Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 109:434 (Apr 1952)
Article: Old Testament Fellowship with God Part 5
Author: James F. Rand

BSac 109:434 (Apr 52) p. 151

Old Testament Fellowship with God
Part 5

James F. Rand

(Continued from the January-March Number, 1952)

{Editor’s note: Footnotes in the original printed edition were numbered 45–53, but in this electronic edition are numbered 1–9 respectively.}

IV. The Mosaic Covenant

With the commencement of the examination of this material, departure is made from the sphere of the grace of God as exemplified in the gracious covenants to that sphere of rigid legalism which is set forth as the divinely specified manner of life for the Israelite under the Mosaic Covenant. Until Exodus 19:8—i.e., until the arrival of the Israelites at Mount Sinai—God dealt with His people solely on the basis of grace. Despite the attempts of some scholars to read legalism into the Abrahamic Covenant, that covenant, which is the basis for God’s dealings with His people according to grace, was an unconditional contract whose blessings were appropriated by every believer of that age. This has been already set forth in our discussion of the unconditional aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant.

From this point onward, until Christ’s death on the cross terminated the dominion of the law over Israel, there will be found co-existing two covenant relationships by which the Israelite may be in relationship with his God. The first, the gracious covenant relationship, has already been examined at length and its provisions analyzed. Its provisions were found to be both spiritual and physical. They came to the Israelite who exercised faith toward God. It is probable that the great majority of Israelites never appropriated these blessings, because they lived not the life of faith.

The second, the legalistic covenant relationship as presented in the Mosaic Covenant, is about to be examined. Potentially every Israelite was in covenant relationship with

BSac 109:434 (Apr 52) p. 152

God by the very fact of his physical birth into the physical seed of Abraham. Actually, as will be demonstrated, many did not enjoy even the material blessings promised by this covenant because they failed to meet the exacting requirements set down by God, obedience to which became a condition for even entering the covenant relationship. This relationship will also be seen to differ from that of the gracious covenants in that it could be instantly terminated by disobedience on the part of the individual. Such was not possible under the gracious covenants, although failure to enjoy the blessings was possible because of disobedience.

As has been indicated above, the dispensation of Law began with the promise of the people in You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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