what was the covenant between god and moses

Future covenants between Israel and God would be conditional. This blood tie is compared to the tie that is established by a covenant, and implies that without their shared blood, covenants would be the only way to ensure such unification of a religious group. "Old Covenant" redirects here. Man cannot come to God in any way other than that which He ordained. (Exo 20:21) [5], In addition to Mendenhall's input and perspective, Weinfeld[6] argues that there are two forms of covenants to have occurred throughout the Hebrew Bible: 1.) When Moses and his people reached Mount Sinai on the way to the Promised Land, God spoke to Moses. The cost of not following this covenant is hard. In the case of religion, the god(s) would be carrying out punishment. It was then that God parted the Red Sea allowing the Jews to pass before bringing the water back down onto the Pharaoh’s men. (Exo 20:21) We are told that the rest of the people "stood afar off". God had redeemed His people (Exodus chapters 1 – 18) and taken them to Himself as His people (Exodus chapters 19 – 24); now He was about to come and dwell among them and be their God (Exodus chapters 25 – 40). This foundation for a treaty relationship is similar to the foundation for the Mosaic covenant and the Decalogue, according to Mendenhall. We’re made in God’s image, so to murder a fellow human being is to attack the image of God (Genesis 9:6). He was expelled from Egypt after murdering an Egyptian who was being cruel to a Hebrew slave, but returned when commanded by God to lead the Hebrew slaves to freedom in the Promised Land. These treaties, established between an emperor (suzerain) and inferior king (vassal), were defined by several important elements. But to show that the covenant is based on grace, God renews the covenant and uses words which make this gracious foundation clear. Over a thousand years after Abraham’s death, the Jews were living as slaves in Egypt. When Moses and his people reached Mount Sinai on the way to the Promised Land, God spoke to Moses. Unlike the Abrahamic Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant was conditional as it is introduced by the condition: “Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is mine”. This area governed by the Mosaic Covenant focuses on the design, construction, and dedication of the Tabernacle which is how the people of God can approach Him. Moses led the Israelites into the promised land known as Canaan. *Related Article: The First and Greatest Commandment of God. The initial covenant between God and Abraham follows the form of the suzerain covenant; what is significant is that Israel has no duties to uphold; the covenant is not conditional. The covenant with the Israelites, which was initiated between God and Abraham (Genesis ch.15 and 17), was sealed between God and the Israelites in the time of Moses. The establishment and stipulations of the Mosaic covenant are recorded in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, traditionally attributed to Moses and collectively called the Torah or Pentateuch. At the same time, God gave the Jews the. Furthermore, Mendenhall notes two additional theories noting how covenants may have begun with the work of Moses, or are even thought to have been established during a true historical event with a valid setting. Therefore, God commanded the Jews to build the Tabernacle so that He can fulfill His promise to be Israel’s God by coming to the camp to dwell with His people. ), how he should conduct himself, social justice, observance of the sabbatical year and national feasts, conquest regulations and how the covenant is ratified through blood. – 2 Timothy 3:16-17. by helping the Jews to escape from slavery in Egypt in this way. Our team of exam survivors will get you started and keep you going. This is the second of the theocratic covenants (after the one with Abraham) that elaborates on how God relates to His people as their sovereign Lord. Read about our approach to external linking. "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession." This is clearly expressed in Deuteronomy 11:13-21, recited twice-daily as part of the foundational prayer, the Shema. God created us in His image so we might love Him and have fellowship with Him, not because we have to but because we want to. The law was not given so that by keeping it people could be saved. Rabbinic Judaism[9] asserts that the Mosaic covenant was presented to the Jewish people and converts to Judaism (which includes the biblical proselytes) and does not apply to Gentiles, with the notable exception of the Seven Laws of Noah which apply to all people. This area governed by the Mosaic Covenant focuses on the design, construction, and dedication of the Tabernacle which is how the people of God can approach Him. As the vassal, God has no further obligations towards the Israelites—but it is implied that God will continue to protect them as a result of the covenant.[8]. God is seeking people who will worship Him “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24). The Mosaic covenant (named after Moses), also known as the Sinaitic covenant (named after the biblical Mount Sinai), refers to a biblical covenant between God and the biblical Israelites, including their proselytes. The theology of Moses is perfect, obviously, for he speaks under the inspiration of God, and accordingly he makes the plea of the evangelical covenant, just as we do today. The best-known covenant in the Bible is the one God made with Moses on Mount Sinai. This is clearly a conditional covenant. If a person was found guilty of murder on the testimony of two or more witnesses (Numbers 35:30-31), then the murderer was killed. Exodus 23:1-5 is a call for justice, an amplification of the ninth commandment (Exodus 20:16), a warning not to endorse falsehood and promote injustice because of what the crowd is doing (Leviticus 19:15-16; Deuteronomy 22:13-19). Rather the law keeps and prepares a person for salvation by faith. In the Hebrew Bible, God established the Mosaic covenant with the Israelites after he saved them from slavery in Egypt in the story of the Exodus. But he soon changed his mind, sending his army after the fleeing Jews. Which Jewish festival remembers the escape of the Hebrew slaves from slavery in Egypt? God sent Moses to try to convince the Pharaoh to let the enslaved Jewish people go. the obligatory type & 2.) Mendenhall, George E. (Sept. 1954). A treaty entails a promise to the master by the vassal and ultimately protects the rights of the master. The Mosaic Covenant in no way replaced or set aside the Abrahamic Covenant. Therefore, God commanded the Jews to build the Tabernacle so that He can fulfill His promise to be Israel’s God by coming to the camp to dwell with His people. God’s covenant with Moses found originally in Exodus and expanded in Deuteronomy, governed three areas of Israel’s life: First, the (Ten) commandments in the covenant governed the personal lives of the Israelites in their relationship with God (Exodus 20:1-26). Learn how and when to remove this template message, circumcision controversy in early Christianity, Jewish Encyclopedia: Gentiles: Gentiles May Not Be Taught the Torah, Catholic Encyclopedia: Mosaic Legislation, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mosaic_covenant&oldid=981128607, Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference, Articles needing additional references from November 2010, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 30 September 2020, at 13:11. It was there that God made a covenant with Moses and the Jewish people that renewed the one he had made with Abraham. A covenant is an agreement. - a set of rules by which they should live. Finally, the ordinances governed the people’s religious lives so that they would know how to properly approach God (Exodus 24:12 – 31:18). "Covenant Forms in Israelite Tradition". This consequently works in a manner that promotes future loyalty of the vassal since the suzerain had previously done favors for them. God had delivered the Israelites from Egypt in the Exodus, and they therefore are obligated to follow the commandments in the Decalogue. [4], According to Mendenhall, the covenant was not just an idea, but actually a historical event. But the benefits of the covenant are awe-inspiring! Its function is clearly set forth by Paul (Galatians 3:17-19), who points out that the law, the Mosaic Covenant, came 430 years after the Abrahamic Covenant. This method of covenant emphasizes focus on rewarding loyalty and good deeds that have already been done. the promissory type. The concept of a covenant began long before the biblical era, specifically the beginnings of Israel. God is seeking people who will worship Him, The Mosaic Covenant was added alongside the Abrahamic Covenant so that the people of Israel would know how to conduct their lives until, The First and Greatest Commandment of God. Over a thousand years after Abraham’s death, the Jews were living as slaves in Egypt. Worshiping God is the highest privilege and the greatest responsibility of the Christian life because God is the highest Being in the universe and the One to whom we must one day give account. The bulk of the covenant is the stipulations that the subject people must observe (Exodus 203 – 31:17; Deuteronomy 4 – 26). The laws outlined here are laws regarding capital crimes and are the logical application of the sixth commandment, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13; Leviticus 24:17). Keeping the law does not save. The Israelites followed the form of the suzerainty treaty, a particular type of covenant common in the Near East and were bound to obey stipulations that were set by Yahweh, not Moses. Everything that we are and do flows out of our relationship with the Lord. In spite of the numerous theories revolving covenants in the ancient Near East, Weinfeld ensures his readers that the covenants exposed in the Old Testament fall beneath one of the two plausible types he has identified, either an obligatory type or a promissory type. Home Economics: Food and Nutrition (CCEA). Nor should God’s people be influenced by the wealth or the poverty of the accused or by the bribes people offer them for their support (Exodus 16:18-20; Isaiah 1:23; Micah 3:11). The covenant with Moses Over a thousand years after Abraham’s death, the Jews were living as slaves in Egypt. God, who had promised Abraham that he would look after the Jewish people, is believed to have fulfilled his. Let’s take for instance Exodus 21:12-17. However, the Pharaoh continued to refuse so God sent ten plagues upon the Egyptians. God met with His people at the Tabernacle of Moses set up for worship and sacrifice. The Mosaic Covenant was given to and accepted by the nation of Israel (Exodus 19:6-8) so that those who believe God’s promise given to Abraham in the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1-3) would know how they should conduct themselves. Jews believe that God chose the, . Such covenants assured that either blessings or curses be enacted in response to the circumstances. Exodus chapters 21 to 24 deal with the rights of each person, his properties (money, animals, etc.