The Mosaic Covenant
“Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.” Exodus 15:3-6 NLT
The Mosaic Covenant is recorded in Genesis 19-24. It is sometimes referred to as the Sinai Covenant. This is the covenant God made with the nation of Israel. It is a conditional covenant. Israel was to obey the law God gave through Moses and would bless them if they were obedient. It was a bilateral covenant in which both parties had to uphold their part of the commitment.
God’s Promise
As stated above, this was a conditional covenant. God had laws on how he wanted Israel to live in the land he had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
“The covenant which God made with Israel at Sinai required outward obedience to the letter of the law. It contained promises of national blessing if they, as a people, kept the law; and it also announced national calamities if they were disobedient” (Pink,1973)
Promise Kept and not kept
When we continue to read the narrative of Israel, we can see that they did not always keep their end of the bargain.
“Though it be true that Israel miserably failed to keep their national engagements and brought down upon themselves the penalties which God had threatened, nevertheless, the obedience which He required of them was not obviously and hopelessly impracticable: nay, there were bright periods in their history when it was fairly rendered, and the fruits of it were manifestly enjoyed by them.” (Pink,1973)
We can see times of blessing from God when they kept His law. God always held up His end of the covenant.
What does this mean for us today?
One thing we have to remember is that this covenant pertained to the nation of Israel.
“It announced certain outward and temporal blessings on the condition that Israel as a people remained in subjection to their divine King, while it threatened national curses and calamities if they rejected His scepter and flouted His laws. This supplies the key to the entire history of the Jews.” (Pink,1973)
For us, we see the character of God. Throughout the narrative of Israel’s story, we read about the righteousness, grace, justice, and mercy of a holy God that showers His goodness, kindness, and long-suffering to a rebellious people.
The God we read about in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and so on is the same unchanging God who carries us today. His grace and mercy has not changed. We are just as sinful as Israel, yet He sent Christ to redeem us.
We see the continuation of the redemptive story. The inability to keep the law reveals the necessity of a Savior. Jesus Christ, through His life, death, and resurrection, fulfilled the requirements of the Mosaic Covenant.
Reference
Got Questions: What is the Covenant?
The Divine Covenants by Arthur W. Pink
Arthur W. Pink, The Divine Covenants (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1973), 154.
