Abraham, Moses, and Old Testament covenants

Continuing the practice of interacting more with the community of Christian bloggers, I'd like to take a look at a post at the blog He Lives, where the author writes on the topic of the covenants of Abraham and Moses. I should mention that the author writes to address concerns with how Moses is being employed in his own theological circle; since that is not my circle I have a different starting point.

The author seems to bring the assumption that the covenant at Sinai was given without any intention in curbing sin:

The purpose is not to teach us how avoid sinning, but to teach how we are sinning. The law doesn’t save, the point is rather the opposite: the purpose of the law is to point out that its own impotence: the law cannot save anyone. It is not in conflict with the Abrahamic covenant, because it does not offer an alternative route to life—it is a reminder of the fact that our only hope is the Abrahamic covenant. (from linked post)

I'd agree that the law does in fact make us aware of our sinfulness:

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. (Romans 3:22; there are also other places that remind us that the law makes us aware of our shortcomings)

I haven't heard quite enough from the author about how he sees Christ's new covenant, so I'll pass on responding to his comment that "our only hope is the Abrahamic covenant", in the hopes that he sees our hope in Christ's new covenant.

The question I wanted to interact with here is: Is that really all that Moses' covenant provides?

My first concern is whether that considers the covenant of Moses as understood by the community that received it. On its own terms, Moses' covenant did have a route to forgiveness through the Day of Atonement and the sacrifices that prefigure Christ. The general understanding among the Jews was that sins of ignorance were easily forgiven but intentional sins were not covered on the Day of Atonement. However, a change of heart and intent (repentance) would see those intentional sins considered to be sins of ignorance in the eyes of the law, and so even those grave sins could be forgiven. Because of the path to forgiveness through atonement, the only thing ultimately required through Moses' covenant is faith in the one who made the covenant: that is, trust in God's faithfulness. This is ultimately fulfilled in Christ, but is prefigured well enough through Moses. So there's general agreement that our works do not save us, and that only trust in God's faithfulness saves us. Still, Moses' covenant prefigures Christ more fully than we would notice if we focus solely on the truth that nobody will be declared righteous by observing the law.

My next concern -- and I'm not sure whether anyone else shares it -- is how much benefit there is in the various laws (e.g. the Ten Commandments) if they are taken as what they are: not as paths to earn salvation, but instruction in what is righteous and holy. The Psalms are, in places, eloquent about the wisdom to be gained by studying the law and the statutes of God. There are other passage that enjoin common celebrations and other actions that are community-building and identity-building, preserving a memory of both God's gracious acts towards Israel and of Israel's identity within that. I see those passages as a corrective to the idea that the law of Moses serves only to show us our sin.

Are the Ten Commandments "the codification of God's moral law" for us Gentiles? Far be it from me to criticize the Ten Commandments, though Jesus calls us to surpass them. Love certainly doesn't lie or steal or otherwise harm our neighbor. And it's love that calls us to go the extra mile or to turn the other cheek rather than retaliate. It's love that asks us to forgive our brother 70 x 7 times. Love is the first commandment (and the second), which is why mercy is at the root of God's interactions with us under the covenant, and our interactions with each other under it.

Jesus told some students of the Hebrew scriptures, "Go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'" I believe that all Scripture will, sooner or later, point us to mercy.