The Everlasting Covenant

The Covenant of God to redeem mankind, as presented throughout history.

SEARCH 

^ Return to Top

The Covenant at the Jordan

After forty years of wandering in the desert, Israel again approached Canaan, this time through Gilead and Bashan. By the power of God they dispossessed the Amorites and took their lands. Now camped on the east side of the river, opposite Jericho, Moses gathered all Israel and reminded the people of their covenant with God, with blessings and curses depending on their obedience.
 

The generation that had come out of Egypt had died in the wilderness, and a new generation had arisen. Ahead of them was the invasion of Canaan and their settlement on the land. There would be challenges and there would be temptations. They needed a clear concept of God’s purpose in giving them the land, and their responsibilities as the chosen people of God. Most important, they needed to remember how God had delivered them from bondage in Egypt.

These verses demand close attention to the rhetorical turns in logic. It can be confusing. Each part must be understood and made to fit with the rest of the passage. So let us go one step further and explain each line:

The Lord made a covenant with US in Horeb. This was forty years later. All the adult generation that met at Horeb were dead. BUT, He made the covenant with US? An impossibility? We have to understand the issue of corporate responsibility. We all sinned in Adam. Israel paid tithe to Melchizedek in Abraham. We keep the law of God in Christ and are saved in Him. Etc. Everyone who stood on the banks of the Jordan received the covenant in their fathers.

The Lord made NOT this covenant with our fathers, but with US. Now we are getting practical. The covenant made with the fathers does us NO good, unless He makes the covenant with us too!

The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount. This is a poetic expression emphasizing what was said in verse two. Did God talk to the people standing on the bank of the Jordan at Horeb? NO! Did God talk to the fathers face to face at Horeb? NO! The only person that God talked to “face to face” was Moses. And even then, in Exodus 33 he asks for the privilege of seeing God! The only glimpse Moses got was of God after he passed by him.

However, in this case Moses corporately represented Israel. The Covenant that God gave to Moses He gave to the fathers at Horeb, and to each generation to follow.

The same issue is raised on the bank of the Jordan that arose at Horeb: Will they accept the covenant of God? Will they “learn them, and keep, and do them.” (Deuteronomy 5:1). To summarize, each generation must make their own covenant, their own commitment to God. Each individual must come into the presence of God. Each person must give his life to God on a day by day basis, as in the morning and evening sacrifice.

God made this covenant “with all of us who are alive today.” This was the same covenant made with Adam and Eve; with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and the covenant renewed at Sinai. It was the everlasting covenant. Moses emphasized that each person standing before him that day were “corporately” in their fathers as God spoke to them the covenant. The covenant was for them as if they were actually at Sinai to hear it given. Yet, the covenant must be renewed with each person. We cannot ride on the coattails of our ancestors. God has “no grandchildren.”

Some have read in these verses that the covenant, which included the ten commandments, were given just to the Jews. But the concept of the “everlasting covenant,” a term repeated sixteen times, precludes this idea. God is not capricious. He is dependable and unchanging. He is not a respecter of persons. The plan of salvation is dependable as the Rock of Ages and was given to all people in all ages and in all places. It is everlasting.

The ten commandment law was given at Sinai and repeated on the bank of the Jordan. The wording was a little different when given at the Jordan, but it is easily recognized as the same ten commandment law given at Sinai when God “wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments” (Exodus 34:28).
^ Return to Top

Moses Last Messages

As Moses, the “grand old man,” the leader of the Exodus for forty years gave the closing addresses of his life, it was an imposing scene. It was something that Israel would never forget. When he spoke of the covenant of God being particularly made with each one of them there that day, it went straight to the heart. Joshua became the embodiment of the message and spirit of Moses. Moses’ influence continued so long as any of this generation lived. It was the legacy of a righteous man and a merciful God.
 

Was this covenant different from the covenant made at Sinai? In Deuteronomy 29:1 it is called a covenant “beside (in addition to - NIV) the covenant which he made with them in Horeb” (Deuteronomy 29:1). This can be best understood by looking at similar language in Deuteronomy 5:2-4. See discussion of these verses above. A person cannot depend on a covenant made with his fathers. He must make a personal commitment himself.

In Deuteronomy are the three discourses of Moses to the people before he died, and before they crossed the Jordan to take the land. The first discourse is given in Deuteronomy chapters one to four gives a brief history of their wanderings and emphasize their relationship with God. The second discourse is the longest, Deuteronomy chapters five to twenty six. This is a repeat of the commandments, the civil law, and many details of the ceremonial law. The final discourse is given in Deuteronomy chapter twenty seven to thirty one verse eight. This includes another repetition of the covenant.

Covenant language is intertwined throughout the whole book. The blessings for obedience are given in Deuteronomy 7:1-26; 8:1-10; 11:10-15; and 28:1-14. The curses for apostasy are given in Deuteronomy 28:15-68; and 29:18-29.
^ Return to Top

Heart Religion

In the book of Deuteronomy also is an echo of the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31:31-34 – the desire and the promise of God to change their hearts and lives:

God desires heart religion in His people. We find this in all the Bible. Here are the verses in just the book of Deuteronomy:
 

See also Psalm 51 and Isaiah 1:10-20
^ Return to Top

The Covenant after Moses’ Time

Israel had reached a high point in their spiritual life at the time they occupied Canaan. This was due to the new emphasis on the covenant, their relation to God, and to the influence of Moses and Joshua.

Before long, Israel went into cycles of apostasy, oppression, repentance and deliverance—over and over again. With this pattern the everlasting covenant was broken over and over again, and with each repentance, the covenant was renewed. Moses made the first of these renewals just before Israel crossed the Jordan into Canaan. See Deuteronomy 29:12-15. These verses reflect what Moses also said in Deuteronomy 5:2-3.

With frequent renewals, there was variation in how each renewal of the covenant was presented. Were these different covenants, or were they renewals of the everlasting covenant? In the Old Testament much is said about “covenant.” Most of these renewals were man made, but pointed to the everlasting covenant and the ten commandment law. They were usually a rededication to God following a revival. However, there is no discussion of more than one everlasting covenant.(5) With time the apostasy deepened until there was “no remedy” and Israel was taken into captivity to Babylon.(6)
^ Return to Top

Rededication

If the covenant of God is an everlasting covenant, why are the promises different each time it is given? The everlasting covenant was planned within the Godhead before the foundation of the world. The plan was made before man was created. There is nothing that man can do to change this covenant, it is everlasting, “for his mercy endureth forever” (Psalm 136).

God’s mercy never changes. The focus of the everlasting covenant is Jesus Christ, His sinless life, sacrificial death, and resurrection. While the promises may vary, they all flow from the sacrifice on Calvary. It is from His sacrifice on Calvary, and from His resurrection that Jesus has authority to redeem mankind.

Human experience is constantly varying. It varies with age: childhood, youth, young adulthood raising children, the prime of life, and finally aging. These are not the only variables. There are also the challenges of work, making a living, where we live, changes in society, etc. etc. You can add many more. We need to present ourselves and our plans to God on a daily basis. We must be constantly reminded of what living the Christian life is and how we need to do it.

We also need a special reminder every week, of Creation, Redemption, and of our dependance upon God. For this, God gave us the Sabbath. It is all too easy to forget the ultimate purpose of God in our lives. From time to time we must make a new commitment to serve Him. The covenant must be renewed with each generation, and with each person (Deuteronomy 5:3,4).

A present day problem is the loss to the church of young people. We are beset by the generation gap, loss of interest in spiritual things, and multiple temptations to lure youth away from spiritual values. We cannot entirely blame the young people. They will tend to follow what their parents are excited about. If the parents are excited about spiritual things, the youth will be too. If the family ALL go to church, have family worship every day, and live by God's covenant; the youth will too.

Often the parents are “good citizens” but show little interest in spiritual things. Young people will carry this logically one step further and wander into materialism and the search for pleasure. Parents must get down on their knees and pray, then get up and be an example for their young people. Remember this verse:
 

Jesus in His life on earth met all these problems as a man, a human being. The victory He gained is for us and for our children.
^ Return to Top