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Sinai Covenant: Law and Grace
Part of the problem of the "New Covenant" theology
is the failure to realize that the Sinai Covenant reveals God's
gracious provision of salvation just as much as the New Covenant
does. God revealed to Moses His plan to deliver Israel from Egypt
and to set her up in the Land of Canaan (Ex. 3:7-10, 16) because
Israel is "His people" (Ex. 3:10). God's deliverance of
the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt reveals His gracious
provision of salvation just as much as does His deliverance of
New Testament believers from the bondage of sin. In fact, in
Scripture, the former is a type of the latter.
"... the Israelites responded with faith to the
manifestation of salvation: 'Thus the Lord saved Israel that day
from the hand of the Egyptians...and the people feared the Lord;
and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses' (Ex.
14:30-31). When the Israelites believed, God revealed to them His
covenant plan: 'Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep
my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples;
for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of
priests and a holy nation' (Ex. 19:5).
"These words show the gratituity of the divine election of
Israel. God chose Israel without merit on her part (Deut. 9:4ff),
simply because He loved her (Deut. 7:6ff). Having separated her
from pagan nations, He reserved her for Himself exclusively. 'I
bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself’ (Ex.
19:4). Through the Sinai covenant, God wished to bring people to
Himself by making them a worshipping community dedicated to His
service, living by the principles of His Law. This divine plan
revealed at Sinai was ultimately realized at the Cross when types
met antitypes.
"The prophets appeal to the Sinai Covenant with emotional
overtones drawn from human experiences to explain the
relationship between God and His people. Israel is the flock, and
the Lord is the shepherd. Israel is the vine, and the Lord the
vinedresser. Israel is the son, and the Lord is the Father.
Israel is the spouse, and the Lord is the bridegroom. These
images, as Pierre Grelot and Jean Giblet bring out, 'make the
Sinaitic covenant appear as an encounter of love (cf. Ez.
16:6-14): the attentive and gratuitous love of God, calling in
return for a love which will translate itself in obedience.' All
of this hardly supports [the] contention that "something was
seriously wrong with the Israelite covenant.'"
(The above passage is excerpted from The Sabbath
under Crossfire by Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi. Dr. Sam's
book is available from the Bible Sabbath Association for a cost
of $15 post paid for BSA members. Non-members at $2 for shipping
and handling.)
TSS
September
/ October 2005 The Sabbath Sentinel
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