He Gave Us Prophets: The People Of The CovenantSample

Mosaic Covenant: Exodus 19-24

Abraham’s covenant was the first one with the nation of Israel, but it was followed by a second covenant, the covenant with Moses. In our day, the Mosaic covenant is not always seen in a positive light, but nothing could be further from the truth. Moses’ covenant plays a vital role in the positive redemption of the human race. Once again, we should take a look at the central concerns of Moses’ covenant and then consider how Old Testament prophets depended on this covenant.

The arrangement with Moses focuses on the law of God. The law of God provided the regulations governing covenant life in Israel. This covenant appears most explicitly in Exodus 19–24 where the covenant was initiated with the book of the covenant and the Ten Commandments. It also appears in the worship regulations of the book of Leviticus. The book of Deuteronomy records Israel’s covenant renewal near the time of Moses’ death. Put simply, the Mosaic covenant focused on the regulations of covenant life, the laws which would lead to blessing and curse from the great divine Suzerain.

Well, how did Old Testament prophets depend on Moses’ covenant? Old Testament prophets were deeply indebted to Moses and his law because his law provided the main standards by which prophets critiqued the nation of Israel. Prophets prosecuted the covenant by reminding Israel of her responsibility to be faithful to the law of Moses. Even the specific blessings and curses, which the prophets announced to the people of God, even these came largely from the covenant with Moses. The laws of Moses became the primary tools of a prophet’s trade. For example, when Isaiah wanted to indicate that the people of God had been unfaithful to the Lord, he appealed to the Mosaic Law as an authoritative standard. As he said in Isaiah 5:24: 

They have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty. 

This kind of reference to Moses and his law appears innumerable times in the prophets because Old Testament prophets were emissaries of God, calling Israel to account for the ways she had violated the covenant with Moses.