Can we prove the Ten Commandments before Sinai? Indeed! There is a creation. Of necessity there has to be a Creator. And the Creator set in living motion invisible spiritual laws to bring about human happiness, peace and abundant living. The cause of all human troubles, woes and evils, is man’s rejection and transgression of those invisible laws. That overall spiritual law is the way of giving, helping, serving, cooperating—the way of outgoing concern for others. That way produces all good. And that way of life—is simply the way of the Ten Commandments. Most people ignore that law and live diametrically contrary to it—at least parts of it especially when they are inconvenient. But when a law of God is actually in living motion like the invisible physical laws of gravity or inertia, it is something far more than a church ritual to be observed during one period and abolished in another. To argue that this inexorable spiritual law is abolished is like setting a religious doctrine that the laws of gravity and inertia are abolished—and telling people that they may freely leap off a high precipice of a tall building. But if they do, the law will exact its penalty! All the harm—all the suffering—all the evils that have beset mankind for nearly 6000 years are the result of violating God’s law. Many have been erroneously taught that the Ten Commandments were merely a law devised by Moses, and given to the children of Israel—and them only—and that the commandments never existed until Moses. And, further, that they existed only until Christ. The Ten Commandments are entirely different and separate from the ritualistic Law of Moses, which was just a code of physical laws, not spiritual laws. When did this thing we call sin start anyway? Did it start with Moses (Rom. 5:12-14)? The Ten Commandments were first made known to Adam in the Garden of Eden. How can we know? Because that is the very law that he broke in the “original” sin. Every one of the Ten Commandments was then in full force and effect. It was sin to transgress any one of them between the time of Adam and Moses.
“Sin is not imputed when there is no law.” Yet sin was imputed because death did reign from Adam to Moses. There must then have been a law from Adams’ time. What is sin (see 1 John 3:4; James 4:17; Rom. 14:23)? Sin is the transgression of the law! God is not only the Creator of matter, but also is the Creator of force and of energy and every power and of every law—both physical and spiritual. The spiritual law regulates our happiness and well-being! Sin, quite often, seems to be the forbidden fruit that is most glamorous and that would be most desirable if only some “unfair God” had not denied it to us. That seems to be what human beings think of sin (Rom. 7:7). In other words, by the law is the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20). It directs you and guides you as to what you ought to do. You don’t know what is right and what is wrong except as God reveals. Paul would not have known what sin was if the law had not told him. Human nature will not teach you. Human nature is inherently evil—as it is Satan influenced! Paul wouldn’t have known that lust was evil or wrong (v7); he didn’t have such instinctive knowledge except the law had said, “thou shall not covet.” This taught Paul coveting is wrong—it is sin—the law is holy (v12-14). What’s being taught today is that Christ did away with it—how unimaginable! The law is spiritual. Paul said he was carnal. He was fleshly and material. So are we. But the law is a spiritual principle and it regulates human happiness, which is a spiritual matter. Every one of the Ten Commandments was in existence during the time of Adam. It was sin to break any one of them prior to the time of the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses, we know, didn’t come until the time of Moses—430 years after the time of Abraham. But the spiritual law has been in existence from Adam!
Review again Genesis 2:15-16—the “original” sin. God is Supreme Ruler. He is Lord—Master. God is giving the orders. He is teaching. Why? Because the man didn’t know. The man had to be told. He had to be taught and instructed. Here is the instruction—the command, and a sentence: “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (v17)—that is to take to yourself the authority to produce the knowledge of what is evil—to decide what you think is right and what is wrong, will result in death. The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). God was preaching the Gospel to the man! The very fact that God said, “for in the day that thou eatest thereof,” shows that the man was allowed to do it, that the man was a free moral agent, that the man himself had to make the choice. God designed that human beings choose whether they will obey His law, or not. Animals don’t make a choice. Animals have instinct. God ordained that we must make a choice. And if we choose the right way to live, according to that law, which God set in motion to produce happiness and contentment and a full, enjoyable life, we can have it. But if we’re going to choose to live the other way, if we are going to take to ourselves to decide what is right—if we are going to do what is right in our own eyes—there is no other way that is right but God’s Law—and we shall automatically choose to transgress God’s Law—and we’re going to have suffering, sorrows and curses—that’s what mankind has always done. Adam and Eve were told: “You shall not surely die” (Gen. 3:1-5)—there was the first lie that we have any historic record of. It was not told by a man, but by the devil. You have an immortal soul that won’t die—that’s what the devil said (Ezek. 18:4). It is the prerogative of God to determine what is right—and what is wrong—because God created and put in living motion the spiritual law that is the way that is good—produces good—and the transgression of which automatically produces evil results. Satan tempted the first humans to intellectual vanity—to produce the knowledge of what is good or evil, by their own minds—to arrogate to themselves a prerogative that belonged expressly to God (Gen. 3:6). Analyze exactly what happened. God is the One we obey. Do you realize that’s one of the definitions of God? Whoever you obey is your god. Whatever you serve is your god. It might be your car. Maybe it’s an idol. Whatever it is, that’s your god! Adam and Eve had another god in place of the true God—they obeyed satan—they broke the First Commandment.
By ignoring God’s First Commandment, mankind rejected God’s government and so chose to suffer horribly under his own weird variety of perversely devised governments. The result—international insanity! God hates sin because He knows the ultimate end. This is the reason God dealt so strongly with ancient Israel and why He will with mankind in the future. God loves His creation and He wants man to understand His purpose in life. Once we realize that our personal reason for living on earth is to learn about, qualify for, and grow towards Sonship and Rulership in God’s Family as a literal God ourselves, then our present life can pulsate and explode with meaning. And God longs for us to be happy!
Adam and Eve dishonored their only parent in violation of the Fifth Commandment. How? Adam is called the son of God (Luke 3:38). Adam is called the son of God because God created him. Adam was the son of God by a direct creation. Adam was not God’s son by begettal or birth. The foundation of any sound society is a stable family. Yet today divorce is rampant. Young people are running amok. The entire family structure is decaying—the reason—a turning from the Fifth Commandment. Paul not only quotes the basic content of the commandment, but reveals the natural result if it is obeyed (Eph. 6:2-3). Today, father is scornfully disdained. Mother is wantonly disregarded. It’s that simple! Children grow up quickly and those who do not pay attention to this commandment pay the price. Remember, the Fifth Commandment is the first with promise. What promise? A happier, healthier, longer and fulfilling life! Adam and Eve not only dishonored their only Parent, but they also broke the Tenth Commandment. There was lust when the woman saw that it was good for food and desired to make one wise—vanity, egotism and pride entered into her heart. Lust is what usually causes a people to have an inordinate desire to have something that is not theirs. Lust causes people to steal, and Adam and Eve broke the Eighth Commandment by stealing something that was not theirs. At least four of the Ten Commandments were broken in the original sin. And in other s ways every one of the Ten Commandments was actually broken in that very first sin.
Consider their first son (Gen. 4:6-7) and notice what sin was in those days—the days of Cain. He murdered his own brother Abel (v8-9). “I know not”—he lied and broke another one of the commandments. That was sin, too. He was a murderer. Sin did lie at the door. Cain broke the Sixth and Ninth Commandments. Every one of these commandments was known from creation, because God had revealed them to Adam. He thus revealed them to mankind at that time. But humanity has rejected them. Idolatry was a sin in the days before Abraham and that was over 430 years before the Law of Moses (Josh. 24:2). In Genesis 35:1-4 we see that they could hold these gods in their hands—it was a sin to worship idols and they had idol gods in their own hands (Second Commandment). Notice Leviticus 18:3, 21 and 27, which shows that there is profanity, or profaning the name of God. “Which were before you”—before this generation during which the Law of Moses came (Third Commandment). Taking the name of God in vain—was a sin before Moses. The entire chapter of Exodus 16 teaches us about the Fourth Commandment. God was going to see whether the people would obey it before the Law of Moses was given—weeks before they even came to Mt. Sinai where the Law of Moses was added. God was showing them by miracles from heaven which day was the seventh day. Time had not been lost. Some of them thought it didn’t make any difference. They would wait to go out on the following day—on the Sabbath—but there was none? Again, that was weeks before they came to Mt. Sinai—before the Law of Moses. It was the law of God at that time. There are a number of other references as well: Dishonoring a parent was a sin and a curse was pronounced in those days (Gen. 9:21-26). Adultery was sin—hundreds of years before the physical Law of Moses (Gen. 39:7-9). Jacob stole from Laban (Gen. 30:33). And God said to Abraham, “I withhold you from sinning against Me” (Gen. 20:1-9). Abraham was lying. It would also have been a sin to commit adultery. Of course, Sarah was Abraham’s half-sister; but, nevertheless, the intent was all wrong. It was a lie. There we have it! Every one of the Ten Commandments was in existence from the creation. It was sin to break any one of them between the time of Adam and Moses—from the time of Moses and Christ and from the time of Christ through today (Gen. 6:1-3, 5-6; James 2:10).
Continuing observe how the statutes of God enhance the Ten Commandments: God forbids us to eat unclean meats. To lust after what He forbids is to covet: "Thou shalt not covet." The First Commandment teaches: Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” The statutes regulating annual Sabbaths magnify this principle—reveal and ensure the true and positive way of worshipping God. “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose” (Deut. 16:16). Obedience to these laws keeps us intimately connected to God’s plan of salvation for mankind—in a way the holidays (Christmas, Easter, etc.) of the world do not (Deut. 12:29-32; Jer. 10:1-5)! Other statutes specify in greater detail how the Seventh Commandment is to be applied and etc. Notice also that God's law made provision for judgments to be recognized in future centuries. (See Numbers 27:11 for example.) The judgments are binding decisions based on God's previously revealed law. The church of God today from time to time may issue judgments—as in the case of “times and locations of Sabbath services." The Sabbath is described in the Fourth Commandment (Ex. 20:8-11) and is still to be kept today.
When God proposed the Old Covenant to Israel at the time they were brought before Mt. Sinai, He did not command them regarding burnt offerings, ceremonial cleanings and sacrifices. When did the carnal ceremonies, ritualistic laws and sacrifices of the Levitical priesthood begin? And how can we distinguish them from the commandments and statutes that existed prior to the Old Covenant? The Apostle Paul tells us that the sacrifices, washings and ordinances given to ancient Israel are no longer necessary (Heb. 9:9-14). These physical laws were imposed upon Israel until the time of reformation—until the coming of Christ and the Holy Spirit. All of these physical rituals foreshadowed, in a variety of ways, the coming of Christ, His sinless life, His atoning power, His resurrection and glorification. They prefigured the working of the Holy Spirit, and showed, in symbolism, many other important spiritual principles. Truly, these physical rituals were all very important for the Old Testament congregation in the wilderness. They did reveal the workings of Christ and the Holy Spirit, which were to come. However, the physical rituals lost their importance and were not needed when the realities came, which they portrayed. The true Christian today does not need the physical and ritualistic relationship with God that the carnal-minded Israelites of old required. We worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24). We seek to obey His commandments and laws without the imposition of physical rituals and sacrifices. Yet, we do need to understand. Where so many people go wrong, is in believing that every Commandment of God is associated in one way or another with sacrificing or with some ritual and is likewise abrogated. This is pure nonsense! There were evening and morning sacrifices on every day of the year (Ex. 29:38-39). Does that mean that all days of the year have been abolished? Of course not! Likewise, sacrifices were offered on the Sabbath. Just because the sacrifices have been done away does not mean the Sabbath goes with them (Mark 2:27-28; Matt. 24:20). A very important scripture concerning the starting of the sacrificial system in Israel is Jeremiah 7:22-23: “For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.” Jeremiah was plainly telling the people that God had told their forefathers about the ways He wanted them to walk and that He had given them commandments that they were expected to obey before He said a thing to them about sacrifices. In other words—sacrifices came later. God revealed many commandments and laws before He gave them sacrifices. This particular verse alone is enough to prove that. Yes, in the Bible itself are plain statements that the sacrificial system, the sacrifices mentioned by Moses, was not begun in Israel for a considerable time after the children of Israel left Egypt. And clearly revealed are many commandments, which were given before the rituals and sacrifices began. Jeremiah certainly knew what he was talking about when he said that God had revealed His true spiritual way to Israel before giving them sacrifices.
This may be a surprise to some, but nevertheless what follows is absolutely true. The sacrifices and rituals mentioned in the books of Leviticus and Numbers were not officially ordained for observance until the month of Abib in the second year after Israel came out of Egypt. To be exact, the Bibles shows that it was eleven months and fifteen days after coming from Egypt—to the very day—that the sacrificial system began. This means that nearly a full year passed before official sacrificing began. This is a very important truth, for in that near one-year period there were many commandments given to Israel—some of which were ordained forever. And by virtue of being ordained before sacrifices or rituals, they take on a new distinction, a new importance.
To understand this whole subject adequately, it will be necessary to realize that sacrifices did not originate with Moses or the children of Israel. We are told in the biblical account that Cain and Abel offered sacrifices in the days of Adam (Gen. 4:1-7). Later when Noah left the ark, he built an alter and sacrificed (Gen. 8:20). From the time of Noah, peoples all over the earth began to offer sacrifices of one kind or another. All the records of ancient nations show their knowledge of sacrificing either to the true God or to pagan deities of their own imaginations. It was customary to offer “thank” offerings when particular blessings would come. Also there were “propitiatory” offerings if a person thought he offended God in some way. We are told that Abraham built an alter and sacrificed to God (Gen. 12:7). Also Jacob (Gen. 35:1). Jacob undoubtedly taught his twelve sons the necessity of sacrificing. And, even in the days of Moses, we find that sacrificing was no new thing to the Israelites in Egypt. They were sacrificing while they were in Egypt. You will notice that Moses told Pharaoh that he wanted to take the Hebrews into the wilderness three days’ journey and sacrifice (Ex. 3:18; 5:3). But wait a moment! Jeremiah said that God did not command the Israelites to sacrifice when they were coming out of Egypt, and yet we find that Israel wanted to go into the wilderness for the express purpose of sacrificing. Is there a contradiction here? Did Jeremiah get his wires crossed? Certainly, Jeremiah knew his history. He was full aware that sacrificing was no new thing to the children of Israel. He knew they were sacrificing long before they ever left Egypt. And he also knew they wanted to go three days’ journey into the wilderness in order to sacrifice. Then what did Jeremiah mean? The answer is quite simple. Jeremiah is saying that God did not give them the sacrificial system, with rules and regulations for sacrificing, when they came out of Egypt. The Israelites were sacrificing before they left Egypt and they sacrificed after they left Egypt and even before the sacrificial system was established by God. But let us understand an important difference between the sacrifices offered before the sacrificial system was inaugurated and those sacrifices, which came after the sacrificial system was enforced. The difference is this: all the sacrifices offered before the establishment of the sacrificial system were voluntary sacrifices—offered at the sole discretion of, and in the manner most suitable to, the offerer himself. Where in Genesis does God command how sacrifices were to be offered or when they were to be offered? Sacrifices were well known, but there was not a sacrificial system. The sacrifices of Noah, Abraham, Jacob and even the sacrifices of Moses and the children of Israel before the sacrificial system came into effect, were strictly voluntary. There are no elaborate rules about sacrificing in Genesis.
After being told that an official sacrificial system was to be commenced in Israel, Moses was again called back onto Mount Sinai. God began to reveal more and more about that sacrificial and ritualistic system that He was going to start in Israel. God told Moses that one of the first things he was to do was to make a Tabernacle as a central place of worship for all the people. Moses was told that it was in this Sanctuary or Tabernacle that the sacrificial altar was to be placed. The command to make this Tabernacle as a Sanctuary for God and for the central place of worship is found in Exodus 25:1-9. The remainder of Exodus 25 is God’s instruction concerning the construction of the mercy seat and the Ark of the Covenant, which Moses was to make and put in a particular section of the Tabernacle. Then in Exodus 26 comes the command to make curtains for the Tabernacle, which would separate certain areas from others in the Sanctuary. And in Exodus 27 we find the directions for making the altar of sacrifice. Continuing in Exodus 28 Moses is told that Aaron and all his descendants are to be the priests of Israel. This is the very first indication that Moses had concerning the priesthood being given to his brother and nephews. In Exodus 29, Moses was told how the priests would be consecrated and ordained when the time would come. And lastly, in Exodus 30, Moses was told to make an alter of incense, which was to be placed near the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. It was in Exodus 31 that God told Moses whom He had chosen as the master-workmen for the building of this Tabernacle and all its furnishings. However, we find that even before Moses returned to camp to notify the workmen, the people rose up in rebellion against Moses and Aaron made a golden calf. The next three chapters reveal the indignation of God at this rebellion, and the intercession of Moses on the people’s behalf, and finally the repentance of the people for the evil they had done. Exodus 35 and 36 record the workmen beginning to build the Tabernacle. The materials for the Sanctuary were collected and it was finally built (Exodus 37). Then the alter on which to sacrifice was constructed (Exodus 38). And lastly, in Exodus 39, the clothing for the priesthood was made and finished.
Now we come to a paramount chapter for the proper understanding of this subject—Exodus 40. When we read the contents of this chapter, we will understand why it has been necessary to carry us through the book of Exodus chapter by chapter. Why is Exodus 40 so important—because it is the chapter that we find the record of when the sacrificial and ritualistic system began in Israel? Let us notice the beginning of this chapter carefully, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation” (Ex. 40:1-2). Note the second verse in particular. Moses was commanded by God not to raise up the Tabernacle until a particular day of the year. True, they were to have everything ready for the erection of the Tabernacle. They were to have all the furnishings completed beforehand. But, the Tabernacle could not be officially raised and set up as the central Sanctuary for Israel until the first day of the first month in the second year after the children of Israel came out of Egypt. You’ll examine that on that exact day—and not before—Moses was told to set up the alter of incense (Ex. 40:5) and also the altar of burnt offering (Ex. 40:6). In verse 10 Moses was commanded to anoint, or officially consecrate the alter of sacrifice. Then in Exodus 40:12-15 Moses was instructed to ordain the priesthood. If there is any doubt when all of these things took place, notice Exodus 40:17, “And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.” The following verses in Exodus 40 show that Moses put everything into the Tabernacle and officially consecrated everything pertaining to sacrifice and ritual. And Moses officially ordained the priests to their offices on that day—not before! This information clearly shows that up to this time the Israelites had no Tabernacle in which to offer sacrifices, no alter on which to place them and no priesthood to officiate at the sacrifices and rituals. This was all done on the first day of the first month in the second year after they came out of Egypt. This is the very day that God commanded the Israelites to begin their official sacrificing to Him—not before. Jeremiah certainly knew what he was talking about when he said that God did not command the Israelites about sacrifices when they left Egypt. It was almost a complete full year before the sacrificial and ritualistic system began! Once the official sacrificial system began in Israel, God commanded that no sacrifices of this ritualistic system could henceforth be offered except at the official alter in the Sanctuary. This is an important point, for in times past, the people could individually, without a priesthood, offer their sacrifices just anywhere they pleased.
But now notice the instruction of God. In Leviticus 17:2-5, God says that if an Israelite did not bring his sacrifice to the one official altar, which was at the door of the Tabernacle, that person would be cut off from among his people. And we further read in Deuteronomy 12:13-14: “Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest: But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.” Now it becomes quite clear why there had to be a Sanctuary, an alter and a priesthood before the sacrificial system could begin. And the children of Israel had not of these until the beginning of the second year of their Exodus! The differences between the voluntary sacrifices offered before the official system began, and the commanded sacrifices within the official system should be sufficiently understood by now. If the fundamental differences are understood—that one was voluntary and the other commanded—then we will have no difficulty in comprehending any text of Scripture between Exodus 12 and Exodus 40, which might be a little obscure on the surface.
For example, you will notice in Exodus 24:1-8 that Moses and some of the children of Israel offered sacrifices when they agreed, the first time, to observe the Old Covenant that God made with them. Now let us clearly understand that the Sanctuary had not been raised up, the altar was not yet built, and there was yet no priesthood to offer official sacrifices. To put it plainly, the commanded sacrificial system had not yet come into effect. What kind of sacrifices, then, were these? Let’s note carefully the text itself: “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. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel” (Ex. 24:3-4). This particular altar that Moses built here was not the altar that was to be put in the Sanctuary. That altar was not even completely described until chapter 27, and was not built until chapter 38, not put in the Sanctuary until chapter 40—or in the second year of the Exodus. Moses simply built this particular altar to offer some voluntary sacrifices in order to have the necessary blood for the ratification of the Covenant. These sacrifices were not a part of the official sacrifices, which came later. Let us go on a little further with the text, “And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD” (Ex. 24:5). Now notice a significant fact in this verse. Observe that these offerings were not offered by priests as commanded in the Law, but by young men of the children of Israel. Why “young men?” Simply because there were, as yet, no official priests in Israel. Aaron and his sons were not ordained until the day the Tabernacle and altar were set up—the day the commanded sacrificial system began. It would have been wrong for just anyone to offer sacrifices after the beginning of the second year of the Exodus. But before this time, God did allow voluntary offerings to be sacrificed by anyone in Israel and on individual altars, which were not located in any Sanctuary. Why shouldn’t God allow this? Noah built an altar and sacrificed on it (Gen. 8:20); so did Abraham (Gen. 12:7); Jacob (Gen. 35:1); and even Moses when the children of Israel were coming out of Egypt (Ex. 17:15). And so, here we find Moses offering voluntary offerings to God like those which had been offered centuries before. There was no priesthood or Sanctuary established, so there was nothing wrong in this. It was only after the Sanctuary had been built that God forbade sacrifices by anyone, except a priest be in attendance. It was only after the sacrificial system began that God forbade offering sacrifices anywhere, but on the altar in the Sanctuary.
There seems to be a difficulty in Exodus 33:7-11. Here the Bible plainly states that a tabernacle had already been set up before the beginning of the second year as mentioned in Exodus 40. Is there a contradiction in Scripture? The answer to this “difficulty” is apparent when we understand the original Hebrew in these verses. The Hebrew word “Haobel” used here and translated “Tabernacle” can just as easily be rendered “tent”—a common residential tent. But when speaking about the Tabernacle in which the altar was placed, and where the sacrifices were offered, it is “Hammischcan,” a totally different word. This tent being described in Exodus 33 was merely a temporary place of worship to fulfill an emergency need. Notice, Moses called it “The Tabernacle of the congregation”—not God! This tent was not the official Sanctuary commanded by God at all. Besides, there is not mention of any sacrifices at this temporary worship tent. To explain clearly, we might call this Moses’ temporary home, office or Headquarters. No problem or contradiction here. And remember, even if they had sacrificed in this tent it was still allowable to do so, as already explained.
It is quite clear in the Bible that the Aaronic priesthood did not exist until the beginning of the second year of the Exodus. Yet in Exodus 19:22, 24 there are direct references to “priests” being in Israel even before the Ten Commandments were given to Moses. Actually, every nation of antiquity had its religious priests. Usually it was the head of the nation, clan or family who acted as the religious intermediary between them and God. For instance, when Noah, Abraham, Jacob and the others officiated at their individual altars and offered sacrifices, they were acting in the capacity of priests. They were the heads of their families and directly responsible to God for the spiritual welfare of those families. We read that Job, as head of his family, officiated as a priest for his household by offering sacrifices before there was a Sanctuary established for the people of God (Job 1:5). Also, it was common for other nations to have their own priesthoods. We can also notice that the father-in-law of Moses was the priest of Midian (Ex. 2:16). This office of his father-in-law was held in respect by Moses, for it represented Jethro as head of the Midianite people. So, like all other peoples, Israel while in Egypt had certain heads of families to act as priests until a priesthood could be officially inaugurated in Israel by God Himself. Dr. John Davies of Princeton University, a well-known scholar on antiquity, says, “Before the organization of a priestly class, priestly functions were exercised by the patriarch in behalf of his household, and by the prince in behalf of his people. The natural head of a body of people acted as priest. There were those among the Israelites at the time of the Exodus who possessed this prerogative by natural right. When the Tabernacle was projected, a priest was needed to minister at its altar. Aaron and his sons were appointed to that office, and the priesthood was made hereditary in the family, and restricted to it” (Davies, The Illustrated Bible Treasury, pg. 328). It should be quite clear that the priests mentioned in Exouds 19:22, 24 were not from Aaron, for it was about a year later when the official Aaronic priesthood was begun.
When we understand that the sacrificial and ritualistic system established under the Old Covenant was not brought into force until the beginning of the second year of the Exodus, then we have an important key to know what was done away with in the time of Christ. This key will show us what belonged exclusively to the sacrifices and rituals, and it will show us what was separate and distinct from them. Also, we now have further proof, by studying Biblical history, of what commandments the Israelites were commanded to observe before the sacrifices and rituals were ever commanded. Understanding these things will show us some important commandments of God that were never a part of the sacrificial and ritualistic system—and these commandments are still obligatory for true Christians today.
Recall the Sabbath command was understood in Exodus 16 before the Ten Commandments were given on Mount Sinai. Notice that there is not a word about sacrificing. Also, when God’s Eternal Law, the Ten Commandments, was later stated in a codified form (Ex. 20), there is still not even a hint of sacrificing. Also notice that God’s annual Holy Days were commanded in Exodus 23:14-17. And here again, not a mention of sacrificing. And too, God made a special covenant with Israel in Exodus 31:12-17 in regard to the Sabbath—weekly and annual—as being the only real sign between Him and His people that they are truly His chosen ones. Again, not a word about sacrifices! In fact, the children of Israel were commanded to keep all of God’s commandments, statutes and laws (Ex. 15:25-26) before Moses knew anything of a sacrificial or ritualistic system. It is a matter of history that the children of Israel kept every one of the Sabbaths and Holy Days one whole year before the sacrificial system was introduced. Of course, when the sacrificial system was finally ordained in the second year, sacrifices were offered on every day of the year. And, we should not be surprised that the weekly Sabbath, because of its solemnity, would have more sacrifices than ordinary days. Also, when the important annual Sabbaths would arrive there would be a corresponding increase in the physical sacrifices to point out the holiness of the annual Sabbaths. This is the reason you find sacrifices mentioned on the Sabbaths and Holy Days in Leviticus 23. That part of Scripture was intended primarily for the instruction of the priests and it describes how sacrifices were to be offered on the High Days. Mention should be made of the sacrifice of the lamb at the Passover time. Was this sacrifice a part of the sacrificial system established later? No! This particular sacrifice is totally unlike any other mentioned in the whole of the Old Testament. This is one sacrifice, which was eaten by the offerer as a meal in his own residence. It did not have to be offered in the presence of a priest nor did it have to be killed on the altar in the Sanctuary. The Passover sacrifice was a family responsibility. It is clear that the Passover sacrifice was unique in itself and that it was not an integral part of the sacrificial system, for it was ordained almost a year before. And it was totally unlike any of the sacrifices mentioned in the book of Leviticus. It was not a sacrifice to atone for any particular sin. Rather, it was symbolic of the Messiah who was to come and His sacrifice for our sins. In fact, the Passover sacrifice has not been abolished today. It has only been changed.
Recap—when God brought Israel out of Egypt, He gave the Ten Commandments to them. He allowed Moses to declare all the statutes and judgments to Israel (Exodus, chapters 20-24). These statutes and judgments magnify the Ten Commandments. Remember that the spiritual and civil laws were not instituted by the Old Covenant, but were already in existence and had to be included in the covenant as the terms and conditions.
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