Thread: Mosaic Covenant. Was it done away and replaced?
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Mosaic Covenant. Was it done away and replaced?
Posted : 9 Feb, 2010 12:19 AM
Hi Everyone,
Someone just asked me about this issue and so I am bringing it up again. I did this once before but it is many pages back.
The Mosaic Law/Covenant was a specific Covenant given exclusively to Israel and was never binding upon mankind as a whole. This has been a source of confusion among Christians. Let's look at to whom the Mosaic Covenant was given to.
Exod 31:16-18
16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.(KJV)
Deut 5:1-3
1 And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.
2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.
3 The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.
(KJV) [Moses them recounted the 10 Commandments in the following verses].
We see clearly from these statements that the Old Covenant, and particularly the 10 Commandments, were NOT universal laws binding on all mankind since creation, but were specific to Israel, from the days of Moses onward. So are the Ten Commandments part of the Mosaic Covenant?
Exod 34:28
28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
(KJV)
Deut 4:13
13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.
(KJV)
So we see from the above scriptures that the Ten Commandments are in fact "The Covenant" or let's say the centerpiece of the Mosaic Covenant. There is also no difference between the terms Mosaic Covenant, Old Covenant, The Law and The Mosaic Law and the Law of Moses. They are all the same thing. The Bible makes no distinction.
Now when Jesus came He came to give us a New Covenant via His sacrifice for us. It is through His sacrifice in which we are able to be grafted into the Jewish New Covenant and inherit the blessings of entering the Kingdom of God.
Jer 31:31-32
31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: (KJV)
It must be emphasized that this NEW Covenant is NOT a Gentile Covenant but a Jewish Covenant given to Israel First and then we who are Gentiles can be "grafted into" this Jewish Covenant. Jesus gave the New Covenant to His Apostles who are the 12 representatives of the 12 tribes of Israel in whom the Promise of this NEW Covenant was promised by God.
So now that we have a New and better Covenant, what happened to the Old one? It was completely done away with and replaced. You cannot have two covenants running at the same time. That defeats the purpose of the New one.
Heb 8:6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.
8 Because finding fault with them, He says: "BEHOLD, THE DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL MAKE A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH�
9 NOT ACCORDING TO THE COVENANT THAT I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS IN THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; BECAUSE THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DISREGARDED THEM, SAYS THE LORD.
10 FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS IN THEIR MIND AND WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
11 NONE OF THEM SHALL TEACH HIS NEIGHBOR, AND NONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, 'KNOW THE LORD,' FOR ALL SHALL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST OF THEM TO THE GREATEST OF THEM.
12 FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE."
Now look what Paul says next about the New and Old Covenants.
13 In that He says, "A NEW COVENANT," He has made the first OBSOLETE. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to VANISH AWAY.
Paul said that the first Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, has been made "obsolete" and that it was ready to "vanish away". Why is that?
Because The New Covenant that was promised by God has now come into being. God fulfilled His promise to Israel that He made in Jeremiah 31:31. He was going to make a New Covenant and it was not going to based upon the Old Mosaic Covenant. It was going to be something entirely new.
Heb 10:8-10
8 Above when he said, "Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law";
9 Then said he, "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God." He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (KJV)
In verse 9 above we have clear language that demonstrates that God took away the Mosaic Covenant so that He may establish the Second Covenant.
Eph 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Above in Ephesians 2:14 we see that Jesus Christ "abolished" the Law of commandments contained in ordinances. What are those? Those are all the Laws contained in the Mosaic Covenant. All 613 of them which includes the original Ten Commandments. Does this mean that we can now murder and commit adultery? Of course not. Jesus implemented God's "Moral Principles" in the New Covenant which is also known as "The Law of Christ". It is important to distinguish between God's "Moral Principles" and the laws themselves. In part two I will address the New Covenant, The Law of Christ. Before I do I would like for you to examine the situation that the Early Church was having regarding the Gentiles and how the leaders of the Church came to the theological conclusion that the Gentile Christians were never under "the Mosaic Law" and were never bound to any of it's requirements.
(Acts 15:23-24) �The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings,
Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, �You must be circumcised and keep the law� � to whom we gave no such commandment � it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth.
For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.� .
Act 21:18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.
19 When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, "You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law;
21 but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.
22 What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come.
23 Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow.
24 Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law.
25 But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality."
ok explain why paul says "Do we, then, Nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law...Romans 3:31...if Paul were under grace than why would he uphold law...hmmm...maybe cuz he delighted in doing so...as should all the lost tribes of Isreal...
Well...personally, I think he was talking about the "moral law" or...the 10 commandments, that is God's eternal law...the Law of Moses had many laws that will never be kept again...ever. No sacrifices, no circumcision, etc. The way I always thought of it was like this...the 10 commandments have always been around, even before Lucifer sinned, those principles were God's law. Then God wrote them down on stone, interpreted to be relative to humans, and added the secular laws for governing Israel onto it. When Jesus died the secular laws that pointed to Him, or that were governing ordinances only for Israel were stripped off again and now we're back to the pure law of God...one that focuses on the inward...the heart...instead of one that focused on outward works that can be faked, or boasted about. It's really hard to boast about your heart....because only God knows it...
First off you are in great error concerning the name of Jesus. It is not a pagan name or related to Zeus. If you really believe that nonsense and have bought into that lie which is promoted by the False teachings of the "Hebrew Roots Movement" then you need to do some serious study. I am on my Blackberry so I cannot cut and paste anything. This debate about His name is for another thread.
What I posted regarding what Jesus said in Mat 5 is correct. You will have to demonstrate where I errored in the Grammar to attempt to refute me. So far you have not. There is no question that you are not understanding the Grammar of this passage.
ok Walter...your right about the name subject needing a new post...i repent of that...but that message was not for you also i should have specified who i was talking to...now you say in Mat 5 that what Yahshua has already fulfilled has done away with the law right...well in that same scripture what about heaven and earth passing away...certainly that hasen't happened yet and not one jot nor tittle shall fall from the law untill ALL is fulfilled...not just what Yahshua fulfilled but ALL prophecy...including the heavens and the earth passing away...so i'll leave it at that for the moment as to not get side tracked...if you feel i missed something please bring it up...but thank you for your patience...
18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
This clearly does not say that heaven and earth must pass away for the law to be fulfilled. On the contrary, it states that the law will all be fulfilled at one time (Christ's coming).
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
How could we possibly establish the law through faith? Notice it did not say through obedience to the law. We establish the law through faith because Christ became the law. Our faith in Him establishes us as His, thus fulfilling the need for the law.
Are you studying with Messianic Jews? Your views seem to match their teachings. Maybe you should re-read Galatians on your own.
Mat 5: 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
It is very important to get the Grammar correctly here. Notice above that Jesus is NOT saying that the law will not pass away until heaven and earth passes away. He is saying that the Law will not pass away TIL ALL IS FULFILLED. The word "TIL" means "UNTIL". In other words, heaven and earth is not the criterion for determining if the Law passes away. The fulfillment of all Prophesies of Christ's First coming determines when the Law is done away with.
Did Jesus fulfill all the Prophesies concerning His First Coming?
Luke 24:44 Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."
Let me repeat this. "that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."
Mat 5:17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
Luke 24: 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. NKJV
Do you see the connections and what Jesus was talking about?
ok so say we do away with the text until heaven and earth pass away...where do you get the idea that all is fulfilled in his first coming...there is still much to be fulfilled before heaven and earth pass away...so what your doing is adding to the word by saying that all has been fulfilled by his first coming and therefore the law is done away with...
In coming to the word, one must come in faith, believing that he, our heavenly father is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. If we are not under a new covenant, then the word is not true, but I believe it to be the truth. If you plan on going thru the tribulation, you would have to be under his wrath, again not accepting the word of God as truth.
It is a choice any can make to believe the word of God is true!!!
1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
This scripture, as is all the word of God is true, you would need to reconcile to the truth, that in the tribulation,the wrath of God will be pored out.
In coming to the word, one must come in faith, believing that he, our heavenly father is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. If we are not under a new covenant, then the word is not true, but I believe it to be the truth. If you plan on going thru the tribulation, you would have to be under his wrath, again not accepting the word of God as truth.
It is a choice any can make to believe the word of God is true!!!
1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
This scripture, as is all the word of God is true, you would need to reconcile to the truth, that in the tribulation,the wrath of God will be pored out.
How am I adding to the Word when it is Jesus who qualified what He said as "Fulfilling ALL things" concerning His First Coming?
Luke 24:44 Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."
45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,
47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Let me repeat this. "that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."
What things was Jesus referring to when He said ALL THINGS?
Jesus Himself said that ALL THINGS were fulfilled concerning Himself. He obviously was referring to His FIRST Coming and nothing else or He would be in error. I don't think Jesus would ever be in error.
He qualifies what He meant in the following verses.
46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,
47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Jesus was clearly referring to His FIRST COMING. That all things regarding His FIRST Coming must be fulfilled.
Mat 5:17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
Luke 24: 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. NKJV
He expounded upon all the Prophesies that He fulfilled concerning His FIRST Coming. So...all has been fulfilled and "The Mosaic Covenant" did pass away at the Cross.
Mar 14:24 And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.
Christ brought in "The NEW Covenant". This was a Covenant that God promised Israel in Jeremiah 31:31 and Paul the Apostle quoted that Prophesy in Hebrews as being fulfilled. It is important to pay close attention to Paul's closing remarks concerning what happened to the Old Mosaic Covenant.
Heb 8:6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a ****better covenant, which was established on better promises. *****
A better covenant than the Mosaic Covenant made upon better promises than the Mosaic Covenant. You cannot avoid the meaning here.
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.
8 Because finding fault with them, He says: "BEHOLD, THE DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL MAKE A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH�
*****9 NOT ACCORDING TO THE COVENANT THAT I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS IN THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; BECAUSE THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DISREGARDED THEM, SAYS THE LORD.
Not according to the Covenant is clearly spelled out that this New Covenant was not going to be based upon the OLD Mosaic Covenant.
10 FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS IN THEIR MIND AND WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
11 NONE OF THEM SHALL TEACH HIS NEIGHBOR, AND NONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, 'KNOW THE LORD,' FOR ALL SHALL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST OF THEM TO THE GREATEST OF THEM.
12 FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE."
****13 In that He says, "A NEW COVENANT," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. ****
Paul clearly said that God has made (past tense) the OLD Covenant OBSOLETE and was ready to vanish away. Paul is speaking about the Mosaic Law...ALL of it, not just part of it. That is all 613 Commandments including the original Ten. Notice that the Prophesy says clearly that the NEW Covenant was NOT going to be based upon anything of the OLD Covenant but be something entirely different. If this is not true then this is one reason why the statement of Jesus in Matthew 5 would be a direct contradiction to Hebrews 8 above as well as others.
Heb 10:8-10
8 Above when he said, "Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered***** BY THE LAW";***
9 Then said he, "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God." He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (KJV)
In verse 9 above we have clear language that demonstrates that God took away ***THE FIRST***; the Mosaic Covenant so that He may establish the Second Covenant.
Eph 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having ABOLISHED in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Paul said the Mosaic Covenant was OBSOLETE in Hebrews and here he says Christ ABOLISHED the "Law of Commandments" which is the Mosaic Covenant. There is no escaping this conclusion.
