Work Sheet Commentary on the Book of the Covenant

Introduction: Establishing that the “ten-commandments” were a part of the book of the covenant, and served as a watchword outline for the entire contract. The ten-commandments were interwoven into the fabric of the book, thus forming a bond whereby they served together as constituent members of this covenant. Exo. 34:4 (New Tablets) The Covenant is renewed (34:10-28) On down to the people (34:29-35:1) ^{(vs. 32)} “All the Words”that the Lord spoke with Moses up on Mt. Sinai.” The 40 days and nights included instructions of the entire covenant, which was fittingly represented by the Ten Commandments. Deut. 4:13 and 10:4 do not contradict 10:12; 11:1, 8, 13, 18-25; 12:1, 26, 27. This corresponds with the words of Moses: Lev.18: 29 states that “whoever commits any of these abominations shall be “cut off.” Lev. 26:14 states that “breaking the covenant” included all these commandments, statutes, and judgments. Lev. 26:46 These are the statutes, judgments and laws which the Lord made between Himself and the children of Israel on Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses. Do not force a conclusion until you have finished this article:

1. The book of Leviticus: Deeply seated within the instructions given by Moses therein, the ten-commandments, like bones surrounded with sinews of muscle tissue, are clearly in evidence throughout the body of the book. A careful study shows the results to be apodictic in nature, not casuistic. The following chart identifies all ten commands that bloom, law by law, like apple-blossom trees. However, these wood plants, along with all their acclaimed pageantry, stand as trees among trees, fully integrated into one “Book of the Covenant.”

1. No other gods to be worshipped 19:4, 20, 20:2, 6; 26:1

3. Observing (keeping) the Sabbath day 23:3

4. Profane and vain use of God’s name 18:21; 19:12; 24:15, 16

5. Honoring one’s father and mother 19:3; 29:9

6. Murder forbidden and condemned 24:17

7. Stealing is expressly forbidden 19:11

8. Adultery forbidden and condemned 18:20, 20:10

9. Bearing false witness (lies) condemned 19:11, 15, 16

10. Covetous acts against one’s neighbor 19:18

The above examples do not exhaust the supply; they are testimonials that authenticate that the ten-commandments are established within the framework of the book of the covenant, even without using the qualitative lists that formally separate them from the rest. Therefore, the decalogue served, not as a separate entity, but rather as a representative model of what the entire covenant was all about. The “ten commands” embodied a moral code upon which the new nation of Israel was to be built. Like a lighthouse near the shore that gives hope, direction and relative guidelines, the tables of stone from the finger of God served as a code of ethics, a rule of thumb, as a symbolic reference to the “Book of the Covenant” of which the entire contract was ratified and binding. It would be unthinkable to remove the cornerstone of a building; to remove ten heat shield-shingles from a space ship; or remove ten rail-sections from a railroad track. And similarly, to extract the ten-commandments from the book of the covenant would not only be a miscarriage of justice to the literary workmanship of Moses, it would be a flagrant violation of God’s warning and curses to those that “add to” or “’subtract from’ His Word. (De. 12:32)

2. The book of Deuteronomy: Here again, we see in evidence the same profound truth, that the decalogue is inherently found throughout the book. The “mitsvah,” (commandment,) was commonly expressed to mean the “collective law” (Strongs #4687, referring to Moses). When the book was found in the days of King Josiah, 2 Kings 22:8-23:25, interchangeably, it was called “the book of Law” and the “book of the Covenant.” They found but one book, the one that Moses wrote; he gave it to the priests to keep beside the Ark. (Deut.. 29:1 to 31:24) acknowledges that the renewed covenant to the new generation at Moab included all the words from Mt. Sinai. Again, the Ten Commandments appear throughout the entire book and are not limited to the itemized list found in Deut. 5:6-21. Transgressing any one of the 613 commandments was sinful. Every covenanted word of law was to be observed and obeyed. Every sinful act was a covenant-breaking event that required sacrifice and atonement according to the book of the covenant, the book of the law, written by Moses. Expositors have inadvertently deceived us by making unfounded distinctions about the book of the covenant.

2. Parents must be honored and obeyed with respect 21:18; 27:16

3. Liars are condemned and falsehood is forbidden 19:15; 27:17

4. Worship of other gods is expressly forbidden 6:14; 12:30; 13:2, 7; 17:3;

5. Lack of love and coveting one’s neighbor condemned 22:1, 3

6. Murder is condemned and expressly forbidden 19:11

7. Sabbath keeping (a part of the Passover) 12:3

8. Profane( vain) use of God’ Name 23:23 (vows included)

9. Stealing condemned and expressly forbidden 22:1 and 24:7

10. Use of graven images and figurines as idols 4:15; 7:25; 27:15

The book of Deuteronomy also establishes the points made in the prefatorial remarks, namely, that one couldn’t extract and or remove the decalogue from the book of the covenant and thus render the book of the covenant as being complete without the ten commandments. It would be likened to removing vital organs from the human body and expecting the body to go on living. Without the heart, the lungs, the liver and kidneys, the body dies, of course. Without the underlying principles found in the ten-commandments, the remaining ordinances would fail to exhibit enough substance to serve the purpose for which the covenant was made. The fact is, neither sector, by itself, meets the criteria for the desired end of the covenant. God knew exactly what He was doing when He joined them both together. With both sectors in place, the new nation could be both mentally and morally prepared to be “holy” and “set a-part” from other nations. And “what God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.” God established a blood sprinkled Book of the Covenant (Heb. 9:19) written as a mutual agreement on a standard that would produce worthwhile dividends, blessings and benefits. The 10 commandments had to serve both the church and the state. But alone, these 10 commands did not supply all the answers for either civil law or religious law. Again, they served as watchwords and signal fires to direct and redirect every heart and soul within the nation of Israel to keep the covenant. The remaining 603 commandments, or near thereabouts, were also contingencies and conditions firmly attached to the God ordained sanctions included in the BOOK OF THE COVENANT.

· Every ordination, standard for consecration, and directive for sanctification

·

Every dietary restriction, abstention and regulatory for hygienic benefits

· Every rudiment, stipulation, and detail (whether or not they made sense)

· Every instruction had a worthy role to play to keep God’s people holy

Violations were indicative of rejecting the counsel of God and a lack of true devotion*Just as Luke 7:30 says: the Pharisees, by rejecting John’s baptism, rejected God’s counsel. Violations of the “Book of the Covenant” bore consequences and/or the death-penalty whether or not the crime was listed on the tables of stone called “The ”ten-commandments”.

· Consider Nadab and Abihu’s crime and punishment; noting that their sinful violation is not mentioned in the ten-commandments

· Consider Uzzah, and his inadvertent error; whereby he touched the ark and was struck dead for a sinful act that was not disclosed in the ten-commandments.

· Consider Mal. 1:6, 7 with Lev. 21:6, 8 the sacrificial offering of polluted bread.

Summary: The religious world in general supposes that the ten commandments are still binding today. But such a teaching of Col. 2:14, Gal. 4:24, 5:1 and Heb. 8:13 is not consistent with the truth. The “Book of the Covenant” was a covenant made only with the Israelites and was binding only on that nation. Through the death, burial and resurrection, Jesus was made both Lord and Christ; and through the shedding of His blood and the death of the Testator, the “last will” and covenant of the Lord Jesus was divinely activated. The Old Covenant was given to Hebrews, through Moses, but the Lord Jesus Christ gives the New Covenant to us. Laying aside but some of the ordinances, Col. 2:14, and holding on to the ten commandments of Moses denies all of the foregoing ipsojure (attestations). For one cannot justly isolate and otherwise adopt the ten-commandments as a separate entity, thus removing it from the remainder of the book of the covenant. Christians are not bound to and are not under the Old Covenant unto Moses, and thus, they are not baptized unto Moses. (1 Cor. 10:1-4) Christians are bound and responsible to the New Covenant, the New Testament in Christ Jesus, and Him alone. Heb. 3:1-3 Moses was faithful over his house, but Christians are not a part of Moses’ house. Greater than Moses, greater than Abraham, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ stands as our mediator, our savior, our law-giver; Sinai is out of the picture, as stated in the allegorical analogy in Gal. 4:24. If we go back to the Old Book of the Covenant, then as stated in Gal. 5:1-4, Jesus Christ is of no benefit whatever! It is not possible to have one’s cake and eat it too! To return to Moses is to lose sight of salvation and hope in Christ. Christians obey nine of the commands given to Moses; but not because of the tables of stone; not because they were given to Israel; not because they are renown and famous in the Old Testament; but because 9 of those commandments are divinely established within the New Covenant. Therefore, we obey those 9 laws because we have received them from JESUS. And no man, including Moses, can fill the shoes of God’s Son or claim any portion of His glory. Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.” 1 Cor. 10:11 and Romans 15:4 reveals the inspired answer to the whole matter. The Old Testament is valuable and it’s profitable, but serves as warnings and examples only. Christians must turn their eyes and ears to Jesus Christ’s Last Will and Testament. He stated, John 12:48, “My words shall judge you the last day.” Let’s listen to the message of the transfiguration (Mat. 17:1) where Moses and Elijah appeared beside the Lord Jesus. However, the idea of building three tabernacles was utterly rejected and over-ruled when a bright cloud overshadowed both Moses and Elijah; while a voice out of the cloud said: “This is My beloved Son, HEAR YE HIM.” Therefore:

· Elijah is out of the picture!

· Moses is out of the picture!

· The Book of the Covenant (Exo. 24:7/Heb. 9:19) is out of the picture and nailed to the cross.

· Therefore, the ten-commandments are also out of the picture, nailed to the cross, and thereby completely canceled as a binding contract on anybody, anywhere and anyplace.

But, alas, we find nine of “those commands” in the Law of Christ; a New Covenant ratified by the offering of His blood and His death. Therefore, they come to us: not from Mt. Sinai, not from Moses serving as our mediator, but from the Lord Jesus Christ who is our mediator, References: (1 Timothy 5:2; Hebrews 9:15 and 12:24.) Friend, whose will and last testament are you following? Moses, David and Elijah are dead; they are buried and removed from their stations. Friend, if you want salvation, you will not find it in the ¹book of the Law, you will not find it in the ²Psalms, nor in the ³Prophets. (Luke 24:44.) Friend, if you want salvation, you will not find it in the BOOK OF THE COVENANT, where the ten-commandments are restricted and bound. If you want to be “Saved” and go to “Heaven,” you can not get there through Mt. Sinai and the ten- commandments. The tables of stone have been annulled, they are void, and nailed to the cross! The New Covenant attests: (Acts 13:39) “And by him (Jesus) all that believe are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.” For God sent his beloved Son into the world and now it is too late to follow Moses. The Son of God has spoken: “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, except by Me.”