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The Law Before the Tablet

The Law Before the Tablet: Principles of God’s Pre-Sinai Law 📜

A Presentation on the Fundamental Principles of God’s Moral Law

The traditional view of God’s law beginning at Mount Sinai suggests that humanity existed for over two millennia without a divine standard for morality. However, the biblical text shows that the fundamental principles later codified in the Ten Commandments existed and were enforced from the moment of creation. Sinai marked the formal codification of existing moral standards, not the creation of law itself.

The Return Question: What Principles Existed Before Sinai?

The narratives of Genesis and the period leading up to the Exodus reveal that God held humanity accountable to a clear moral standard long before the stone tablets were given. These principles align directly with the Ten Commandments.

1. Law Against Murder (6th Commandment)

  • The Principle: The sanctity of human life.
  • Pre-Sinai Evidence: The immediate judgment of Cain for murdering Abel (Genesis 4:10-12). God established the principle that human blood demands retribution. This was codified later in the Noahic Covenant: “At the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.” (Genesis 9:5, KJV).

2. Law Against Adultery (7th Commandment)

  • The Principle: The sanctity of the covenant of marriage.
  • Pre-Sinai Evidence: Abimelech was warned by God in a dream that taking Abraham’s wife, Sarah, was a sin (Genesis 20:3, 6). Similarly, Joseph resisted Potiphar’s wife, saying, “how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9, KJV), demonstrating a clear understanding of the moral law against adultery, centuries before Sinai.

3. Law Against Theft (8th Commandment)

  • The Principle: The sanctity of private property.
  • Pre-Sinai Evidence: Jacob severely condemned Laban’s theft of his wages and property (Genesis 31:36-39) and was furious when Rachel stole Laban’s household idols (Genesis 31:32). This shows a clear, pre-existing social and moral principle against theft.

4. Law of the Sabbath (4th Commandment)

  • The Principle: The sanctity of rest and separation of time.
  • Pre-Sinai Evidence: The pattern of the Sabbath was established at Creation (Genesis 2:2-3). Furthermore, the observance of a six-day gathering period followed by a seventh day of rest was instituted immediately before Sinai, in the gathering of the Manna (Exodus 16:22-30).

The Prophetic Hotspot: The Law Written on the Heart

The Apostle Paul confirms that a fundamental, pre-existing moral law is inherent to humanity, even for those who did not have the written Mosaic Law:

“For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts…” (Romans 2:14-15, KJV)

  1. Conscience as Evidence: The fundamental moral accountability described throughout Genesis is what Paul calls the “work of the law written in their hearts.” God’s law is eternal because it reflects His eternal nature, which He inscribed on creation and human conscience.
  2. Sinai as Codification: When Israel stood at Sinai, God was not introducing arbitrary rules; He was formally codifying the eternal, moral standard that existed from the beginning, creating a national covenant based on those principles.

Conclusion: The moral principles of God’s law were not invented at Sinai; they were in force since Eden, evident through the judgments (Cain, the Flood) and the faith of the patriarchs (Joseph, Abraham). Sinai stands as the moment the fundamental, eternal law was explicitly written down to serve as a constant reminder and standard for the Old Covenant people.