In Old Testament times, legal and binding covenants were not drafted by attorneys and then signed by the parties involved. Instead, legal agreements were formalized by means of a very graphic covenant ceremony.

Called, “Beriyth” (to cut a covenant), this ceremony ratifying a legal agreement was sealed by cutting an animal in half. Then the two participating parties would pass between the halves while repeating the terms of the covenant. By doing so, the two parties were stating, “If I fail to fulfill my commitments to this covenant, may I suffer the same fate as this animal.”

This process is described in Gen 15:10-21 when God promised Abram a son.

In the Old Testament, there are three different types of covenants:

1. A parity covenant between two human parties, both of whom voluntarily accept the terms of the agreement (1 Sam 18:3,4; Mal 2:14; Obad 7).
2. The Royal Grant Treaty (unconditional): A promissory covenant that arose solely out of a king’s desire to reward a faithful servant. Examples: Abrahamic and Davidic
3. The Suzerain-Vassal Treaty (conditional): This type of covenant bound a subordinate vassal to a superior vassal. It was binding only upon the one who swore it. The purpose of the covenant was to emphasize the goodness and kindness of the lord to his vassal with a view to cause the vassal to gladly accept his responsibilities and obligations. Examples: Adamic, Noahic, Mosaic

The components of Suzerain-Vassal Treaties of that time (1500-1200 BC) are:

1. Preamble (Identification of the Covenant Giver)
2. A Historical Prologue
3. Stipulations
4. Provisions for Deposit and Public Reading
5. A Listing of Treaty Witnesses
6. Blessings and Curses
7. A Ratification Ceremony through the cutting of a covenant
8. Imposition of the Curses

The covenant at Sinai in Exodus 24 encapsulates all of these occurrences.

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The Ten Commandments give us the fundamental principles for life and conduct. Exodus 21-23 applies those 10 principles to the complex context of daily living.

While these laws were specifically given to Israel as God’s covenant people, they are universally applicable and provide the judicial framework for all democratic countries in the world today.

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Introduction

The chapters in our study today establish the “Civil Laws” of Israel -- the regulations that involve the just punishment and procedures to follow for crimes committed. These were the laws that Moses was instructed to teach those who were put over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens (Ex 18:21-22).

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As we look at these civil laws instituted by the Lord, we observe several things:

1. They reveal a morality/ethic that was far beyond that of the nations in that day.
2. They reveal the depravity of man in that we need these laws in the first place.
3. They reveal to us the fairness, goodness and justice of God.