The Study on the Pre-Sinaitic Existence of the Law
The Moral Law of God - Before Sinai
The study on the pre-Sinaitic existence of the law
Its universal acknowledgement and practice from Eden to Sinai
In the beginning the Lord God created Adam, the federal head of mankind, in His own image, Gen. 1:27. Adam in His pristine condition was wholly inclined toward God, and His law was the way of his life. The Scripture goes on to teach that the moral law of God was to continue from the Garden of Eden to the giving of it to Moses orally and inscribed on the tablets of stone, Exodus 20.
To prove that the moral law of God was in use and was known by mankind, we must see if there is any evidence for it, either in precept, practice, or by inference before the giving of the Moral Law in Exodus 20.
The Law was given in Eden
God’s command was to Adam and Eve, “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.”(Gen. 2:17) This command would not make sense unless it is based on the Moral Law. It includes in it, the single love toward God, more than ones self, wife, sensual pleasure; it included that Adam was not to have any other gods before him. The creation ordinance of Sabbath is instituted, Gen. 2:2,3.
Concerning the Worship of One true God (The First Commandment)
Gen. 31:19 – the images of Laban, showing that not only he worshiped not god, but he had many images, i.e. he was polytheistic.
Concerning Idolatry (The Second Commandment)
Gen. 35:2-4 – men were aware of the sin of Idolatry.
Concerning taking the name of the Lord in vain (The Third Commandment)
Job 2:9 – Job being older than Moses; Job’s wife, when she exhorted him to curse God and die. There was an awareness of this law.
Concerning the Sabbath (The Forth Commandment)
Gen. 2:2,3 – given to Adam, as federal head of humanity.
Gen. 7:4 – God’s pronouncement of the flood after seven days.
Gen. 8:10, 12 – Noah waiting for seven days before sending the dove from the ark.
Exodus 16:5, 22 – this was for the preparation before the Sabbath day.
Exodus 16:27, 28 – on profaning the Sabbath by some of the people.
Exodus 16:28-30 – God’s command given which was before the giving of the Moral Law at Sinai.
Concerning Parental Headship (The Fifth Commandment)
Gen. 9:24-27 – in relation to Noah and his curse upon Canaan his son
Gen. 18:19 – in relation to Abraham and his children
Gen. 27:4, 12, 27-29 – the parental blessing for obedience of the child
Gen. 37:10 – Jacob’s rebuke of Joseph for his dream of the bowing sheaves.
Exod. 10:2; 12:27; 13:8, 14 – parents are to instruct their children and the children are to honour them in obeying
Concerning Murder (The Sixth Commandment)
Gen. 4:8 – instance of murder by Cain of his brother Abel, and God’s punishment for it.
Gen. 4:23, 24 – Lamech’s confession of murder, feeling of guilt
Gen. 9:4-6 – Known by Noah; here the Law of Capital Punishment is rehearsed.
Gen. 34:25-31 – Simeon and Levi concerning Shechem, Hamor, and their people
Job 24:14 – the knowledge of the sin of murder
Concerning Adultery (The Seventh Commandment)
Gen. 12:17, 18f – In case of Pharaoh and Sara
Gen. 20:3,9 – In case of Sarah and Abimelech
Gen. 34 – the sin of adultery known by the godly line and the ungodly
Gen. 38 – In case of Judah and Tamar
Concerning Theft (The Eighth Commandment)
Gen. 31:19, 30, 34, 35 – Rachel stealing the household gods; Laban’s statement concerning the sin of stealing, v.30; Rachel knew of her guilt so she hid them and sat on the basket, and further lied about them.
Gen 44:8 – the acknowledgement of the sin by Joseph’s brothers, even though when it was done in ignorance.
Concerning Deceit and Falsehood (The Ninth Commandment)
Job 15:35 – the knowledge of and practice of this sin
Job 27:4 – the knowledge of this sin
Job 31:5 – the knowledge of this sin
Gen. 12:13; 20:2 – Abraham committing it, in stating that Sarah was his sister; but was found out to his humiliation.
Gen. 26:7 – Isaac committing it
Gen. 27:12 – Jacob’s admittance of his deceitful act
Concerning Covetousness (The Tenth Commandment)
Gen. 6:2 – the son’s of God desiring and taking of the daughters of men.
Gen. 13:10, 11 – Lot coveting the plains of Jordan for himself, seeing that it was prosperous
Judgement Upon the Nations
1. Canaanites – Lev. 18:24-30
The Canaanites inhabiting the land of promise did abominable works against the Law which was written on their hearts, Rom. 2:14,15. Therefore, the land spewed them out in judgement. Judgement always comes upon man, when he violates the Law of God. Examples of their abominable practices were:
The sacrifice of their infants to false deities. (Sixth Commandment)
Worshiping of false deities. (First Commandment)
Making of images. (Second Commandment)
2. Sodom and Gomorrah – Gen. 19
The people of Sodom and Gomorrah did profane all the commandments of God, and so were judged accordingly.
The Resemblances of the Civil and the Ceremonial laws
The distinguishing of the clean and the unclean animals, given to Noah, Gen. 8:20.
The law of circumcision revealed to Abraham, Gen. 17:11-14.
The laws of OT sacrifices given to Moses, and yet practiced before Sinai, in various ways, the building of altars by Able, Abraham, Noah, etc. Moreover, God Himself, provided coverings of skin for Adam and Eve after the fall, which shows that blood had to be shed.
Conclusion
As we have seen in the above discussions and various examples, that the Moral Law summarised and set down in writing on Sinai was known, obeyed or disobeyed by the generations after Adam. People did have knowledge of sin, and the Scriptures testify of it, and uses the expression of what sin was, e.g. deceit, lies, image worship, etc. Therefore, from this we again assert that the Moral Law having been given and written on Adam’s heart, continued perpetually in the hearts of his sons. As long as man stays the image bearer of God, the Moral Law, even though it is disobeyed, is written on man’s conscience.
The study on the pre-Sinaitic existence of the law
Its universal acknowledgement and practice from Eden to Sinai
In the beginning the Lord God created Adam, the federal head of mankind, in His own image, Gen. 1:27. Adam in His pristine condition was wholly inclined toward God, and His law was the way of his life. The Scripture goes on to teach that the moral law of God was to continue from the Garden of Eden to the giving of it to Moses orally and inscribed on the tablets of stone, Exodus 20.
To prove that the moral law of God was in use and was known by mankind, we must see if there is any evidence for it, either in precept, practice, or by inference before the giving of the Moral Law in Exodus 20.
The Law was given in Eden
God’s command was to Adam and Eve, “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.”(Gen. 2:17) This command would not make sense unless it is based on the Moral Law. It includes in it, the single love toward God, more than ones self, wife, sensual pleasure; it included that Adam was not to have any other gods before him. The creation ordinance of Sabbath is instituted, Gen. 2:2,3.
Concerning the Worship of One true God (The First Commandment)
Gen. 31:19 – the images of Laban, showing that not only he worshiped not god, but he had many images, i.e. he was polytheistic.
Concerning Idolatry (The Second Commandment)
Gen. 35:2-4 – men were aware of the sin of Idolatry.
Concerning taking the name of the Lord in vain (The Third Commandment)
Job 2:9 – Job being older than Moses; Job’s wife, when she exhorted him to curse God and die. There was an awareness of this law.
Concerning the Sabbath (The Forth Commandment)
Gen. 2:2,3 – given to Adam, as federal head of humanity.
Gen. 7:4 – God’s pronouncement of the flood after seven days.
Gen. 8:10, 12 – Noah waiting for seven days before sending the dove from the ark.
Exodus 16:5, 22 – this was for the preparation before the Sabbath day.
Exodus 16:27, 28 – on profaning the Sabbath by some of the people.
Exodus 16:28-30 – God’s command given which was before the giving of the Moral Law at Sinai.
Concerning Parental Headship (The Fifth Commandment)
Gen. 9:24-27 – in relation to Noah and his curse upon Canaan his son
Gen. 18:19 – in relation to Abraham and his children
Gen. 27:4, 12, 27-29 – the parental blessing for obedience of the child
Gen. 37:10 – Jacob’s rebuke of Joseph for his dream of the bowing sheaves.
Exod. 10:2; 12:27; 13:8, 14 – parents are to instruct their children and the children are to honour them in obeying
Concerning Murder (The Sixth Commandment)
Gen. 4:8 – instance of murder by Cain of his brother Abel, and God’s punishment for it.
Gen. 4:23, 24 – Lamech’s confession of murder, feeling of guilt
Gen. 9:4-6 – Known by Noah; here the Law of Capital Punishment is rehearsed.
Gen. 34:25-31 – Simeon and Levi concerning Shechem, Hamor, and their people
Job 24:14 – the knowledge of the sin of murder
Concerning Adultery (The Seventh Commandment)
Gen. 12:17, 18f – In case of Pharaoh and Sara
Gen. 20:3,9 – In case of Sarah and Abimelech
Gen. 34 – the sin of adultery known by the godly line and the ungodly
Gen. 38 – In case of Judah and Tamar
Concerning Theft (The Eighth Commandment)
Gen. 31:19, 30, 34, 35 – Rachel stealing the household gods; Laban’s statement concerning the sin of stealing, v.30; Rachel knew of her guilt so she hid them and sat on the basket, and further lied about them.
Gen 44:8 – the acknowledgement of the sin by Joseph’s brothers, even though when it was done in ignorance.
Concerning Deceit and Falsehood (The Ninth Commandment)
Job 15:35 – the knowledge of and practice of this sin
Job 27:4 – the knowledge of this sin
Job 31:5 – the knowledge of this sin
Gen. 12:13; 20:2 – Abraham committing it, in stating that Sarah was his sister; but was found out to his humiliation.
Gen. 26:7 – Isaac committing it
Gen. 27:12 – Jacob’s admittance of his deceitful act
Concerning Covetousness (The Tenth Commandment)
Gen. 6:2 – the son’s of God desiring and taking of the daughters of men.
Gen. 13:10, 11 – Lot coveting the plains of Jordan for himself, seeing that it was prosperous
Judgement Upon the Nations
1. Canaanites – Lev. 18:24-30
The Canaanites inhabiting the land of promise did abominable works against the Law which was written on their hearts, Rom. 2:14,15. Therefore, the land spewed them out in judgement. Judgement always comes upon man, when he violates the Law of God. Examples of their abominable practices were:
The sacrifice of their infants to false deities. (Sixth Commandment)
Worshiping of false deities. (First Commandment)
Making of images. (Second Commandment)
2. Sodom and Gomorrah – Gen. 19
The people of Sodom and Gomorrah did profane all the commandments of God, and so were judged accordingly.
The Resemblances of the Civil and the Ceremonial laws
The distinguishing of the clean and the unclean animals, given to Noah, Gen. 8:20.
The law of circumcision revealed to Abraham, Gen. 17:11-14.
The laws of OT sacrifices given to Moses, and yet practiced before Sinai, in various ways, the building of altars by Able, Abraham, Noah, etc. Moreover, God Himself, provided coverings of skin for Adam and Eve after the fall, which shows that blood had to be shed.
Conclusion
As we have seen in the above discussions and various examples, that the Moral Law summarised and set down in writing on Sinai was known, obeyed or disobeyed by the generations after Adam. People did have knowledge of sin, and the Scriptures testify of it, and uses the expression of what sin was, e.g. deceit, lies, image worship, etc. Therefore, from this we again assert that the Moral Law having been given and written on Adam’s heart, continued perpetually in the hearts of his sons. As long as man stays the image bearer of God, the Moral Law, even though it is disobeyed, is written on man’s conscience.
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