Exodus 19-40; Leviticus; Numbers 1-10 -- After three months of getting acquainted with the basics of survival away from the Nile Valley, the nation of Israel was ready for the one event that would forever establish the character of the people we know today as Jews. This was the Giving of the Law. It was not law in the modern sense, but more in the form of a treaty, a common type of treaty in that time now known as a suzerain-vassal treaty. It closely parallels that of the Hittites who had conquered the Fertile Crescent during Abraham's lifetime, but gradually lost power from that time on; they were better warriors than administrators. Still, The Ten Commandments -- or Decalogue -- was legal policy, much like any ancient treaty of that day. Its relationship to the details of the Law of Moses, laid out in the rest of the Pentateuch, is much like that of a modern constitution as it relates to the laws of the land. The Decalogue presents the essence of all that follows. All the laws must in some way reflect, and conform to, the Decalogue. That it was carved in stone symbolized its immutable nature, from which we derive the byword "carved in stone" in modern English. The Decalogue was one of the first things every Israelite memorized, starting as young children.
It is difficult to determine whether parts of the text tell of overlapping events, told from different perspectives, or a series of separate events. Israel arrived in July, probably. It would appear that while the tribes were settling into their distinct encampments, Moses was called up onto the mountain and instructed to prepare the people to be presented before their new Ruler. This was a common ritual from earliest recorded history, continuing until the Middle Ages. The smoke and rumblings invoked instant terror in the people. While in this state of fear, they quickly agreed to any impending proposal that might come. The whole national leadership ascended the mountain at least once. They were presented with an awe-inspiring vision of One too great for human eyes to look upon, and live. Yet, they were spared, and Moses was singled out to come closer for an audience. There was at least one such meeting on the mountain.
While camped at the foot of Mount Sinai, the Israelites encountered sights and sounds that should have symbolized for them the gravity of the events. Moses was permitted to see and hear things that few humans lived to describe. The "forty days" he spent on the mountain should in no wise be taken literally; it was a common Semitic expression to signify the passing of several weeks. The time frame held no significance here. The text indicated Moses engaged in some sort of note-taking. It required quite some time for Moses to absorb all that Jehovah had for His people. Constructing a new national identity was not something that could be rushed. It is believed by many scholars that Moses was informed as to which of the various national legends were to be included in what later became the Book of Genesis, if not given the text of the book itself. We know that Moses was in some way given a tour of Jehovah's heavenly courts, from which the Tabernacle was modeled. This temple of tents became the national symbol of Israel for the next 300 years or more.
The rituals of worship were also revealed at this time. An examination of the Law will reveal that the whole code of conduct was cast in terms of ritual purity, quite unlike the laws of every other nation in that part of the world. While most nations in those times blended revealed ritual code somewhat with codes and customs of daily secular conduct, there was not as much overlap as with Israel. For the Nation of Israel, all human behavior was a concern of Jehovah. To be holy and to be lawful meant the same thing. This was because here, Jehovah was both God and Ruler. Israel's God was not a construct of myth and legend, interpreted by a secretive priesthood. Everything was out in the open, despite accusations to the contrary. He was a very real Sovereign offering a covenant-treaty to those who would be His vassals.
Of course, the mass of people gathered at the foot of the Mountain of God included plenty who had none of Israel's blood in their veins, and no loyalty to his God. Their presence was tolerated on the basis of their willingness to adapt to the demands of Jehovah. While Moses was engaged in these revelations, his prolonged absence from the camp, along with the national commanders and elders, seemed to this mixed mob an opportune time to assert their own preferences for the future. By the time Moses and the seventy elders returned, this rabble had completely subverted the nation. They were celebrating a late summer feast in honor of a new manifestation of the god whom, it was declared, led them out of Egypt. It was fashioned from sheets of gold hammered onto a frame, probably of wood. The golden calf was not this god, but rather portrayed as the mount ridden by an invisible god. This feast would have included riotous behavior wholly unacceptable under the older Semitic customs, much less the newly revealed Law. We are told that it was no great task to divert the Israelites from their sober duty.
The scene was so disturbing that Moses smashed the stone tablets, but this was also a ritual act showing that the people had broken the Covenant. Their must certainly be a penalty. The Levites rallied at the call of Moses, and were directed to execute the most flagrant offenders. Since pagan feasts typically included public sexual orgies, it would be easy to imagine that anyone running around naked was a prime candidate for putting to the sword. By the time the slaughter was finished, the fallen were enough to man three combat companies. It was only by Moses' intercession with Jehovah that the whole nation was not wiped out by some divine punishment. Still, God refused to personally accompany the nation any longer. He sent an angelic being to represent Him. The people were constantly reminded that Jehovah was no longer personally present by the Tent of Meeting, which always stood far outside the camp. This should not be confused with the Tabernacle, around which their tent city was ranged, also at quite a distance. The Tent of Meeting was a much simpler affair, and existed solely to afflict the Israeli conscience.
From the start, we are allowed to see that God chose a monumental task for Himself in shaping His own peculiar people from this most difficult of raw materials. Later, their own prophets would declare them "a stiff-necked people" quick to stray from the clear path of righteousness.
The Tabernacle had yet to be constructed at this point. This was most likely the primary reason they stayed at Mt. Sinai for about a year. There was also the need for public teaching sessions to promulgate the Covenant Law. The plunder from Egypt was more than adequate to provide the materials for the Tabernacle. With a new set of stone tablets from the hand of Jehovah, Moses set about renewing the Covenant. It would appear that as time went by, Jehovah provided more and more details on His expectations for Israel. The Laws presume mostly a settled agrarian lifestyle in the land of Canaan, something these people had yet to experience. Much of the Law's content was already a part of the customs of various Semitic peoples at that time. There were plenty of directives which were a reaction to what we now know were pagan rituals practiced by the Canaanites. Israel must learn to see her Lord as as unique from other gods. Since it is doubtful that the Israelites at this time could fully grasp the concept that there was in reality only One Real God, it was necessary that they at least see Him as distinct from the others, as their own national God. While the Tabernacle rituals included much that was familiar to them, there was plenty of new things to establish uniqueness.
There was a good deal of case law in the Covenant record. As time went by, there were incidents which called for clarification. In some cases the wise mind could discern an obvious application of previous legislation. Often, though, Moses was obliged to confer with Jehovah on a particular incident. This would have been perfectly normal if Jehovah had been a human monarch. It takes a number of months, perhaps years, to have collected enough rulings on specific cases for the servants to grasp the mind of their sovereign.
As already noted, the whole of the Law was a sacred duty, for all conduct carried ritual importance. Thus, this Law was administered by the Levitical Priesthood. It eventually became their duty to teach it. For so long as there was a Tabernacle or a Temple in Israel, education was the responsibility of the priests. The welfare of the nation fell upon their shoulders. The promised blessings of obedience were theirs to share with the people, as well as the curses of divine wrath for rebellion. On a more mundane level, though, we in modern times can recognize the generally good sanitation practices found in the Law. On a purely secular level, obeying the Law of Moses would be as good a guarantee of prosperity and health as could be expected in ancient times. To a surprising degree, much of it remains applicable for that purpose in modern times, even with modern science.
While all the promises and curses seemed to apply to conduct alone, there is clearly an underlying purpose here of ordering much more than mere conduct. The benefits of the Law apply to all those capable of rendering proper observance. Yet there are passages in the Law that attempt to capture the very hearts and minds of the people. One could conceivably be a bad person and still keep the Law, but it is highly unlikely. Jehovah declared He was able to discern when His Law was given grudging acceptance, and that His true intent was to attract their personal affection and devotion. A quick survey of the history of law will reveal that there would always be those who seek to push the limits on the letter of the law for their personal gain. In the history of Israel, we will see very clearly that those who actually came to care about Jehovah's feelings were always in the minority. Often, a very tiny minority it was.
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Ed Hurst
revised 30 January 2004
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