Responsibility Required

Turning sixteen was a milestone event in my mind because it meant I could obtain a driver’s license. A driver’s license represented freedom to me. Carrying a license in my wallet allowed me to go wherever and whenever I wanted. A driver’s license was like a key that opened the door to the adult world. A couple of mornings after my sixteenth birthday I passed the written and driving tests and proudly drove home with my first driver’s license. I was euphoric. 

That afternoon I took my first solo trip into town, picked up a couple of buddies, and then drove three blocks to the park to play basketball. As I approached the intersection across from the park, I slowed down, put on my turn signal, looked left and right for cross traffic, turned left and pulled over to the curb next to the basketball court. Playing ball was quickly forgotten when a police car pulled in behind me with its lights flashing. I had failed to see the stop sign at the intersection. The officer was friendly and asked to see my driver’s license. He carefully examined my hours-old license before inquiring, “When did you get this?” “This morning,” I timidly replied. My friends and the officer chuckled, and I cringed. He wrote the ticket, turned off his emergency lights, and then showed us his patrol car and all his equipment, but I wasn’t listening because my mind was focused on the possible consequences of my actions. I dreaded having to tell my dad that I had received a ticket on the first day I could legally drive.

Later, when I returned home, I found my dad lathered up and shaving. I told him my story as he listened silently while continuing to shave. When I had finished, he turned, locked eyes with me, and calmly replied, “Son, this shows me that you are not responsible enough to drive.” No anger, no lecture, just the simple, but painful truth. I did not drive again for weeks. My failure to drive responsibly led to undesired consequences, including losing my driving privileges, disappointing my father, and curtailing my personal freedom. I learned the hard way that responsibility was the other side of privilege. They are like twins joined at the hip.

A Covenantal Perspective

To better understand the Biblical meaning of responsibility we will consider it from a covenantal perspective. The word “covenant” appears 295 times in the OT and 37 times in the NT. The Hebrew word translated covenant can also mean treaty. The Bible is divided into the Old Testament (old covenant) and the New Testament (new covenant). This tells us “Covenant” is an important biblical word. Yet like so many biblical words, covenant requires study and thoughtful meditation to grasp its role and importance in the Scriptures. 

My favorite OT book is Deuteronomy (literally “Second Law”). This book came alive to me after I began to understand the prominent role covenants played in redemptive history. Deuteronomy was written in the form of a treaty. God choose to frame his relationship with his people as a treaty between him and Israel. Archaeologists have dug up many of these ancient treaties during the last century. These documents were dated from about 1500 BC to 600 BC which matches the period in which much of the OT was written. The author and readers of the OT apparently were familiar with these ancient vassal treaties because the terms and literary forms used in the OT, particularly in Deuteronomy, mirrored the terms and forms of vassal treaties. 

The purpose of ancient vassal treaties was to secure the undivided allegiance of a weaker or defeated king or state (the vassal) to a more powerful king or empire (the suzerain). The treaty was not a negotiated agreement between equals. Rather the terms of the treaty were determined by the more powerful party, the suzerain. World War II ended with the unconditional surrenders of Japan and Germany (vassals) to the victorious allies (suzerains). The victors determined the requirements of the treaties. In these treaties, both the defeated enemies and the victorious allies made promises. Because the promises were kept by all the parties, the former enemies eventually became prosperous allies. Fulfilling the treaty’s requirements transformed enemies into friends.

Covenants, like treaties, are agreements that spell out the responsibilities that each of the parties have vowed to do. These sacred promises are the most important components in a covenant. The ancient treaties ceremonies ended with each participant vowing to do whatever responsibilities the treaty assigned to them. The treaties/covenants were then sealed with blood (sacrifices). Blood signifies life in the NT. The New Covenant (the gospel) with God was sealed with the blood of Jesus. 

The two most significant covenants in the OT were God’s covenant with Abraham and the vassal treaty made at Sinai which effectively created the nation of Israel. At Sinai, God made “promises” as the Suzerain in the new covenantal relationship and Israel responded by promising to fulfill their covenantal responsibilities. Both made promises, but it was the Suzerain who determined what responsibilities (covenant stipulations) bound each party. Deuteronomy follows the pattern of a covenant between God and Israel that was being renewed by the next generation. Moses first spoke the words contained in the original Sinai covenant to the Israelites on the west bank of the Jordan River in Moab. A brief time later (recorded in the book of Numbers) God ordered Israel to enter the land he had promised them, but paralyzed by fear, Israel disobeyed. They did not trust God to keep his covenant promises. The consequences of their refusal to fulfill their covenantal responsibilities were severe. God required them to wander through the desert for forty years, until everyone in the generation that had been adults at Sinai, except for Caleb and Joshua, died. The children of those Israelites entered the Promise Land after renewing the covenant in Moab.

The renewal of the covenant (Deuteronomy) was between Yahweh and the next generation of Israelites, those who had been children or had not yet been born when their parents vowed to fulfill their covenantal responsibilities at Sinai. Moses led the new generation in renewing the covenant their parents had entered into with Yahweh and then rejected. Leading the people in renewing the covenant was Moses’ last duty before handing the baton of leadership to Joshua (shortly before Moses died). The renewal was preparation for the challenge the next generation faced (and their parents had failed to do): enter and live in the land God had first promised in his covenant with Abraham. That was also the last step of becoming a nation. The covenant was essentially their constitution. Yahweh would be their King and the covenant explained their responsibilities and the blessing of freedom it promised.

The Rest of the Story

The next generation of Israelites had mixed success in fulfilling their covenantal responsibilities, as did all the generations that followed. Idolatry was a continual temptation, following the ways of neighboring nations and peoples rather than embracing their covenantal responsibilities. Tragic but inevitable consequences followed. God continued to love Israel, but Israel struggled to keep their covenant responsibilities. They often were enticed to worship idols. 

The Israelites did not fully accept their covenantal responsibilities. We must remember and learn from their mistakes. Keeping our sacred vows to God is priority one. The Sinai Covenant also can be a model for freedom. It models the separation of powers that are reflected in the U.S. Constitution: the legislative branch makes the law, the executive branch implements the law, and the judicial branch interprets the law. OT Israel had a king (following the period of the judges), priests, and prophets. Each functioned under the overall authority of God and was given authority over a particular sphere of life. The king governed, the priests oversaw the religious sphere, and the prophets were covenant enforcers—constantly reminding kings, priests and the people of their assigned covenantal responsibilities under their Suzerain God. The Sinai Covenant is also the precursor and foundation for the New Covenant. 

The New Covenant

The New Testament is sometimes described as the New Covenant, but God did not use the format of a vassal treaty as he did at Sinai. Rather, God humbled himself and came to serve us in Jesus. He intentionally suffered the ultimate consequences (curses) for our failure to accept our covenantal responsibilities. He fulfilled those covenantal responsibilities perfectly but died on a cross to pay for our failure to embrace those same responsibilities. 

God entered a New Covenant with his people through Jesus’ blood shed on the cross. In his teaching Jesus condensed the Old Covenantal stipulations into two general principles: 

³⁷ “… ‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:37-40

The Old Covenant was framed as a Vassal Treaty, but I suggest the New Covenant is best viewed through the lens of a family, more like God’s covenant with Abraham. The members of a healthy family share the responsibilities that bind them together in love. Ultimately, the family members are responsible to love and care for one another, first in the nuclear family and also in the extended family. The family survives and thrives as its members accept the responsibility to sacrificially love one another, which is expressed by extending underserved grace and forgiveness to each other.

God often used the family as an analogy for his relationship with his people. A family stands or falls on the covenantal relationship of marriage. A man and women are joined in marriage by voluntarily making sacred and irrevocable promises (vows) before God (the divine witness) to love and take care of one another. Those vows are the heart of the marriage covenant, and they are intended to summarize their covenantal responsibilities. Their relationship with one another is intended to reflect God’s covenantal relationship with his people. Consequently, when people do not keep their covenantal responsibilities with God, it is described as spiritual adultery. 

Children are born into and are nurtured into maturity in the context of family. They learn their identity and the meaning of covenantal responsibility in the context of a family bound together in covenantal relationships. Eventually they grow into mature adults by learning and owning their covenantal responsibilities. For instance, children are taught to share their toys, an early lesson that expresses sacrificial love. When they fail, they learn there are unpleasant consequences that follow those mistakes. But the children also learn the meaning of grace when love is not withheld because of their failures. They are still cherished members of the family. Extended family, friends, church, and schools all play supporting roles in helping the children learn their covenantal responsibilities. Those responsibilities are both taught and caught in the context of a loving family and a supportive community. Eventually, the children become responsible adults and the baton of faith and faithfulness is passed to the next generation in the family. The cycle then repeats itself. The responsibilities of the New Covenant are fulfilled as husband and wife love each other unconditionally. They also love their children sacrificially. They are covenantal relationships and reflect God’s covenant relationship with us and are intended to mirror his unconditional love and unfailing grace. 

Disciples are also nurtured in loving, family-like relationships, through friends in a faith community. We learn we are children of God, loved by God in the same way Jesus is loved by God. We belong. We don’t earn our status as members of God’s family; we are given it freely. We are accepted as we are, but we are also expected and encouraged to grow and become like Jesus. As we grow, we accept our covenantal responsibilities not merely as our family duty, but also because we are grateful to belong to God’s family. Keeping our covenant promises is how we love one another and how we love God. 

In the old covenant, Yahweh was often called LORD, and several other titles that usually exalted him for his unmatched power, sovereign authority, and majestic status as the Supreme Being. His titles revealed his holiness—unique, righteous, and just—above and distinct from all others. He was also revealed as being a loving, merciful, kind, and good King. Occasionally he was referred to as “Father.” In the new covenant, we are invited to address God as “Abba” (Gal 4:6; Rom 8:15) a very personal term of endearment that a child may use to address their Father, like our use of “Daddy” or “Papa.” It reflects intimacy but also expresses respect. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught his disciples when praying to address God as “our Father” (Matt 6:9) moments after he had taught them to “Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you” (Matt 6:4). Using these family terms reinforces that we can view and understand the New Covenant through the lens of a family covenant while the Sinai Covenant reflected a vassal treaty. There are similarities between the two, but also significant distinctions. God has not changed; he “is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb 13:8). But seeing God through the lens of a vassal treaty or through the lens of a covenantal family reveals different but necessary insights. Combined, they give us a clearer understanding of God. The Almighty and Transcendent God of the Sinai Covenant is also our Heavenly Father and Daddy in the new covenant. God didn’t change, but the covenant we view him through changed.

The Importance of Keeping Promises

Covenantal relationships are characterized by sacred promises. God is both a witness and a participant in these ordered relationships, making the relationships and the promises sacred. Once made, the sacred promises become life-long, irrevocable responsibilities. These responsibilities are not burdensome because the covenant also guarantees life-enhancing privileges. Keeping our covenant promises is of upmost importance and takes priority over one’s own personal needs and desires. Faithfulness requires that we develop self-control and the ability to delay gratification. By honoring their promises, those making the promises also honor God. When covenant promises are not kept, it is a sin against the other covenantal partners, including God. The consequences can be severe.

When we went all-in for Jesus, we became disciples and entered a covenantal relationship with God. We became “apprentices of Jesus in Kingdom living.” I believe that when God’s Kingdom is consummated it will be characterized not by laws and rules, but by its Spirit-filled citizens making and keeping promises. We will leave our sinful natures behind at death, making the covenantal approach to relationship practical and doable. Until then, we must increasingly grow into a people bound by our words (part of a “Growth Mentality). 

I remember a time when trial witnesses laid a hand on the Bible as they were asked: “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” The witness would reply, “I do.” Imagine living in a world where everybody spoke “the truth, the whole truth. and nothing but the truth” all the time because they were children of God and citizens in his Kingdom. I believe covenantal relationships characterize the Kingdom and the day is coming when that way of living will become reality. After all, we will all be part of God’s loving family, which means it is covenantal!

THINKING IT THROUGH

“They have made God’s law their own, so they will never slip from his path.”  Psalm 37:31

THE TRUTH: Becoming like Jesus is a life-long process of growth and change. 

THE CHALLENGE: Disciples continually nurture a growth mentality. 

The Scriptures, questions, and notes are for group discussion and personal reflection. Our goal in Tier II is character transformation which requires sustained effort and growing faith. The questions can help you understand this challenge at a deeper level. We encourage you to focus on those questions that you find most interesting or helpful. This is not a test, but a tool to help you work the challenges.

Scriptures Related to Responsibility and the New Covenant

Genesis 17:9 ⁹ Then God said to Abraham, “Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility.”

Galatians 6:5 ⁵ “For we are each responsible for our own conduct.”

Luke 12:42 ⁴² And the Lord replied, “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.

2 Corinthians 5:11 ¹¹ Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too.

Proverbs 5:23 ²³ He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness.

Proverbs 16:32 ³² Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.

Proverbs 25:28 ²⁸ A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.

2 Corinthians 3:6 ⁶ He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.

Hebrews 9:15 ¹⁵ That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.

Hebrews 10:16 ¹⁶ “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”

Hebrews 12:24 ²⁴ You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.

Romans 8:15-17 ¹⁵ So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ And since we are his children, we are his heirs. 

Mark 14:24 ²⁴ And he said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many.”

Questions

You are encouraged to use these questions for group discussion or personal reflection. Respond to the questions that are most relevant or interesting to you (I urge you to write your responses in a journal or notebook). 

1. Name and explain one new thing you learned about covenants.

2. In a vassal treaty, the most powerful party determined the stipulations (or responsibilities) of both parties. Does it seem right to you that God determined both Israel’s and his own covenantal responsibilities without consulting Israel? Why or why not?

3. The historical prologue puts the covenant in its historical context. What does the historical prologue to the Sinai Covenant reveal about God as the Suzerain party in the covenantal relationship between Yahweh and Israel?

4. List the events you think would have been included in a historical prologue if the new covenant had followed the pattern of a vassal treaty. 

5. Challenge 8, Part A, tried to view “responsibilities” through the lens of a covenant relationship. Did that lens help you understand and appreciate how disciples should view responsibilities? 

6. Explain what makes marriage a covenant relationship in God’s eyes and how that differs from a secular understanding of the relationship of a husband and wife.

7. Is using the marriage covenant a helpful way of describing the new covenant relationship to distinguish it from the Sinai Covenant which followed the structure of a vassal treaty? Why or why not?

8. Sacred promises or vows characterize covenants. There is no covenant without promises. Does that help you appreciate covenants or make you roll your eyes? Why? 

9. Disciples are “apprentices of Jesus in Kingdom living.” Do you think the covenantal emphasis on keeping your promises may play a prominent role in Kingdom living? Why or why not? Is speaking the truth and keeping promises related?

10. Reflect on the importance of keeping promises and the consequences of broken promises. Then describe how something in your life would be different if someone else would have kept a promise they made to you? 

11. Describe one aspect of life in the twenty-first century that would be different if people kept their word. 

12. In the narrative section of Challenge 8 A, covenant obligations were called responsibilities or stipulations. They are mandatory, not optional. However, in other contexts they are called laws. Is there a difference between accepting and keeping your responsibilities and obeying laws? Which terminology do you prefer?

13. The celebration of the Lord’s Supper/Communion is much like a Covenant Renewal ceremony. Consider the words of institution the leader usually speaks from 1 Cor 11:23-26, including: “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me” when the bread is taken. Then, when the cup is offered, the leader says, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” Explain, as best you can, how this could be considered a covenant renewal ceremony. 

14. In a vassal treaty, the suzerain is often described by how he has defeated an opponent, i.e., Yahweh had defeated Pharoah. If we think of Jesus as our Suzerain, who or what did he defeat?

15. First, read about David’s promise to God in Psalm 132:1-5. Have you ever made a promise to God? If so, what did you promise him and have you kept that promise?

(Optional Reading)

APPENDIX
Vassal Treaties and the Sinai Covenant

(This section relies heavily upon “The Book of Deuteronomy,” a commentary by Peter C. Craigie, Eerdmans, 1976)

The following six sections describe the written form of an ancient vassal treaty with comparable sections or passages in Deuteronomy. These similarities illustrate how God used the pattern of a vassal treaty when he entered a formal covenant relationship with Israel at Sinai (described in Exodus 19:1ff) and which was renewed forty years later in Moab, on the banks of the Jordan River. Deuteronomy was originally spoken by Moses to Israel. Later it was written. Hence Deuteronomy is the written text of the renewed covenant and clearly follows the form of a vassal treaty. Understanding more about covenants can enrich the way we view our relationship with God. 

1. Treaty Preamble

(Deuteronomy 1:1-5)

Vassal treaties began with a short preamble that simply named the parties making the treaty. Consequently, the first verse of Deuteronomy begins, “These are the words Moses spoke to all the people of Israel while they were in the wilderness east of the Jordon River” (1:1). Deuteronomy was spoken before it was written. Moses represented Yahweh, who was the Suzerain and Israel was the vassal. The place where the treaty was confirmed was included.

2. Historical Prologue

Explanation of why it is necessary — its historical context (Deuteronomy 1:6-4:49)

Next came a lengthy section called the historical prologue, which explained the historical context that led to the treaty/covenant. Moses reviewed the historical events that preceded the covenant God was making with Israel at Mt. Sinai. He reviewed how the twelve tribes of Israel (the “Hebrews”), all descendants of Abraham, became vassals under the harsh treatment of their Egyptian masters (suzerains). Their lives became more difficult when a pharaoh (king) forced them to become his slaves. As vassals, they were powerless under the cruel and merciless suzerain (pharaoh). He functioned as though he was their god—an unjust and merciless god. The Hebrews were an ethnic group with family ties to one another, but the pharaoh ensured they did not become a distinct nation. 

Centuries before they were enslaved, God made a covenant with Abraham, their ancestor, promising Abraham that he would bless his descendants, give them the land of Canaan, and make them into a nation. God was keeping his promise when he sent Moses to liberate those descendants of Abraham and to form them into a nation because of the covenant he had previously made with Abraham. 

² And God said to Moses, “I am Yahweh…. ³ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob…. ⁴ And I reaffirmed my covenant with them. Under its terms, I promised to give them the land of Canaan…. ⁵ You can be sure that I have heard the groans of the people of Israel, who are now slaves to the Egyptians. And I am well aware of my covenant with them.”
Exodus 6:2-5

During their long slavery in Egypt, the Hebrews had almost completely forgotten the covenant promises God had made to their ancestor Abraham. But God always, without exception, keeps his covenant promises (his covenant responsibilities). He always fulfills his covenantal responsibilities. If he did not, he would not be God!

Moses, serving as God’s spokesman, ordered Pharaoh, “Let my people go.” But Pharoh, foolishly believing he was a more powerful suzerain than Yahweh, defied him. God responded by sending ten miraculous plagues on Pharaoh and his people, the oppressors of his people. Egypt suffered terribly from the plagues until Pharaoh finally allowed the Hebrews to leave, taking much of the wealth of Egypt with them (Ex 12:22, 36). Soon after the Hebrews had left, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his powerful army to massacre the Hebrews. The army caught up with and camped behind the Hebrews, who had camped beside the Red Sea. The recently liberated slaves were trapped between a vicious and powerful army and the sea. Once again God rescued them by parting the Red Sea and allowing the Hebrews to walk through the sea on dry land. The next morning the Egyptian army attacked with their chariots following the Hebrews on their path through the Sea, but not a single Egyptian survived when God commanded the walls of waters to close, submerging the pathway through the sea and the entire army of Pharaoh. No Egyptian soldier survived.

Then the Hebrews slowly journeyed (the elderly and children were part of the community) through the arid desert toward Mt. Sinai. As they advanced, God fed them every day with manna. They drank fresh water when God caused water to flow from a rock and feasted on quail when they hungered for meat. When the Amalekites ambushed them, God fought for the Hebrews. God manifested his presence among them as a cloud leading them forward toward Sinai in the daylight and keeping watch over them at night as a pillar of fire in the middle of the camp. God’s presence and care kept them alive and healthy. Soon after arriving at Sinai, God spoke these words to them though Moses:

⁴ “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. ⁵ Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. ⁶ And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.”
Exodus 19:4-6

That message from God was followed by an incredible display of God’s glory, majesty, and power (Ex 19:16-20). The former slaves were getting acquainted with their new Suzerain King. He had liberated them, defeated Pharaoh and his army, fed them and provided water in a barren desert, met all their needs, led them through the desert wilderness, protected them from enemies, demonstrating his great love, compassion, and power. 

This background provides the context for the covenant God, their Suzerain, entered with the descendants of Abraham, the vassals, at Sinai. He had liberated them from slavery but at Sinai they found themselves in the middle of nowhere. It was an historic event. No people had ever experienced freedom as the Hebrews did at that time. The pressing issue was how would the former slaves learn how to live as free people. How could they survive, nevertheless thrive? They had no land and no home. Whatever direction they went from Sinai presented tremendous risks and pressing danger. The twelve tribes were free, but without organization or a plan. They didn’t even have a map to follow. Without Moses, there was no leader. Whatever they did next was a matter of life and death. God, however, did have a plan. And that plan began with a covenant. 

⁹ “But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourselves have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. ¹⁰ Never forget the day when you stood before the LORD your God at Mt. Sinai….”

² The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Mount Sinai. 
Deuteronomy 4:9-10; 5:2

3. General Stipulations

The Foundational Principles — Deuteronomy, Chapters 5-11

Yahweh had overpowered Pharaoh, meaning he, not Pharaoh or any other human ruler (Moses), had become their Suzerain. Unlike any other suzerains, Yahweh had proved his love for them and genuinely wanted what was best for them. Their new Suzerain refused to use his vassals for his own benefit but was committed to acting in their best interests, which is the essence of love. Consequently, this covenant would be unique, like no other. This new covenant would ensure continuing freedom, justice, and prosperity for all, if the people would keep the covenant stipulations. God had shown in liberating them that he could be trusted to keep his covenantal promises (his covenant with Abraham). God would do the heavy lifting (his responsibilities), but the people must accept their covenantal responsibilities (stipulations) which God, their Suzerain, had given them. The stipulations were not intended to burden the people, but to protect and bless them. Their freedom was irreversibly linked to their God-given, covenantal responsibilities. Accept their responsibilities and flourish as free and beloved people (blessings) or reject their responsibilities and accept the consequences (curses). 

The covenant, like our constitution, defined the responsibilities (covenant stipulations) of both parties, the Hebrews (who became “Israelites” at Sinai) and God. Like all ancient vassal treaties, it was not an agreement negotiated between equals. The covenant with Abraham (an individual) was not revoked but was the foundation for the covenant with Abraham’s descendants who were becoming a nation that would be known as Israel. The covenant spelled out Israel’s covenant responsibilities and God’s.

After the Preamble and Historical Prologue were clarified, the principles that frame the treaty/covenant were listed. This section focused on the responsibilities of the vassal (Israel). The Ten Commandments (5:5-21) were the heart of this section of covenant. They were the general stipulations or responsibilities that the Israelites had accepted at Sinai and were reaffirmed on the plain of Moab before Moses died and the people crossed the Jordon River to enter and conquer Canaan. The general stipulations summarized the purpose of the specific stipulations that followed. 

People often mistakenly interpret the events at Sinai as God imposing arbitrary laws on people against their will. Notice, however, the General Stipulations included both the Ten Commandments the Shema (means hear or listen). The Shema may be the most important verses of Scripture for our Jewish brothers and sisters. These words speak of love as the perquisite to law. 

The Shema
⁴ “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. ⁵ And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. ⁶ And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. ⁷ Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. ⁸ Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ⁹ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9

God had repeatedly expressed his love for these people through his words and through his actions. God’s plan was to develop a relationship with his people that was based on mutual love. The Ten Commandments were not intended to be burdensome or to produce a legalistic religion. They, like the Shema, were covenantal principles for building loving relationships between God and Israel, the foundation for the covenants.

God had just liberated a group of oppressed slaves and was now forming them into a nation which would be governed by a covenant/constitution. Adhering to the covenant would bring order, justice, prosperity, protection, and freedom. Israel was holy, unique, different than any other nation. They were a holy nation because of their covenant with God. They were chosen and privileged. Keeping their covenant promises (responsibilities) would distinguish Israel from all other nations. The all-powerful and holy God named Yahweh would be their King and could be trusted to keep his covenant promises (responsibilities). Moses’ explanation of the general principles shows that they are expressions of love, love for God and love for others, which is necessary for the survival of a covenant community. Their responsibility was to keep their vows by loving their God and their neighbor. God would do the rest. Owning their responsibilities was the prerequisite for living as free people. God was preparing his people to live as free people with their Creator as their leader in the land of Canaan—the promised land.

4. Specific Stipulations

Deuteronomy, Chapters 12-26

The stipulations in this section provided specific details of how the people were to order their lives individually and corporately under the rule of God. They had no clue what that would look like because they had never lived in a nation that worshipped Yahweh. God knew they would soon live in Canaan which was filled with people who worshipped idols. The idolatry of the Canaanites was pervasive and shaped every aspect of their lives. Parents were sacrificing their children to their false gods. The pagan worship of the Canaanites often resembled sexual orgies. The Israelites were entering a land where idolatry and evil proliferated. Unlike Egypt which relied on irrigation from the Nile River, the agriculture of Canaan relied on seasonal rains, which in their culture required them to worship idols. What was needed to live under the rule of God had to be specific. Mixing pagan culture and religion with the worship and rule of Yahweh would inevitably bring disaster. It would also undermine their new status as free people. 

Here is one example of the specific stipulations.

¹ “If you see your neighbor’s ox or sheep or goat wandering away, don’t ignore your responsibility. Take it back to its owner. ² If its owner does not live nearby or you don’t know who the owner is, take it to your place and keep it until the owner comes looking for it. Then you must return it. ³ Do the same if you find your neighbor’s donkey, clothing, or anything else your neighbor loses. Don’t ignore your responsibility.

⁴ “If you see that your neighbor’s donkey or ox has collapsed on the road, do not look the other way. Go and help your neighbor get it back on its feet!”
Deuteronomy 22:1-4

They were responsible to and for one another. They were not to make their personal desires more important than their neighbor’s well-being. This type of selfless responsibility must be cultivated if people want live freely and fully. 

5. Blessings and Curses

Deuteronomy, Chapters 27-29

The Blessings and Curses spell out the consequences of obedience and disobedience to the treaty’s stipulation. If the people faithfully accept their assigned responsibilities, they will be blessed. God will keep every promise. The land will be productive, God went send rain at the proper times, the storehouses for grain will overflow, the people will be prosperous and all will share in the abundance God provides, their children will flourish, the poor and needy will be cared for, their animals will be healthy and multiply, God will protect the nation from their enemies, he will forgive their transgressions, and there will be justice for all. Israel will lend to other nations, but never need to borrow. Israel will be a holy nation, unlike any other nation on earth, and God will be glorified through his covenant partners.

If the people do not keep their covenant promises, they will suffer the curses outlined in this section of the covenant. The list of curses is significantly longer than the list of blessings. Everything included in the list that God promised to bless will become cursed if the people abandon the covenant by breaking their covenantal vows. God will hold them responsible. 

⁶⁵ …the LORD will cause your heart to tremble, your eyesight to fail, and your soul to despair. ⁶⁶ Your life will constantly hang in the balance. You will live night and day in fear, unsure if you will survive. ⁶⁷ In the morning you say, ‘If only it were night!’ And in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!’ For you will be terrified….
Deuteronomy 28:65-67

6. Witnesses 

Deuteronomy 30:19; 31:19; 32:1-43

Usually, a vassal treaty would call upon the gods (idols) to be the witnesses to the solemn promises made by all parties bound by the treaty. Israel’s sole allegiance was to Yahweh alone and they were specifically prohibited in the covenant from doing or saying anything related to any idol. Consequently, the only divine witness was Yahweh, the Suzerain named in the treaty. 

¹⁹ “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call upon heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and descendants might live! ²⁰ You can make this choice by loving Yahweh your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey Yahweh, you will live long in the land that Yahweh swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.” 
Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Scriptures Related to Covenant

Psalm 89:34

³⁴ No, I will not break my covenant;
I will not take back a single word I said.

Psalm 98:3 ³ He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel.

Exodus 24:7-8 ⁷ Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. Again they all responded, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded. We will obey.” ⁸ Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring, “Look, this blood confirms the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these instructions.”

Deuteronomy 5:2-3 ² “The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Mount Sinai. ³ The Lord did not make this covenant with our ancestors, but with all of us who are alive today.

Deuteronomy 7:9, 12
⁹ Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.
¹² “If you listen to these regulations and faithfully obey them, the Lord your God will keep his covenant of unfailing love with you, as he promised with an oath to your ancestors.”

Deuteronomy 29:14-15 ¹⁴ “But you are not the only ones with whom I am making this covenant with its curses. ¹⁵ I am making this covenant both with you who stand here today in the presence of the Lord our God, and also with the future generations who are not standing here today.

Deuteronomy 31:20 ²⁰ For I will bring them into the land I swore to give their ancestors—a land flowing with milk and honey. There they will become prosperous, eat all the food they want, and become fat. But they will begin to worship other gods; they will despise me and break my covenant.

Isaiah 24:5 ⁵ The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted God’s instructions, violated his laws, and broken his everlasting covenant.

Isaiah 55:10 ¹⁰ “For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

Additional Scriptures

For those who wish to do further study.

Psalm 106:44-45

Genesis 17:2-4, 7-10, 13 

Exodus 25:21

Exodus 31:13

Exodus 34:27-28

Leviticus 26:9

Deuteronomy 4:13, 20, 23, 26-27, and 31

Deuteronomy 29: 24-27

Jeremiah 11: 1-8

Malachi 3:1

Acts 3:25

Copyright © 2024 Don Waite

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