Journal: Masters Seminary Journal
Volume: TMSJ 10:2 (Fall 1999)
Article: The Mosaic Covenant
Author: William D. Barrick

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MSJ 10:2 (Fall 99) p. 213

The Mosaic Covenant

William D. Barrick

Professor of Old Testament

The Mosaic Law is one of six covenants that God made with Israel, all six of which have five concepts in common: their authority resides in Him, they all came at a time of crisis, no covenant nullifies a previous one, salvation from sin is not obtained by keeping any covenant, and significant negative events followed the instigation of each. The theological context of the Mosaic Covenant is Israel’s election by grace and the redemptive context God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt. The content of the covenant follows the pattern of the ancient suzerainty treaty. The covenant was the most conditional of all the covenants, and like all the covenants, it promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. The covenant addressed itself to Israel and Israel alone with its divinely authoritative rules that stipulated standards of righteousness. No one can justly separate the moral, civil, and ceremonial parts of the Law from each other; it is a unit. The Law has no authority over Christians because it has been fulfilled by the death of Christ.

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Divine revelation is saturated with pertinent theological pericopes. The pericope containing the Mosaic Covenant is a very important OT passage. Exodus 19–24 had a significant impact on the writers of both the OT and the NT:

There is no way to describe adequately the canonical implications of Exodus 19–24. Everyone from Moses (Deut 5:6–21), to Jeremiah (Jer 7:1–15), to Jesus (Mt 5–7), to Peter (1 Pet 2:9), and every other biblical writer who has anything to say about covenant, morality and relationship to God reflects directly or indirectly on this passage.1

Paul House’s declaration is seconded by William Bellshaw2 and William Dum-

MSJ 10:2 (Fall 99) p. 214

brell3 in their respective works on biblical covenants. Theologian and preacher alike should not neglect the study and proclamation of God’s revelation in the Mosaic Covenant. It is part and parcel of “the whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:27).4 By way of introduction, one must consider the identity, nature, and inter...

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