Note: In quoting or referring to scripture passages I am often using Young’s Literal Translation which, apart from other things, preserves and maintains the integrity of the original Hebrew tenses. Ancient Hebrew uses only present and past tenses - there is no future tense - to engage us with the action as if we are there, and to emphasise the finality of what God intends to do.

In Paul’s day there was no “Waw Conversive”  (see the introduction to Young's Literal Translation, available online) in use to confuse his listeners and soften the impact of God’s declarations. That’s why when God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 17:4 He actually said, contrary to what Abraham’s eyes could see, “My covenant is with you, and you have become father of a multitude of nations.”  

In Romans 4:17 Paul shows how this verse (and many, many others like it) was understood in his day and, unlike every modern translation, quotes it as written above. That is why he then describes God as one “Who calls the things that are not as though they are.”

Versions quoted are shown in brackets ( ) after the reference. Brackets inside the quote contains an amplification of a word or phrase within the verse.

The Covenant with the Children of Israel

The Old Covenant, also called “The Law,” was established with Israel on Mt Sinai after they were set free from slavery in Egypt.

God Himself identifies it as such while speaking through Jeremiah.

I like the way it reads in The Amplified Bible, but in place of “will,” in every instance in the Hebrew is the word “have.”

“Behold the days are coming, says the Lord (YHWH), when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah

“Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day (in that period of time) when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was their husband, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 31:31,32 (TAB)

Exodus 19 gives the form of this covenant, which we now call the Old Covenant; Exodus 20 and following chapters give the conditions.

This is a two-way, conditional covenant. You cannot break a one-way, unconditional covenant.

God first announced this new covenant to Moses in Exodus 19:4-6, and asked him to pass it on to the people. First He gave the Preamble, just like a modern day Constitution:

“You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagle’s wings and brought you to Myself.” Verse 4 (TAB)

Now comes the Form of the covenant:

“Now therefore, if you will obey My voice in truth and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own peculiar possession from among all peoples, for all the Earth is Mine.” Verse 5 (TAB) We understand that “My voice in truth” referred to the laws He was about to give Moses.

And finally, we have the Purpose of the covenant:

“And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. These are the words you shall speak to the Israelites.” Verse 6 (TAB)

If we read Paul’s Epistles (among other writings in the Old and New Testament) we can sometimes get the idea that the Old Covenant was a covenant of righteousness, to make people right with God through following the Law which it contained.

That, of course, is not true, although generations of Israelites possibly thought that way. It was a covenant of Relationship: Israel was going to be God’s “own peculiar possession from among all peoples.” 

Young puts it like this:

“And now, if you really hearken (the Hebrew shama means to listen intently) to My voice, then you have kept My covenant, and been to Me a peculiar (the Hebrew segulah has a root meaning to store or shut away wealth) treasure more than all the peoples…” Verse 5

In Form - it is a two-way, conditional covenant. If they (literally) listen intently to (in practice, heed or obey) what God has to say then they have kept the covenant, the terms and details of which He is yet to give them.

In Purpose - Israel was to be a kingdom of priests, not just the Levites but the whole nation was to enter in and introduce the rest of the world (“for all the world is Mine”) to the goodness, the love and the protection of God. Israel was to be a holy nation, where “holy” simply means “set apart” and, in this case as priests, set apart to the worship of God.

The Law which God was about to give to help them achieve this was unique in many ways. It was designed to make them stand out from the rest. As Moses put it, in Deuteronomy 4:6-8:

“So keep them and do them...in the sight of the peoples who, when they hear all these statutes will say, Suely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” Verse 6

“For what nation has a god so near...And what nation has such righteous statutes?” Verse 7, 8.

Moses went back and called for the elders of the people and told them what God had said to him in those three verses. The response was immediate and clear:

“And all the people answered together and said: All that the Lord has spoken we will do. And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.” Verse 8

But there was one more thing, something uniquely special that God had in store for them.

“And the Lord said to Moses, Lo, I come to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever. Then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.” Verse 9

“And the Lord said to Moses, Go and sanctify the people  (set them apart)...and be ready by the third day...for the Lord will come down upon Mt Sinai in the sight of all the people.” Verses 10, 11.  God was about to introduce Himself and offer a personal relationship with the Israelites.

“Then Moses brought the people from the camp to meet God; and they stood at the foot of the mountain” Verse 17 That was exactly as God had commanded them, through Moses.

“Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, for the Lord descended upon it in fire; its smoke ascended like that of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.” Verse 18

“As the trumpet blast grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice.” Verse 19

At around this time God gave the first part of the Law, the basis of the Old Covenant, the part which we call the Ten Commandments, to Moses, as shown in Exodus 20:1-17. Then a problem arose.

“Now all the people perceived the thunderings and the lightnings and the noise of the trumpet and the smoking mountain, and as they looked they trembled with fear and fell back, and stood afar off.” Verse 18  That close, personal relationship with God was looking shaky.

“And they said to Moses, You speak to us, and we will listen, but let not God speak to us, lest we die.” Verse 19  Sensibly, Moses tried to reason with them, to draw them back in. He already knew that an encounter with God was a thing of beauty, majesty and revelation, something not to be feared.

“And Moses said to the people, Fear not; for God has come to put you to the test (Hebrew nasah) that the fear of Him might be before you, that you might not sin.” Verse 20

“And the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was (as if to show it was quite safe).” Verse 21

At that moment the Israelites probably broke the new covenant with God. Just three days earlier they had said, the elders and all the people, “All that the Lord says we will do.”

When God had invited them to draw near to Him they had initially done so, but then they shrank back in fear. The same intimate presence that would transform Moses was meant to be theirs as well, although perhaps in smaller measure. It would take nearly another 1900 years before God would offer a similar, close connection, at no cost, to all.

Deuteronomy 4-5  - The Two-Way, Conditional Covenant Terms and Conditions Are Restated

Deuteronomy 6 on - Moses gives more instructions, complete with benefits and penalties, which are added to the earlier, Sinaitic covenant

Throughout Deuteronomy the same theme reoccurs: “If you diligently keep all this commandment which I command you to do...then the Lord will…” 11:22-23

The culmination is a summary of blessings and curses in chapter 28

“If you listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments...all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you…” Verse 1,2

After 11 verses of blessing the outcome changes to 52 verses of curses, preceded by this qualification:

“But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God... then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you…” Verse 15

That is the pattern unique to two-way, conditional covenants with God which, according to the terms normally spoken at the time, must be “kept” by the beneficiaries. This is in strong contrast to the terms of God’s one-way, unconditional covenant which, He says, “has been made” with the person or people concerned.