This is part seven of my ongoing series about the Story of the Bible (SotB). At least as I understand it. You may or may not agree with what I say here. And that is OK; I make no claims to infallibility. But I do hope that it will stimulate some thought about the topic.
So far, the posts have looked at creation, the fall, God’s promise to Abraham, and his covenant with Israel. This post will examine what amounts to a second fall, Israel’s breaking of their covenant with God.
The Covenant Revisited
God brought Israel out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and to the foot of Mt. Sinai. There, he offered to enter into a covenant relationship with Israel. And Exodus 19:4-6 records this covenant for us.
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.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
Israel agreed to bind themselves to this covenant, committing themselves to obeying the covenant terms found in the Ten Commandments and the rest of the Law. This made Israel unique among all the people of the world. They alone were God’s treasured possession.
Breaking the Covenant
But it did not take Israel long before they violated the terms of the covenant. Within a few days, they had molded a golden calf and began to worship it (Ex. 32:1-6), breaking the first two of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:3-6).
God could have rightfully considered the covenant broken and no longer in effect. And his initial response to Moses made that a real possibility (Ex. 32:7-10). But he did not. He remained faithful to his part of the covenant, even though Israel had failed.
I should note, though, that Israel’s breaking of their covenant with God did not invalidate God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God will fulfill that promise regardless of the state of the Sinai covenant.
A History of Violations
The golden calf incident was, regrettably, not a unique occurrence. Repeatedly, for the next 800 or so years, Israel continued to violate the covenant. Seldom in their history did they actually live up to their obligation under the covenant.
Idolatry was an ongoing issue, as was social injustice. To the casual observer, Israel was little different than the other nations around them. They were not a holy nation. Yet God continued to uphold his end of the bargain.
A sad cycle developed. Israel would disobey, God would punish them, they would repent, and God would deliver. Over and over again. As we read their story today, we have to wonder if they would ever learn.
And, Finally, Exile
After centuries of rebellion, the end finally came. The northern kingdom fell to the Assyrian empire in 722 B.C., and many of the people were exiled to other parts of the Assyrian empire.
And, in 587 B.C., the southern kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians and faced the same fate. Exile to all corners of the Babylonian empire. Israel as a nation was no longer.
Coming Up
Was God’s covenant with Israel now null and void? The prophets God sent to Israel and Judah warned the two nations about the impending doom that awaited them if they refused to repent and live up to their covenant with God.
But throughout their prophetic messages, they held out hope for the future. Exile would not be the end. The next post in this series will look at this message of hope and what it could mean.
- 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.
- Breaking the Covenant (3/22/2025) – Israel repeatedly broke their covenant with God and eventually faced exile. Was that the end? Or was there still hope for them?
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