Covenant Study - Part 2

Continuing on with my study of covenant - I left off with stating that the Law was another covenant - Exodus 24:3, 6-8 NIV
[3] "When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.” [6] Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar.

[7] Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.” [8] Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

The people were called to fulfill the law, to follow the law in their actions and for different lapses their were different sacrifices. For example - Leviticus 5:5-7, 11 NIV: ..."when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned. [6] As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the Lord a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering ; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin. [7] “ ‘Anyone who cannot afford a lamb is to bring two doves or two young pigeons to the Lord as a penalty for their sin---one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.
[11] “ ‘If, however, they cannot afford two doves or two young pigeons, they are to bring as an offering for their sin a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour for a sin offering. They must not put olive oil or incense on it, because it is a sin offering."

Breaking this covenant through disobedience was a sin, and required sacrifice to bring forgiveness, but it did not require death of the person. It did require blood, unless the person couldn't afford to purchase an lamb, goat or dove, in which case they could bring flour. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews sums up the importance of blood as it pertains to forgiveness - Hebrews 9:22 NIV: "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

Part of any covenant is a promise on both sides - in this case God's promise to the people of the Covenant, was to help them. Exodus 34:10 NIV: "Then the Lord said: “I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you."

Then following verses from Leviticus sum up the responsibilities and results of breaking the covenant -

Leviticus 26:14-17, 40-46 NIV:
[14]“ ‘But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, [15] and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, [16] then I will do this to you: I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. [17] I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.

[40] “ ‘But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors---their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me, [41] which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies---then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, [42] I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. [43] For the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees. [44] Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the Lord their God. [45] But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.’ ” [46] These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the Lord established at Mount Sinai between himself and the Israelites through Moses."

There was clearly punishment for breaking the laws, disobedience and failing to carry out the law. However, this did not require death of the offending party, nor did the breaking of the covenant cancel the covenant. The covenant, described above, continued to be in effect, waiting for the people to repent and turn back to God that He could bless them.

Continuing on with my study of the different covenants, the Sabbath was established as a covenant - Exodus 31:16-17 NIV:"The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. [17] It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed. ’ ”

This is one covenant that God originally said the penalty for breaking was death - Exodus 31:14-15 NIV: “ ‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. [15] For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death." That seems quite harsh to me, but its God's covenant. It appeared to have softened over time, as when Jesus was here there were concerns about breaking the Sabbath, but I don't remember anyone talking about putting the offenders to death.

Moving on, there is something called a salt covenant, and although obscure scripturally, it was another covenant of the people and God - Leviticus 2:13 NIV: "Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.". I made a thorough study of the salt covenant a few years ago which can be found in my Blog archive.