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Political marriages were customary in ancient nation-state treaties. The Sinaitic Covenant, referred to by Christians as the old Covenant, bound its parties to a political marriage through a matrimonial alliance in the form of an agreement entered into between the Eternal, YHWH or Yahweh (most probably meaning "he who calls into being"), the God of the Hebrew Scriptures and the people of ancient Israel.
A Matrimonial Alliance
In the Old Covenant YHWH, the God of the Old Covenant, as the husband promised to care for the nation as the wife. The people promised to obey YHWH, who would be their national sovereign, and to comply with all of the ensuing Commandments, statutes, and judgments incorporated into the agreement. Thus, as God�s subjects, they became a holy nation (Deuteronomy 7:6) with YHWH, the Eternal God, reigning as their king. This nation, a confederation of the twelve tribes of ancient Israel, was to emerge before the world as a holy nation of priests with the intent that they should assist the other nations and be an example to all the world (Exodus 19:6).
As such, the tribes were to provide a living example of God�s way of life to all nations (see Isaiah 1). They were to illustrate the successes a nation would reap and experience from righteousness when a nation�s god was YHWH, the living God. Being God�s nation was to make them preeminent among the nations of the world (Deuteronomy 26:19; 28:1). The people, however, were not to worship idols nor to draw upon the ways nor the customs by which the nations worshipped their gods.
The Old Covenant prescribed a specific way for Israel to worship the Eternal God. Israel�s spiritual performance and obedience to the Eternal�s commandments, statutes, and judgments was to reach the degree of perfection the Eternal God should have been given under the circumstances. This standard of performance was not subject to compromise. YHWH had the right to expect no less than perfection in his bride.
Compromise, or any form of idolatry or nonconforming activity by her comprised "a defect" meaning it constituted a trespass or sin. Such actions were a breach of the agreement. A minor sin was not serious enough to be a material breach of the agreement but sufficient grounds for YHWH to exercise the right to suspend his performance until Israel�s repentance remedied the breach through a change in Israel's behavior. However, the sin of idolatry was so irreconcilable with the intent of the agreement it would constitute a material breach.
Idolatry, likened to "harlotry" (Numbers 25:1-3) and "spiritual adultery" (Jeremiah 3:6-9; 13:27; Ezekiel 23:37), separated Israel from YHWH. Balaam, who conspired with the ancient people of Midian against Israel, attempted to instigate this form of material breach by inducing Israel to commit spiritual adultery through the worship of idols in order to turn YHWH as "husband" against Israel "the wife" (Numbers 31:16; Revelation 2:14) The material breach of the agreement would permit YHWH to cancel the agreement by a decree of divorcement as the right to put away the offending party was in the wronged party (Deuteronomy 24:1).
The Old Covenant was a bilateral contract between God as the sovereign and the nation of Israel. It consisted of mutual promises (see Deuteronomy 26:17-19). Once both parties intentionally and willingly agreed to its terms and conditions then both parties were obligated to perform its provisions. Construing the Old Covenant as an ancient political agreement, or treaty, containing the usual marriage element common in ancient treaties between sovereign powers is most consistent with the symbolism of the Hebrew Scriptures. Through this special relationship with God Israel was to be a model nation to all the world.
The world, that is the Gentiles or the nations, was to observe and to learn from Israel�s example of obedience to God through their free and willing compliance with the Ten Commandments and the statutes and judgments based thereon. They were to see a national way of life resulting in peace and prosperity. "So keep and do them," Moses admonished Israel, "for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, �Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people�" (Deuteronomy 4:6 NASB).
Motivated by their example, the nations were to turn to God�s way of life. They also would seek to obey the laws of God. Then, as a nation of priests, Israel was to minister to the nations, peoples, and tribes who pursued the Eternal God and God�s ways. Hence, the nation of Israel was to have a special role of service and responsibility on the international scene.
By the terms of this Old Covenant, the nation of Israel was to be an ideal state. It was to be a utopia of sorts, enjoying national and material benefits. The material blessings were to come to the nation of Israel in the form of continuing health, peace, and prosperity.
God formally advanced the Old Covenant drafted in the form of a marriage treaty. The nation voluntarily accepted (Exodus 19:5-8) in a primitive referendum but immediately showed by their behavior in the matter of the golden calf (Exodus 32:1-8) that they did not really agree to it at all. In view of that, God called the nation "your people" not My people.
The First Test
A covenant requires a meeting of the minds of the parties entering into it. When the people of Israel convinced Aaron to make the golden calf and commenced to worship it as did the pagans it was clear and convincing evidence that they did not have the intent necessary to bind their nation in a covenant with God and they did not intend to live by its provisions. Moses understood and he asked God, the grieved party, to keep to the agreement anyway. He said:
If now I have found favor in Thy sight, O LORD, I pray, let the LORD go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate; and do Thou pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Thine own possession. (Exodus 34:9 NASB.)
God agreed. He told Moses:
Behold, I am going to make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth, nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of the LORD, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform with you. (Exodus 34:10 NASB.)
God held to the promise of the nation to obey him. They had formally entered into this covenant as an oral agreement between God and the nation (Exodus 19:5, 19:7-8; 24:3; Deuteronomy 5:2-5) and he elected to remain a party to it (Exodus 34:10). The agreement, when later reduced to writing (Exodus 24:4), became memorialized as the Book of the Covenant (Exodus 24:7-8) which provided Israel, as a theocracy, with a constitution of sorts. The Book of the Covenant was set forth in Exodus 20:22-24:18.
Forty years later, just before the nation crossed over the Jordan river into the land of Canaan, Israel reaffirmed this covenant (Deuteronomy 8:2-3; 11:31; 26:16-19; 29:1, 29:10-15).
The Ten Commandments
As set forth in the Sinaitic Covenant, the Ten Commandments comprised a codification of God�s perfect law of liberty expressed in a form sufficient for the regulation of human conduct within God�s holy nation. These Commandments are sometimes referred to as the Decalogue. The Ten Commandments constituted the controlling principles for all other national and religious laws of the nation of Israel. These, given to Moses on two tablets of stone, formed the supreme law of the nation. They were the heart and core of the Sinaitic Covenant. According to the account in Exodus:
And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
The ancient custom in the making of contracts, including treaties, was to provide a duplicate original of the written understanding to each party to the agreement. Thus for evidentiary purposes each party would have an original in his or her possession. Accordingly, the two tablets of stone were most likely duplicate originals with each displaying YHWH's inscription of all ten of the Commandments. One for the people. One for God. Both copies were to be kept within the Ark of the Covenant for safekeeping and protected in the holy Ark by God.
These ten basic principles dealt with matters of human behavior, acts and deeds, which defined sin. Sin was the violation of the law, whether the Ten Commandments or other national laws. In this context sin included such matters as murder, stealing, incest, and other crimes, as well as the commission of civil wrongs and religious taboos. Sin was the commission of a guilty deed or act. The law defined prohibited acts and clarified matters of conduct. So long as YHWH remained their sovereign any disobedience in contravention of God�s laws pursuant to the Old Covenant was sin.
In postmodern times a crime, normally referred to as a felony or a misdemeanor, is a criminalized behavior outlawed by the state. When an accused person faces trial for criminal activity, he or she stands accused of having committed an offense against the state by allegedly participating in the proscribed criminal activity. While the prosecution proceeds in the name of the people the victim may have been the state, but most often it is a private person.
Similarly, in the Old Covenant a sin was always committed against YHWH as the sovereign. Sin was not limited to criminal activity but civil and religious disobedience as well. Sin was an offense against God in contravention of God�s Commandments, statutes, or judgments whether manifested against the Eternal God, the nation-state, or a private party. While a private citizen may have been the victim of the malfeasance, the sin was always committed against God.
A National Matter
The nation, united, entered the Old Covenant (Deuteronomy 5:2-3) and not the individual Israelite. Hence it possessed a collective nature. The Old Covenant included in its provisions all future descendants of the physical nation so long as it remained in full force and effect (Deuteronomy 29:15). The entitlement of an individual, or his or her privileges, was by right of birth. So were his or her obligations.
The national nature of the Old Covenant allowed the agreement to bind the nation for all generations. Having sufficient rational and literal competency to enter into an enforceable agreement was not a prerequisite to its entry. The exception dealt with the situation of the stranger. The foreigner or Gentile could convert and become an Israelite as a "proselyte." Thereby the foreigner voluntarily could come under its terms. Once a Gentile converted he or she was no longer a Gentile but an Israelite.
Page last edited: 11/28/04 08:44 AM
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