This is part 6 of my series on what I understand the story of the Bible to be. In review, God created a good world and put humanity in charge. But then things went downhill. We opted to go our own way instead of the way God had for us. And that began a downward cycle of rebellion.
But then God chose Abraham and made an unconditional promise to him. This post will pick up from there.
A Long Detour
The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob migrated to Egypt as honored guests. But after an extended stay, they found themselves oppressed and in slavery. What had happened? Had God’s promise to Abraham failed?
While it might have appeared that way to Abraham’s descendants, if they even remembered the promise, God was actually waiting for the right time. He had previously told Abraham that his descendants would be slaves in a foreign land for 400 years (Gen. 15:12-16).
Deliverance
When the time was right, God raised up two men, Moses and Pharoah. He used Moses to deliver the descendants of Abraham from the Egyptian bondage, mediate a covenant with them, and bring them to the land promised to Abraham. And he used Pharoah to demonstrate his power and glory in defeating the gods of Egypt and delivering a bunch of helpless slaves from the most powerful nation of the day.
God brought them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and across the desert to Mt. Sinai. They were a free people. But now what?
Covenant
At Sinai, God offered to enter into a covenant with the Israelites. This convent would be with the nation as a whole. And it would set them apart from all other nations.
You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Unlike the unconditional covenant promise made to Abraham, this would be a conditional covenant. For his part, God told them that they would be his treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation—pretty heady stuff for a bunch of newly emancipated slaves. Why would they not sign up for this?
However, there was a condition. This would only be true if they obeyed him and kept the terms of the covenant. The Ten Commandments were at the heart of the covenant terms, with another 603 thrown in for good measure.
Israel seemed not to hesitate at all. They loudly accepted the covenant terms with one voice and bound themselves to God. He would be their God, and they would be his people.
A Golden Age
While there were many bumps along the way, eventually, Israel returned to the land promised to Abraham and made it theirs. And approximately 450 years after leaving Egypt (1 Kings 6:1), they reached their golden age. Under David and Solomon, the nation reached the height of its power and wealth.
While it is never expressed in the Scripture, there is a sense that they had returned to the Garden of Eden. They were in the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey (Ex. 3:8). God was among them, represented by the Ark of the Covenant.
And there is a sense in which the two trees in the center of the garden are with them. They could worship and obey God (eating from the Tree of Life) and experience the blessings God would bring. Or they could turn to worship the gods of the neighboring peoples (eating from the forbidden tree) and experience the curses of covenant disobedience and exile from the land.
The Promise and the Covenant
God made an unconditional promise to Abraham and his descendants. He then entered into a conditional covenant relationship with Israel, the descendants of Abraham. What is the relationship between the promise and the covenant?
They both involve the descendants of Abraham. And they are both steps in God’s plan for creation. But can a conditional covenant be viewed as fulfilling an unconditional promise? The conditional nature of the covenant always left open the possibility that it would be broken, leaving an unfulfilled promise.
It seems preferable to me to see the conditional covenant as an intermediate step in fulfilling the promise rather than ever seeing it as the end goal. The implication is that God had something else planned in addition to this covenant.
Some Questions
What if Israel had remained faithful to the covenant established at Mt. Sinai? Would they still be there as a powerful nation? This is essentially the same question we might ask about Adam and Eve. What if they had never sinned?
What purpose did this covenant serve? Why did God offer to enter into this covenant relationship with the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? How does it fit into God’s long-range plan for his creation?
Coming Up
Unfortunately, Israel repeatedly broke the terms of their covenant with God. And the consequences were severe. The next post in the series will look at this.
- The Story of the Bible (2/8/2025) – This is an introductory post to a series on the story of the Bible. At least as I understand it. Each post will build on the previous posts.
- A Good Creation (2/15/2025) – God created a good, although not necessarily perfect, world. His creation included all that has been made, both physical and spiritual.
- Humanity (2/22/2025) – Humanity is described as the final work in God’s creation, created to be in God’s image, and given rule over the rest of the creation.
- The Fall and Death (3/1/2025) – How did God’s creation end up in the mess it’s in. Genesis tells us humanity rebelled against God, fell from our high place, and faced death.
- An Unconditional Promise (3/8/2025) – Abraham was promised land, descendants as numerous as the dust of the earth, and offspring who would be a blessing to all people.
- A Conditional Covenant (3/15/2025) – At Mt. Sinai, God entered into a conditional covenant relationship with Israel. They would be his people if they obeyed the covenant terms.
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