Heavily edited and adapted
from the new edition of the 04 booklet Tablets
of Stone and the History of Redemption
by John G. Reisinger http://solochristo.com/_SC/SoloChristo.htm. See also All Old Testament Laws Cancelled, 09 by
Greg Gibson
PROCEDURE & INSTRUCTIONS - Complete study sheets prior to
meetings as homework assignments. Do not read ahead or check your responses with the instructor's set. Complete each exercise before moving on to
the next. Follow the directions and answer
the questions that are asked. Write down
your questions, observations, and thoughts.
The Necessity
of Using Biblical Terminology
What
does the Word of God itself say about the Ten Commandments (TC)? What terminology is used by
the Holy Spirit?
Where do the words the "TC"
first appear in the Bible? _________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Notice
what are we told the first time we are introduced to the words "TC.”
1. Who actually
wrote the TC on the Tablets of Stone? ______________ What other passages verify this? ______________________________________________________________________________
2. With
whom did God enter a special and unique covenant relationship at Mt Sinai
(Ex.34:10)? ________________ __________________________ What other passage verifies this? _________________________________
3. What were the
specific terms or "words of the covenant" that were written on the
Tables of Stone? ___________ ______________________________
“The
TC” are “the words of the covenant," and this
covenant is always associated with the Tables of Stone given to
Besides Ex.34:28, where else are the words "Ten
Commandments" used in the Bible?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dt.4:13
(even more emphatic than Ex.34 concerning the nature of the TC) tells us “God declared” that the covenant He made with
What terms or phrases does the Bible
use synonymously and interchangeably with the words "the Ten
Commandments?" 2 Cor.3:3; Ex.31:18; Ex.25:16; Heb.8:7; Heb.8:13;
Ex.34:28; Dt.9:9-11
There are at least five other words or phrases that are used to
refer to the TC. Realizing that we can substitute any of the following terms
in place of the words "TC" will greatly help us to understand the
nature, purpose, and function of the TC. All seven phrases mean the same thing
when used in the Bible.
1. _________________________________ is the most common way that
the Bible refers to the TC.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2.
____________________________________ is only used twice and refer to Sinai when the TC
were given as a written record of the covenant conditions that would be used as
the legal "testimony" against Israel if they broke the covenant.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________ is used in two verses to
describe the TC - the first when God gave Moses instructions concerning
building the Ark of the Covenant to house the "Testimony" or the TC;
the other when the Ark was finished and the TC were put into the Ark.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What does the form of the noun “Testimony” used in the above 4
passages show? _________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
4. ____________________________ is used in the Bible only
twice, but it is implied in other places where the New Covenant (NC) is
contrasted to the Old Covenant (OC) that it replaced. The covenant described in
the words "the covenant I made with their fathers" in passages like
Jer.31:33 and Heb.8-10 is clearly the "first" covenant or the TC that
was given at Sinai on the tables of stone.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. _______________________________ is implied in Heb.8:6. What distinct contrasts are made in Heb.8:6?
1.
2.
3.
The OC
said "do and live, disobey and die" but the New says "it is
finished, believe." Notice how these three comparisons are set forth in
the argument developed by the writer of Hebrews:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It
is the obvious result of these comparisons that demonstrates why the OC written
on the Tablets of Stone had to be replaced by the "new and better"
covenant.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Explain how 2 Cor.3:14-15 is to be understood.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. ______________________________ establish
beyond question that the TC are the covenant document that established
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. ________________________ was the phrase Moses used
at the second giving of the law in Dt. Moses seems to
want to impress the word "covenant" on
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Where were the stone tablets kept and why (Heb.9:4)? The word
"covenant" is again the recurring theme in the ninth chapter of
Hebrews which contrasts the ministry of Aaron in the earthly Tabernacle in the
midst of
The
Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the
The
inability of all the ministries connected with the OC to "cleanse the conscience"
is always, as in this verse, connected with "the way into the
For
this reason [to effect what the OC could not]
Christ is the mediator of a new
covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal
inheritance--now that he has
died [under the curse of the covenant in the Ark]
as a ransom to set them free [Gal.4:4-6] from
the sins committed under the first
covenant. Heb.9:15
None
of the sins against the OC were truly atoned for until the actual death of
Christ on
List some of the verses in the Bible that speak of `the moral
law' when referring to the Ten Commandments.
"Moral
law" is a theological term developed in the Middle
Ages. To be correct and useful the term would first have to be established with
texts of Scripture that clearly prove the doctrine carried by the term. We have
never seen this attempted with the term "moral law." How does God Himself want us to think and speak about the
words "the Ten Commandments?" ____________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Summarize what the Bible itself says about the TC by taking all
the above texts of Scripture that use the different terms as synonyms. In other
words, put together a compendium using Bible texts making one definitive statement
of the way the Bible treats the Tablets of Stone:
The Problem of
"Two Versions"
What was written on the Tablets of Stone? The Bible gives two different
"versions" of the TC that were written on the Tables of Stone.
The first through third and the sixth through ninth commandments are almost
identical. The greatest differences are in the fourth and fifth. Make a chart comparing the 4th commandment in
Ex.20 with that in Dt.5.
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EXODUS 20 |
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Moses
clearly gave two different reasons for keeping the Sabbath holy [associating the same command with different events].
The first reason was to follow God's example in Genesis [commemorate God’s finished work] and the second was to remember
the recent deliverance from
We are not talking about two versions of a parable or miracle,
but about very special and unique commandments of great significance that were
written in stone by the finger of God. Is it
possible that God wrote on the Tablets of Stone everything found in the both
the Ex.20 version and the Dt.5 version of the TC? _____________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________
The
two different versions must be reconciled to each other before it is possible
to know for sure what was actually written on the Tablets of Stone.
Evaluate the three possible approaches to the problem of the two
different versions of the TC below.
1. The Bible
contradicts itself. ____________________________________________________
2. Moses, in Dt.5,
"forgot" what God actually wrote on the Tablets of Stone in Ex.20 and
therefore left out the part about creation. He also "added" in Dt.5
the part about deliverance from
3. All that was
actually written on the Tablets of Stone was the bare commandments. In the case
of the fourth commandment, all that was written on the tables was the words "Remember
the Sabbath Day to keep it holy." All of the rest of the words
relating to the actual observance of the Sabbath in texts are commentary added
by Moses and not part of the commandment itself as written on the Tablets of
Stone. ______________________________
The seventh day Sabbath was the specific "sign" of the
Mosaic covenant that established the nation of
Does Ex.20:11 prove that the seventh day Sabbath was a so-called
"Creation Ordinance” (Dt.5:22)? ____________
__________________________________________________________________________________ Explain.
If
anyone chooses to believe that the Sabbath commandment existed before Sinai, he
must get his evidence from a source other than Ex.20 and Dt.5. [see Keeping the Sabbath in Christ http://pop.eradman.com] A mind-set is required that thinks and speaks in Biblical
terms (ie., TC) instead of theological terms (ie.,
unchanging moral law of God). Whenever we hear the words "the TC" or
one of the other synonyms our first thought should automatically be "the
words of the OC written on the Tables of Stone at Mt Sinai." It is not
that there are no laws addressing moral behavior. The TC contain
mostly moral law. However, that is totally different than saying "the
TC as written on the Tablets of Stone are "THE eternal unchanging moral
law."
The
Bible always treats the "TC" as a single unit - a codified list that
constitutes a covenant document, the Decalogue or "Ten Words." When
that covenant ended, everything it represented and supported also ended.
However, the specific moral duties commanded in the individual commandments
written on those tables are another thing altogether. Nine of the ten
individual commandments are clearly repeated by both our Lord in his role as
the new lawgiver in the Gospels and by the Apostles in the Epistles. [see NC Theology:
Description; Definition; Defense, 02 by Tom Wells and Fred Zaspel]
Everything
that God commands is "moral law" to the individual commanded. To pick
up sticks on the Sabbath was one of the most immoral things that a man could do
under the OC - not because there is anything inherently wrong with picking up
sticks. The man was stoned to death because the Fourth Commandment, which was
the covenant sign, specifically forbade any physical labor on the seventh day.
A commandment that was ceremonial in nature became a moral duty when God made
it the sign of the covenant.
Was it immoral for a man to take a second wife under the same OC
that had the man stoned to death for gathering sticks? ___________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
The Ten Commandments
Are a "Covenant"
The
Scriptures consistently call the TC a "covenant" and treat them as a distinct
and separate covenant. However, some still hold the basic presupposition
that there is only "one covenant with two administrations." This is
not exegetically correct. In that system, the "Mosaic arrangement or
administration" is considered an "administration of
the one covenant of grace."
However, the Word of God is quite clear that the TC were the specific terms of
a distinct and separate covenant.
So
He declared to you His covenant
which He commanded you to perform,
that is, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. Dt.4:13
When
I went up into the mountains to receive the tablets of stone, even the tablets of the covenant
which the Lord had made with you...and the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone written with
the finger of God...the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, even the tablets of the covenant.
Dt.9:9-11
Theology
built on non-biblical terms that are both peculiar and essential to that
particular system should be viewed with skepticism. What
have we seen the emphasis in the Word
of God to be? ______________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
When
Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned
and he threw the tablets
out of his hands, breaking them in pieces... Ex.32:18
The
Lord said to Moses, "Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets
which you broke..." Then the Lord said, "I am making a COVENANT with you..." Then the
Lord said to Moses, "Write down
these words, for in accordance with them I have made a COVENANT with you
and with
The Ten Commandments Comprise a "Legal" Covenant
The OC upon the Tablets of
Stone was not only a distinct covenant, it was the
specific legal covenant that established
The
importance that Scripture attaches to the TC is always connected with
The function and goal of the OC
(TC) was a ministry of death by convicting the conscience of guilt. Do not
confuse the gracious purpose of God in giving the covenant at Sinai with
the nature of the covenant itself. There was not an ounce of grace in the
covenant itself but it was very gracious of God to give it to
John Owen, the greatest
theologian among the English Puritans saw clearly that the TC constituted a
legal covenant that was totally devoid of grace. He (like John Bunyan) was one
of the few writers that knew how to separate law and grace. The following
quotation is Owen's explanation of the meaning of the
word "law." It is taken from a sermon on Rom.6:14 entitled "You are not under the law, but under
grace:"
The law is taken two ways:--1. For the whole revelation of God in the Old Testament. In this sense it had grace in it, and so did give both life, and light, and strength against sin, as the Psalmist declares, Ps. 19:7-9. In this sense it contained not only the law of precepts, but the promise also and strength unto the church. In this sense it is not spoken of here, nor is anywhere opposed to grace. 2. For the covenant rule of perfect obedience: "Do this, and live." In this sense men are said to be "under it," in opposition unto being "under grace." They are under its power, rule, conditions, and authority, as a covenant.
Owen believed that while grace
can be found in the Old Testament Scriptures, there was no grace in the
OC because it was a legal/works covenant. The Tablets of the Covenant said,
"Do and live, disobey and die without mercy" (Heb.10:28).
Owen boldly states that there
was no grace in the law when it is viewed as the legal covenant given to the
nation of
“Christ is not in the Law; he is not proposed in it, not communicated by it - we are not made partakers of him thereby. This is the work of grace - of the gospel. In it is Christ revealed; by it he is proposed and exhibited unto us..."
The gracious act of God was in physically
redeeming
Ye
have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings,
and brought you unto myself. 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: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a
kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of
Ex.19:4-6 gives a list of the
specific blessings that were promised IF Israel would keep the covenant (TC).
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1 PETER 2:9 |
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Both
the beginning and the ending of
What made the difference? _____________________________
The
Lord said to Moses, "Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he
chooses into the
And when Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, he gave up the spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split [the power of God that once caused men to tremble now set them free]. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life [after the resurrection of Jesus]. Mt.27:50-52
Therefore,
brothers, since we have confidence to enter the
Describe what
happened when the historical shift from the OC to the New took place.
First century Jewry could not accept
the total change of status brought into being by the change of covenants. They
wanted to hang on to everything that was distinctive of the OC. [Their rejection of Christ as the Messiah and God’s
rejection of them was comparable to His judgment upon the first generation of
Israelites coming out of
The rending of the veil not
only raised the believing Gentile up to be on an equal basis with a believing
Jew as a member of the Body of Christ, it also lowered the status of the unbelieving
Jew and put him on the same level as the Gentile "dog." The
Many things were added to the
Tablets of Stone that explained
and applied the covenant. Ex.20-22 is called the "Book of the
Covenant." The "Law of Moses" included everything in the
Pentateuch, and as such was sometimes called "the Law" or "the
Covenant." However the TC was the specific covenant document that
established
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Foundational Covenant Document |
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Israel’s Nationhood |
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TC |
The Constitution |
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General Laws |
Congress |
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Judicial Laws |
Supreme Court |
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Civil and Social Laws |
Justice Department |
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Health Laws |
Dept. of Health |
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Tithing Laws |
Dept. of I.R.S. |
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"The Law(s) of
Moses" |
"The Laws of the |
The Ten Commandments were given only to the Nation of Israel
The TC covenant document was
given only to the nation of
There
was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, WHEN the LORD made a covenant with the children
of
The Prophets saw the coming of a NC and spoke of it in glowing terms. Whenever they contrasted the OC with the NC, they always state when and with whom the OC was made.
Behold days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel..., not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hands to bring them out of the land of Egypt..." Jer.31:31-32.
What 3 points does
this passage make?
1.
___________________________________
2.
_____________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________
Was God promising
to make a new and different covenant with
The
NT Scriptures always connect the OC with
...
the time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant
with the house of
(1)
________________________________
(2)
________________________________
(3)
_____________________________________________
Does this passage
relate this covenant back to Adam in the garden?
What was the great
difference between the nation of
For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness... Rom.2:14.
"The Law" in this passage refers to the whole law arising from the covenant. It cannot refer to "a sense of moral duty" since all men have that by virtue of being God's image bearers and Paul is talking about a law that all men definitely do not have. What is Paul's whole point in the context of this passage? _____________________________________ ___________ How does he substantiate this? _____________________________________________________ _________________________ The Jews alone have the special gift of the Law that God wrote on the Tablets of Stone and elaborated upon.
Why can’t this passage be referring to "ceremonial law”? ________________________________
Conscience by nature and without special revelation cannot convict men of
disobedience to "ceremonial" laws. One of the many proofs that the
Sabbath is not a "moral law" is the fact that a single instance has
never been discovered of someone knowing by nature the Sabbath law. The law
concerning Sabbath keeping must always be taught as special revelation just as
it was to
Does Paul say, "The law" is written in the Gentile's heart? _____________________________________________ ____________________ This fact shows that conscience is active even in the Gentiles, more so than in the Jew. This power of conscience "shows the work of the law written in their hearts." The "work" of the law is to accuse or excuse according to the standard given to it. It condemns all violations of known wrong and rewards obedience to what is known to be right. All men have a conscience and they all experience to a greater or lesser degree conviction they have done wrong.
The Gentiles did not
have "the law" but they did have the "work of the
law" in their hearts. The law can only "work" true repentance
that leads to faith if there is (1) a covenant with clear terms and (2) the
individual has a knowledge of those terms. In giving
Let us distinguish between the TC as the terms of a legal covenant and the duties commanded by the individual commandments.
But
the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of
which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better
promises. For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no
place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people
and said: "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new
covenant with the house of
The three distinct contrasts in verse 6 were: (1) Christ has a better ministry than Aaron; (2) because Christ's ministry is based on a new and better covenant; (3) the covenant Christ administers is superior to the covenant under which Aaron ministered because it is based on better promises.
Heb.8:7-9 settles any
discussion as to either when (at Sinai) or with whom (
What does v.10
emphasize and what conclusions can be drawn from it?
"What is
the difference, if any, between the "covenant" and the word
"laws" in this passage?" Exactly what is God promising to do in this verse? What is the
"NC" He is making and what "laws" is He going to write on
the heart?
However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. Rom.4:5
This trust is the "rest" that weary souls enter into when they come under the yoke of Christ and are liberated from the yoke of the covenant given to Moses on Sinai.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Mt.11:28-30.
Contrast
Mt.11:28-30 with Moses and old law covenant.
Exactly what "laws" does the Holy Spirit write on the heart of a NC believer? These laws as far as their content are basically the very same moral laws that were written on the tables of stone. Heb.8:10 is not talking about two different "sets" of laws that totally contradict each other as if there were two "kinds of morality." The morality of the NC does not destroy the true morality demanded in the laws of the OC. It takes that morality to a higher level. It is true that Christ adds laws that were impossible for Moses to ever give but that does not mean Christ contradicts Moses.9 Hebrews is talking about two different motivations that grow out of two different kinds of covenants." 2 Cor.3 is the Holy Spirit's commentary on Heb.8:10. Neither of these passages teaches that God "tattoos" the exact words of the Decalogue on our hearts. Both passages are talking about the powerful effect of regeneration that results in a totally new and different attitude toward God. They are picturing the removal of the stony heart that hated the Tablets of Stones and all they represented - the effect of regeneration in replacing the stony heart with a heart of flesh. The new heart of flesh loves all of God's revealed laws simply because it loves the new Lawgiver Who teaches them.
The difference is not in the specific duties demanded but the difference between law and grace as covenants. It is the difference of being constrained by love from within a heart rejoicing in a covenant of grace. These two passages are talking about the difference between the conscience being under the old Pedagogue (the Law of the OC), and being under the new Pedagogue, the indwelling Holy Spirit.
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7. The writer of Hebrews, as well as the prophecy in Jer.31:33 establish that the "fathers" referred to in this passage are the patriarchs.
8. John Bunyan wrote an excellent article proving the Seventh Day Sabbath could not possibly be a so called "Creation Ordinance." See, "Questions about the Nature and Perpetuity of the Seventh-Day Sabbath," by John Bunyan, The Works of John Bunyan, Vol.2, p.359-387. Also, Is Sunday the Christian Sabbath, by Dr Robert Morey.
9. See But I Say Unto You. This book shows that Christ supersedes and replaces Moses as the New Lawgiver.
The Seventh
Day Sabbath was the Sign of the Mosaic Covenant!
Because
the Tablets of Stone were a distinct covenant, they were accompanied by a
specific "covenant sign." The Sabbath was the sign of the covenant
and therefore it had to be part of the covenant document of which it was
the sign.
And
the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also
unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout
your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify
you. Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one
that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for
whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his
people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest,
holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely
be put to death. Wherefore the
children of
What facts does this text establish?
1. _________________________________________
2. _________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________
The following
passage shows that the Sabbath was so important because it was the sign of the
covenant.
And
I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my
judgments, which if a man DO, he
shall even live in them.
Moreover also I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me
and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them. But the house of Israel rebelled against me
in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my
judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my Sabbaths they greatly polluted: THEN I said, I would pour out my fury
upon them in the wilderness, to consume them. But I wrought for my name's sake,
that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought
them out. Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I
would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk
and honey, which is the glory of all lands; Because they despised my judgments,
and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my SABBATHS: for their heart went after their idols. Nevertheless
mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did
I make an end of them in the wilderness. But I said unto their children in the
wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their
judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols: I am the LORD your God; walk
in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; And hallow my SABBATHS; and they shall be a SIGN between me and you, that
ye may know that I am the LORD your God. Ez.20:12-20
Notice
the "then" in verse 13 and its connection to v.16 and 20.
And
while the children of
This
was not a "tough on the first case as an example to others" action by
God. Picking up sticks was breaking the "sign" of the covenant and
thereby disavowing [disrespecting] the entire
covenant. The Sabbath was to
Name the major covenants so named in the Bible and their
respective signs.
The
God designed function of the TC was conviction and fear not joy and hope. The
same moral rules that furnish our minds with help in pleasing our heavenly
Father functioned in the conscience of an Israelite as the condemning covenant
of life and death (2 Cor.3:6-18) of their covenant God.
When
we see the clear contrast that Christ is making when instituting the
remembrance service for celebrating the NC, everything falls into place. When
Jesus said "THIS do in remembrance of ME" He was contrasting the NC,
and its remembrance sign, with the OC, and its remembrance sign. He was saying,
"Instead of keeping the Sabbath in remembrance of the old creation and
The
OC bound men to God as their Creator and Lawgiver and celebrated the work of
the old creation. The NC binds us to God as our Redeemer through our Lord Jesus
Christ and celebrates the work of the new creation. The one reminds us of sin
and the other reminds of forgiveness (1 Cor.11:25-27).
The Tablets of
Stone were the
In the wilderness, what did
The "Ark of the Covenant" was so named
because of its CONTENT. The Ark of the Covenant was built for the express purpose of housing
the covenant document that established
And
they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits
and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth
thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof…And thou shalt
put into the ark the testimony which I shall
give thee. Ex.25:10, 16
And
he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent
above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses. And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon
the ark: Ex.40:19-20
The
At
that time the LORD said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the
first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood. And I
will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put
them in the ark. And I made an ark of shittim
wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the
mount, having the two tables in mine hand. And he wrote on the
tables, according to the first writing, the Ten
Commandments, which the LORD spake unto
you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and
the LORD gave them unto me. And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark
which I had made; and there they be, as the LORD
commanded me. Dt.5:1-5
Why
were the TC placed in the Ark of the Covenant? Why was that box so sacred that humans hands were not even allowed to touch it (2 Sam.5-6)?
When we understand why a man was instantly killed by God for merely putting his
hand on the
There could be no entrance into the presence of God
in the
Paul
is saying the same truth in the following passages:
He
has made us competent as ministers of a new
covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but
the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry that brought
death, which was engraved in letters on stone...2 Cor.3:6-7
Once
I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very
commandment that was intended to bring
life actually brought death.
For sin, seizing the
opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. Rom.7:9-10
Paul
said the "commandment was ordained to life." However, because
of sin, he discovered the commandment was "death to him." The TC did
indeed promise life to anyone that kept them perfectly. They also promised
death to all who failed to keep them. However, the Tablets of Stone could not
do either of these things if it did not have the status of a covenant. A bare
commandment cannot kill unless the death penalty is connected to it. And no
commandment can give life unless the commandment is the terms of a covenant
that promises life. Paul specifically says, "the very commandment that was intended to bring life," was what
"put me to death."
Jesus
responded to the rich young ruler as He did only because the TC offered life to
those who perfectly obey. The young man thought he must "earn" his
way to eternal life and Jesus told him to "Keep the Law" (Mt.19:17). When the young man asked, "Which one?" Jesus
quoted 5 of the commandments plus the "second greatest commandment of
all" (Lev.19:18). If the person perfectly kept the law it would prove that
he did not have original sin in the
first place. It is impossible for any son of Adam to obey the law
perfectly simply because every son of Adam has a sinful nature
inherited from his father Adam that keeps him from perfect obedience.
However,
the Tablets of the Covenant still offer life and righteousness just as
surely as they threaten death and damnation. The problem that prevents
anyone from earning righteousness by keeping the OC is in the nature of the
sinner and not in the nature of the covenant. The priesthood, services, sacrifices etc., all started and ended at the
same time as the OC that necessitated their being established.
This
is the whole burden of Hebrews 8-10.
Now
the first covenant had
regulations for worship [Don't confuse the actual
covenant, the TC, with all of the "regulations"] and also an
earthly sanctuary. A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lamp
stand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the
What was the purpose for the priesthood and sacrificial system. _____________________________________
For
this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are
called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a
ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
Heb.9:15
The
relationship of the Law Covenant (the stone tablets in the
The Ten Commandments as a Covenant Document had a
Historical Beginning and End
The New Testament
Scriptures are clear that TC are finished as a covenant
contract between God and
1. Some specific
"law" had a historical beginning.
2. That same
"law" had a historical end.
3. The historical
beginning of that "law" is always associated with the giving of the
Tablets of the Covenant to
4. The historical ending
of that "law" is always connected with the coming of Christ and
the establishment of the NC.
The historical beginning
of the law covenant coincided with the beginning of the Nation of Israel.
For
before the law was given,
sin was in the world.
But sin is not taken into account when
there is no law. Rom.5:13
The law was added so that the trespass
might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more. Rom.5:20
What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise
referred had come. The law was put into
effect through angels by a mediator. Gal.3:19
So the law was put in charge to lead us
to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
Gal.3:24-25
Is Paul denying
that before Sinai God punished behavior that was contrary to the moral duties
set forth in the law given at Sinai as a covenant? _______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________ Whatever "law" began at Sinai also forever ended
at the cross. However, there is another kind of "law" that continues
in the Christian life.
In what way
is Paul talking about the law in the verses just quoted? ______________________________________
What is the meaning of the word "law" in Gal.3-4 and
what makes you think so? _____________________________
____________________________________________, the "law" that
came 430 years after the promise to Abraham is separate from the promise of the
gospel given to Abraham. The question in 3:21 [“Is
the law then contrary to the promises of God?”] would be totally
unnecessary. The fact that Paul spends so much time in answering the problem
with a carefully worded argument proves the reality of a problem. The argument
is so careful that it builds a key point on the use of the singular
"seed" instead of seeds (3:16).
The law in Gal.3 had the
power to "imprison the whole world" and prove it was "guilty
before God" (v.21-23). The Jewish ceremonial law could never do that.
Verses 17-20 refer to the waiting period between the promise to Abraham and its
fulfillment – the interim imposition of the law covenant at Mt Sinai after
deliverance from 430 years of slavery in
These things may be
taken figuratively, for the
women represent two covenants.
One covenant is from
When Paul speaks in
negative terms about the law, its weaknesses or its final demise, he is
referring to the law covenant. When he speaks of the law in a good sense and
applies it to us today, he is speaking of the moral duties contained in the
individual laws.
The following facts
summarize Paul's understanding of the purpose and function of the TC today:
1. A NC was ratified in
the blood of Christ at the cross. The OC written on the Tablets of Stone at
Sinai have been "fulfilled" and done away. The claims of the OC have
been met; its curse has been endured and removed; and its blessings have been
secured by Christ and bestowed on His Church.
2. A new people or nation
was born at Pentecost. The true "holy nation" of "kings and
priests" (the true Israel of God) came into being (Compare Ex.19:4-5 and 1
Pt.2:9-11).
3. A new approach to God
was opened upon the veil being rent from top to bottom. It was the Tablets of
Stone that blocked the way into the presence of God's presence, but now the
terms of the covenant have been fully met and we enter boldly into the Most
Holy Place (Heb.10:1-23).
4. A new status (Sons of
God) with new privileges was given to the "grown up" people of God.
5. A new Pedagogue took
over in the conscience of the new covenant believer. The TC were
in themselves, the old Pedagogue in the conscience of an Israelite. That old Pedagogue
has been dismissed (Gal.3:24-25) and replaced by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
The Biblical
Significance of the Tables of Stone
Various
writers in both the OT and NT quote individual commandments out of the
Decalogue as well as the rest of the OT Scriptures and use it to reinforce a
moral/ethical duty. Our Lord used Dt.6:6 and Lev.19:18 as the foundation to
prove the two greatest commandments in all of Scripture.
The
Medieval concept of law which broke it down into moral, ceremonial, and civil
laws must be replaced with Biblical terminology. "The covenant in force at
the time" was the means of establishing morality and holiness for any
individual. God's commandment to
We
cannot understand how David could enter into a polygamous marriage with
Bathsheba with God's expressed approval and blessing without understanding the
change in the terms of the "Be ye holy, for I am holy" commandment
when it is given under the NC. Obviously David could be holy in God's sight
under the OC and practice polygamy but a believer today under the NC cannot do
the same thing.10 Polygamy did not break the
Seventh Commandment (You shall not commit adultery) under the OC. But it
violates the new and higher moral law established pursuant to the original
intent of God in creating mankind as male and female that Christ gave the
Church in the NC.
It
is impossible to make a clear distinction between moral and ceremonial laws in
Scripture. While we would all put eating unclean animals on the so called
"ceremonial law list" (Lev.11:44-46) and would certainly put
respecting our parents (Lev.19:2-3) on the "moral list," the Holy
Spirit put them both on the same list under the OC. This is even clearer in
Lev.19:18-19. In these verses, one of the two greatest moral commandments
("love your neighbor as yourself") is mixed together with
"ceremonial laws."
Do
not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am
the LORD. Keep my decrees. Do not mate different kinds of animals. "`Do
not plant your field with two kinds of
seed. Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material. Lev.19:18-19.
In
the above passage, the Holy Spirit deliberately put the second highest moral
commandment in all of Scripture in the middle of what would have to be
designated a "ceremonial list. Jesus obviously did not think of the TC as
the "highest moral standard ever given." The context of the text
quoted by Jesus gives no indication that it is a "great moral law"
and the surrounding laws are only "ceremonial." It is only when
Christ chooses to use Lev.19:18, as He does in Mt.22, that the phrase in this
text becomes the "second highest commandment" upon which all other
laws, including the TC, hang. Dt.6:6 and Lev.19:18 are not the
"summary of the TC." It is the other way around!
Look
at the context of the "second highest commandment":
The
LORD said to Moses, Speak to the entire assembly of
Neither
our Savior nor Moses, the writer of Leviticus, thought of dividing up the
various laws in Lev.19 into different kinds of lists. The chapter begins with
the identical exhortation of "Be Holy for I am
Holy" that Peter gives to Christians (1 Pt.1:15-16). The above verses
quoted from Lev.19 cover honoring parents, keeping the Sabbath, loving our
neighbor as ourselves, and then immediately talks about mixing different seed
and different cloth and cross breading of animals. Some of these laws are
"ceremonial" in nature and others are "moral" in nature.
Could
"love your neighbor as yourself" be the "second greatest moral
duty" for an Israelite living under the law of Lev.19? In what way was
this law more important than planting his garden correctly? What about the concept of degree, the more important
matters of the law Jesus criticized the Pharisees for neglecting (Mt.23:23;
Lk.11:42)? ___ _________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Neither Moses, Christ, nor anyone else in all of Scripture created lists and
used the different lists as the foundation of moral conduct.
The message of the New Testament
Scriptures is the historical shift from the authority of Moses to the full and
final authority of Christ. Christians are not under the authority of Moses as their lawgiver. They
are under the authority of Christ the new Lawgiver. Christians are not
under the OC and do not use it to define their moral absolutes any more than
they use it to define their diet. They are under the NC and it defines
everything in their life and worship either by clear precept or personal application
of a principle. Often times the principle will be a spiritual application of an
OC law. Paul's use of Dt.25:4 is only one example: "Do not muzzle an ox
while it is treading out the grain." Is it only about oxen that God is
concerned? (1 Cor.9:9)
Christians
are under higher laws and a greater obligation to be holy because of
Consequently,
you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people
and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself
as the chief cornerstone. Eph.2:19-20.
Who do the "prophets" refer to in this passage? _________________________
The life and worship of the Church is not built on
Moses, his laws, or the covenant that established
The
couplet "Apostles and Prophets" may bring together the Old Testament
(prophets) and the New Testament (apostles) as the basis of the church's
teaching. But the inverted order of the words (not "prophets and
apostles" but "apostles and prophets") suggests that probably
the New Testament prophets are meant. If so, their bracketing with the apostles
as the church's foundation is
significant. The reference again must be to a small group of inspired teachers,
associated with the apostles, who together bore witness to Christ and whose
teaching was derived from revelation (3:5) and was foundational.
In practical terms this means that the church is built on the
New Testament Scriptures.
They are the church's foundation documents.
And just as a foundation cannot be tampered with once it has been laid and the
superstructure is being built upon it, so the New Testament foundation of the
church is inviolable and cannot be changed by and additions, subtractions, or
modifications by teachers who claim to be apostles or prophets today. The
church stands or falls by its loyal dependence on the foundation truths which God revealed to his apostles and prophets,
and which are now preserved in the New
Testament Scriptures. John R Stott, God's New
Society, p.107
The
life and worship of
The
American colonies were under the constitution and laws of
Our
new Lawgiver has given new and higher laws in addition to interpreting the
individual commandments in terms of the kingdom of grace. Could the thunder, lightening, and fear of Sinai be
separated from the Tablets of Stone? _____
_________________________________________ The gospel of God's grace cannot remain pure and victorious
in the conscience until the covenant of works is replaced by the NC. A great
Puritan preacher said it well:
It
will prove a special help to know distinctly the difference between the
covenant of works and the covenant of grace, between Moses and Christ; Moses
without all mercy breaketh all bruised reeds, and quencheth all smoking flax. For the law requireth,
1, personal; 2, perpetual; 3, perfect obedience; 4, and from a perfect heart;
and that under a most terrible curse, and giveth no
strength, a severe task-master, like Pharaoh's requiring the whole tale, and
yet giveth no straw. Christ cometh with blessing upon
blessing even upon those whom Moses had cursed, and with healing balm for those
wounds which Moses had made. The same duties are required in both covenants;
as, `to love the Lord with all our hearts, with all our souls,' &c.,
Dt.vi.5. In the covenant of works, this must be taken in the rigor . . . This
law is sweetened by the gospel, and becometh
delightful to the inner man, Rom.vii.22. Under this gracious covenant sincerity
is perfection. This is the death in the pot in the Roman religion, that they
confound the two covenants; and it deads [deadens] the comfort of drooping ones, that they cannot
distinguish them. And thus they suffer themselves to be held `under bondage,'
Isa.lxi.1-2, when Christ hath set open doors before them. See "But
I Say Unto You
The
Holy Spirit has said it best:
You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and
that is burning with fire; to
darkness, gloom, and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged
that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was
commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be
stoned." The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling
with fear." But you have come to
-----------------------------
10. See "But
I Say Unto You" for a discussion of the change
from the canon of conduct under which