The Nature and Purpose of the Mosaic Covenant

The Mosaic Covenant was the fourth covenant Yahweh made with humanity. The Jewish people of the Second Testament also referred to it as the Mosaic Law or just the Law. Unlike the previous covenants that were simple with only a few requirements for both parties, the Mosaic Covenant was a much more complex and expansive covenant that governed every aspect of the lives of Yahweh’s covenant people. Here, we will discuss the nature, the purpose, and Jesus Christ’s fulfillment of the Mosaic Covenant.

The Nature of the Covenant

The Mosaic Covenant was an outgrowth of the Abrahamic Covenant, which Yahweh had made with Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 12; 15; 17). The Abrahamic Covenant was an unconditional covenant into which one entered merely by placing their faith and trust in Yahweh. Faith in Yahweh through the Abrahamic Covenant brought one into an unconditional salvific relationship with Yahweh. The Mosaic Covenant, on the other hand, was a conditional covenant that governed the lives and conduct of the people of the Abrahamic Covenant. Obedience to the Mosaic Covenant determined the blessings and quality of life one would receive from Yahweh. One could not enter the Mosaic Covenant without first entering the Abrahamic Covenant. The Mosaic Covenant was never meant to, nor had the power to, grant salvation or transform the hearts of the people. It was intended to teach the people what it meant to live a righteous life and maintain order in their families and nation so Yahweh could dwell with them and so they could know Him and receive His rest and blessings.

The Structure of the Mosaic Covenant

The Mosaic Covenant had five parts—the tabernacle, the law, the sacrificial system, the sabbath festivals, and the priesthood. These parts of the covenant are detailed in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. The parts of the Mosaic Covenant brought order and life to Israel by governing the way Yahweh’s covenant people lived and the means, space, and time whereby they were able to come into His presence.

The tabernacle was the heart and focus of the Mosaic Covenant, for the tabernacle was the sacred space where Yahweh and the people came to dwell with each other in a covenant relationship. Tabernacles and temples in the ancient world were places for divine residence, not just worship. From the very beginning of creation in the Garden of Eden, Yahweh had joined heaven and earth together so that He could dwell with His creation on earth and they could experience an intimate relationship with Him. But this was lost due to humanity’s sin. One cannot have a vulnerable and connected relationship with someone where there is offense and broken trust.

So Yahweh created a good and sacred place in the tabernacle, where He could dwell with His people and they could enter His presence. This space allowed Him to dwell among the people in the land of Israel and to protect and bless them with a full life in the land. The way He made His “physical” presence known to the people was as a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, as it hovered above and reached down into the tabernacle. The tabernacle also let the people enter His presence so they could experience His holiness (unparallel uniqueness and splendor). This, not the Law, was the heart and focus of the Mosaic Covenant. All the other parts created the means by which the people could enter the tabernacle and experience Yahweh’s presence and blessings. The ultimate goal of the covenant was to establish the presence of Yahweh on earth to maintain order in the land and to create a space where they could have a relationship with Him.

The Law taught how one was to live righteously so that Yahweh could dwell in the land and the people could enter His holy and righteous presence in the tabernacle. The Law had three different levels to it.

The first level was the essence of the Law: to love Yahweh with all of one’s heart, life, and energy (Deut. 6:4-5) and to love one’s neighbor as themselves (Lev. 19:18). These two commands are the entirety of the Law; every other commandment is just an extrapolation of these two. Jesus said all the other commands hang on these two (Matt. 22:36-40). The only way to have a healthy relationship of vulnerability and trust is to subordinate one’s selfish desire to the good of others and the community by loving them in a way that benefits them and not oneself. The commands to love Yahweh and others were the essence of the Law, while all the other commands of the next two levels were examples of what it looked like to love.

The second level was the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17), which were general examples of how one was to love Yahweh and love others. The first four were how one was to love Yahweh, and the last six were how one was to love others. And in loving others, one is loving Yahweh. These laws helped one understand better what Yahweh’s definition of righteous love was—in contrast to their own autonomous and worldly definition of love. Humans have the tendency to define words in any way they choose, making “love” into whatever they want it to be, even serving their own desire. The Ten Commandments define love and thwart one’s definitions of love.

The third level was the Law Code, also known as the civil law, which were many specific case-like examples of how one was to live out the Ten Commandments. This included laws like what work looks like on the sabbath or what one ought to do when a neighbor’s donkey falls into a hole on your property and gets hurt. These laws were not exhaustive and did not cover every scenario one could face in life, but they taught the people how to die to themselves and think and act in a righteous and loving way toward others. The idea was to take these scenarios and extrapolate the principles into the various scenarios they would encounter as they lived their lives. This is what Jesus meant when He said, in essence, “You have heard ‘do not murder,’ but I say do not be angry with your brother” (Matt. 5:21-22).

It is important to understand that the Law is not about morality or ethics but about reflecting Yahweh’s identity and participating with Him in maintaining order in the cosmos. This means obedience is not about being a good person but about knowing and experiencing as much of Yahweh as one can and then joining Him in what He is doing. One’s desire to obey Yahweh’s commands—to think, speak, and act with righteous love as defined by Yahweh, not ourselves—meant one could live rightly with Yahweh and others. Then He could dwell with them in the land, and they could enter His presence and experience His blessings. Yahweh made it clear in Deuteronomy that He did not want His people to obey out of fear of being punished or desire for a reward but because they loved Him for who He was and that He first loved and redeemed them. He desired that their obedience would be motivated by their love and thankfulness and a desire to know and dwell with Him. If one thinks in this way, then the knowledge that you have wronged Yahweh and are now missing out on what He is doing because of your fractured relationship is a far greater punishment than the physical penalties of the Law.

The sacrificial system was the foundation of the Mosaic Covenant, for the sacrifices were how the Mosaic Covenant was inaugurated, the tabernacle was sanctified, and the sins of the people were atoned for when they violated the Law. Because the penalty for sin is death, the only way a person could enter the tabernacle and the presence of a righteous and holy God was by sacrificial atonement, through an animal dying in their place. The death of an animal could never take away their sins completely, but continual sacrifices could temporarily cover their sins so they could dwell with Yahweh.

First, humanity’s sin had polluted the whole world, so the only way Yahweh could create a sacred space to dwell in this polluted world was by making sacrifices for each part of the tabernacle. The sacrifices created a sacred space where Yahweh could come down into and dwell in the land of Israel and with His people. Second, the people themselves had to make continual sacrifices for their continual sin so that they could live in the land and enter the tabernacle.

Just as one must make amends for damaging a relationship through repentance, forgiveness, and rebuilding of trust, so the people’s costly animal sacrifice demonstrated their repentance and a desire to rebuild trust with Yahweh. Through the sacrifice, they could receive His forgiveness, restore the relationship, and continue to dwell with Him. The sacrificial system is what restored order to the relationship as it facilitated one’s repentance.

The sacrifices did not really purify or atone for sin. Rather, the willingness to sacrifice something truly important and valuable to you in order to restore your relationship with Yahweh shows that He is more important to you than that material thing. This act of devotion and sacrifice is a physical demonstration of one’s faith. This faith is what restores the relationship. Later, when Jesus comes as the true sacrifice, one finds true and full atonement in their faith in Yahweh that has been demonstrated by their ritual works (Jam. 2:14-26).

The sabbath festivals were when the people were to cease from their daily work and enter the presence of Yahweh, either by traveling to the tabernacle to worship Him or by being intentionally aware of His presence in their own communities. Breaking away from the demands of work, from the anxieties and disorder of life, and from their false and failed attempts to bring order without Yahweh, allowed the people to spend time in His presence. On sabbaths, they could rest in Him as the true source of order, rest in His sovereignty and love, celebrate His character and acts of deliverance, and refocus on Him. In returning to their routines, Yahweh was at the center of their life, and they were energized to go back into the world and bring order in alignment with Yahweh’s sense of order.

The sabbaths included the weekly sabbath day (every Saturday), the sabbatical year (every seventh year), the year of Jubilee (every fiftieth year, and the seven high sabbath festivals (every year), which were Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, the Festival of Weeks, the Festival of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles. Passover, Festival of Weeks, and Tabernacles required the people to journey to the tabernacle/temple every year.

The priesthood maintained order within in the parts of the covenant. They were to dedicate themselves to a much higher standard of righteousness in order to serve Yahweh and the people in the tabernacle and in the local communities. They were in charge of maintaining the sacredness of the tabernacle, officiating the animal sacrifices, and ministering to the people.

In summary, each part of the Mosaic Covenant was about maintaining a relationship with Yahweh and order within their communities. Its heart and the focus were the tabernacle, where Yahweh and the people could dwell together. The Law instructed one how to live righteously so they could enter the tabernacle. The sacrificial system atoned for the people’s sins so they could re-enter the tabernacle. The sabbaths created a time for the people to rest in Yahweh. And the priesthood mediated between Yahweh and the people so they could have an intimate relationship.

The Blessings and Requirements of the Mosaic Covenant

The Mosaic Covenant was like the suzerain-vassal treaties of the ancient Near East, where a more powerful king (suzerain) entered into a relationship with a lesser king (vassal). The suzerain owned everything that belonged to the vassal and had authority over the land and people of the vassal. The suzerain would offer protection to the vassal and sometimes began the treaty by gifting land to the vassal. The vassal then aided the suzerain in battles and paid taxes. The suzerain could have different treaties with different vassals, but the vassal could not make a treaty with any other suzerain. Absolute loyalty was demanded of the vassal. This type of treaty laid out laws that the sovereign king imposed on the vassal as well as blessings and curses for the vassal for keeping or breaking the covenant laws. The covenant relationship with Yahweh as sovereign king demanded obedience from Israel, His vassal, in order to maintain and receive the blessings of a relationship with Him. Because He had redeemed them and bought them, they were now indebted to Him.

The blessings for the Mosaic Covenant are found in Ex. 19:3-6. The if-then statement in these verses reveals that the Mosaic Covenant Yahweh was making with Israel was conditional: receiving His blessings was based on their obedience to His requirements. If Israel was obedient, Yahweh promised them three blessings.

First, they would be a “special possession/treasure” belonging to Yahweh (Ex. 19:5). This means Israel would enjoy a unique relationship with Yahweh compared with all other nations, due to the unconditional promises of the Abrahamic Covenant.

Second, they would be a “kingdom of priests,” representing Yahweh before the nations (Ex. 19:6). A priest mediates between Yahweh and humankind. Israel would be a holy people who enjoyed access to Yahweh, and they would go to the nations, revealing Yahweh to them and bringing them into the nation of Israel (Deut. 33:9, 10). Israel would not be a kingdom known for its politicians, government, and military but for its faith, righteousness, witness, and God.

Third, they would be a “holy nation,” unique and separate from all the other nations (Ex. 19:6). The word holy means unique—unlike anything else in creation. Only Yahweh is unique to all other things in His creation. The only way Israel could be holy is if they lived in a righteous way that was unlike everyone else in the world and allowed themselves to be used by Yahweh in a way that was unique to what the world pursued (Lev. 19:2). Therefore, they would not be like the other nations and thus would be blessed by Yahweh to a far greater level wholistically as a nation. This was meant to attract the people of other nations to leave their culture and join the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants.

After Yahweh stated the blessings (Ex. 19:3-6), He went on to list the requirements in the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20). In Deut. 28:1-14 Yahweh stated that if Israel maintained the covenant, then He would give them life to the fullest and that they would have a life of blessings of protection, prosperity, and joy in the land. But there were also consequences for disobedience. Deut. 28 goes on and states that pretty much the opposite would happen to them if they disobeyed, resulting in being removed from the land and the presence of Yahweh, just as Adam and Eve had been removed from the garden (Gen. 3). The violation of the covenant would bring death to their prosperity, death to their relationship with Yahweh and others, and maybe even physical death.

The Israelites entered into the Mosaic Covenant acknowledging all of this (Ex. 24), and so Yahweh expected obedience and had every right to bring judgments for failure to obey. The first reason Yahweh gave Israel for why they were to obey Him was because He is the only God who cared so much for them and was able to redeem them from their slavery in Egypt (Ex. 19:3-4). Lev. 18:1-5 gives three more reasons for why Israel must obey Yahweh’s commands: because He was their God, because it would keep them from becoming like the surrounding cultures, and because by it they may live. The idea of “live” in Lev. 18:5 means to have physical life, as well as Yahweh’s covenant blessings of eternal life as defined in Ezek. 20:11. Ezekiel describes the rebellion of the Israelites in the wilderness, after which Yahweh judged them and destroyed them. Because they failed to obey Yahweh, they did not receive His covenant blessings of life. Faithfulness to Yahweh’s Mosaic Covenant would result in a full and prosperous life in the Promised Land, along with the ever-abundant blessings of Yahweh. However, a disobedient life would result in suffering, death, and exile from the land.

The tangible sign of the Mosaic Covenant was their keeping of the sabbaths. Every time they ceased from their work and made an intentional effort to enter Yahweh’s presence, they would be reminded of who Yahweh was, who they were in relation to Him, and how they were to be holy like He was holy (Lev. 19:2). Circumcision was the sign the Abrahamic Covenant, and the Sabbath was the sign of the Mosaic Covenant (Ex. 31:12-18). Because the Abrahamic Covenant is built into the Mosaic Covenant, circumcision became an individual sign of participation in the Mosaic Covenant, while keeping the Sabbath was the corporate sign.

The three most important things in Bible are Yahweh, humanity, and the land. Yahweh created land and then created humanity out of the land, placing humanity in the land to rule and maintain the order of the land. Only in the land can humans live, and it is in the land that Yahweh and humanity have a relationship with each other. Yahweh’s covenant relationship with humanity was the only thing that bound the three and brought blessings to humanity and the land. Only the covenant could teach one how to function and how to obey according to how Yahweh had designed the universe, resulting in a thriving and flourishing life. Just as pouring water into the oil pan of a car will cause the engine to experience extreme friction and heat, seize up, and die, so it is when one chooses to function—think, speak, and act—in a way that is contrary to Yahweh’s will and design for creation. That person’s life and relationships will experience extreme friction and anxiety, brokenness, and death.

Thus, obedience to the covenant brought order within humanity and in the land so that they would function according to design. This then allowed for humanity to have a healthy and intimate relationship with Yahweh. When one is functioning according to their design and in right alignment with Yahweh, then they can truly adopt their God-given status and identity and can know and fulfill Yahweh’s mission for them—bringing and maintaining order, goodness, and life in the land. The Mosaic Covenant was meant to give instructions to Israel on how to restore the relationship that was lost in the garden. Only when Israel was adhering to the covenant could they experience the blessings of the covenant. Being Yahweh’s holy people would bring order to their lives, being His special possession would restore the relationship, and being His kingdom of priests would be their mission.

The Purpose of the Mosaic Covenant

As noted above, the purpose of the Law was not to grant salvation, for one can never earn salvation through their own works (Gal. 2:16; 3:2). The primary purpose of the Mosaic Covenant was to bring and maintain order to the nation of Israel in the midst of a chaotic and sinful world so that the people could dwell with Yahweh and have life to the fullest. Genesis reveals that in the beginning Yahweh had created a good and orderly creation in which He could dwell with humanity. Yahweh then made Adam and Eve vice regents over His creation to join Him relationally in maintaining the order of creation. However, they chose instead to exercise autonomy (self-law) and define for themselves what was good and right. This led to their sin, which brought chaos to the world because their laws—their definitions of what was right and good—were flawed and self-seeking. As a result, Yahweh removed His presence from creation and humanity, and humanity lost the right to rule over creation. The rest of Genesis shows that, due to humanity’s sin, they were unable to maintain order in creation. So Yahweh made a covenant with Abraham to prepare him and his descendants for when He would come and redeem them, dwell with them, and bring the Mosaic Covenant, which, through its righteous laws, would bring order to their nation and lives. The Mosaic Covenant was meant to teach Israel how to think, speak, and act in a righteous way so they could maintain order in their nation and thus experience life to the fullest with Yahweh. This was accomplished in three ways.

First, the Law was given to reveal the righteousness and holiness of Yahweh (Ex. 19:23; Rom. 7:12; 1 Pet. 1:15) and His standard of righteousness for His people to live by (Ex. 19:6; 22:31; 31:13; Ps. 24:3-5). As sinners surrounded by sinners, humanity had no real idea what righteousness looked like. For the first time ever, humanity was officially given the requirements of what Yahweh expected of them. As they studied and submitted to the Law, they would see the righteousness of Yahweh, but they would also learn what it meant for themselves to be righteous. As Israel pursued Yahweh’s laws and became righteous, it would make them a holy nation (Ex. 19:5-6), and they would be visibly different from the pagan nations surrounding them. As a result of their obedience, they would not only be avoiding the ways of the pagans, but their lives would be a lot more righteous, thus bringing greater blessings into their lives. The pagans might then see their lives and the blessings, be attracted to them, and want to know the God the Israelites knew and followed, who was greater in power and love than their gods. But this was the problem; Israel was not able to do this, for no one can meet the requirements of the Law.

Second, this righteous standard of Yahweh would reveal the sinfulness of man (Matt. 5:20; Rom. 7:7-13; Gal. 3:19). As one tried to meet the requirements of the Law, they would find, time after time, that they could not meet the expectations of the Law. Not only this, but one would find that, now that they knew what was expected of them, they would want to do the opposite, even if there had been no desire to oppose the Law before they knew what was right. This instinct to rebel is like the desire one might suddenly feel to ride their bike through someone’s grass after seeing a sign telling them not to; they would have not even thought about it if the sign had not been there. As one continually falls short of the expectations of the Law (Rom. 3:23) and even rebels against it, they are forced to face their own sinfulness. Thus they bring judgment upon themselves, for they know the Law but do not obey the Law (Gal. 3:9-10). This failure would reveal their need for Yahweh and, eventually, for the savior He would send one day (Matt. 5:17; Rom. 8:2-4). The point is that Yahweh’s standard would keep driving one back into His presence for atonement and dependence upon Him to maintain righteousness, order, and goodness in their lives. When one was faced with the reality that they could not live out the requirements of the Law, they realized they needed help to do so and a savior from their sins and from the judgment of the Law. So, Jesus Himself was hidden within the Law, the sacrificial system, and the tabernacle, ready to be revealed in His coming (Luke 24:26-27). Those who were willing to study and see the Law for what it truly was would see Jesus, and when He came, they would recognize Him and run to Him as their Savior.

The Fulfillment of the Mosaic Covenant

The Second Testament makes it clear that the Mosaic Law is good and beneficial for teaching and correcting today but, at the same time, that Jesus fulfilled it, and the believers are no longer under the requirements of the Mosaic Covenant. Romans 6–7, Galatians 3–5, and Hebrews 5–10 are the best passages in the Second Testament that unpack how the believers are no longer under the Law but are in Jesus Christ. Reading through these chapters before reading further in this document will give you necessary and helpful context for what will be discussed.

It is important to understand that the Mosaic Covenant cannot and was never intended to bring salvation. The author of Hebrews makes it clear that if the priests and sacrificial system of the Mosaic Covenant could have brought perfection to Yahweh’s people, then there would have been no need for Jesus to come and die for the sins of humanity (Heb. 7:11). Instead, Jesus is able to save completely—in a way that the Mosaic Covenant could not (Heb. 7:25; 9:9, 15; 10:1-4) because the blood of animals cannot take away sin and cannot save anyone. That is why they had to make the animal sacrifices over and over again (Heb. 10:4, 11). Paul also makes the point that the Law cannot justify anyone; one can be saved only by faith (Gal. 3:11). Nowhere does the Bible even hint that the Mosaic Covenant could save anyone. It is clear throughout the Bible that only by faith in Jesus Christ and in His death and resurrection can one be saved (Gal. 3:7-11; 5:6, 26; Eph. 2:8-9).

The whole point of the Mosaic Covenant was to show Israel how to live righteously through the Law and atone for their sins through the sacrificial system so that Yahweh could dwell with them in tabernacle. Yet no one could meet the requirements of the Law (Rom. 3:20, 23; Gal. 3:10; Jam. 2:10); the animal sacrifices could never really atone for sin (Heb. 7:26-28; 9:9-14; 10:1-4, 11-14); and the pillar of fire in a tent was not a true dwelling with Yahweh in an intimate relationship (Heb. 4:14-16; 8:1-6; 9:6-14). This is why Jesus came and said He had not come to abolish the Mosaic Covenant but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). Jesus did not want to abolish and do away with the Mosaic Covenant as if there was something wrong with the way that Yahweh deigned it. The Law was good and useful because it had come from Yahweh (Rom. 7:7). There was nothing wrong with or lacking in the Mosaic Covenant in what it was created to do and accomplish. But because the Mosaic Covenant did not save anyone and no one could fulfill its requirements, Jesus came to do what no one else could.

Jesus came to meet the requirements of the Mosaic Law and thus fulfill its requirements. Only Jesus as the perfect God-man could live the righteous life that the Law required (Rom. 8:1-4; Gal. 3:13-14), so becoming the perfect sacrifice (Heb. 7:26-28; 9:12-14, 25-28; 10:1-4), thus being allowed to enter into and dwell in the full presence of Yahweh, thus becoming the superior tabernacle and Sabbaths (Heb. 4:14-16; 6:19-20; 8:1-6; 9:6-14, 23-24). He could also be the perfect and eternal high priest (Heb. 5:1-10; 7:11-12) and sacrifice because He gave Himself willingly as a sinless sacrifice, once and for all, to atone for the sins of all of humanity (Heb. 7:23-28; 9:11-14; 10:1-4, 11-14). In becoming the true incarnation of Israel, what Israel could never be, He met and fulfilled every requirement of the Mosaic Covenant.

The author of Hebrews states that because the sacrifices of the Mosaic Covenant failed to atone or perfect any human, a better and more perfect sacrifice had to be offered up. And because the Mosaic Covenant had been built on the sacrificial system (as mentioned above), then when there was a change in the sacrifice—from the animals required by the Mosaic Covenant to the life of Jesus in the New Covenant—there must also be a change in the Law, tabernacle, and priesthood built on that sacrificial system (Heb. 7:11-22). For if there is a different foundation—the sacrifice of Jesus—then what is built on it will also be different—the Law, tabernacle, Sabbaths, and priesthood. There is therefore no more need for the Mosaic Covenant (Rom. 7:1-6).

This is why the believers are no longer under the Mosaic Covenant. The author of Hebrews quotes Jer. 31:31-34, making the point that even the Mosaic Covenant itself spoke of a day when it would be done away with and replaced by the New Covenant, because Israel could not obey the Mosaic Covenant and needed something that would give them the desire and ability to actually obey Yahweh. The New Covenant is superior because the people of the New Covenant will have the Law and righteousness written on their hearts. Everyone will know Yahweh intimately because He will be living in their hearts. Jeremiah and the other prophets are referring to the coming and indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Ezek. 11:18-21; Joel 2:28-32). This is the Law and glory of Yahweh now dwelling in the covenant people’s hearts as the new tabernacle, for they are in Christ (Act. 2:1-12).

The Law of the Mosaic Covenant was only words written on stone tablets and gave humans neither the desire nor power to obey, nor did they speak to every scenario a human could face. But the indwelling of the Holy Spirit not only gives the believers the desire and power to obey by transforming them (Rom. 12:1-4), but He also can speak to every scenario they will ever face, for He is a living being who is always with us. Jesus and the Holy Sirit also provide a better sabbath, for the believers no longer have to go to a tent on certain days to be with Yahweh. Instead, now all three members of the Trinity are dwelling in them (Rom. 8:9; Eph. 2:22; Col. 1:27), so at any moment they can rest in Yahweh and talk to Him, making any moment a Sabbath. All these make Jesus a far superior priest, as He brings a far superior atonement and connection to Yahweh. The Law of Yahweh and obedience to the Law are still important, but they are now found in Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, not in the Mosaic Covenant.

This means, since the believers are in Jesus and He is in them, they meet all the requirements of the Mosaic Covenant in Him. The believers no longer have to go to the Mosaic Covenant to learn righteousness, atone for sins, and dwell with Yahweh, for Jesus has become all that for them and is transforming them into all of it through the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:1-4). Why would one want to go back to the Mosaic Covenant? Though it is good, it is inferior to Jesus and His New Covenant.

This is why the author of Hebrews says the Mosaic Covenant has been set aside (Heb. 7:18), Jesus brings a better covenant (Heb. 7:22), it is inferior to the New Covenant (Heb. 8:6), it was wrongly made into something it was not (Heb. 8:7), it is obsolete (Heb. 8:13), it is a shadow of the New Covenant to come (Heb. 10:10), and it has been set aside to establish the New Covenant (Heb. 10:9-10). Paul says that the believers who are led by the Holy Spirit are no longer under the Law (Rom. 6:15; Gal. 5:18), while those who rely on the Law are cursed because they cannot meet the requirements of the Law (Gal. 3:10).

Once again, none of this means the Mosaic Covenant was flawed. Rather, one just has to understand its purpose, what Yahweh designed it to do, as discussed above (Gal. 3:21-22). The Mosaic Covenant was never intended to save or transform, nor could it completely govern one’s life. It was meant to reveal one’s sin and need for a savior and then guide one to that savior (Rom. 7:7-25). This is why Paul said that the Mosaic Covenant was a guardian or tutor pointing the people of Yahweh to Jesus (Jer. 31:31-34; Rom. 6:14; 10:4; Gal. 3:19-25; Heb. 8:6-13). Paul states that without the Law, his true sin nature would have never been fully revealed, he would have never felt total helplessness in trying to overcome it, and he would have never thrown himself at the feet and the cross of Christ (Heb. 4:14-16). The Law was much like the rocket boosters of a space shuttle. The rocket boosters are necessary for getting the space shuttle into space, but once they have fulfilled their purpose, they are jettisoned into space, never to be used again. Even so, they were very necessary for the flight plan of the space shuttle, and the space shuttle could not have gotten into space without them. So the Law was necessary to carry Israel to the coming of Jesus Christ, and Israel would not have been ready for Jesus Christ without the Law. Once Jesus Christ came, the Law had fulfilled its purpose and was no longer necessary.

The believers are now in Jesus Christ and led by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:1-4). The righteous God who gave the Mosaic Covenant is the same God who sent Jesus and the Holy Spirit to inaugurate the New Covenant. That means the believers are still expected to be obedient and pursue righteousness and love for Yahweh and others (Rom. 6:11-23; Gal. 5:13-26). The difference is that they are not obligated by the Law, which exposes their sin and leads to death, but are empowered by the Holy Spirit, which enables obedience, transformation, and righteousness and thus brings freedom and life.

Today the Mosaic Law is still extremely valuable. First, for believers, studying it and understanding it can help them understand the character and heart of Yahweh (the spirit of the Law) and thus better understand the will and commands of Jesus Christ in their lives today. Then the believers will be more able to understand and respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Second, it is beneficial for exposing the sin and the need for Jesus in the lives of the unbelievers that believers witness to. The believers can use the Law, as Yahweh did with Israel, to reveal what sin really is, how hopeless it is for them to try to overcome it on their own, and how Jesus is the only one who provides a way to be redeemed and transformed. Not in a Bible-thumping way, but as loving tutors, the believers reflect to them the character of Jesus. The Law without the character of the Trinity is merely a bludgeoning tool.

The Mosaic Law is still good and beneficial, but if the believers put themselves under the Law, as if Jesus had not come and fulfilled the Law, or add it to the New Covenant that Jesus has inaugurated, then the believers make it their slave master, which they can never please, and they are called foolish and cursed (Gal. 3:1-14; 4:8-11, 21-31; 5:2-6). This is why Paul said that the Law only brings death (Rom. 7:5-12; 8:2; 2 Cor. 3:6). A tutor (Mosaic Covenant) that does not lead you to the Right Answer and Savior only brings frustration, hopelessness, and death. But if one allows it to lead them to Jesus Christ, then it is good, for this was its purpose as designed by Yahweh. Only the New Covenant in Jesus Christ can truly link Yahweh, humanity, and the land to together to restore humanity and creations order, relationship, and mission.