A formal vassal treaty in the ancient Near East regularly listed “third party” witnesses to its enactment. As one scholar notes, “the witnesses were exclusively deities or deified elements of the natural world.… All gods relevant to both parties were called upon as witnesses, so that there was no god left that the vassal could appeal to for

The covenant between Yahweh and Israel enacted at Sinai follows the conventions of a type of covenant known from ancient Near Eastern sources. Scholars refer to it as a vassal treaty.13 This type of covenant was, in essence, an oath of loyalty by an inferior (the vassal, here Israel) to a superior (Yahweh, the initiator of the agreement).

The law of Yahweh is perfect, reviving life. The testimony of Yahweh is firm, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of Yahweh are right, making the heart rejoice. The command of Yahweh is pure, enlightening the eyes (Psa 19:7–8).

Heaven and earth are connected. Yahweh rules both.

Earlier we discovered that Eden was the dwelling place and headquarters of the divine council.9 We were reminded of the description of Eden in Genesis as a lush garden with four rivers (Gen 2:10–14). Eden was also a mountain (Ezek 28:13–14), the administrative “seat of the gods” (Ezek 28:2), situated in “the heart of the seas” (Ezek 28:2), a

A few observations are in order. For Paul, Abraham did not become the father of just Israel, but of many nations. The point of course harks back to his theology in Galatians 3, where all believers, Jew or Gentile, are “Abraham’s seed” (Gal 3:26–29). The notion of Abraham’s offspring becoming “heir of the world” speaks to rulership of the nations by

Yahweh’s own kingdom is structured with a single leader (Moses for now), with whom he speaks directly, and a council of seventy. Historically, this leadership structure would continue into Jesus’ day, as the Jewish Sanhedrin, led by the high priest, numbered seventy.

Every believer is also Abraham’s offspring by faith (Gal 3:26–29). We are the current and eschatological sons of God. Our status began with Adam, was rescued in Abraham, and was fulfilled in Jesus, heir to David’s throne. These connections are actually among the more obvious. There is more that extends from Israel’s sonship all the way to our

THE EXODUS EVENT, THE DELIVERANCE FROM BONDAGE IN EGYPT, WAS THE catalyst for Israel’s transition from a people to a nation. Any good commentary or guide to the Bible will flag that. But there’s a good deal more going on. Over the next three chapters we’ll see that events shortly after the exodus hark back to Eden and the divine council backdrop in