The signifi cance of the placement of the stone tablets of the Decalogue
in the Ark of the Covenant cannot be overemphasized. In the wider
suzerainty treaty formula, the covenant documents were placed in the
sanctuary of the vassal’s deity, expressing the deity’s role as witness and
executor of the oath. 53 The Decalogue was placed in the Ark because it
signifi ed YHWH’s presence. YHWH acted as both the covenanting and
covenanted suzerain. It would be YHWH who blesses and curses Israel
for their actions. For Israelites who were cognizant of suzerainty treaties,
they would know that YHWH would fulfi ll this role. Therefore, the peri-
odic readings of the Law would remind Israel of the reality of YHWH’s
blessings and curses. Because of YHWH’s role as covenant executor, the
placement of the Decalogue and the public readings of the Law were not
merely an exercise of propositional remembrance.
The history of the Exodus narrative wove deeply into Israelite iden-
tity. The saving acts of YHWH were affectively appropriated and seared
into their hearts. The laws that governed Israel’s lifestyle reminded
them of their covenantal relationship. Being the people of YHWH was
a lifestyle of covenant love, a lifestyle of active participation. In other
words, their existence was liturgical. Obedience to the law was a wor-
shipful act of love toward their suzerain. Their existence was a fusion of
the material aspects of life and the cognitive recognition of the reality
of YHWH’s immediate presence. A covenantal lifestyle was an avenue
of (trans)formative grace that refl ected the reality of the oath con-
fi rmed by YHWH in the Decalogue.
This covenantal existence is far-reaching into Israel’s progeny because
of its continual function in Israel’s national identity through practice and
periodic readings. The continual practice of the law “serves to confi rm—
and in confi rming reminds [one] of—[one’s] faith and commitment.” 54
When Israel functioned according to the law, their symbolic actions
informed their beliefs. Thus, actions, whether obedient or disobedient,
will form one’s identity and character.
Covenantal existence is critical for Pentecostal self-identity, for cove-
nant and Pentecost are intrinsically related. By the time of Acts, Pentecost
was seen as a covenant renewal ceremony celebrating the “anniversary of
the law-giving at Sinai,” 55 and John Penney argues that Luke also made
this connection. 56 With the giving of the Spirit in Acts, the covenant is
renewed and perpetuated now in the charismatic community.
The knowledge of God in covenant relationship is not merely propo-
sitional. The knowledge of God according to the context of Exodus 20
130 Y. SHIN