434 – The Giving of the Law

SEMESTER 3

434 – The Giving of the Law

BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CORRESPONDENCE

COURSE: BIBLE SURVEY III LESSON # 34
THE GIVING OF THE LAW

Read Ex. 19:1 through Ex. 20:26 carefully. Also read lesson 34 in MAJOR BIBLE EVENTS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. The Scripture references in that lesson will help you on this institute study.

INTRODUCTION:

  1. This lesson obviously cannot be a comprehensive study on the law of God, that will come later.
  2. This lesson simply deals with the giving and receiving of the law.

I. THE TIME FRAME

1. The time of the giving of the law is not very difficult, it is revealed as an Old and New Testament truth.

i.   A simple study of Exodus 1 through 20 assures us that it was given in less than a year from the time Moses first returned to Israel.
ii.  Paul teaches us it was given 430 years after the promise was given to Abraham. (Compare Gal. 3:16-17 to Gen. 12:1-5) Note: It is possible that we should begin counting the 430 years twenty-five years later when Isaac was born, confirm­ing the promise to Abraham. I rather think though, that Paul refers to the making of the promise by God here in Gen. 12.
iii.  In any case, we should see the law as having been given about 1444 B.C.

II. THE GIVER OF THE LAW

1. Moses is often spoken of as the lawgiver and even Scripture supports such thoughts. (Jn. 1:17)
2. Such verses, however, refer to him only as the human channel, not the author.
3. We must not think of this as a divine revelation of concepts which Moses interpreted and conveyed. It is word for word from God.
4. This truth is assured from at least two statements:

i. God spake all these words. (Ex. 20:1)
ii. God wrote with “His finger.” (Ex. 31:18, Ex. 32:15-16)

III. THE IGNORANT RECEPTION OF THE LAW

1. Nothing in Scripture is more pathetic than the irresponsible statement of Israel in Ex. 19:8, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.”
2. This shows the natural insensitivity of man to divine principle.
3. Any real perception of God brings the “Woe is me” attitude of Isa. 6:5.
4. These Israelites were a manifestation of every man’s fallen nature.

i. Prone to sin – turning to idolatry before the law was finished.
ii. Impenitent – no holdover remorse for their past unbelief.
iii. Presumptuous – assuming God’s standards were low enough for them to fulfill.
iv. Self-righteous and self-justifying – assuming that they had a basic disposition to do right.

IV. THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW-GIVER

1. Many people are frustrated, because they feel God planned a result from the law which never took place; i.e., moving the hearts of men to do right.
2. The root of this error is thinking that natural man has some desire or disposition toward righteousness.
3. They support this error “biblically” by a misinterpretation of Rom. 8:3 and Heb. 8:7-8.
4. These passages do not point to weakness or fault in the law, but in the flesh, thus, to any “covenant” which at all depends upon the flesh.
5. Know, however, that the law was not given to purge or reform the flesh, but to reveal its terrible state. (Rom. 3:19-20)
6. To God’s covenant people, the law does exactly that for which He gave it. (Rom. 7:7-13)