Please welcome Adele-Alys Spil back to My Messy Desk. Today she brings us an in-depth look at the Mosaic Covenant. At the end, she asks a question… I’ll draw one name on May 10th from all those who attempt to answer it and send the winner a hand-made with love item straight from My Messy Desk!

---

COVENANT: An agreement that brings about a relationship of commitment between God and his people

Appears as the Hebrew word_berith_ in the Old Testament..meaning to cut ….refers to the cutting or dividing of sacrificial animals into two parts, and the contracting parties passing between them(Gen. 15; Jer. 34:18, 19).

The corresponding word in the New Testament Greek is _diatheke_, which is, most often translated as “testament” .

As a legal document, the Mosaic Covenant follows a pattern :

Part I and II- sets forth the Parties and the History :Exodus 20:2

Part III- contains the Promise :Exodus 19:5-8

Parts IV and V -sets forth the Conditions and the Consequences: Exodus 20:3-20; 23:19

Parts VI- specifies the Duration and the Sign: Exodus 31:13

Parts VII- describes the Process for Ratification: Exodus 24:1-11

---

I was 10 when I began practicing in front of the full-length mirror at home. Back straight, chin up, eyes facing forward: I could balance that book on my head and look positively regal in the process .In my mind I felt fully ready to make that long walk down the runway and receive my crown. But there was a problem. Once put into motion, my body refused to cooperate: a few seconds of teetering and swaying and the book fell to the ground with a disappointing thud.

That was me-circa 1965- and that was also the Hebrew people that day at Mount Sinai. They received something better than my book of words on paper: they received a set of stone tablets chiseled by the prophet Moses and dictated by God himself. They contained every law and rule and ordinance that they would need to live a life pleasing to God and worthy of His name. All that had to do was to walk the length and breadth of the land that God gave them being careful to follow these commandments. But their attempts failed as miserable as my own.

If you assumed those tablets contained the Mosaic Covenant, you were right-almost. The Law is much more involved than that: after all, Moses was on the mountain 40 days not four hours. The 10 commandments are a summary of the law- the sermon talking points.

Why Two Tablets ? One tablet contained obligations the Jews assumed towards God. The second tablet contained a list of specific behaviors the Jews agreed to display towards others. This two-fold nature of the Mosaic Covenant foreshadows Jesus’ words:

“This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second like it : “Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:38-40

What Was On Each? As Christians, we are taught that the first four commandments set forth requirements for proper worship of God and the last six prescribe the boundaries for our behavior towards each other. But the Jews divide them differently. Because God chose our parents to partner with Him in giving us life, the Rabbis include:” Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you “ (Exodux 20:12) as a law of worship rather than behavior.

Which Was Most Important?

While both categories of the Covenant were of equal importance to God, the behavioral Thou Shalts/Shalt Nots would prove harder to follow. To assist us in remembering and doing, God had Moses write them in large print. This is not stated in the Scriptures, but the Rabbis teach that it is implied. The first 5 commandments have 146 words, and the second five only 76 words. Since both tablets were the same size, it stands to reasons the letters on one must have been larger.

The Mosaic Covenant of the Law differed from the Covenant of Identity which God made with Abraham in three major ways:

1) It was Conditional

When God chose Abraham to leave his old life for a new and one (Gen 12:3), God did not justify or give reasons for the decision. But Abraham obeyed and because of that single act of obedience, Abraham became God’s favored son and his offspring became a chosen people. The blessing God conferred on Abraham was eternal and irrevocable.

But God’s Word to/and through Moses was entirely different. It was weighted down with Ifs/and Thens: “”And now if you will diligently listen to me and keep my covenant, then you will be my special possession” (Exodus 19:5)

2) It was Communal

Moses was mediating not between God and one man but between God and an entire people. There was a promise : ” and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6 ); but there was only one way to realize it: every person following the Law exactly as God dictated it. If one man or several generations of men failed to do so, everyone would face the consequences.

No wonder legalism and a judgmental attitude eventually took hold. When my reward and punishment from God depends on your behavior as well as my own, then I am going to make certain that you behave exactly as I do.

3) It required weekly Recommitment thru Sabbath Observance

Every covenant has a sign. The sign of the God’s Covenant with Abraham was one and done: circumcision. But the sign of the Mosaic Covenant was the Sabbath: “Tell the Israelites:You must observe my Sabbaths, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, so that you will know that I am Yahweh who sets you apart (sanctifies you)'”. Exodus 31:13

The Pharisees and their predecessors were focused on the Sabbath and it’s easy to see why. If the people did not keep the Sabbath then God would no longer keep Israel. Missteps here would mean losing not just their reputation but their land and their nation as well.

Question: As Christians, we live under the New Covenant. Can you identify the 7 Parts of Our Covenant and their Scripture References ?

---

The daughter of a Lutheran minister and a Catholic college professor, Adele-Alys faith life has always been a patchwork. Married to a Jewish man for 38 years, she delved deeply into his faith. It sharpened my picture of Jesus and popped my spiritual ears in ways I could not imagine.” You can connect Adele-Alys via Twitter (@morgantonrose), Pinterest, and her blog (adelealysblog.wordpress.com).