Dictionary of Bible Themes: 1349 covenant, God's at Sinai

1349 covenant, God's at Sinai

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Dictionary of Bible Themes » 1000 God » 1300 God, work of » 1345 covenant » 1349 covenant, God's at Sinai

God's faithful commitment, made in pursuance of his promises to Abraham, to acknowledge the newly-redeemed Israel as his own special people. Israel's required response to the grace of God in election was to be holiness and obedience to the law.

The occasion of the covenant

The covenant fulfilled God's promises to Abraham

Deuteronomy 29:12-13 See also Exodus 2:24; Exodus 6:4-8; Deuteronomy 7:8

The covenant followed Israel's redemption from slavery

Jeremiah 34:13 God's covenant at Sinai was made in the context of his historical acts of deliverance. Covenants (“treaties”) between a supreme (suzerain) overlord and a subordinate ruler (vassal) are well known in ancient Near Eastern writings. They are not “agreements” but “requirements”. See also Exodus 20:2 pp Deuteronomy 5:6; Leviticus 26:45

The covenant was mediated through Moses

Exodus 34:27; Leviticus 26:46; Deuteronomy 29:1; John 1:17

The covenant was accompanied by signs of God's presence

Exodus 19:18-19; Exodus 20:18-19; Exodus 24:16; Psalm 68:8

Sealing the covenant

Sharing a meal

Exodus 24:11

Offering a sacrifice

Exodus 24:5-8; Psalm 50:5

God's oath

Deuteronomy 28:9; Deuteronomy 29:14; Ezekiel 16:8

Israel's promise

Exodus 19:8; Exodus 24:3,7

The covenant relationship

Israel as God's people

Deuteronomy 7:6 See also Exodus 19:5-6; Leviticus 26:12; Deuteronomy 14:2; Jeremiah 13:11

Israel adopted into God's family

Israel as God's bride

Jeremiah 2:2 See also Isaiah 54:5-8; Jeremiah 31:32; Ezekiel 16:8; Hosea 2:14-16

The blessings of the covenant

Inheriting God's promises

Deuteronomy 6:3; Deuteronomy 26:18-19; Deuteronomy 28:9; Joshua 23:5

Provision and protection

Leviticus 26:3-13; Deuteronomy 28:1-14 This pattern of blessings and curses is also a feature of Near Eastern political treaties.

The requirements of the covenant

Obedience to the law

Exodus 24:7; Exodus 34:27-28 See also Deuteronomy 4:13; Joshua 8:31; Nehemiah 8:1

Holiness

Deuteronomy 14:2 Israel has been made holy through her election as the covenant people of God. The ensuing call for holiness is a call to work out the implications of that relationship and to live in accordance with its demands ; Leviticus 11:45 See also Leviticus 20:26

Wholehearted devotion

Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 10:12 See also Exodus 23:32; Deuteronomy 4:23; Deuteronomy 6:5; Deuteronomy 10:20; Joshua 24:14-15

Breaking the covenant

The consequences of breaking the covenant

Disease:

Leviticus 26:15-16; Deuteronomy 28:21-22

Drought and crop failure:

Leviticus 26:19-20; Deuteronomy 28:23-24

Defeat by enemies:

Leviticus 26:17,25; Deuteronomy 28:25

Exile from the land:

Leviticus 26:32-33; Deuteronomy 28:36-37; Joshua 23:16; Ezekiel 17:19-20

Israel's unfaithfulness to the covenant

Psalm 78:37 See also 2 Kings 18:12; 1 Chronicles 5:25; Jeremiah 3:8; Jeremiah 11:10; Ezekiel 16:32; Hosea 6:7

God's commitment to the covenant

God's covenant of love

Deuteronomy 7:9 “love” translates the Hebrew word “hesed”, which here expresses God's loyalty and faithful commitment to his covenant people. See also Nehemiah 1:5; Daniel 9:4

The everlasting covenant

Ezekiel 16:60 God's faithfulness to the covenant at Sinai will result in a new covenant that will never come to an end. See also Isaiah 61:8; Jeremiah 32:40

Renewing the covenant

Leviticus 26:40-45; Deuteronomy 29:1; Joshua 24:22-25; 2 Kings 23:3 pp 2 Chronicles 34:31