Copyright
© 1999 by William D. Barrick. Cited with permission.
Inter-covenantal Truth and Relevance:
Leviticus 26 and the Biblical Covenants
William D. Barrick, Th.D.
Professor
of OT
The Master's Seminary
Leviticus 26 consists of parenetic
revelation given at Sinai on the threshold of
of the apparent tension that the promulgation of
the Mosaic Covenant had created with
the Abrahamic Covenant.
After three disturbing apostasies at Sinai, Leviticus 26 explains
the relationship between the two covenants and
reemphasizes the exclusive lordship of
Yahweh. Although Leviticus 26 antedates Paul's
teaching in Galatians 3:17 by fifteen
centuries, the same truth is proclaimed: "the
Law, which came four hundred and thirty
years later, does not invalidate a covenant
previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the
promise."1
The respective emphases of both covenants were advanced
by the blessings and
curses of Leviticus 26. While the blessings were
relevant to the Abrahamic Covenant's
promises regarding land and blessing, the cursings represented a five-stage process of
Mosaic
Covenant vengeance.2 The purpose of the cursings was to produce confession of
guilt, humility, and restitution--elements that may
be seen as anticipating either the
Deuteronomic (or Palestinian)
Covenant or the New Covenant.3 Restitution involved the
sabbatical principle, a significant element of the
Mosaic Covenant. The sabbatical
principle is central to Leviticus 26. Yahweh is
Lord of both space (the land) and time (the
sabbaths). The Land-Giver and
Exodus-Causer will always be loyal to His covenants and
to His covenanted people. In addition to its
direct links to the Abrahamic and Mosaic
covenants, Leviticus 26 also has bearing upon the
existence of a covenant that
entered in
Deuteronomy
27-28.
This paper will discuss the inter-covenantal
aspects of Leviticus 26 as it relates to
the following subject areas: (1) covenant, (2) law,
(3) Yahweh, (4) promise, (5)
repentance, and, (6) revelation. The parenesis in Leviticus 26 has something to contribute
to each of these areas of OT theology.
1 NASB. All translations in this study are the
author's own unless otherwise indicated, as here.
2 The five stages are: (1) debilitation
and defeat (Lev 26:16-17), (2) drought (vv. 18-20), (3) devastation by
wild beasts (vv. 21-22), (4) deprivation by
siege (vv. 23-26), and (5) deportation (vv. 27-38).
3 There are a number of similarities
between the Deuteronomic Covenant and the New
Covenant. See
Dennis T.
Olson, Deuteronomy and the Death of
Moses: A Theological
Theology
(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1994), 126-58 (esp. 153-56).
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 2
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Covenant
"Covenant" (tyrb) is employed eight
times in Leviticus 26 (vv. 9, 15, 25, 42 ter,
44, 45). It always denotes a binding relationship
of Yahweh to His people
relationship provided
meaning. In all its occurrences in this pericope, "covenant" promotes the concept of the
sovereignty of Yahweh, the covenant-giver. In six of
the eight uses of the term, the first
person singular suffix ("my") is attached
(vv. 9, 15, 42 ter,
44). Yahweh Himself is
always the antecedent. The unilateral nature of the
covenants is implied by this form of
reference. Yahweh Himself established the
covenants, and He alone. Yahweh's personal
intervention in the history of
personal and absolute. The covenant lays hold of
the people of
unconditional surrender to the will
of God. Loyalty to the covenant must be more than
outward acquiescence, it must be an inward
reality. The "uncircumcised heart" (v. 41) is
the antithesis of this loyalty:
The
covenant Lord demands heart-consecration which reflects the fulfillment of the
consecration
sworn in the circumcision oath. Circumcision is an oath-rite. To be
uncircumcised
would be to place oneself outside the juridical authority of Yahweh
and a refusal to
consign oneself to the ordeal of the Lord's judgment for the final
verdict on one's
life-eternal weal or woe.4
The Abrahamic
Covenant
Yahweh's covenant with Abraham
appears to underlie the references to "covenant"
in verses 9, 42, and 44. The theme of a fruitful
population is an echo of the Abrahamic
Covenant
in Genesis 17:6, 7, 19, and 21 (cf, also, Exod 6:4 and Deut 8:18). Verse 9 may
be employed as an example of the distinctions made
within the passage concerning the
Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants. The Abrahamic Covenant is characterized by the
following elements: (1) The theme of promise, (2)
emphasis on divine fulfillment, and (3)
references to land, prosperity, and blessing and/or
cursing. On the other hand, the Mosaic
Covenant
is characterized by: (1) the theme of law, (2) emphasis on human
responsibility, and (3) references to sabbath, sanctuary, and divine sovereignty. Although
verse 9 is in the midst of Mosaic Covenant material,
it displays Abrahamic vocabulary,
phraseology, and theme. Its message is pertinent to
that brief span of time immediately
following the revelation of the Mosaic Covenant at
the revelation concerning law is equal in authority
to the older revelation concerning
promise. In order to receive the promised
blessings contained in the Abrahamic
words, the Mosaic Covenant would be the program by
which Israelites would manifest
their faith by faith's works (cf. Jas 2:14-26).
Each of the three references to
"my covenant" in verse 42 is associated with one of
the patriarchs:
4 Meredith G. Kline, By Oath Consigned: A Reinterpretation of the Covenant Signs of
Circumcision and
Baptism (
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 3
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bvqfy
ytyrb-tx ytrkzv -42a
and I shall remember my
covenant with Jacob
qHcy
ytyrb-tx Jxv -42b
even my covenant with Isaac
rkzx
Mhrbx ytyrb-tx Jxv -42c
yea, I shall remember my
covenant with Abraham
-------------------------------------------------------------------
rkzx
Crxhv -42d
and I shall remember the
land
The
triple employment of rkz sets the tone of this
section.5 The first person references
indicate that Yahweh Himself will respond to
reconfirmed or renewed. Thus, the blessings and cursings of Leviticus 26 are set against
the backdrop of the Abrahamic
Covenant. The same covenant may also be in view at
verse 44 in Yahweh's promise not to be the one to
initiate any breach of the covenant.
The
blessings recited in Leviticus 26:4-12 are at least in part a fulfillment of
the
covenant made with Abraham. Those blessings fall
into six categories:
(1) productivity (vv.
4-5; cf. Gen 24:35, 27:28; 30:43)
(2) peace (v. 6; cf.
Gen 22:17)
(3) power (vv. 7-8; cf.
Gen 22:17)
(4) population (v. 9;
cf. Gen 12:2; 15:5; 17:6)
(5) provision (v. 10; cf productivity, above), and
(6) presence (vv.
11-12; cf Gen 17:7, 8).
All
these blessings were associated with the land that
They
are consistent with various statements and restatements of the Abrahamic
Covenant.
5 In addition to the repetitions in verse
42, the following elements should be noted: (1) The
elevated style
of 42abc is nearly a tristich
containing synonymous parallelism. This does not mean that the three men are
synonymous. The proper names are but modifiers of tyrb. The last phrase of 42 and the
subsequent
context confirm that only one covenant is being
described. (2) rkz forms an inclusion opening and closing
the section in order to maintain the
emphasis on remembrance. The absence of rkz in 42b helps the
inclusio develop. (3) Jxv in 42bc continues the concept initiated
in 42a. Its absence in 42d confirms the
individual nature of that stich.
(4) The patriarchal names are the reverse of the triad's usual order (a hapax
phainomenon in the OT). The backward look to the
original Abrahamic promise served to confront
with their covenant relationship to Yahweh. (5)
The apodosis (the protasis is in vv. 40-41) is
concluded by
42d. The substitution of Crxh for tyrb focuses attention on the central promise
of the covenant: the land.
The
patriarchs are not the center of attention, the land grant is. (6) Verse 42d
repeats the yqtl
form of rkz
(cf. 42c) in
order to maintain the continuity between 42abc and 42d. Therefore, 42d is best
understood as a
concise summary of 42abc. (Note, also, that rkzx Crxh in
42d is immediately followed by bzft Crxh
in 43a. This case of contrastive
anadiplosis is significant in that the Israelites' forsaking of the land must
precede the divine remembering of the land.)
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Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 4
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The
covenant curses of Leviticus 26:14-38 are at least in part a removal of the
Abrahamic
blessings.
Disobedience on the part of
changes:
(1) Rather than possessing the land (Gen
12:1; 15:7, 18-21; 17:8),
dispossessed from the land (Lev
26:33-38).
(2) National greatness (Gen 12:2) would
be turned into humiliation, inferiority, and
insignificance (Lev 26:29, 32, 36-37;
Deut 28:43-44).
(3) Blessing (Gen 12:2; 22:17) would turn
to cursing (Lev 26:14-38; Deut 28:15-
68).
(4) Instead of being a blessing (Gen
12:2-3; 22:18),
(Lev 26:32, 36-37a; Deut 28:25, 37).
(5) Multiplication (Gen 12:2; 15:5;
17:4-6; 22:17) would be replaced by diminution
(Lev 26:22, 29, 38; Deut 28:18, 20-22, 53-57,
62).
(6) Success over
their enemies (Lev 26:16-17, 32, 36-38; Deut
28:25, 31, 48, 52, 68).
The
basis for Yahweh's historical extraction of
Covenant
(cf. Gen 15:13, 14). While the nation resided at
remember that covenant as part of their
theological heritage. They experienced the
beginning of the historical fulfillment of its
promises.
The Abrahamic Covenant
demonstrated that
their own making. That covenant provided them with
the hope of landedness at a time
when they were landless. Leviticus 26:1-13 revealed
to
given at
central concept of the Abrahamic
Covenant was the land of promise (v. 42). The Mosaic
Covenant
would not conflict with the landedness promised long
before.
Even the phraseology of covenant disloyalty
("uncircumcised heart," v. 41) was a
reflection of the impact of the Abrahamic
Covenant on the theology and life of
Circumcision
was the outward manifestation of inward commitment to the Abrahamic
Covenant
(Gen 17:9-14). Personal commitment and accountability were implicit even in
the unilateral pact that Yahweh made with Abraham
while the latter was in a deep sleep
(15:12-21).
Divine sovereignty and human responsibility are not opposing concepts in the
biblical covenants. Indeed, it was because Yahweh
was the sovereign Lord that the
human vassal must obey Him. Human accountability
would be nonexistent (at least,
nonbinding) if it were not for the divine
character. Yahweh's Lordship as revealed in His
covenant with Abraham is not altered by
subsequent covenants. Since the sovereignty of
God
is not altered, neither are the promises of His
covenant altered or nullified (cf. Gal
3:17).
Sinaitic Covenant
In Leviticus 26 attention is directed to the
Mosaic Covenant by the prominence of
the immediate historical context at Sinai and the
legal nature of some of the terms used in
the chapter ("statutes, commandments," v.
3; "commandments, statutes, ordinances," vv.
14-15; "statutes, ordinances, laws,"
v. 46).
The precepts of verses 1-2 have the Mosaic
Covenant
in view:
• prohibition of idols
• observance of sabbaths, and
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 5
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• reverence for the sanctuary
Any
remaining doubt is removed by the clear statements of verses 15, 45, and 46.
This
legal emphasis sets the stage for covenant vengeance
in verse 25. It also promotes the
sense of Yahweh's Lordship which was already present
in the Abrahamic Covenant. The
covenant at Sinai was based upon the historical
deliverance of
deliverance was in accord with the prior covenant
(vv. 13, 45). It was intended to identify
more narrowly the people of Yahweh. The Abrahamic Covenant's identification of the
land of promise was supplemented by the refined
definition of the people of promise. Just
as the outward seal/sign of the Abrahamic Covenant was circumcision, so the seal/sign of
the Sinaitic Covenant was
the observance of the sabbaths (cf. Lev 25; 26:2,
34-35, 43).
The
seal/sign of each covenant affected the realm of the other covenant: the
covenant of
the land (Abrahamic) was
related directly to the people by circumcision, and the
covenant of the people (Mosaic) was related
directly to the land by the sabbaths.6 Thus
the two aspects of these covenants (the land and
the people) were bound together. The
land was for the people, and the people for the
land.
The legislation connected with the
Mosaic Covenant encouraged a serious mindset
regarding submission to the divine overlord. It
also produced humility with reference to
the unworthiness of
7:6-11).
Right behavior by the people of Yahweh was the means of witnessing to the
nations. By such behavior
initiated by means of their miraculous deliverance
out of
legislation marked
Disobedience
to the absolute sovereign of
removal of covenant blessings associated with
the Mosaic Covenant. The following
aspects of the Mosaic Covenant would be rendered
inoperable by the exile:
(1) Though previously a people above all
the nations (Exod 19:5; Deut 26:18-19),
(Lev
26:30; Deut 28:43-44).
(2) The kingdom of priests (Exod 19:6) would become ceremonially unclean and
their sacrifices unacceptable
(Lev 26:31).
(3) The holy nation of
and characterized by a heathenlike uncircumcised heart (v. 41).
(4)
national exile (Lev 26:33, 38).
Sinai
was but the commencement of the relationship between God and
the nation must identify with each other if the
wilderness years were to lead to the
promised land. The apostasies of Sinai7
only served to remind the nation why Yahweh
6 A distinction between a covenant of the
land and a covenant of the people should not be pressed to an
extreme. The Abrahamic
Covenant also identified the people of promise, referring to them as the
descendants of Abraham. It became clear, however,
that some of the descendants of Abraham (through
Ishmael)
would not be the people of promise. The Mosaic Covenant clarified the situation
regarding the
identification of the covenant people.
7 The golden calf incident provoked the
public shattering of the covenant tablets (Exod
32:19). About 3000
died that day (v. 28). Two priests, sons of
Aaron, also died at Sinai when they did not follow divine
instructions concerning service at the altar (Lev
10:1-2). Later, a man was executed because of his
blasphemous appropriation of the name of God (Lev
24:10-23).
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 6
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gave them legislation. They needed standards.
Without the order those standards would
produce, there would be chaos and anarchy. The
nation must be prepared for their
inheritance, the land. The means of preparation
would be instruction, parenesis.
Instruction
is the primary concept of hrvt (v. 46). Leviticus 26's
focus is on
identification with the covenant
deity/suzerain, Yahweh (cf. v. 45).
Deuteronomic Covenant8
The many parallels between Leviticus 26 and
Deuteronomy 27-30 present the
reader with a problem of relationship. How is the Deuteronomic Covenant related to
Leviticus 26? The similarities of
structure (blessing and cursing), the revelation of the
ultimate chastisement for breach of covenant
(exile preceded by siege which deteriorates
into cannibalism), and a time sphere subsequent to
the impartation of the Mosaic
Covenant demonstrate a relationship in
content. However, similarity is not identity. No
third covenant is ratified in Leviticus 26. No third
covenant is described in terms of a
relationship to the past covenant (Abrahamic) and the present covenant (Mosaic). The
connotation of a future covenant may be present;
however, that connotation would not
have been identified with Deuteronomy 27-30 by those
who received Leviticus 26. The
former passage was revealed to the new generation of
Israelites while they were camped
on the plateau of Moab. The latter was revealed to
their parents and grandparents while
they were still at
preview of the Deuteronomic
Covenant only in the sense that the basic theological
concepts of the
not specify that covenant per se. Leviticus 26 does
not provide a formal prophetic
announcement regarding any future
covenant.
Revelation is progressive in nature.
The seeds of one age become the flowers of yet
another age. The seed of the Deuteronomic
Covenant is present in Leviticus 26. The
blessings and cursings
of that chapter were transitional. They prepared
while they were at Sinai prior to commencing their
wilderness wanderings. Transitional
revelation would be expanded and formalized in a
covenant upon arrival at the threshold
of the land (on the plateau of Moab). The title
deed to the land (the Abrahamic
Covenant),
the constitution for the people of the land (the Mosaic Covenant), and the
rights to the riches of the land (the Deuteronomic Covenant) would then provide the
nation with all the revelation necessary to live
within the land itself.
8 For the sake of discussion the Deuteronomic Covenant will be defined as the pact God
established with
confirmed by sacrifices and public deposit at Shechem (Josh 8:30-35), and renewed by common consent at
Shechem near the end of
Joshua's ministry (24:1-28).
Synonyms for this covenant include Deuteronomic
Covenant and
Covenant on the plains of
Faith (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers,
1953), 58-59; Otto Eissfeldt, The Old Testament: An Introduction,
trans. Peter R. Ackroyd
(New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1965), 214-17, 226, 230; S. R. Driver,
An
Introduction to the Literature of the Old
Testament (New York: The
Meridian Library, 1956), 71; TDOT,
s.v. "tyriB;," by M. Weinfeld, 2:256,
268-69; Moshe Weinfeld, Deuteronomy and the
(Oxford:
Clarendon Press, 1972), 59-116; Delbert R. Hillers, Covenant: The History of a Biblical Idea
(Baltimore:
Johns Hopkins University Press, 1969), 58-64,134-42.
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 7
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Land
Every gift to the nation of
covenant suzerain, Yahweh. The land grant to
with Yahweh. The Land-Giver was summoning the people
to service. The summons was
both beneficial and binding. Benefits were
conditioned upon obedience to the command
of Yahweh. The enslaved nation was delivered from
belonging to Yahweh (v. 13). The prior bondage
differed from the latter in that the latter
brought blessing (vv. 2-12). No such rewards
accrued as a result of Egyptian bondage.
The land grant predated the existence of
grant at the time of his own exodus from
established under Moses at the time their exodus
from
controlled the history of the land and the people. “From
the roughly 160 cases in which
biblical passages speak of Jahweh's
giving the land to
references to ‘the fathers.’”9 It is significant, therefore that reference is made to "the
ancestors" (v. 45) in a context related to
the Mosaic Covenant. This establishes a
continuity of covenants. Just as Abraham's
descendants claimed the Abrahamic Covenant
while they were at
claim the covenant made with their ancestors at
Sinai. Willingness to identify themselves
as Yahweh's people will qualify them for
restoration to the land.
The land of promise is depicted as the setting
for the fulfillment of both blessings
(vv. 4-12) and curses (vv. 14-38). Reward and retribution
could not be fulfilled
elsewhere. The landedness
of
landed prosperity without the land. On the other hand,
land until they had first possessed it.
Interestingly, the land itself was
treated as a separate participant in the covenant. It
could be the recipient of the restitution of sabbaths that it had been denied (vv. 34-35,
43).
It was a land belonging first to Yahweh. As its sovereign Lord, He had
authority to
grant it to
generation who were disloyal to the covenant would
be subject to expulsion from the
land (vv. 33-44). Yet, the land would remain, kept
in store for the future generation who
would obey the precepts of Yahweh. The generations
may come and go, but the land
would abide as the Abrahamic
Covenant's material entity. By means of sabbaths
Yahweh
intended to preserve the fruitfulness of the land
for the ultimate possessors (cf. Lev 25).
Therefore,
disobedience to Yahweh's sabbatical legislation was considered a sin against
the land. Even more, it was a sin against future
generations since such a breach of the
covenant resulted from greed. Such greed would
rob the land of its fruitfulness and rob
future generations of its provision.
Landedness made it possible for
the people to be tempted in the areas of self-
sufficiency, idolatry, and sabbath
breaking. Such temptations could be resisted by
remembering the history of the people and the land.
Remembering the covenant deeds of
Yahweh
would remind the people that the land they enjoyed was an unearned gift. The
exiled people, remembering the Lord of the land, would
confess their guilt and make
restitution (vv. 40-41). Their remembering and
acting upon that memory would, in turn,
9 J. N. M. Wijngaards,
The Dramatization of Salvific
History in the Deuteronomic Schools, OTS 16
(Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1969), 73.
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 8
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result in Yahweh remembering the land (v. 42). He
would then preserve the covenant
blessings for His people.
At
hope. In the land, when the hope was fulfilled, the
land presented the people with a
challenge. They were challenged to exercise faith
in the God of the covenant. Such faith
had not been exhibited by those who apostasized at Sinai and who died in the wilderness.
Heilsgesehichte
Heilsgeschichte ("salvation history") was the
foundation of the Mosaic Covenant
(vv. 13, 45). Yahweh is the God of
history. He is the sovereign Lord of time and of place.
Divine
election and deliverance are the main factors in
graciously and mercifully associated Himself with
this nation. As the Lord of history, He
controls all history. He can move entire nations
in order to chastise disobedient
return her to the land in the time of her repentance.
The God of history can prepare the
nations for receiving the exiled people (cf.
Joseph, Gen 50:20). The nations would
swallow up the scattered Israelites (Lev 26:33)
and would make them vanish (v. 38). Yet,
Yahweh
would preserve a remnant so that a new history could begin.
God of history who controls all time, places,
and nations.
Breach and Preservation
of Covenant
The
"uncircumcised heart" (v. 41) of disobedient
divine covenants. Yahweh could never be disloyal. He
is always faithful because He is
"Yahweh their God" (v. 44).
Breach of covenant occurred when
Covenant (v. 15). Idolatry and sabbath breaking, especially,
constituted breach of
covenant (vv. 1-2). Such an action was willful.
It would result in the nullification of
blessings associated with the Abrahamic
Covenant and identification associated with the
Mosaic
Covenant. Any infraction of Mosaic legislation was deemed rebellion against the
sovereign will of the suzerain-legislator, Yahweh.
Yahweh, however,
"remembers" (rkz) His covenants. He
preserves the covenants.
The
covenants contained both blessing and cursing. Blessing and cursing were
initiated
by promise, and implemented by legislation.
Promise emphasized divine sovereignty;
legislation highlighted human responsibility. When
remained faithful. The suzerain's faithful
preservation of the covenant is in sharp contrast
to the vassal's failure to submit. Covenant
history confirms both divine dependability and
human culpability.
The Abrahamic Covenant
was identified as a covenant with roots in the history of
Verse
42 presented this confirmation of prior history.10 As the Abrahamic Covenant was
preserved (and would continue to be preserved), so
also the Mosaic Covenant would be
preserved for future generations (v. 45). Yahweh's
deeds in history illustrate His
10 See above, 4.
Inter-covenantal
Truth and Relevance: Leviticus 26 9
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faithfulness to preserve the
covenant in spite of the failure of one generation to be faithful
to it.
Law
Religious enthusiasm is insufficient for proper
participation in the covenant
relationship with God. Enthusiasm
without identification leads to confusion.
Identification
produces unity within and recognition from without. At
apostasies of the golden calf, the strange fire,
and blasphemy demonstrated what an
unguided and unstructured religious fervor can
produce. Seeing that the emphasis of
divine law is upon Yahweh Himself, any breach of the
law is defiance directed against
the Law-Giver. The stipulations of law exhibit the
nature and personality of the law-
giver. The morality of the law is a reflection of
Yahweh's morality.
grounded in the precepts of divine law. Divine
law identified Yahweh as the Creator of
the heavens and earth, the Promise-Giver, the
Land-Giver, and the Exodus-Causer. Every
statute was a testimony to the election of the
people and a witness to their identification
with their sovereign Lord.
A variety of terms are employed for
law in Leviticus 26: hqH/qH
("statute"),
hvcm
("commandment"), Fpwm
("ordinance"), and hrvt
("law/instruction"). These terms
represent the entire law promulgated at
(rmw) "obeyed" (fmw), "walked in
(ordering the life)" (jlh), and
"practiced" (hWf) (cf.
vv.
3, 14-15). Therefore, the law did not serve as mere ornamentation. It was
constitution. The nation of
Yahweh's commandments.
The legislation promulgated at Sinai did not
contradict the promise given to
Abraham.
The legal covenant (Mosaic) supplemented the promissory covenant
(Abrahamic). The latter did not
nullify the former. Mosaic legislation was a means of
implementing Yahweh's suzerainty. It
reaffirmed His lordship over His people prior to
their entry into the land promised to Abraham's
descendants.
Relation to Covenant
As already observed,11
law supplemented covenant. Stipulations were a part of the
treaty form employed by several cultures in the
ancient Near East. Thereby the suzerain
could identify himself as the overlord, the one with
authority to establish the calendar,
ordain boundaries, grant life, or deal out death.
Without legislation, authority would not
be clarified. Every covenant must have an
authority in which it resides, an authority
capable of meting out the punishment required for breach of covenant. A covenant