Exodus 20, Jubilees, Covenant Sinai Moses Ten Commandments Mt. Sinai Law of God Exodus timing
God's Law
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The Feast of Weeks is a festival mentioned in Leviticus
23:15-22. It was celebrated based on a calculation from the Passover and/or Days
of Unleavened Bread, mentioned in verses 4-8 of this same chapter. The Greeks
gave this festival the name Pentecost. That word means 'fifty count'. Pentecost was fifty days after the Unleavened
Bread ritual of cutting the wave sheaf (see vss.9-14).
Since Israel left Egypt on the first day of Unleavened Bread
(Num 33:3, Lev 23:6), the countdown to Pentecost started shortly thereafter.
Depending on circumstances and who's calculating, Pentecost can fall anywhere
between the 4th day and the 14th day of the third
Hebrew month. Exodus 19:1 indicates Israel arrived at the base of Mt.
Sinai on the first day of the third month.(see JFB commentary, Ex 19:1)
The ancient text of Jubilees, which was familiar to many Jews in
New Testament times, claims that Moses went up to get the tablets of the
covenant on the 16th day of the third month. (Jub
1:1) This seems to be the same ascension as recorded in Exodus 24:9. So the
event of Exodus 20 on Sinai would have taken place immediately before the
16th, but after the 1st.
Jubilees also mentions that the Feast of Weeks was celebrated as
a memorial of the covenant God made with Noah (Jub
2:17). It then goes on to say that "ye celebrated it anew on this
mountain" (vs 19). This would seem to indicate
that the Sinai covenant was a renewal of the covenant God made with Noah, which was
memorialized in Pentecost. Indeed this was certainly about that time of
year.
Exodus 19 also doesn't seem to allow for much time to have
passed between verse 1 and verse 10 & 11 where the day is set when the
Creator will speak to the people from Mt Sinai. Israel camped by the mountain and Moses
went up to consult with God in verse 3. Then Moses came back down and
consulted with the elders of Israel in verse 7. Evidently Moses went back up
the mountain for another brief communication, verses 9, 14. Then Moses had
two days to prepare the people for the event, cordon off the base of the
mountain and warn everyone of how to conduct themselves, verses 10-13, 15.
Then as the Creator showed His presence on the
Mountain He called Moses up again and warned Him to make sure the people did
not rush the mountain. He then sent Moses back down and told Him to bring
Aaron back up.
So Moses was pretty busy and there seems to be no break in
activity. There is good reason to believe that the Sinai covenant was
spoken or confirmed on Pentecost, known as the Feast of Weeks or Hebrew: Shavuot.
This was also the day of the giving of the Holy Spirit after Jesus
resurrection. (Acts 2:1)