The Making of the Covenant

Exodus 1-18The First Episode

The children of Israel are delivered from bondage in Egypt. They are then

guided through the wilderness.

"Thus shall you say to the house ofJacob; tell the Israelites:

You have seen for yourselves howI treated the Egyptians and how I

bore you up on eagle wingsand brought you here to myself. Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession,

dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine.

You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. That is what you must tell the Israelites."

Yahweh’s Revelation at Sinai

Exodus 19-24The Second Episode

The children of Israel arrive at Mount Sinai, where God reveals Himself to

them. Moses ascends Sinai and

receives the Ten Commandments

and other laws by which Israel is to live.

Rashi

“In order not to have the people think that one commandment

was more important than another,

God spoke all the commandments at one time.”

Yahweh’s Revelation at Sinai

Midrash“When God gave the Torah,

no bird sang, no fowl flew, the sea did not roar, and no creature spoke. Even the angels stopped singing their praises of God.

The entire world was silent. Only the voice of God could

be heard, saying,“I AM the Lord your God.”

“All prophecies and all future teachings were also handed down on

Mount Sinai.”

Two events inseparably related!

Yahweh had been carrying his people, just as an eagle lifts its

young on its wings,

toward this spot for a particular purpose.

His people were not intended to be a crowd but a community,

bound to him and one another by a covenant bond.

The peculiar nature of this community is expressed in the covenant relationship between

Yahweh and his people, and the laws and institutions by

which this relationship was expressed

Whether or not these people would be the people of Yahweh depended on a condition:

“if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant”

Then they would be Yahweh’s personal ‘possession’

(the Hebrew word means ‘private property’)

The community

that belongs to Him in a special sense

and whose vocation

was to order its life

according to His sovereign demands

A strange combination of the universal and the

particularYahweh’s sovereignty knows no boundaries, for all the earth is

His. But from His many peoples He singles out one people, not for

privilege but for a task.

Midrash• The Torah was given in the

wilderness of Sinai rather than in the land of Israel. This teaches us that it is a law for all nations. If it had been given in Israel, the other nations could say that Israel alone is obligated to obey its laws

• God did not give the Torah to the Israelites until they were able to stand as one at the foot of Mount Sinai. God waited until they were of one heart and mind, and there was peace among them.

Vilna Gaon• No one can observe all the laws of

the Torah. There are some laws that can be observed only by landowners, others only by priests, and so on. It is only the Jewish people as a whole that can fulfill all the commandments.

God makes a covenant with his people!The first concept of covenant is made effective in a sacred meal on top of the

mountain.Exodus 24:1-2, 9-11

The participants in this summit ceremony are the representative, the “chief men” of Israel

(The 72 leaders of the nation sent out to the people)The statement

“after gazing on God they could still eat and drink” suggests that during the covenant meal God was so vividly

present that he could be seen in his heavenly majesty without causing harm.

The second concept of covenant is made effective by sacrifice.

Exodus 24:3-8The whole assembly of Israel takes part in a covenant

ceremony at the foot of the mountain.Moses builds an altar and sets up twelve pillars to represent

the people according to the twelve tribes.Animals are sacrificed.

Half the blood is dashed against the altar as a symbol of Yahweh’s participation in the rite.

The other half is put in basins, and Moses acting as covenant mediator reads to the people “the book of the

covenant.” When the people pledge to obey God’s demands, Moses dashes the other half of the blood

upon the people saying,“Behold the blood of the covenant which Yahweh

has made with you according to these words.”

Both Concepts of Covenant ConvergeThe people are involved

through their representatives and they take part directly

The requirements of the big “If” apply equally to all

“If you obey my voice and keep my covenant”

The covenant embraces the whole body of law

It embraces the Ten Commandments

(Ex. 20:1-17)And the Covenant Code

(Ex. 20:23-23:19)Covenant Code is the law of

the land. It changes with changing

circumstances but its authority lies with God and

the good of the people.

Two general Types of Law Are Found in the

Pentateuch

Conditional (or case) Law

has a characteristic formula:

If this happens, then that will be the

legal consequence.Each case includes

numerous conditions.

Conditional law was prevalent in the

ancient world and is best represented in the

“Code of Hammurabi.”

Two general Types of Law Are Found in the

Pentateuch

Absolute (or apodictic) law is unconditional

This is more characteristically Israelite.

No ifs, ands, or butsIt is stated in sharp, terse

languageThe Hebrew word for the Ten

Commandments is most appropriately translated

“The Ten Words”Apodictic Law expresses

the unconditional demands of the

covenant.

The Relationship Between

Covenant and Law

The Motive of Obligation

Two types of covenants:

ParityA reciprocal covenant in which both parties bind

themselves to each other by bilateral agreement.

SuzeraintyA unilateral agreement

between a king and his vassal which obligates the inferior party to obey the commands of the king not due to force

but out of respect and gratitude for the gracious acts

of the king on their behalf

The Sinai Covenant was in no sense parityIt was a relationship between inequalities

The covenant was given by GodThe relationship was conferred on the people by their

sovereignYahweh was not legally bound to Israel,

for his sovereignty was not limited by the covenant.

Israel’s obedience was based on gratitude for God’s benevolenceThe Law was preceded by Israel’s gospel

The “good news” of what God has doneExodus 20:2

Summary of the main aspects of Mosaic faith• Yahweh is pre-eminently the God of history.

– Yahweh is Lord of nature but Yahweh himself is no natural power

– Yahweh can use the powers of nature to accomplish His purpose

• Yahweh takes the initiative in establishing a close relationship between himself and his people.– The relation of Israel to Yahweh was not that of a slave but

that of a “first-born son” who had been graciously redeemed by Yahweh

– Gratitude for deliverance was the primary motive for Israel’s response of faith

• There is only one God– This stands in contrast to the polytheism and idol worship of

the ancient world.

The Law The Law is the first is the first stage on stage on

the way to the way to the the

kingdomkingdom

In the light of Moses’ prophetic interpretation,

The people accepted the obligation of the covenant in gratitude for what

Yahweh had already done on their behalf

According to Christian tradition the law is holy,

spiritual, and good yet still imperfect.

Like a tutor it shows what must be done,

but does not of itself supply the strength,

the grace of the Spirit, to fulfill it.Because of sin,

which it cannot remove, it remains a law of bondage.

The Holiness CodeGod commands the Israelites to observe special laws

and commandments, for they are a holy people.

These include moral and ethical practices as well as religious rituals.

Leviticus 19:1-37“Not only the ten commandments but also the civil laws that follow

were issued by God on Mount Sinai.”

MaimonidesGod set the commandments before us, but we

can decide whether or not to obey them. Every person has free will.

He can be righteous or wicked. Since all wicked deeds we commit are

committed willfully, we can blame no one for them and must repent and make amends.

This power is within our hands. It is the basis of the commandments and of all

law.