The Meaning of Moses’ Enacting the Law and God’s Intention in Decreeing the Law

The blood of the covenant is something deep in the heart of God, having a great significance and importance in His eyes. If we look at the old covenant with the law, we will be very surprised to see that, after the giving of the law in Exo. 19-20, Moses didn’t “command God’s people to keep the law or else…” but he enacted the law as a covenant with the blood of the sacrifices.

In Exo. 24 Moses built an altar and twelve pillars (for the twelve tribes of Israel), and he sent some young ones to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings; then, he took half of the blood and sprinkled it on the people, enacting the old covenant. This is not according to our concept; according to our natural way of thinking, we would rather encourage the people to keep the law – now that the law was given, but what Moses did was to make a covenant.

Today we want to explore two main questions: What is the meaning of this covenant right after the giving of the law? and, What is God’s intention in giving His people the law?

May the Lord remove any veils of natural concepts and religious opinions so that we may clearly see what was in God’s heart when Moses enacted the old covenant, and what did God intend to do when He gave His people the law.

The Meaning of Moses’ Enacting the Law with the Altar, Pillars, and the Blood

After Moses wrote down all the words of Jehovah, he rose up early in the morning, built an altar at the base of the mountain and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel, and he sent young men from the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of bulls to Jehovah (see Exo. 24:4-5). Then, Moses took half the blood from the offerings and sprinkled it on the altar, and then he also sprinkled the people of Israel, thus enacting the old covenant with the law.

One would expect that, after the decree of the law, Moses would make sure that the law is observed, but what he did was to build an altar – which is used for offerings, typifying our need for redemption (Christ redeemed us through His sacrifice on the cross), termination (the one offered was being terminated in God’s eyes), and replacement (Christ became our replacement, dying on our behalf).

The altar signifies the cross which redeems us through Christ’s blood and terminates us. Christ was offered to God on the cross to be our Redeemer and our Substitute; as we experience Christ and the cross, Christ becomes our replacement, and He reconstitutes us with Himself, transforming us (the fallen sinners) into pillars – a living testimony of Christ (see 2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 1:19-21).

Because we are fallen, sinful, and corrupt, we need God’s redemption and termination, and we also need to be replaced by Christ. When we experience Christ’s redemption, termination, and replacement, we spontaneously become His living testimony, the “pillars”, which show that we reflect what God is. The church is the pillar and base of the truth, testifying to all the divine realities of God (2 Tim. 3:15).

The burnt offerings typify Christ as the One absolute for God; we can offer Christ to God and lay our hands on Him to be identified with Him, and we in Christ are absolute for God. The peace offerings typify Christ as our peace and Peace-maker between us and God so that we may fellowship with God in an atmosphere of peace.

After building the altar and the pillars, and after the young men offered sacrifices, Moses took the blood and enacted the covenant of the law; this blood is the blood of the covenant, and it was the blood that enacted the covenant. The blood comes from the sacrifices offered on the altar; it was the blood, not the altar or the pillars, that made effective the enactment of the law (see Exo. 34:4-8).

This blood ushers us into God’s presence, even into God Himself, so that we may enjoy God, behold His beauty, and receive His infusion to become His testimony, His living portrait and the reflection of who He is. All that Moses did has a spiritual significance which applies to our Christian experience, and they all relate to God’s intention in decreeing the law.

Lord Jesus, we take You as our replacement; we lay our hands on You to be redeemed, terminated, and replaced by You so that we may enter into fellowship with God and enjoy Him. Lord, we take You as our absoluteness before God, and we offer You to God as our peace-offering so that we may have fellowship with God in an atmosphere of peace. Praise You for the blood of the covenant which opens the way for us to come into God Himself to behold His beauty and receive His infusion to become His testimony!

What is God’s Intention in Decreeing the Law?

When a law is decreed, the purpose of that law is to operate within a certain area or country to regulate the people living there so that they may have a peaceful and orderly life. But the law of God in the Old Testament was not decreed for this purpose.

We need to see what was God’s intention in decreeing the law. God’s intention in decreeing the law was NOT that His people would keep it to the letter so that they would be pleasing to Him. In decreeing the law, God’s intention was first to reveal to His chosen and redeemed people what kind of God He is: He is holy, righteous, loving, and just, and He wants us to love Him and be His testimony as His people.

As the testimony of God, the law is a portrait or a photograph of God; when we look at the law, we see what our God is like (see Exo. 16:34; 25:21). The first function of the law is to reveal that God is a God of holiness, righteousness, love, and light.

God’s intention was NOT that his people would observe the law He decreed, because He knows it is impossible for us fallen, sinful, and corrupted people to keep the law. Out of the works of the law no flesh shall be justified before God; through law we have the knowledge of sin, and the law shows us clearly that we as sinful people cannot keep the law (Rom. 3:20).

However, the intention of God in decreeing the law was different from the intention of those who received it; the intention of the people of Israel was to keep the law (see Exo. 19:8; 24:3, 7), but God’s intention was not this.

God’s people said three times, All that Jehovah said, we will do! – but even though this seems to be a positive answer, it was offensive to God, for it indicated that the children of Israel didn’t know God or themselves, and they didn’t have a heart for God (see Matt. 15:8). They presumed they could do what God required, not knowing that they are utterly unable to fulfill God’s commandments but rather they need His mercy.

When they responded in such a way in Exo. 19, the whole atmosphere changed: God changed His attitude toward them – the mountain was set on fire, there was darkness, gloom, a whirlwind, and a terrible situation.

It is only through the redeeming blood (1 Pet. 1:18-19), the blood of the covenant, that God’s people are ushered into the Holy of Holies to contact God and have God infused into them (Heb. 10:19-20). The first function of the law is for God’s people to have a revelation of what kind of God He is, and the second function is to cause His people to realize that they are fallen, sinful, and corrupt, and it is not possible for them to please God.

Because we are fallen and sinful, we need the Lord’s redemption; it is only through the Lord’s blood that we can contact God and have God infused into us. Hallelujah for the blood of the covenant which opened the way for us to contact God, have God infused into us, and become God’s testimony!

Thank You Lord for showing us who You are through the law as Your testimony; You are a God of holiness, righteousness, love, and light. Lord, we love You, we are drawn to You, and we want to contact You and be infused with You. We come to You through the redeeming blood of Christ to have contact with God and have God infused into us! Praise You for the blood of the covenant which has made it possible for us to contact God, be in God’s presence, be infused with God, and become God’s testimony!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, brother Ed Marks’ sharing in the message for this week, and Life-study of Exodus, msg. 78 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Exodus (2), week 8 / msg 8, The Blood of the Covenant.
• All Bible verses are taken from, Holy Bible Recovery Version.
• Hymns on this topic to strengthen this burden:
  # Lord, I take You as my sin offering for what I am, / But Lord, I take You as my burnt offering for what I’m not. / I’m not loving, submissive, patient, kind, or meek, / I’m not single in view, Lord, nor is it God I seek. / But dearest Lord, You’re all these things, all virtue’s in You, / So Lord I lay my hands on You in all I do. (Song on Christ as our Burnt Offering)
  # Where the sprinkling of the blood is, / There the ointment doth remain; / Man in touch with God thus bringing, / These the fellowship maintain. (Hymns #265)
  # The law of letters God defines, / It is His testimony true; / It shows how loving, holy, just, / Is God, with whom we have to do…. / It was not for God’s final plan, / But for man’s sin was introduced, / That man by breaking it might know / Himself, his sin to him adduced. (Hymns #735)