Covenants Part 7- Exodus 19 and 20: A Sudden Change of Approach?

What we have been describing in the last article is how Old Testament characters were relating to God in a way akin to how we do under the New Covenant. It is like they were adopted into the family of God but before Christ came. God calls Moses and develops relationship with him, in this way. He introduces Himself as the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. He gives him a specific job to do. Moses is to lead the Israelites out of oppression in Egypt and into the land promised to Abraham, Issac and Jacob. Initially all goes well, and despite doubts and complaining, God always graciously uplifts the Israelites and leads them on. 

Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.    (Exo 19:4 KJV)

God’s promises to Abraham and Moses were being fulfilled. It was essentially grace at work.

However….

Things seem to change quickly and very substantially when we proceed further into Exodus. The Old Covenant is instigated. A new element to the relationship appears. God seems to change the way He chooses to relate to the Israelites. Previous encounters with God had seemed, if certainly not light, then relatively informal and spontaneous. Now there is procedure and rule piled high. There are formal warnings of punishment and a general curse for those who transgress these rules and procedures. There is angry and sudden retribution for violation of the rules. We are suddenly under the regime of ‘The Law’. From Exodus Chapter 20 through to the end of Deuteronomy, we see a code of conduct spelt out in ever increasing detail for the Israelites to observe. It is exacting and spontaneity-crushing stuff. This Law is appealed to, both by God and by the Israelites, right through to the New Testament. There the Old Covenant is declared to be obsolete (see Hebrews 8v13, presented at the beginning of article).

Why God bought in the Law (also called the Mosaic Law and the Old Covenant) is worth examining. He is the same God (Hebrews 13v6) but He seems to be acting differently to the way He did with either the faithful Old Testament ancients or with New Covenant believers in Christ. A nurturing and resilient love and commitment, as experienced by the patriarchs, seems, for a period of many hundreds of years, from Sinai to Jesus, to have given way to an exacting, scrutinizing and demanding perfectionism. We then return in the New Testament to a call to friendship with God (John 15v15).

Did God suddenly lose His temper with humanity (in this case the Israelites) for no real reason other than He had finally had enough? Or can we find the reason? Does God reject people in this way, in the way we reject one another? This question has huge implications! Please keep reading.