The Law Covenant at Mt. Sinai
Moses served as mediator between God and Israel at Mt.
Sinai. The people there covenanted to keep the Divine Law. God promised
that if they could do so, perfectly, they should have everlasting life.
Furthermore, they could then comply with the sacrificial conditions of the
Seed of Abraham, typified in the offering of Isaac, and inherit the
Promise, "In thy Seed shall all the families of the Earth be
blessed."-Deuteronomy 5:1-6;Genesis 22:18.
The people eagerly accepted the arrangement, saying,
"All these things will we do," not realizing the full import of
the Law. Jesus explained it to mean, to love God with all the heart, mind,
soul and strength, and one's neighbor as one's self. Imperfect, like all
mankind, the Jews could not keep this perfect Law. Unworthy of life, they
could not redeem others; hence could not bless other nations.
When they became discouraged, God assured them that
later He would make a New, or more favorable, Covenant with them through a
greater than Moses, who would help them out of their fallen condition and
fit them to be the channel for the Divine blessing to men.--Jeremiah
31:31; Malachi 3:1-3.
In due time Jesus came, the promised Messiah, not in
glory as they had expected, but in a lowly condition, to die for Sin.
"He came unto His own [nation] and His own received Him
not"--they crucified Him. (John 1:11) Nevertheless, Jesus began His
work of selecting Spiritual Israel, the Spiritual Seed of Abraham. He
accepted first the loyal Jews. (Romans 11:7.) Still there were not enough
to complete the foreordained number of the Elect. Consequently the Call to
be the Elect Abrahamic Seed was extended to the Gentiles. For more than
eighteen centuries He has been gathering the Elect Spiritual Seed of
Abraham, the holy from every nation and sect. When complete, these, the
"Bride," or "Body" of Christ, will be God's channel of
blessing to all the families of the Earth, in harmony with the Promise
made to Abraham.--Galatians 3:29.