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elements subordinate to that covenant. The laws gain importance by virtue of representing
stipulations of that covenant. Thus this structure reinforces the conclusion reached earlier that
the concept of covenant here is more primary than that of law.
Moreover, at the center of the chiasm is a unit where Israel is told (ironically) "Do not be
afraid [al tirau]" but that God has come "so that the fear of him [yirato] may remain with
you" (Exod 20:20). The same root (Hebrew y.r.) is used for both terms for fear. So which was
it: Were the Israelites supposed to be afraid of God, or not? Well, yes and no. God did not
want them to be terrified of him, and yet there is a proper "fear of Yahweh" that the cosmic
events at Sinai were meant to instill. In the wisdom writings, fearing God is associated with
turning away from evil (Job 1:8; 28:28; Prov 8:13; 16:6), and elsewhere fearing God is said to
make one careful about what one does (2 Chr 17:7). It is also associated with doing Gods
commandments (Ps 111:10; Eccl 12:13; Gen 22:12 where God knows Abraham fears God
because Abraham was willing to obey Gods command to sacrifice Issac) and giving heed to the
ethical requirements of heaven (Gen 42:18). The kind of "fear of God" that is appropriate for
Israel in Exod 20:20 is the kind that leads them to turn away from evil and to obey Gods
commandments, specifically the commandments then being given to them. That is why the
narrative about fearing God is at the center of the chiasm, for "fearing God" is at the heart of the
biblical covenant; it is what leads to obedience to Gods commandments. Hence the meaning of
the whole of Exodus 19-24 is more profound than it would otherwise have been had a strictly
chronological structure been chosen.
5. The Narrative Context Affects the Reading of the Laws.
A fifth observation concerning the interrelationship between law and narrative is that the
narrative context of the laws affect the very way that laws are read and interpreted. Watts
states:
First, the narrative context of Pentateuchal law confirms that the Torah is intended
to be read as a whole and in order. Unlike law, narrative invites, almost enforces,