As we close in on the conclusion to this series, and having walked through covenant history and types, what especially makes the covenants between God and the early patriarchs so significant? The answer: God’s revelation. Without this primary purpose, the concept of covenant would not necessarily lose its value, but it would not show the greater purpose in God establishing covenants in the first place. Therefore, as seen in the Jewish tradition, God’s revelation is metaphorically the glue that binds all covenants together and with humankind.
When thinking about God’s revelation, including the Hebrew / Israelite beliefs now known as Judaism, the covenant that God delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai may immediately come to mind. After all, this covenant is central to Judaism: It is the defining time in Hebrew / Israelite history in which God, through Moses, had not only led a large number of Hebrew people out of Egypt, but also provided the rules, beliefs, and permanent home – Israel – for which the Jewish people helped bring to fruition, and which continues to define Judaism to this day (Berlin 98).
But why did God choose the Jewish people for His revelation, beginning with the Hebrews? The answer is not well apparent. Still, the core relationship between God and the history of Judaism is, indeed, clear: God has desired a relationship with humankind; and through the Hebrew / Israelite people, as detailed in the book of Leviticus, God wished a harmonious relationship in which Jews would proclaim God’s oneness and greatness to the world, keep to His laws, worship Him in sanctity, and be a beacon to the world for this Divine relationship (Berlin 193).
Within the Torah, also called the Pentateuch in Greek, God demonstrates His authority and necessity to humankind – though, unlike other belief systems at the time, the religion that would become known as Judaism was not built on a distant relationship with multiple gods, nor based solely on reward and punishment, nor that humankind must initiate the connection with God. Rather, it was God who came down to humankind to reveal His will. And through this will, which also gave humans the freedom to enter into a relationship with God, God actively participated in the revelation He provided. The term for this is aptly called participatory theology (Sommer 2).
In short, participatory theology sees God and humankind working in tandem to author God’s word (Sommer 2). In other words, because some scholars have suggested the Torah has a human element to its wording, they believe the text itself could not be God’s exact words; instead, the Torah is divinely inspired or an attempt to capture God’s revelation into human language (Sommer 30).
Yet regardless of how exactly God’s Revelation was delivered and then compiled into the books that make up the Torah, the relationship between covenant and God’s revelation remains the same: The Hebrews / Israelites treated their covenants with God as a gift and with great honor. And though the entire Hebrew to Israelite to Jewish story is a push-pull relationship of obeying and rebelling against God’s covenants and ultimate revelation, dealing with the results of not obeying the covenants, receiving blessings when remaining obedient, and the Jewish tradition of understanding that punishments and blessings are two halves of the covenant whole (Boadt et al. 147).
Now, although this exploration into covenants has provided some of the key foundation that formed Judaism, this study, and as with studying ancient history overall, is just a starting point for delving into early Jewish life – a life which grew out of a Semitic people who exchanged influential ideas with neighboring civilizations, endured multiple ruling empires and wars, and morphed over time into a Hebrew, and then Israelite, people who instituted and attempted to uphold sacred covenants established with God.
And while these covenants have roots in early Near Eastern cultural practices, they are covenants that literally changed the world as human kind now knows it: With the rise and establishment of Israel; its sometimes hobbled, yet persistent influence under numerous regimes (Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, etc.); and its wide-spread influence on Western society when combined with Christianity, Judaism carries a complex history of prosperity and devastation – yet all the while with a central goal in mind: keeping to the covenants.
Here are a few questions to ponder as we move into the final part of this series:
How does all this talk about covenant apply to our world today?
If we know that our salvation through Jesus Christ is our final, eternal *covenant*, shouldn’t we strive everyday to be a mirror of this to our fellow human beings?
How much do we value covenants with each other? Could our lack of keeping to the principles of covenant — that we must remain morally obedient to God and to each other — be the reason why Western Civilization has corrupted itself into a society of rights and privileges, identity politics, moral relativism, hyper-focused sexuality, and failed relationships?
The final part in this series will answer these questions and give some solutions as well. Stay tuned!
Works Cited
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