Popa Emanuel

Quiz 3
The topic I pick today is the Sinai covenant. Abrahamic and Sinai covenants are

interconnected and are considered essential by the Israel people. After liberated the Jewish

people from Egyptian slavery, God intended to make a covenant with His people, to make

them a great nation as in Exodus 19. In doing that Moses is called to go up on the Sinai

mountain to receive the Law (Ex. 20) tablets from God. Here are a few mentions to be stated:

(1) Moses and the others sprinkle themselves and the people with blood from the slain bulls,

so they don’t die; (2) God gave the Law by theophany to Moses; (3) Elders were allowed to

climb with him.

I should mention that the Law given by God on the mountain is immutable beside the

ceremonial law which in New Testament will be abolished because God (by His hand) gave

the Law by theophany probably on sapphire stones, and the ceremonial law was later

transmitted to Moses, the Law is apodictic, the ceremonial laws are casuistic.

As in the Abrahamic covenant we encounter here the establishment of the covenant

and the re-establishment of the covenant after the people fail to be obedient. While Moses was

up on the mount Sinai, Israel fall in idolatry by making a golden calf, and as a consequence:

Moses broke the tablets, 3000 of them die, God calls now on his (Moses) people instead of

‘My people, so a rupture in the covenant takes place.

When God re-establish the covenant with Israel (Ex. 24), now only Moses could go up

on the mountain, by himself cutting the stones for God to write on them, and he should veil

himself from God’s glory. Although the sacrifice concept was already existent, only after

Israel’s failure and after the re-establishment of the covenant, the detailed sacrificial system

enters the scene (Lev. 1-7). Before that only a few sacrifice rituals were existent, now it is a

full system with five types of offerings for each aspect that is failing. This implies also a

priesthood, which means Christ both priest and sacrifice.

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Popa Emanuel

God was aware of the future failures of Israel, and although He establishes a covenant

based on obedience He knew they will not obey. So as in the Abrahamic times, the covenant

is based on salvation provided by a Saviour, which follows after the initial covenant

requirements are not kept. It is pedagogical, but more than that is real (Christ's sacrifice for

the sin of the world). The legal requirements indicate the desire to belong to God, and the

ritual aspect is standing before God.