In Exodus 19, Israel is gathered in the wilderness. Delivered from Egypt and from Pharaoh’s armies, the people are at the base of Mount Sinai. Here, the Lord solemnly sets before them the terms of the covenant which would govern the nation’s relationship with Him: “Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people…” (Ex. 19:5).
The covenant referred to is the Mosaic Covenant, and it was delivered to Israel by the hand of Moses (Ex. 34:27f). Although some question the sincerity of Israel’s response, “All that the Lord hath spoken we will do” (Ex. 19:8), it is clear that the covenant was conditional in nature: I will if you will.
Details of the Covenant
The Bible says that this covenant was made with only one nation, Israel: “the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto Himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth” (Dt. 14:2). Scripture is abundantly clear on this point. Romans 9:4 states that the covenants were for Israel. Again, Paul says in Romans, “For when the Gentiles, which have not the Law…” (Rom. 2:14). Gentiles were “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise” (Eph. 2:12).
The Mosaic Covenant had various commandments, judgments, statutes, and ordinances that governed the moral, civil, social, and religious conduct of the nation of Israel. It was a complete, indivisible whole. You couldn’t pick and choose which parts to keep and which to ignore (Gal. 3:10; Jas. 2:10). Israel’s national blessings could only be enjoyed as the nation adhered to all of the Law.
Duration of the Covenant
This covenant was in force until fulfilled by the death of Christ on the cross. The New Testament makes this clear in several ways:
1. The Saviour’s declaration: The night the Lord Jesus was betrayed, He took the cup and declared, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood” (Lk. 22:20). Since then, Christians have sought to obey the Lord’s command by observing the Lord’s Supper. In taking the cup, symbolic of His blood shed to ratify the New Covenant, we proclaim that the Old Covenant has been fulfilled and the New Covenant has been inaugurated.
2. Confirmation in the epistles: In 1 Corinthians 11:25, Paul quotes the above declaration of the Lord Jesus regarding the New Covenant. Hebrews 10:9, referring to the Law, emphatically declares that it has been taken away! The Jewish audience that first heard these words needed bluntness and clarity if they were to realize and accept that the covenant of the Law, their very constitution which was woven into the fabric of their lives, had been done away. See also Hebrews 12:22-24. Also, the whole third chapter of 2 Corinthians is crucial lest anyone think that it was only the ceremonial aspects of the Law that were done away with. The chapter speaks of that which was “written and engraven in stones” (2 Cor. 3:7), clearly referring to the two tables of the Law inscribed by the very finger of God. Finally, Galatians 3:24f presents a powerful argument because it describes the termination of the Law. The schoolmaster ceases to have any authority over a boy once he is no longer a minor. The verses might be expressed this way: “The Law was our school teacher to train us until Christ came. Once Christ came, we no longer required the school teacher’s services.”
3. Contrasted elements:
Old Testament New Testament
Israel The church
Animal sacrifices Christ’s death
Passover The Lord’s Supper
Male priest’s head covered Man’s head uncovered
Literal Mt. Sinai Heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12)
Restricted access: temple veil Unrestricted access: temple veil torn open
4. Distinction in Terminology (Rom. 7; 2 Cor. 3; Gal. 3-4; Heb. 8:13):
Old Covenant New Covenant
Law Grace
Oldness of the letter Newness of the Spirit
Tables of stone Fleshy tables of the heart
Ministration of Death Ministration of Spirit
Condemnation Righteousness
Done away Remains
Law Faith
Weak and beggarly elements Promise of Spirit through faith
Curse Promise
The first covenant The second covenant
The old covenant The new covenant
5. Denunciation of justification by Law. The sharpest condemnations in the New Testament are aimed at those who pervert the gospel. Someone might err in many other areas, but getting the gospel wrong has eternal, damning consequences (Gal. 1:8). Justification is not by keeping the Law: “Therefore by deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified in His sight” (Rom. 3:20). Furthermore, the argument of much of Galatians is that neither is the Law the means of sanctification: “Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:3). To attempt to be sanctified by Law is to turn to that which is weak and enslaving (Gal. 4:9).
Newness of the Spirit
The New Covenant is distinct in character from the old one. The Old Covenant commanded obedience and demanded a penalty for disobedience. The New Covenant declares the penalty already paid by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross. “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us for cursed is everyone who hangeth on a tree” (Gal. 3:13). The believer is now free to continue on in life, responding to this higher motivation.
In itself, the Law was holy and just and good (Rom. 7:12). But, because it was conditional and dependent upon man’s response and duty (Gal. 3:12), it was “weak through the flesh” (Rom. 8:3). The Law could not bring salvation; it could only expose sin (Rom. 3:19; Heb. 10:3). And, because it was external, it could only reveal what to do, not confer any power to do it. The believer in Christ has a new life and a new principle for living: the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1ff). This is internal and brings with it the power to obey.
Much confusion has resulted from failure to distinguish things that differ. One’s view of the Mosaic Covenant will affect one’s interpretation of the Bible. Most of our Bible—roughly from Exodus 19 through the Gospels—deals with Israel under the Old Covenant. Misapplication of Scripture and misappropriation of certain promises often stem from not recognizing or understanding that the old has been done away with.
The Church in the first century was plagued with those seeking to bring believers under bondage to the Law, either for justification or for sanctification. This still exists today! But the Christian is not under the Law (Rom. 6:14f). We have a higher, holier calling. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1).
Free from the law—oh, happy condition!
Jesus hath bled, and there is remission;
Cursed by the Law and bruised by the fall,
Christ hath redeemed us once for all.
—Philip P. Bliss