Key Elements of the Sinai Covenant

The Sinai Covenant's total package of law, the entire five books written by Moses, was designed to cover in principle every major aspect of national life in ancient Israel.

It dealt with penalties for criminal acts, how judges should decide criminal cases, safeguards against poverty, conduct of the priesthood, the design and physical trappings of the tabernacle, ceremonial cleanliness, animal control, instruction on morality, tithing, sacred festivals, agriculture, health principles and many other aspects of life.

The breadth and exhaustive detail of its requirements reflected its orientation. It defined a system of governance for a nation whose citizens, except for a few selected leaders, did not have God's Spirit.

It was created for people whose hearts were spiritually hardened, whose minds did not perceive the full spiritual intent of God's teachings (Matthew 13:15For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
See All...; Acts 28:27For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
See All...; quoted from Isaiah 6:9-10 [9] And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
[10] Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

See All...). Though it instructed the people to draw near to God and serve Him faithfully, it held national and local leaders responsible for their obedience. For the good of all, it also prescribed specific punishments for those who refused to be obedient.

Israel's tabernacle—later its temple—was the center of its national worship of God. Exodus 25 to 31 describes in great detail how the tabernacle was designed and consecrated. The same care is given to describing the vestments and responsibilities of Aaron and other priests. Detailed instructions relating to the tabernacle's craftsmen, sacred articles and offerings are included (Exodus 35:4-36 [4] And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying,
[5] Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,
[6] And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,
[7] And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,
[8] And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense,
[9] And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate.
[10] And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded;
[11] The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets,
[12] The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the vail of the covering,
[13] The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the shewbread,
[14] The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light,
[15] And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle,
[16] The altar of burnt offering, with his brasen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot,
[17] The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court,
[18] The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords,
[19] The cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office.
[20] And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses.
[21] And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.
[22] And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD.
[23] And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers' skins, brought them.
[24] Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD's offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it.
[25] And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen.
[26] And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair.
[27] And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate;
[28] And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense.
[29] The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.
[30] And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;
[31] And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;
[32] And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
[33] And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.
[34] And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
[35] Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.

See All...:1). How the tabernacle was to be constructed is carefully explained (Exodus 36:2-40 [2] And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it:
[3] And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning.
[4] And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made;
[5] And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make.
[6] And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.
[7] For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
[8] And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work made he them.
[9] The length of one curtain was twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: the curtains were all of one size.
[10] And he coupled the five curtains one unto another: and the other five curtains he coupled one unto another.
[11] And he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the uttermost side of another curtain, in the coupling of the second.
[12] Fifty loops made he in one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain which was in the coupling of the second: the loops held one curtain to another.
[13] And he made fifty taches of gold, and coupled the curtains one unto another with the taches: so it became one tabernacle.
[14] And he made curtains of goats' hair for the tent over the tabernacle: eleven curtains he made them.
[15] The length of one curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits was the breadth of one curtain: the eleven curtains were of one size.
[16] And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves.
[17] And he made fifty loops upon the uttermost edge of the curtain in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second.
[18] And he made fifty taches of brass to couple the tent together, that it might be one.
[19] And he made a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of badgers' skins above that.
[20] And he made boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood, standing up.
[21] The length of a board was ten cubits, and the breadth of a board one cubit and a half.
[22] One board had two tenons, equally distant one from another: thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle.
[23] And he made boards for the tabernacle; twenty boards for the south side southward:
[24] And forty sockets of silver he made under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.
[25] And for the other side of the tabernacle, which is toward the north corner, he made twenty boards,
[26] And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.
[27] And for the sides of the tabernacle westward he made six boards.
[28] And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides.
[29] And they were coupled beneath, and coupled together at the head thereof, to one ring: thus he did to both of them in both the corners.
[30] And there were eight boards; and their sockets were sixteen sockets of silver, under every board two sockets.
[31] And he made bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
[32] And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the sides westward.
[33] And he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other.
[34] And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold to be places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
[35] And he made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work.
[36] And he made thereunto four pillars of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver.
[37] And he made an hanging for the tabernacle door of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, of needlework;
[38] And the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their chapiters and their fillets with gold: but their five sockets were of brass.

See All...:38).

The book of Leviticus highlights a variety of other ceremonial aspects of the Sinai Covenant. Especially detailed are the instructions concerning duties of the priesthood, daily animal sacrifices and more sacrifices on weekly Sabbaths and annual festivals. This covenant was rich in ceremonies and rituals that were characteristic of the temporary and mostly physically oriented relationship between ancient Israel and God (see Hebrews 8:1-5 [1] Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
[2] A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
[3] For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
[4] For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:
[5] Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

See All...).

Yet its rituals also symbolized the greatly improved spiritual relationship the Messiah was to establish with all Israelites in the future. Included in that better relationship will be not only the Jews but also the restored descendants of the other tribes of Israel who—in the future—are prophesied to return to their homeland ( Jeremiah 23:5-8 [5] Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
[6] In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
[7] Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
[8] But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.

See All...), as well as all other nations and all who are willing to submit to God and learn of His ways (Micah 4:1-4 [1] But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
[2] And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
[3] And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
[4] But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.

See All...).