Moses Convened all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances that I am addressing to you today; you shall learn them and observe them diligently. The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. Not with our ancestors did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the fire” (Deut. 5:1-4 NRSV).
The word made is from the Hebrew karawth which has the meaning of “to cut” (Strong’s, cf. Ex. 34:10,27). This nation was then set aside for Yahweh, the old having been cut away and the new having arrived. They had been “cut out” of the nations.
This covenant was new, not having been made with Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. It was made with Israel; because of their fathers but not with the patriarchs. In Exodus 6:3 it is recorded that this was a new revelation. They could see in Him a vision of the future and the meaning of the past, as this was the next step in the manifestation of God.
A national covenant
The purpose of this covenant is recorded in Exodus 19:5 and (Deuteronomy 7:6-10):
“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.”
A peculiar treasure: literally this means a special possession. The magnificence of this gift is emphasized in the phrase “for all the earth is mine.” This people was “chosen” out of all peoples.
A kingdom of priests: Here we have clearly defined what their purpose as a nation was to be. A priest acts as a mediator between man and God. The priest represents God to man; this was to be the function of this nation. They were to be God’s witness and conduit to bring honor to His name on earth (cf. Ezk. 36:16-38).
A holy nation: the word “holy” (Heb. qadowsh) means set apart and its use throughout scripture has to do with a person or thing set apart for God’s use.
There is a striking connection with our own relationship with the Christ. “He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:14 NRSV). Again, we read the words of Peter: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9 NRSV).
The book of the covenant
The specific covenant consisted of the ten commandments: “And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments” (Ex. 34:28 KJV). But these were amplified in Exodus 20 through 23, which were commandments specific to their fellowship with God and with the community, which were then spoken by Moses to the people.
They then ratified the covenant through sacrifice, uttering words which would come back to haunt them in the immediate future, “All the words which the Lou, hath said will we do” (Ex. 24:3).
As they ratified this covenant with Yahweh, they were in effect entering into a covenant of their own. Up until then the covenants were initiated by God and were oaths sworn by Him. We have already seen in Genesis 15 that only God participated, for it was His oath. In Genesis 17 it was God’s gift and even the act of circumcision was a sign of that gill.
By contrast, this covenant was entered into by both parties. God provided the law and the revelation and they agreed to submit to the law and be led by Him. Following the speaking of the words and the solemn oath, Moses recorded the words in the book of the covenant (Ex. 24:4,7). The people then offered sacrifices which were at their initiative. They were not commanded by God to perform this; this was their oath being identified with them through the 12 pillars (24:4). Both burnt offerings and peace offerings were made, to which they were connected through the sprinkling of the blood (v. 8). It was a voluntary sacrifice of total dedication to God. They then repeated their solemn oath: “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient” (v. 7).
The ten commands
- “You shall have no other gods before me”:
We remember the covenant recorded in Genesis 17 where God said He would be God to them (Gen. 17:8). This people was set aside to Yahweh and their loyalty must be to Him and Him alone. They just came from a nation where every aspect of life (or death) was connected with a different god. The God which now commanded their singular devotion had been revealed in their salvation from Egypt. He was seen in the plagues of judgment upon the Egyptians and the mercy of the manna and the quail. He is the creator and sustainer of the universe and would accept no rival for their affection.
- “You shall make no carved images”:
They were to be unique among the nations as it was the practice of other peoples to have household gods (elohim) represented by little statues called teraphim or idols (cf. Gen. 31:30-35). Their God could not be represented in such a way but was revealed through faith in what He had done, what He is doing, and what He will do (I AM).
- “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain”:
Yahweh represents the revelation of Israel’s God from creation through Christ. In Exodus 3:15 it is recorded the name would be a “memorial” (KJV). When this name is used it should carry with it all the covenants to the fathers, the blessings of the present and the promises of the future.
The word translated “vain” is the Hebrew shay (Strong’s). It has the sense of something empty or false, as in: “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully” (Psa. 24:3-4 NRSV).
- “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”:
The seventh day of the week was to be a day of rest provided by God. It provided an opportunity to honor God in peace and provided a link to the purpose of God, for God “rested” on the seventh day (Exodus 20:11).
- “Honor your father and your mother”:
The word translated honor (Heb. kabad) has the meaning of “to glorify” (Strong’s). We must not merely obey our parents but give them honor, glorifying their name. In this earthly commandment was a spiritual lesson for Israel. God told Pharaoh that Israel was His firstborn (Ex. 4:22-23). As His children, they were to glorify the name of not just their earthly parents but their Heavenly Father as well.
- “You shall not murder” (NKJV):
Life is a precious gift from God and must not be treated casually. In most countries around them life was cheap, as it is today in many areas of the world. Anger and distrust lead to rage and violence. What destroyed Cain’s fellowship with God was his anger, haired and envy of Abel (Gen. 4:6-7). It led to murder and total separation from the family of God. As a people they must know that they were responsible for each other.
- “You shall not commit adultery”:
Nothing destroys a family relationship faster than infidelity. Nothing destroys fellowship within a community faster than adultery. Faithfulness between husband and wife represents faithfulness between those in the community and between God and man.
This became the major theme of God’s later national condemnation, as they were repeatedly condemned as being a faithless wife (Jeremiah 23:14).
- “You shall not steal”:
Fellowship is founded upon trust between brothers and sisters. The act of stealing weakens that trust and is answered with locks and bars on our doors and on our lives.
- “You shall not slander”:
As stealing weakens trust between neighbors, slander utterly destroys it. It is so reprehensible that the law stated that if the slander is found to be false then the slanderer must pay the penalty that the crime would otherwise have demanded (Deut. 19:16-20).
“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that hurry to run to evil, a lying witness who testifies falsely, and one who sows discord in a family” (Prov. 6:16 NRSV). This is surely a lesson for those who quickly condemn brothers and sisters.
- “You shall not covet”:
This is not concerned with actions (such as adultery or stealing) but thoughts and desires. To covet is to lust and that comes from within and thus required of Israel in this new relationship with Yahweh a change of heart. This command embodied the point that what was required of this nation was circumcision of the heart (Deut: 10:16; Jet 4:4).
Eternal principles
“And Jesus answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matt. 22:37-40 KJV).
The principles of right conduct have not changed. The commands set forth are good for they are of God. What has changed has been the change from a law written on stones to one written on our hearts.
In Genesis 26:5 it is recorded that God said of Abraham: “Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws (torah).” The torah of God is eternal. It is not merely written in a list of ten commandments on tables of stone; it is the law Abraham lived by. Since God’s principles are from everlasting to everlasting, an intimate link connects all of His covenants. The covenant at Sinai represents God’s will for men and that will is the same now as it was in the days of Abraham and Moses. Abraham fulfilled the torah because of the grace given him. His was the response of obedience, although imperfectly, portending the perfect response of the Messiah.
We participate in God’s covenant through our faith and our obedience to the same principles, as a response to the grace given us. God has promised He will provide the strength to fulfill the torah when He promises to “write it upon their hearts.”
The stone tablets were placed into the ark of the covenant (Deut. 10:5-8) with the mercy seat and the cherubim above them. Thus as God manifested Himself on the mercy seat between the cherubim, there was an everlasting reminder that their covenant relationship with Him was intimately connected with His holiness and that their obedience was subject to His judgment.
An additional reminder was contained in the fact that each sacrifice was to be made with the salt of the covenant (Lev. 2:13). In Law and Grace, Bro. Fred Barling put it well when he wrote: “Salt preserved from corruption and was a fitting symbol both of the enduring nature of the Covenant and of the righteousness and purity which it demanded (Num. 18:19). Its presence in every offering reminded them that the privilege of worship was one which could only be enjoyed on the basis of covenant relationship with God.”
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One