frequently asked questions


The Broken Covenant
Of Mosaic Law


QUESTION:

blue bullet  Was God's Covenant with Israel Conditional under the Mosaic Law?

ANSWER:
blue bullet  
Please review the following Old Testament Scriptures from both the KJV Bible and the Tanakh:

KJV Bible: Jeremiah 31:31-34  
[31] Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:  

[32] Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:  

[33] But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.  

[34] And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.  

KJV Bible: Hebrews 8:6-13  
[6
]  But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

[7]  For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.  

[8]  For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:  

[9]  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

[10] For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

[11]  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.  

[12]  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

[13]  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

[old] Greek: palaioo, to annul; be antiquated; no longer in force; to be obsolete, out of date.  Translated "old" and "decay" (Hebrews 8:13) and "wax old" (Luke 12:33; Hebrews 1:11).
 

[waxeth old]
Greek: gerasko , to grow aged; become old and infirm. Here and in John 21:18.  
[vanish away]
Greek: aphanismos, a making away with; disappearance.  Employed only here, but used by the Greeks of laws that become out of date and abolished 

KJV Bible: 1 Kings 2:4  
[2]  
That the Lord may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.  

KJV Bible: 1 Kings 8:25
[25] 
Therefore now, Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me.   

KJV Bible: 1 Kings 9:3 
[3]    And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.  

KJV Bible: Psalm 132:12  
[12]  If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.  

KJV Bible: Jeremiah 33:20  
[20]  Thus saith the Lord; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;  

KJV Bible: Luke 1:32-33
 
[32]  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

[33]  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.    

Tanakh Bible:  Jeremiah 31:31-34  

[31] Behold, the days come, saith HaShem, that I will make a new covenant with the  house of Israel, and with the house of Judah;

[32] not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; forasmuch as they broke My covenant, although I was a lord over them, saith HaShem.

[33] But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith HaShem, I will put My law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their G-d, and they shall be My people;

[34] and they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying: 'Know HaShem'; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith HaShem; for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.

Tanakh Bible: 1Kings 8:25  
[25]
Now therefore, O HaShem, the G-d of Israel, keep with Thy servant David my father that which Thou hast promised him saying: There shall not fail thee a man in My sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only thy children take heed to their way, to walk before Me as thou hast walked before Me.

Tanakh Bible: Psalms 132:12  
[12]
If thy children keep My covenant and My testimony that I shall teach them, their children also for ever shall sit upon thy throne.'

Tanakh Bible: Jeremiah 33:20  
[20]
Thus saith HaShem: If ye can break My covenant with the day, and My covenant with the night, so that there should not be day and night in their season;

In Psalm 132:12 we see how different are statements of the Bible from those who speak of unconditional promises, covenants, and blessings.  Here, it becomes clear that conditions must be met to receive the benefits of covenants and promises, and that blessing of Law and Grace can be received or maintained in life without meeting the conditions always stated in connection with the promises.

If God’s covenant with the sun, moon and stars that regulate both day and night, as well as eternal seasons, can be broken so there will never be any more day, night or seasons on earth, then God’s Davidic covenant can be broken.  Since one is eternal, than we must conclude, the other is also eternal as well.  If one can fail, the other can also cease.  However, God’s promises will stand.  God promised His Solaric covenant would be eternal.  Seedtime and harvest, summer and winter, cold and heat, day and night will not cease as long as the earth exists (Genesis 4:14-19; 8:22).  It is then concluded that they are eternal, and thus, the fact that David will have an eternal throne in God's kingdom and a Son sitting on it is an eternal doctrine of prophecy (Jeremiah 33:20-21,25-26).  David has no throne as of now, but after the church is raptured following the resurrection of the dead in Christ, God will rebuild the tabernacle of David which is fallen down, and will set it up eternally (Acts15:13-18).  Then, Yeshua will reign over the kingdom of David and establish it forever (Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:32-33; Revelation 11:15; Revelation 20:1-10; Revelation 22:4-5).

In summary, the blessings of Israel under the Mosaic Law were conditional on their following God's Commandments.


 

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