What is the Book of the Covenant?

As I read Exodus 24 this morning I noticed that Moses read from the Book of the Covenant after he visited God on Mount Sinai. It raised the question: what is the Book of the Covenant? With a little research I have the answer. Exodus chapters 20-23 is known as the book of the covenant. This is the Law that David referred to in Psalm 1 when he talks about meditating on the Law of God, day and night. 

The Book of the Covenant

In Exodus chapter 24, God invites Moses, Aaron and his two eldest sons, Nadab and Abihu, and the 70 elders who had been appointed to be judges over the people to come up on Mount Sinai to worship from afar. The rest of the people are not invited and remain at the bottom of the mountain. Only Moses is called to come nearer. When Moses comes back from his visit with God, he proclaims to all the people the Lord’s commands and judgements. And what do the people say? “…all the people answered with one voice and said, ‘All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!’” (Exodus 24:3). 

To be sure the people knew the words God spoke regarding this covenant, Moses wrote them all down and these writings are referred to as the Book of the Covenant in v. 7. This is the first record of a written record of God’s Word and helps me understand what Moses was doing for 40 days.

The following morning, Moses wakes early and builds an altar to the LORD, with 12 pillars representing the 12 tribes of Israel. He presents a burnt offering and a peace offering of young bulls to the LORD. The burnt offering is an offering of consecration. In the Bible, consecration refers to the act of dedicating yourself to the service and worship of God. The peace offering was made to obtain peace with God in order to assure communion with God, so it represented fellowship with God. For the peace offering, the meat was roasted and a portion was given to the people and the rest given to God. This illustrates the need to be dedicated to the Lord before you can have peace and fellowship with him.

 

Moses reserves half of the blood from the sacrifices in basins, and sprinkles the altar with the rest. Then he reads the Book of the Covenant to the people. After Moses finishes reading the Book of the Covenant to them, they say, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient” (v. 7). Then Moses takes the blood in the basins and sprinkles it on the people saying, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words” (v. 8). They accepted it and agreed with it, and because blood represents life (see Leviticus 17:14), its sprinkling on the congregation represented an essential commitment between God and His people.

 

The blood covenant

These actions make this a blood covenant. Many cultures had blood covenants. Often, it required the drinking of blood. The Israelites were forbidden to drink blood, and so Moses bound them to the covenant by sprinkling them with the blood of the covenant. 

Other well known blood covenants in the Bible include the covenant between God and Abraham, which was sealed by circumcision and the new covenant, between God and believers sealed with the blood of Jesus Christ. 

Why blood? In Hebrews 9:11-23 we see that God's covenant is ratified by blood (Hebrews 9:11-23).

Photo credits: FreeBibleImages

 

Yahweh Sabaoth meaning

In my quest for a more intimate prayer life, I’ve been studying the names of God so that when I say hallowed be thy name, I can actually use his names and know what they mean based on the original language and their first use in Scripture. For instance, when I praise Jehovah Jireh (The Lord will provide), I know that Abraham used that name when God provided the ram for the sacrifice to spare Isaac. I praise him for Jesus, who took my place as the sacrifice for sin. I’m still working through the compound names of God, and the growing understanding enriches my prayer life. Today I want to talk about Jehovah Sabaoth (Yahweh Sabaoth). 

 

Jehovah vs. Yahweh

Before we look deeper into the name Sabaoth I want to address the Jehovah vs. Yahweh dispute. The difference can be traced back to Latin-speaking Christian scholars. Ancient Hebrew YHWH had no vowels (pronounced Yahweh). Since the letter “Y” does not exist in Latin, they replaced the Y with J, and the Latinized version of YHWH became Jehovah. There are other theories, but instead of going into things that might divide us, let us agree that Yahweh and Jehovah mean the same thing and focus there. In the Old Testament it is written as LORD in all caps.

 

Yahweh Sabaoth Scripture

 
We first find the use of Yahweh Sabaoth in 1 Samuel 17:45 in the well-known passage where David goes out to meet the giant Goliath in battle. The armies of the Philistines and Israelites met in the Elah Valley (bout 11 miles from where David lived). They had reached a standoff, but each morning and evening for 40 days, Goliath, a Philistine champion who stood nine feet tall, walked onto the battlefield and challenged the armies of Israel to a winner-take-all contest. He defied the army of Israel and challenged them to send out a man to fight him. Losers would become servants to the winners. Instead of someone stepping forward, the Israelites fled with fear. 
 
Goliath was intimidating and well-armored. He wore a bronze helmet and armor plating that weighed 150 pounds! The shaft of his spear was the size of a weaver's beam, and the head of it weighed 20 pounds. Plus, he had a shield bearer walking before him.

David wasn't old enough to serve in the army, but three of his older brothers were in the ranks. As the youngest, David’s father regularly sent him to check on his brothers' welfare and to bring home news of the war. One day, as he talked with his brothers, Goliath came forward with his threats and the challenge to fight to the death. David asked, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26).
 
David’s questions irritated his brothers, but when David offered to fight the Philistine and Saul heard about it, he called for David. Saul took one look at him and said he was too young and inexperienced, but David was not afraid. He conveyed his shepherding experience of killing both lion and bear to rescue a lamb and that “…this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them since he has taunted the armies of the living God” (v. 36). Notice that he makes this about God, not about himself. He gives the credit to God as he says, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (v. 37).
 
David trusted God. He rejected the armor King Saul tried to provide, and in contrast to the heavily armored Philistine, David chose five smooth stones from the brook, put them in his bag and faced Goliath with his sling and shepherd’s stick. When he stepped up to meet the giant’s challenge, the Philistine mocked David saying, “‘Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods” (1 Samuel 17:43). 

Yahweh Sabaoth meaning

David’s response? 

“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted" (1 Samuel 17:45). 

His confidence was in the greatness of God.
 
So, what is the meaning of Yahweh Sabaoth? First, I should mention that Sabaoth is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Tsebaoth. It means “that which goes forth.” It is a military term that means armies or hosts. Hosts means hordes and refers to both angels and men. That means he is the Lord of the host of heaven and those who live on the earth. The name conveys his majesty, power, and authority. It reveals that He is able to accomplish what He determines to do. Yahweh Sabaoth means the leader and commander of the armies and is used in Scripture almost 300 times.
 
What we can learn from David and his recognition of the LORD of Hosts? We need to get our eyes on the Lord instead of the giants we face to gain perspective of God’s power. As you call on the name of the Lord of Hosts, realize that God is for you. “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” Romans 8:31.