10. The Period Of Law
CHAPTER TEN
THE PERIOD OF LAW
“And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount: and Moses went up" (Exodus 19:20).
The fifth dispensation of time is the period of law. This period is a necessary conclusion to the failure of the preceding age, the age of promise, where God allowed men to govern themselves. In this dispensation of law, God Himself proposed to rule His chosen people through His chosen representatives.
The law was given to Moses by God on Mt. Sinai. It was a moral, a civil, and a ceremonial law. It presented to the people a visible plan and place for worship.
The Mosaic covenant was in three parts.
The commandments were a ministry of condemnation and of death. They expressed the righteous will of God (Exodus 20:1-26).
The judgments governed the social life of Israel, such as: relationship of master and servant, injuries to persons, rights of property, and crimes against humanity (Exodus 21:1-36; Exodus 22:1-31; Exodus 23:1).
The ordinances governed the religious life of the people.
In the high priest they had a representative with the Lord; and in the sacrifices they had a “cover” for their sins, in anticipation of the cross (Exodus 24:12-18; Exodus 25:1-40Exodus 26:1-37; Exodus 27:1-21; Exodus 28:1-43; Exodus 29:1-46; Exodus 30:1-38; Exodus 31:1-18; Hebrews 5:1-3;Hebrews 9:6-9; Romans 3:25-26). The law was in three parts.
The first was oral, as described in Exodus 20:1-17.
In this oral law there was no provision for a priesthood, or for sacrifice for failure. Judgments were given and instructions outlined for the conquest of Canaan.
The second part of the law was given to Moses when he was called up to the mount to receive the tables of stone. There he received instructions concerning the tabernacle, the priesthood and the sacrifice (Exodus 25:31). While he was up on the mount, the people, led by Aaron, broke the first of the Ten Commandments. Moses, returning from the mount, broke the tables of stone.
The third part of the law was given to Moses when he was called back to the mount, when the second tables were made.
On the Art Chart (www.BibleSupport.com/a/gppc.png), in the age of law, you will find pictured the law tables, the tabernacle, the temple, the image of Nebuchadnezzar as interpreted by God through Daniel, the “star” representing the virgin birth of Christ, the period of the life of Christ and the “cross” representing the death of Christ. On the line representing Jewish history, you will observe the exodus from Egypt, the division of the kingdom, the dispersion of the ten tribes of Israel, the Babylonian captivity, and the return of the two tribes of Judah to Palestine.
This age of the law is called also the age of the prophets. It was the age when the prophets prophesied of coming events. 400 years elapsed between the time of the silencing of the voice of the prophets in this age and the voice of John the Baptist who appeared at the end of this age and who cried in the wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord"
Christ, the Messiah, came at the close of this period, not to destroy the law, but to fulfill the law by turning men to serving the living God.
At the close of this period, the Jewish priests and leaders were so engrossed in legalism and in ritualistic sacrifices that they overlooked the prophecies concerning the promised Redeemer; and they rejected Him, their rightful King.
God tested His chosen people throughout this entire period. The age of law extended from the exodus at Mt. Sinai to the cross at Calvary. It was followed by the age of Grace, the Church Age.