The Mosaic Covenant (The Law)

Exodus 19-40, Leviticus, Deuteronomy.

The second major time God spoke.

430 years after the Abrahamic Covenant

The NeedThe people must be told what God wants

them to know, and what He expects them to do.

God made man with very few instincts, (built-in behavior patterns).

However, man is a learner.

Jesus said take My yoke and learn of Me. Matthew 11:29

The need is critical: God has a multitude of people on their way to the Land, and they need direction for

their lives.

The NeedBy the introducing the law, God is saying,

“This is what I’d like you to be.”

People, including Christians, tend to have a bad taste for the law, this is probably

because they do not understand the purpose for which God gave it.

The ContentThere are two great areas of truth

about the law that God wants them to learn.

The Moral Law - The Ten Commandments.

Exodus 20

The Ceremonial Law - How to worship and approach God.

The ContentThe Moral Law - The Ten

Commandments. Exodus 20

And God spoke all these words, saying:

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,

out of the house of bondage.

Commandment #1"You shall have no other gods before

Me.Commandment #2

"You shall not make for yourself a carved image -- any likeness of

anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers

upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands,

to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Commandment #3 "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes

His name in vain.

Commandment #4"Remember the Sabbath day, to

keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is

the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor

your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your

stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the

heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD

blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

Commandment #5 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the

land which the LORD your God is giving you.

Commandment #6-10 "You shall not murder.

"You shall not commit adultery."You shall not steal.

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your

neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey,

nor anything that is your neighbor's."

The Moral Law1.How they are to live, act, and respond.

This covers every aspect of life.

2.Man needs to learn to act like God. This deals with man’s moral character.

“Say to all the congregation of the people of Israel, ‘You shall be holy,

for I the Lord your God, am holy.’” Leviticus

19:2

What makes an issue moral?

An issue is moral because of God’s own personal opinion

concerning it.

God’s morals are consistent.

God’s moral opinion does not change.

If something is wrong, then it is always wrong. If something

is right, then it is always right.

The Ceremonial LawDeut 4:5-9

"Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments … Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom … "For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us … And what

great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law

which I set before you this day?

The Place Of WorshipThe Place Of Worship

1. The Tabernacle - Exodus 24-27

2. The Priesthood Exodus 28-29

3. The Sacrifices – Leviticus 1-7

This section deals with God meeting, speaking, and dwelling

with his people.

And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.

According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the

pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.

Exodus 25:8-9

The TabernacleThe Tabernacle

The TabernacleThe TabernacleExodus 36:8-9

Then all the gifted artisans among them who worked on the tabernacle

made ten curtains woven of fine linen, and of blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim they

made them.

The TabernacleThe TabernacleExodus 38:1-2

He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood; five cubits was its length and five cubits its width--it was square--and its height was three cubits. He made its horns on its four corners; the horns were of one

piece with it. And he overlaid it with bronze.

A tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the

sanctuary; Hebrews 9:1-2

The TabernacleThe Tabernacle

The TabernacleThe Tabernacle

And behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All,

which had the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold,

in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the

covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory

overshadowing the mercy seat.Heb. 9

The PriestsThe Priests"Now take Aaron your brother, and his sons

with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as priest …

And you shall make holy garments for Aaron

your brother, for glory and for beauty … that he may minister to Me as priest.

They shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and a sash.

So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to Me

as priest.

SacrificesSacrifices-Lev.-Lev.

• Law for approaching God when out of fellowship.• The Sin Offering.• The Trespass Offering.

SacrificesSacrifices-Lev.-Lev.

• Law for approaching God when in fellowship.• The Burnt Offering.• The Grain Offering.• The Peace Offering.• The Daily Sacrifices

The Purpose of the Ceremonial LawThe Purpose of the Ceremonial Law

Exodus 29:42-46 – God meeting, speaking, and dwelling with His people, that they might know Him.

And there I will meet with the children of Israel, the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory. So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and

the altar. I will also consecrate both Aaron and his sons to minister to Me as priests.

I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them up out of

the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.

The Law

Deut.4:7 – Ceremonial Law: “For what great nation is there that has a God so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever

we call upon Him?”

Deut.4:8 – Moral Law: “And what great nation is there, that has statutes and

ordinances so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day?”

The MethodExodus 19 & 20

Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.

Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice.

The MethodExodus 19 & 20

Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.“

And Moses said to the people, "Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin." So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.

The MethodWhat are the methods God used?

Thunder, lightening, clouds, trumpet blasts, smoke, fire, quake. All speak to us of God’s authority.

Exodus 19:16-25

He was laying down the Law – Exodus 20:18-21

He is establishing His right to direct them. Establishing His authority over them.

Where there is no authority behind a law, it becomes meaningless.

He speaks in a way designed to cause the people to respect (fear) Him as God.

The Response RequiredThe correct response is to obey

The response is a commitment by free choice.

The Response Required

It is a personal commitment to God and what He

says –

Exodus 24:3-8

Moses took the Book of the Covenant and read in the

hearing of the people.And they said, "All that the LORD has

said we will do, and be obedient.

"And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, "This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD

has made with you according to all these words.”

The Mosaic Covenant

This is the covenant that God entered into with His people,

the nation of Israel.

Study of Law and Grace (Promise)

The Law came after Grace (the Promise) and does not change the Promise –

Galatians 3:16-18

Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made… And this I say, that the law, which was four

hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God … that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the

inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Why the Law? - To reveal sin. (Romans 3:20)

By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Study of Law and Grace

The Law has two basic functions:

1.The law reveals sin and my need for grace (promise).

2.God’s holiness is expressed. The Law reveals the holy character of God.

Galatians 3:24 Therefore the law was our tutor to

bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

New Covenant

Hebrews 12:18-24 For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.

(For they could not endure what was commanded… And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I am

exceedingly afraid and trembling”.)

New Covenant

Hebrews 12:18-24 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the

living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the

blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Relationship of Law and GraceLaw Grace

Shows Need Meets NeedEnlightens Empowers“Thou Shalt” “I Will”Obedience Required Faith Required

Mosaic Law was for “Children” (Galatians 4:1-7)

Through the centuries, God has revealed more and more truth for man concerning

redemption, and its meaning.

New Testament Christians no longer: offer blood

sacrifices. We do not go to the Temple to

meet God.

As a Son - Daily in Fellowship with the Living God.

Need: Direction from God, to know what God expects from us.

Content: How to be Holy and Respond in Worship.

Method: God Speaks with Fearful Authority.

Response: Choose to Obey.