Ten Commandments radio program delivered in the early 90's.

The Old and New Covenants

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OPENING MUSIC: My Country Tis Of Thee

Announcer: Welcome to the Bible Law Course Program. This is a series of broadcasts about The Ten Commandants, not as a means to salvation, but as a code of conduct for Christians. In these programs we will show that all our nations problems can be solved with the application of God given laws.

SPEAKER: Hello. This program is about the history of The Ten Commandments, and what you can do to help modern day America. Let's begin in Genesis 26:2-5. In these verses God is talking to Isaac the son of Abraham. God is telling Isaac why he blessed his father Abraham. What did God say to Isaac?, and why did God bless his father? Listen:

ANNOUNCER: Genesis 26:2-5: And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

(3) Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

(4) And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

(5) Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

SPEAKER: God blessed father Abraham because he kept God's laws, statutes, and judgments. And this blessing was passed on to Abraham's son Isaac. The children are blessed when the parents keep God's Law. And this was hundreds of years before The Ten Commandments were given at Mt Sinai. Isaac obeyed God. He went to Egypt.

Many years later they became slaves to Pharaoh. God delivered them from Pharaoh's slavery. On their way to a new home land they found themselves in a desert place, without food. You may recall that God solved this problem. He solved it by giving the people manna to eat. Moses was commanded by God, to give instruction on how to gather the manna. So much every day for five days. Twice as much for the sixth day, and to collect none at all on the seventh day. We can pick up the story in Exodus 16, listen:

ANNOUNCER: Exodus 16:25-28 (25) And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the Lord: to day ye shall not find it in the field.

(26) Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.

(27) And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.

(28) And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?

SPEAKER: Notice that the people did not do as Moses had instructed. Moses job was to pass on God's instructions. Moses was acting as a supervisor over God's people. When the people did not follow orders, who was called on the carpet? Moses the supervisor. He had to answer for the people's misconduct. Moses was called on the carpet. In anger God said, "How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?" This event was several weeks before the law was to be given on Mt. Sinai. At that time God was complaining about the people refusing to keep his laws.

Now let's move forward in history, forward just a few more weeks. Now, anytime you have a large group of people, there are bound to be problems. Lots of problems. The people took all their problems to Moses. And Moses was spending all his time arbitrating these complaints. Here is that part of your Bible, having to do with Moses and his problem solving sessions. It's in Exodus 18. Listen:

ANNOUNCER: (Exodus 18:13-16) (13) And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.

(14) And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?

(15) And Moses said unto his father in law, because the people come unto me to inquire of God:

(16) When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.

SPEAKER: Did you notice? Moses said, "I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws." And again, this is before The Ten Commandments are given at Mt Sinai. The Bible talks about God's Law from the time of Abraham, unto what we call, the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai. But God's laws were in existence way before the events at Mt. Sinai. God's law had been around at least from the time of Abraham. Well, finally the people arrived at Mt. Sinai. The time had come for the giving of The Ten Commandments. It's in Exodus 19. Here God speaks to Moses, listen:

ANNOUNCER: (Exodus 19:2-8) For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.

(3) And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;

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

(5) Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

(6) And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

SPEAKER: Here God spoke only to Moses. And God made an offer. God said, you go tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I brought you out of Egypt, and how I brought you here to meet with me. Now therefore, if ye will do as I say, and keep my covenant, that is, keep this agreement that I propose, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: You shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. Now Moses, you go and tell the people what I have to offer, in exchange for their obedience.

So Moses went, but Moses did not go direct to the people crowded about the mountain. Instead Moses went to the leaders. The first thing Moses did was to presented God's offer to the leaders. The leaders were called elders. Here it is, in the next verse Listen:

ANNOUNCER: (7) And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him.

(8) And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.

SPEAKER: Did the leadership accepted God's offer? Yes they did. The elders said, "All that the Lord hath spoken we will do." That my friends is the beginning of what is now called, the Old Covenant. I didn't hear one word about salvation. Did you? No you did not. That is because the Old Covenant is not about salvation.

There is no salvation in law keeping. The agreement was, God would make them a blessed people, a nation of kings and priests, in return for their obedience. obedience to not just The Ten Commandments, but to anything else God asked of them. It was like a marriage ceremony. God had promised to love, honor and cherish. What did God ask in return? He wanted the people to love, honor, and obey. But this was not yet a marriage, only an engagement. An engagement because, thus far the covenant agreement is only between God, Moses, and the elders. What about the people? And what specifically did God require in the way of obedience? What were his instructions to be obeyed? Obeyed in trade for these national blessings? The people wanted to know the details.

This whole sequence of events would compare to a visit to the President by God. And God saying, "Mr. President, if you and the people do as I say, then I will make America a great nation." The President might call for a joint session of congress. The President would tell Congress what God had in mind. Then Congress would consider the matter and put it to a vote by the people. Well, the story continues in Exodus 19. After talking with the elders, Moses went up the mountain again to speak with God.

While Moses was on the mountain God told him what to tell the people. This is from Exodus 19 listen:

ANNOUNCER: (Exodus 19:16-25 ) (16) And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

(17) And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. --- Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. --- and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

SPEAKER: Moses went up the mountain to speak to God. On the mountain God gave Moses instruction. When Moses came back down he spoke to people on behalf of God. Moses told the people what God had to say. What was Moses doing? Moses was acting as a mediator between the people and God. And this time, when Moses came down from the mountain, Moses gathered, not just the elders, but all the people, and said these words. And this is from Exodus 19 and 20, listen;.

ANNOUNCER: (Exodus 19:25 - 20:17 ) So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them. (saying)

(1) And God spake all these words,

(2) I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

(3) Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

(4) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, ---

(7) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; ---

(8) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ---

(12) Honor thy father and thy mother: ---

(13) Thou shalt not kill.

(14) Thou shalt not commit adultery.

(15) Thou shalt not steal.

(16) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

(17) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.

SPEAKER: That was an outline. Just an outline of what God required of the people. But there was more. Moses spent days and days explaining the details of God's commandments. The statutes and judgments. That explanation is Exodus chapters 20 to 24, and the instruction is repeated in Deuteronomy. Would you like to know more of what Moses said in explanation? It is in our Bible Law Course. I'll be back after this message.

ANNOUNCER: Shrinking pay checks, loss of health insurance, high taxes, more taxes, disappearing pensions; why does the most productive most advanced nation that ever existed find itself with a national debt that seems unpayable? The people in Nehemiah five of your Bible had a similar problem. The solutions that worked then will work now. Your Bible offers practical solutions to our national problems. Call now, toll free, at 1 800 424 (deleted). And we'll will send free sample Bible Law Course lessons, No obligation. 1 800 424 (deleted).

MUSIC: My Country Tis Of Thee (My country is of God)

SPEAKER: We are talking about the history of The Ten Commandments, How Abraham and Isaac kept these laws. How Moses governed the people leaving Egypt according to God's laws. And now we are at Mt. Sinai. While God is waiting on the mountain, Moses is below explaining God's law to the people. To see if the people would accept it or reject it. Immediately after telling the people about The Ten Commandments, Moses gave the people a course in Bible Law. Moses did not talk about salvation. Moses did not offer law keeping in trade for salvation.

Moses was a governor. God was their king. Moses spoke of things that would concern men in government. Moses talked about those things that affect people's day to day activities. He talked about crime and punishment, abortion, education, health and safety, sanitation, foreign relations and much more. After completing this Bible Law Course, would the people agree to it in all details? Well, yes the people did agree. And that agreement is called, The Old Covenant. It includes The Ten Commandments and more. there were laws, statutes and judgments. The people agreed to all of this. The formal ratification ceremony is found in Exodus 24. Starting in verse 3 Listen:

ANNOUNCER: (3) And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do.

SPEAKER: Yes, the people answered with one voice. The vote was unanimous. The people made a decision. They made a decision for God. They said, "All the words which the Lord hath said will we do." In effect God said, "I will love, honor, and cherish," And the people said, "We will love, honor, and obey."

At a wedding ceremony the bride is asked, "Do you take this man to be your wedded husband?" Here, the people were asked; do you take the Lord God Yahweh to be your God? And the answer, "I do." An that is why the Bible constantly refers to the Old Covenant, as a marriage, and to God as the husband to Israel. Listen to this verse. It is Isaiah 54:5:

ANNOUNCER: For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

SPEAKER: And here is another verse demonstrating the marriage relationship between God and his people. It is Jeremiah 3:14 Listen:

ANNOUNCER: 13 ... and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.

14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you:

SPEAKER: Yes, God is a husband to his people. But like so many marriages, things sometime go wrong. The leaders and the people had promised obedience. And God had promised to cherish. One of the duties of a husband is protection of the wife. God did his part by raising up leaders for their protection, but what happened? Listen to Judges 2:16-17:

ANNOUNCER: Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.

(17) And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; but they did not so.

SPEAKER: God raised up Judges for the people's protection, to protect his wife nation from foreign enemies. But Israel the wife, she went after other gods. Israel refused to keep her husband's commandments. The national marriage relationship went from bad to worse. This is from 1 Kings 18. Ahab is the King and Elijah is God's prophet. Elijah has a message from God for the king. Listen;

ANNOUNCER: 1 Kings 18:17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?

(18) And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.

SPEAKER: For Israel to follow after Baalim. That is the same as a wife following after another man. It is called unfaithfulness. God, the husband, he did not approve of wife Israel's conduct. Here is 2 Kings 17:13-16, listen to this:

ANNOUNCER: Yet the Lord testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.

(14) Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God.

(15) And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them.

(16) And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

SPEAKER: Israel continually rejected her husband's commandments. And again, and again, Israel was unfaithful by serving Baal. Finally God the husband, he had had enough of his unfaithful wife Israel. The prophet Jeremiah reports on the divorce. This is Jeremiah 3:8, listen:

ANNOUNCER: And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of Divorce;

SPEAKER: That was the end of the Old Covenant between God and Israel. But God has not forsaken his people. He has promised to redeem them. That is the promise of a New Covenant. A new marriage. A New Testament Bride. Many of you call the church, "The Bride of Christ." Here is (Ezekiel 11:18-20 listen:

ANNOUNCER: (18) And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.

(19) And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

(20) That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

SPEAKER: Yes, once again they shall be my people, and I will be their God. The New Covenant was promised again in Jeremiah 31. Here is Jeremiah 31:31-32:

ANNOUNCER: Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

(32) Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:

SPEAKER: Yes, God was a husband to Israel. After this message we will return to the events at Mt Sinai. We need to understand that Old Covenant, so we can understand the New Covenant. I'll be back in a minute.

ANNOUNCER: Your Bible offers practical solutions to our national problems. Call now - toll free, at 1 800 (deleted). And we'll will send free sample Bible Law Course lessons, No obligation. 1 800 (deleted).

MUSIC: Our Fathers God to thee, Author of Liberty.

SPEAKER: We have been talking about the Old Covenant. How the Old Covenant was a marriage contract between God and Israel. And how the Old Covenant was broken, and how a New Covenant was promised. At Mt. Sinai. Moses had presented God's offer, and the people accepted with the words, "All that the Lord has said we will do." In The Old Testament solemn covenants were sealed in blood. And this Old Covenant was sealed in blood. That sealing was the next event immediately following the people's acceptance. Moses put the covenant agreement in writing, and sealed it in blood. Here it is, This is Exodus 24 listen:

ANNOUNCER: (4) And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, ---

(5) And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the Lord.

(6) And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.

(7) And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.

(8) And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words.

SPEAKER: What happened? Moses read once again the Old Covenant agreement. The people once again said, "all that the lord said we will do, and be obedient," then Moses, the mediator, Moses took the blood of the sacrifice. He sprinkled half of the blood on the altar, and half on the people saying, "Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you." Let's listen again.

ANNOUNCER: (7) And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.

(8) And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words.

SPEAKER: The marriage covenant of obedience and protection was between the God and the people. Moses was the mediator. The animals were the sacrifice. And the blood of the sacrifice was the seal of the covenant.

Likewise, in the New Testament we have a new covenant. It's a covenant between you and God. Jesus Christ is the mediator. Jesus Christ is the sacrifice. And Jesus Christ's blood is the seal.

We Christians are offered a better covenant, with better promises. Both the Old Covenant and the New Covenant were contracts. They are both agreements to obey God. The Old Covenant was NOT just The Ten Commandments. The New Covenant is NOT some new law of love.

Both covenants are agreements to obey God. Both covenants included living by The Ten Commandments as a code of conduct. Both covenants had mediators. Moses in the Old. And Jesus in the New.

Both had sacrifices to seal the agreement. The blood of bulls and goats in the Old, and Jesus Christ in the New.

Both have promises. In the Old, God promises to love, honor and cherish. And the people promise to love, honor and obey. In the New, God promises to love, honor and cherish, forgive our sins, and give to us eternal life.

The Old Covenant promised national blessings of a material nature. But the New Covenant has better promises.

We can have all the old promises of national blessings, and all new promises. Including the promise of forgiveness of sin and eternal life. What more could you ask for? National blessings for the whole nation, and personal blessings for yourself.

Under the Old Covenant, God's Laws were written on stone. Under the new covenant, God's Laws are to be written on your heart. The people of the old covenant met God at Sinai, were they were asked to make a decision. A decision for God.

Now my Christian friends. Do you know Jesus Christ? Well of course you do. Now are you prepared to make a meaningful decision for Christ? A decision that can change, not only your life, but all of America? Will you make a decision for Christ? Will you say, "All that the Lord has said I will do?"

If you were to join the military, what would you do? First you would be asked to take an oath of allegiance. An oath to show respect for the armed forces. An oath to obey those placed over you.

If you were seeking a job. What would a prospective employer expect? The employer would expect, respect for the company. The employer would expect loyalty to the company, and the employer would also expect you to follow instructions. Jesus Christ does not ask any more of you. Respect, loyalty and obedience.

Won't you make a decision?. If the answer is yes, Yes, all that the lord has said I will do. Then pick up the phone and give me a call. Moses had a lot of explaining to do. And I have a lot of explaining to do. You need to understand God's Laws, Statutes and judgments. You need to understand his instructions for modern day America. Our nation has a lot of problems. There are a lot of things that need done. What would God have you to do? It's all in your Bible. Let's trust and obey for there is no other way.

ANNOUNCER: John 14:6-15:11: (6) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: ...

(15) If ye love me, keep my commandments. ...

(21) He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. ...

(10) If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

(11) These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

ANNOUNCER: This broadcast was prepared and sponsored by ...

END FILL MUSIC: Worship His Majesty.

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