Question from a reader:
Were God’s Ten Commandments known before Mt. Sinai? Did the great forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, keep ALL of God’s Ten Commandment Law? Was God’s Sabbath instituted at Creation?
Thank you for your question. Although God’s Ten Commandments were not recorded on the stone tablets until the time of Moses, the preceding forefathers of the faith were aware of God’s laws of morality; i.e., they didn’t have the Ten Commandments in written form, but they did know God’s moral code which included the Ten Commandments. They knew the intent of the law if not the letter of the law. This is because of God’s fellowship with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Before the fall, God had fellowship with Adam and Eve, and He taught them His moral code. After the fall, this moral code was passed down through the generations through verbal instruction, so that people like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew it, even though it may not have been written down.
No, the forefathers of the faith did not keep all of these moral codes (Romans 3:23).
Yes, the Sabbath was instituted during Creation when God rested from His creation on the Sabbath Day.
Thanks,
Owen