God and Man in Covenant

MEMORY VERSE: “He took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord bath said will we do, and be obedient.” —Exodus 24:7

EXODUS 19 and 20; 32; 34

FOR over three thousand years the children of Israel have held the writings of Moses as a special gift to them from God. Indeed, he was the one who led them out of Egyptian bondage, and he was successful in organizing them as a nation under the laws that are set forth in “The Books of Moses.” These laws came from God, and therefore provide us with a glimpse of the divine character, being a marvelous display of justice and wisdom.

This system of laws given to Moses and set forth for the people of Israel in the Hebrew Scriptures of the Old Testament is without equal in the history of the world. It is, in fact, common knowledge among those who frame the laws of our present society that the principles of the Mosaic law were of divine origin, and are therefore a basis of many of the laws we know today.

The “Ten Commandments,” for example, are well known among men and women the world over, and although disregarded to a large extent by the pleasure-seeking “free society” of our day, they do, nevertheless, continue to be the standard of justice and righteousness. The first four commandments center on the responsibilities that the covenanted people have toward God. They were to have no other gods but the one true God before them, not tolerating or seeking after any others; they were prohibited from worshiping any image or likeness of any man-made object; the third commandment forbids the taking or making of any oaths in God’s name that are not intended to be kept; and Israel was commanded to keep the Sabbath day holy by not doing any work on that day.

The last six of the Ten Commandments emphasize man’s relation to his neighbor and his responsibility toward others. They contain prohibitions against disrespect for parents, killing, committing adultery, stealing, lying, and coveting. And when these laws are regarded from a positive viewpoint, they might sound something like this: respect parents, respect the sacredness of all life, respect the marriage relationship, respect the right of ownership, respect the truth and the value of a straightforward answer, and respect the material and spiritual status of others. These are important principles, and represent the laws of God concerning the way that man is to conduct himself toward other men. There are few indeed who could argue against the reasonableness of these laws.

In addition, we must consider the government that was instituted by Moses for the covenanted people of God as being from God and in harmony with his perfect character. The children of Israel were held accountable to their Creator, and the laws and institutions that formed the framework of their society were all of divine origin. One of the outstanding features of this law was that it was made public for all to see and know. Also, it provided for a complete restitution every fiftieth year—known as the jubilee year—which guarded against the accumulation of wealth and power in the hands of an elite class. There was no distinction made between the rich and poor, for all stood before God in their own right. Additionally there were many provisions concerning the manner in which the children of Israel were to live, their treatment of enemies and strangers, their treatment of animals and others.

Space does not permit a discussion of each of these articles of God’s Law as given to the Israelites; however, those who are interested in knowing them may easily find them in the Scriptures for their own study. The Mosaic Law is of divine origin, contains features that manifest God’s righteous character, and has within it provisions and safeguards for all.

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