Neglect of God’s Commandments

Many believers in Jesus Christ have, either through ignorance, misunderstanding of the numerous laws in the Bible, or neglect of the Ten Commandments, failed to uphold God’s words written in our hearts and minds through the blood of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:4 says, “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but the Spirit.” Whatever the reason for this neglect, the Lord Himself is correcting it through His servants.

God made it clear in the book of Exodus that the Ten Commandments were to be placed inside the Ark of the Covenant. These commandments were written twice by the fingers of God, and Moses spent forty days and forty nights on each occasion without food or drink. Many believers confuse the book of the covenant with the Ten Commandments, but they are not the same.

The Book of the Covenant

The book of the covenant contains the 613 laws God gave to Moses, which were binding for the Israelites. These laws include ceremonial practices such as animal sacrifices, rituals, and the divisions between Jews and Gentiles. They were a shadow of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus Christ made for the remission of sins, not the sins of the world. Known as ceremonial laws, they were nailed to the cross by Jesus Christ to allow humanity to serve God and Christ in Spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).

God separated the Ten Commandments, His feast days, and the new year from the ceremonial laws. These instructions were preserved and commanded to be delivered to the children of Israel (Leviticus 23:1-2).

Although the book of the covenant is often cited as containing exactly 613 laws, the Bible does not give a specific number, and there is no universal agreement on this among Jews or Christians. The original scripts were destroyed, making exact enumeration impossible. This is how Moses received the covenant from God (Exodus 24:1-8).

How Moses Received the Covenant

1. The LORD called Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders to worship from afar while Moses alone approached God.

2. Moses relayed all the words and judgments of the LORD to the people, who promised obedience.

3. Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD, built an altar, and set up twelve pillars for the tribes of Israel.

4. He offered sacrifices and sprinkled half the blood on the altar, taking the book of the covenant and reading it to the people, who affirmed their obedience.

5. Moses sprinkled the remaining blood on the people, confirming the blood of the covenant with them (Exodus 24:1-8).

Moses did not spend much time receiving these laws; God dictated them, and Moses recorded them in what became known as the “book of the covenant.” This is different from the Ten Commandments.

Concerning the Ten Commandments

Starting from Exodus 24:9, the account describes Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders ascending the mountain to see God. The LORD instructed Moses to go further up the mount to receive “tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written, that thou mayest teach them” (Exodus 24:12). Moses spent forty days and forty nights on the mount, receiving the Ten Commandments.

God commanded that the Ten Commandments be placed inside the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:16). The term “testimony” is often incorrectly used in translation; it should refer to the law or commandments that God wrote with His hands, which took Moses forty days each time on the mount (Exodus 31:18; 32:15-16; Deuteronomy 9:9-11).

At the end of the forty days, God gave Moses two stone tablets. These were the Ten Commandments, not the book of the covenant. Misinterpretations, often perpetuated by religious authorities, have caused confusion between the Ten Commandments and the ceremonial laws or “book of the covenant.”

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments were written by God with His own fingers, twice, which required Moses to spend forty days on the mountain of God each time. All of this is explained in this article.

Counting the Commandments

Calculating the total number of commandments in the Mosaic Law can be complicated. For instance, if a command appears in both Exodus and Deuteronomy, does it count as one commandment or two? Additionally, some laws in the covenant can be seen as clarifications of other laws rather than independent commands.

Historical Background

There is debate about who first identified 613 as the number of laws in the covenant. The Talmud attributes this to Rabbi Simlai in the 3rd century AD, although there is no record of him listing all 613. The most commonly accepted breakdown was later done by Maimonides in the 12th century AD. He divided the commandments into 248 positive “do this” commands and 365 negative “do not do this” commands.

Biblical Perspective

From a biblical perspective, the exact number of commandments is less important. The purpose of the Law, especially the Ten Commandments, was to point to Christ. Galatians 3:24 says, “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ.”

Through Jesus, the Ten Commandments are written on believers’ hearts by the Holy Spirit, enabling justification by faith. No one can perfectly obey all the commandments, whether many or few (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23). Even the Ten Commandments themselves cannot be perfectly kept by humans. The Law shows our sinfulness (Romans 7:7) and highlights the need for a Savior. Jesus alone perfectly obeyed the Law, fulfilling all of God’s righteous commands through His life, death, and resurrection (Matthew 5:17–18).

Placement of the Ten Commandments

When God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, He did not have blood sprinkled on them. Moses was commanded to place them inside the ark of the covenant.

The 613 Commandments of the Mosaic Law

Below is a list of the 613 commandments found in the Old Testament covenant that the Lord dictated to Moses and placed by the side of the ark of the covenant (Deuteronomy 31:12, 15-16, etc.):

1. Genesis 1:28; Genesis 2:32

2. Exodus 3:12:2; 12:6; 12:8; 12:9; 12:10; 12:15; 12:18; 12:19; 12:20; 12:43

3. Exodus 12:45

4. Exodus 12:46

5. Exodus 12:48

6. Exodus 13:3

7. Exodus 13:7

8. Exodus 13:8

9. Exodus 13:12

10. Exodus 13:13

The Book of the Covenant and the Ten Commandments

God Dictates the Book of the Covenant

Exodus 24:1-8
1 And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.
2 And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.
3 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.
4 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.
5 And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.
6 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.
8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

Explanation:
This passage describes the Book of the Covenant, which God dictated to Moses. Moses wrote it himself. This book is completely different from the Ten Commandments, which were written by God Himself.