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Understanding the Mosaic Covenant

Bruce Edwards

The Mosaic Covenant

Maybe the best-known covenant in the Bible is the one God made with Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai.  The first part of our Bible today is called the “Old Testament” referring to the Old Covenant or Mosaic Covenant. In understanding the different covenants in the Bible and their relationship with one another, it is important to understand that the Mosaic Covenant differs significantly from the Abrahamic Covenant and later biblical covenants because it is conditional in that the blessings that God promises are directly related to Israel’s obedience to the Mosaic Law. Let’s take a look at the specifics of this very important Biblical Covenant.

Scripture

The Mosaic Covenant contains very extensive detailed information, and the Scriptural account of this covenant extends from Exodus 20:1 to Deuteronomy 28:68.

The Participants in the Covenant

The parties involved in this pact were God and Israel. The covenant was made with Israel and not merely with Moses. He was acting as a representative of Israel. This is clearly brought out in Exodus 19:3-8:

 “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: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 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, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.” 7 So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. 8 The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.”

The covenant was not made with the Gentiles or the Church, but with Israel only, a point also made in Deuteronomy 4:7-8; Psalm 147: 19- 20; and Malachi 4:4.

The Provisions of the Covenant

The key provision of the Mosaic Covenant was the Law of Moses, which contained a total of 613 commandments. Involved in these provisions of the Law were blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. It was signed and sealed, confirmed, by God revealing Himself in His glory – recorded in Exodus 24:1-11.

To summarize the provisions and implications of the Mosaic Covenant here are 7 observations to help you better understand;

  1. The Totality of the Law

There was a total of 613 specific commandments, not just ten, a rather common misconception. Of these, 365 were negative commandments, things which were forbidden; 248 were positive commandments, things that should be done.

  1. The Blessings and Judgments of the Law

Second: this was a conditional covenant, which meant that there would be blessings for obedience, but judgment for disobedience (Ex. 15:26; 19:3-8 .

  1. The Blood Sacrifice Added

The key element of the entire Mosaic Law was the blood sacrifice, brought out in Leviticus 17:11,

“ For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul”

 There were five different offerings detailed in Leviticus 1-7. The Hebrew word for atonement does not mean the removal of sin but merely the covering of sin. While the blood of animals covered the sins of the Old Testament saints, it never took those sins away; only the blood of the Messiah can remove sin (Heb. 10:1-4). However, the blood sacrifice did provide for the forgiveness of sin and the restoration of fellowship.

  1. The Diet Restrictions Imposed

For the Jews, it restricted some of the provisions of the Noahic Covenant. Beasts had to be both cloven-hoofed and those that chewed the cud; fish had to have both fins and scales; concerning fowls, no birds of prey were allowed; and concerning insects, only one type of locust was permitted.

  1. The Death Penalty Expanded

For the Jews, it added the death penalty for other sins such as idolatry, adultery, cursing God, cursing parents, breaking the Sabbath, practicing witchcraft, among others.

  1. Purpose of Circumcision Modified

The practice of circumcision is reaffirmed (Lev. 12:3), but not for the same reasons. Under the Abrahamic Covenant, circumcision was the sign of the covenant and it was mandatory for Jews only. Under the Mosaic Covenant, purpose of circumcision is modified to signify submission to the Law of Moses and it was mandatory for all Jews, but also for Gentiles who wished to become part of the Commonwealth of Israel. That is why Paul warned the Gentile Galatian believers that, if they submitted to circumcision, they would be obliged to keep the whole law, not just this one commandment (Gal. 3:3).

  1. The Sign of the Covenant

The sign of the Mosaic Covenant was the Sabbath. Concerning the Sabbath, five specific observations can be made.

First: as the sign of the Mosaic Covenant, it was a sign between God and Israel; it was a sign that Israel had been set apart by God (Ex. 3 l: 12- 1 7); it was a sign of the Exodus (Deut. 5: l 2-15; Ezek. 20: 10- 12; and it was a sign that Jehovah was Israel’s God (Ezek. 20:20a. Every reason given for the observance of the Sabbath has relevance only to Israel, not to the Gentiles or the Church.

Second: the Sabbath was not a creation ordinance; it began only with Moses. Genesis 2:1-3 states only what God did on that day, but there is no command to observe that day. The word Sabbath is not even used in the Genesis account and that day of the week is just called the seventh day. From Adam to Moses, there is no record of anyone’s keeping the Sabbath. While God listed a number of obligations upon humanity in the previous covenants, keeping the Sabbath was not one of them. Sabbath observance begins with Moses in Exodus 16:23-30 and was made part of the Law of Moses in Exodus 20:8-11.

Third: the Sabbath was a day of rest, not a day of corporate worship, which is another common misconception. As the Sabbath commandment was further developed in other parts of the Law of Moses while certain restrictions were made nothing was said about corporate worship. In the Law of Moses, the Sabbath was a day of rest and cessation of labor, not a day of corporate worship.

Fourth: the Sabbath as the sign of the Mosaic Covenant is that it was intended only for Israel and not the Church.

Fifth: as a sign of the Mosaic Covenant, it is in force as long as the Mosaic Covenant is in force. When the Mosaic Covenant comes to an end, so does mandatory Sabbath-keeping.  In fact, Jesus has become the Sabbath. (Mark 2:28)

The Purposes of the Law

We need to make it very clear that the Law of Moses was not a means of salvation. It that were true it would mean salvation is earned or gained by means of works. Salvation was and always is by grace through faith. The Law was not given to serve as a means of salvation (Rom. 3:20, 28; Gal. 2:16; 3:11, 21). It was given to a people already redeemed from Egypt, not in order to redeem them. However, there were several purposes for the giving of the Law. There are many purposes for law found in both the New and Old testaments. Here are seven of the key purposes for the Law of Moses.

  1. The first purpose was to reveal the holiness of God and to reveal the standard of righteousness that God demanded a proper relationship with Him (Lev. I l:44; 19: 1-2, 37; I Pet. l: 15- 16).
  1. To provide the guideline (rules) of conduct for the Old Testament saints and to provide occasions for individual and corporate worship for The seven holy seasons of Israel – Lev. 23 is one example of this
  1. The Law served as the “middle wall of partition” as stated (Ephesians 2:11-16). It kept the Gentiles from participating in the blessing promised to the Jewish people. Those unconditional covenants provided the Jewish people God’s blessings, both physical and spiritual, but because of how the Jewish people respond to the unconditional covenants, a conditional covenant was also added, the Mosaic Covenant, containing the Law of Moses. The only way Gentiles could enjoy the spiritual blessings of the Jewish covenants during the period of the Law was to take upon themselves the obligation of the Law, undergo the rite of circumcision, and then live like every Jew had to live. Because of this purpose, Gentiles were both alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise.
  1. To keep the Jews a distinct people (Lev. 1:44- 45; Deut. 7:6; l4: l-2. This was the specific reason for many of the laws, such as the dietary laws and the clothing laws. The Jews were to be distinct from all other people in a variety of ways, such as their worship habits (Lev. 1, 7, 16, 23), their eating habits (Lev. 11:1-47), their sexual habits (Lev. 12) their clothing habits (Lev. 19: 19), and even the way they cut their beards (Lev. 19:27).
  1. To reveal sin. Three passages in the Book of Romans point this out.

a) Romans 3:19-20, where Paul emphasized that there is no justification by means of the Law. The Law was given to provide the knowledge of sin, to reveal exactly what sin is.

b)The second passage is Romans 5:20, where the Law was given so that what is sin would be made very clear. How does one know he has sinned? He knows because the Law spelled out in detail –  what was permitted and what was not permitted.

c) The third passage is Romans 7:7 where Paul again emphasized the fact that the Law was given so that sin might be made known. Paul became aware of his sinful state by looking into the Law and knowing that, on the basis of the Law, he fell short.

  1. The law shows the sinner that there was nothing he could do on his own to please God; he had no ability to keep the Law perfectly or to attain the righteousness of the Law (Rom. 7:14-25a.
  1. Ultimately the law leads one to faith according to Romans 8:1-4 and Galatians 3:24-25. The final purpose of the Law was to bring one to saving faith in the Messiah.

We can arrange the purposes of the Law of Moses into four applications:

  1. In relation to God, to reveal His holiness and to reveal His righteous standards.
  2. In relation to Israel, to keep Israel a distinct people, to provide a rule of life for the Old Testament saint, and to provide for individual and corporate
  3. In relation to Gentiles, to serve as a middle wall of partition and thus keep them strangers to the unconditional Jewish covenants so as not to partake of Jewish spiritual blessings as Gentiles, but only as proselytes to Mosaic
  4. In relation to sin, to reveal and show what sin is, to make one sin more, to show that a man cannot attain the righteousness of the Law on his own, and to drive one to

The Status of the Covenant

This is the biggie for most. Is the Old Covenant still in force? Unfortunately, this has caused much confusion and misinformation within the church. So, we are going to spend a little time here covering this point.

Here is the short answer. The Mosaic Covenant is the only Jewish covenant that was conditional, and it ultimately came to an end with the death of Jesus on the cross. (Rom. 10:4; II Cor. 3:3- 11; Gal. 3: 19-29; Eph. 2: l 1- 18; Heb. 7: 1 l- 12, 18 Therefore, the Mosaic Law is no longer in effect – however the consequences of  Israel’s disobedience of the conditions of that covenant are still being executed and will not come to an end until the end of the great tribulation and the return of Christ.

Now let’s expand on this and provide Biblical support and perspective. There are 7 points that can help us better understand the status of the Mosaic Covenant –

  1. The Solidarity of the Law of Moses

Two teachings have developed over the years which have contributed to much of the confusion over the Law of Moses.

  1. One – is the practice of dividing the Law into “ceremonial,” “legal,” and “moral” commandments. On the basis of this division, many have come to think that the believer is free from the ceremonial and legal commandments but are still under the moral
  2. Second – is the belief that the Ten Commandments are still valid today while the other 603 commandments are not.

It must be understood that the Mosaic Law is viewed by the Scriptures as a unit. In order to have a clear understanding of the Law of Moses and its relationship to the believer, Jew or Gentile, it is necessary to view it as the Scriptures views it: a unit that cannot be divided into parts that have been done away with and parts that have not. Nor can certain commandments be separated in such a way as to give them a different status from other commandments.

It is the principle of the solidarity of the Law of Moses that lies behind the statement found in James 2:10, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”

The division of the Law of Moses into ceremonial, legal and moral parts is convenient for the study of the different types of commandments contained within it, but it is never divided in this way by the Scriptures themselves. Neither is there any scriptural basis for separating the Ten Commandments from the whole 613 and making only the Ten Commandments perpetual? All 6l3 commandments are a single unit comprising the Law of Moses.

  1. The Law of Moses Has Been Rendered Inoperative

The New Testament makes it very clear, the Law of Moses has been rendered obsolete with the death of Jesus; in other words, the Law no longer has authority over any individual. This is proven from a number of passages.

The first passage is Romans 7:5-6: “For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.”

Here Paul clearly explains how the believer has been discharged from the law. The Greek word used is “katargeo”, which means “to render inoperative.” The Law has been rendered inoperative insofar as being the rule of life over the believer.

The second passage is Romans 10:4:  “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

The word end here means the “termination” of.  Christ has terminated the law. Since Jesus is the end of the Law, this means that there is no justification through it (Gal. 2: l6). Furthermore, there is no sanctification or perfection through the Law (Heb. 7:19a). Therefore, it becomes clear the Law has come to an end in the Messiah and cannot function in justification or sanctification. For the believer, it has to be rendered inoperative.

The third passage is 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” 

In this context, Paul explains here how the Law of Moses was an addition to the Abrahamic Covenant (vv. 15-18). It was added for the purpose of making sin very clear so that all will know that they have fallen short of God’s standard of righteousness. It was a temporary addition until the seed, the Messiah would come; now that He has come, the Law is finished. The addition has ceased to function with the cross. The Law was never meant to be permanent but temporary.

The fourth passage is Hebrews 7:11-18: “…For He testifies: You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”8 For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, 19 for the law made nothing [e]perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God…”

There is a new priesthood according to the Order of Melchizedek, not according to the Order of Aaron. The Law of Moses provided the basis for the Levitical Priesthood and there was an inseparable connection between the Law of Moses and the Levitical Priesthood. Thus, a new priesthood required a new Law under which it could operate according to Hebrews 7:1 l- l8. For the Levitical Priesthood to be done away with and to be replaced by a new priesthood, the Priesthood of Melchizedek, required a change of the Law. As long as the Law of Moses was in effect, no other priesthood was valid except the Aaronic or Levitical Priesthood (Heb. 7:13-17). If the Mosaic Law were still in effect, Jesus could not function as a priest. But because the Mosaic Law is no longer in effect, Jesus can be a priest after the Order of Melchizedek. Consequently, the Law of Moses has been disannulled” in favor of a new Law, which is the basis for the priest according to the Order of Melchizedek.

The fifth passage is 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.”

In this passage, the Law is looked upon as a tutor to help bring one to a mature faith in the Messiah (v. 24). Having become a believer, he is no longer under this tutor, which is the Law of Moses (v. 25). As clearly as it could be stated, this passage teaches that with the Messiah’s coming, the Law is no longer in effect. To summarize section, the Law is a unit comprised of 613 commandments, and all of it has been rendered inoperative. There is no commandment that has continued beyond the cross of the Messiah. The Law is there and can be used as a teaching tool to show God’s standard of righteousness, as well as man’s sinfulness and need for substitutionary atonement. It can be used to teach many spiritual truths about God as a man. It can be used to point one to the Messiah Gal. 3:23-25). However, it has completely ceased to function as an authority over the individual. It is no longer the rule of life for believers.

  1. The Moral Law

The third point in the status of the Mosaic Covenant deals with the question, “What about the moral law?” It is this part of the Law of Moses that many generally try to retain and, therefore, conclude that the Law of Moses is still in effect. However, the moral law preceded the Law of Moses. The moral law is not identical to the Law of Moses. Adam and Eve broke the moral law long before Moses. Satan broke the moral law even before Adam. The Law of Moses embodied the moral law, but it did not originate the moral law. Now the moral law is embodied in the Law of Christ.

  1. The Jesus Argument – Matthew 5:17 18

The fourth point in the status of the Mosaic Covenant concerns the objection to the teaching of the termination of the Law of Moses, based on a statement Jesus made.

“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 tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”  

First, it is obvious that Jesus was speaking of the Law of Moses – all of 613 of them. Second, He made this statement while He was alive. Third, He made it very clear the law would be in force UNTIL it was fulfilled and finally He tells us He is the one who would fulfill it.

The Law of Moses did not end with the coming of the Messiah or by His life, but by His death. As long as Jesus was alive, He was under the Mosaic Law and had to fulfill and obey every commandment applicable to Him, not in the way that the rabbis had reinterpreted it. When Jesus died on the cross He fulfilled the law. He said. “It is finished”.

     5. The Law of Christ

The fifth point in the status of the Mosaic Covenant is that the Law of Moses has been disannulled and believers are now under a new Law. This new Law is called the law of Christ in Galatians 6:2 and the law of the Spirit of life in Romans 8:2. This is a brand-new Law, totally separate from the Law of Moses. The Law of the Messiah contains all the individual commandments from the Messiah and the apostles that are applicable to a New Testament believer. The details on this period will be discussed under the New Covenant.

  1. The Principle of Freedom

The sixth point in the status of the Mosaic covenant is that those who are in Christ are free from the Law of Moses. This means the believer is free from the “REQUIREMENT”,  or the “have to“, that existed under the law. Now he is free to keep the law – it now is “get to” not have to.

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death”  Romans 8:2

The biblical basis for this freedom to keep the Law can be seen in the actions of Paul, who was the greatest exponent of freedom from the Law. His vow in Acts 18:18 is based on Numbers 6:2, 5, 9, and 18. His desire to be in Jerusalem for Pentecost in Acts 20:16 is based on Deuteronomy 16:16. The strongest passage is Acts 2 l: 17-26, where we see Paul himself, the apostle of freedom from the Law, keeping the Law. The believer is free from the Law, but he is also free to keep parts of it. Thus, if a Jewish believer feels the need to refrain from eating pork, he is free to do so. The same is true for all the other commandments.

However, there are two dangers that must be avoided by any believer who volunteers to keep commandments of the Law of Moses. One danger is the idea that by doing so he is contributing to his own justification and sanctification. This is false. The second danger is in one’s expecting others to keep the same commandments he has decided to keep. This is equally wrong and borders on legalism. The one who exercises his freedom to keep the Law must recognize and respect another’s freedom not to keep it.

  1. The Sabbath

And the seventh point in the status of the Mosaic Covenant is that the Sabbath was the sign, seal, and token of the Mosaic Covenant. As long as that covenant was in effect, the Sabbath law was mandatory. Since the Law of Moses has been rendered inoperative, then the Sabbath command no longer applies. Those with their inconsistent insistence that the Law of Moses is still in effect, also insist that the Sabbath law applies. However, they totally ignore what Moses wrote about how to keep the Sabbath and they even change the day of the week, something that the Law of Moses does not allow. Many jewish believers also insist on mandatory Sabbath-keeping. Though they inconsistently base it on the Law of Moses, at least they retain it with the seventh day of the week. The apologetics used for mandatory Sabbath-keeping is almost exclusively based upon the Old Testament for obvious reasons: there is no New Testament commandment for believers in general or Jewish believers in particular to keep the Sabbath. The claim that Sabbath observance is part of the New Covenant is nowhere supported by the New Covenant Scriptures themselves. In fact, if anything, they would teach the opposite.

SUMMARY

The establishment of the Mosaic Covenant was an epic moment in the history of the nation of Israel. The Mosaic Covenant held great promises for Israel if they obeyed God, but they were unable to obey. The promises to be a special treasure to God above all people, to be a kingdom of priests, and to be a holy nation will never be realized under the Mosaic Covenant. The finished work of Jesus on the cross has procured these promises for Israel, as well as for the entire world, and they will become a reality for the nation of Israel at a future time.  This of course is speaking of the Nation of Israel as a whole.  It is wonderfully awesome that we as individuals—Jews or Gentiles—can experience the same kinds of promises at this very moment (see 1 Pet. 2:4–10).

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