighbours.
Law makes things more difficult because we discover what sin is. There’s something about law that triggers us in negative ways. Paul gets it in Romans 7, the New Living Translation puts it this way, “Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.” Paul then goes on to talk about how he does the things he hates, but the things he loves he doesn’t do.
John Calvin sees that the Law has three main uses. Calvin sees the Law as a mirror that “shows us the spots on our face” (Institutes 2.7.7). Looking into the mirror, we can see that we easily worship things more than God, we’re seldom content with God’s gifts, always coveting more, and how lust and anger, and more fill us. When we pay attention to the mirror of our souls, this prods us to turn back to God, confess our sins, and seek forgiveness because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sin. Calvin sees the Law as a bridle that keeps us from doing what we want, and he sees the Law as a lamp that shows us, as Psalm 119 says, “the path of righteousness.” In our worship services we regularly take time to confess our sin, hear God’s words of forgiveness and grace, and then reflect on who God’s will for our lives. We do this out of gratitude for God’s love for us accepting the Law as a gift that guides us in pleasing God. As a church in the Reformed tradition, this is one of the main characteristics of our faith, Law as gratitude.
Jesus talks about the Law in Matthew 5:17–19, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” I began thinking about what Jesus is getting at when he talks about fulfilling the Law. It’s must be more than just following the rules. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us what the kingdom of heaven looks like. Tim Mackie writes, “It’s an upside-down kingdom where the humiliated and afflicted find honor, never to experience poor treatment again. It’s a world where the greatest power is love, not wealth or might. It’s a kingdom where the ways of God and the ways of humankind become united as one.” Jesus later summarises the law in terms of relationship when he tells the people in Mark 12:28-31, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus expands the Commandments from simple obedience to our heart orientation towards others, we see that fulfilling the Law is about our love for others. In loving God and neighbour, we help in establishing the kingdom of heaven here on earth. Think about God’s command to not commit adultery. It’s easy enough to obey, don’t have sex with anyone you’re not married to, yet Jesus expands it to, “anyone who looks lustfully at a woman has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” But when we consider all of Scripture, the goal of not committing adultery is about respecting marriage. To fulfill this law is to support and encourage the marriages of others, helping couples to keep their eyes and hearts on each other and the Lord. This is why I encourage couples in pre-marriage to find a mentor couple to help them grow strong together.
In not committing adultery, we fill the law. When we love, we fill it fully. Paul writes in 1 Thess 5:15, “See that no one pays back evil for evil to anyone but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.” Tim Mackie writes, “biblical law often gets misinterpreted, leading to religious-looking behaviors that still allow space for ongoing contempt and hatred in our hearts. But Jesus and the apostles say that these commandments… are instructions that restore human beings’ love for one another. In this way, love fills full the Law and the Prophets.”
If we want our children and youth to take Jesus seriously, we need, as adults, to live out Jesus’ way through sincere love for others, seeking what is best for them, to go beyond just following the rules to being Christ-like in our relationships with God and each other.
