And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. The Lord spoke with you face-to-face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, while I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain.” (Deuteronomy 5:1-5)

As I was reading, these verses stood out to me. Some who read this same passage might think that the covenant didn’t exist before Israel was disobedient. Why? Because the verses say that He made a covenant with us but not with our fathers. However, it’s important to remember that this is not the first time the Father gave us His instructions to follow. 

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17)

Here, we see the Father give Adam instructions on what he can and cannot eat. We even learn later (during Cain and Abel’s story) that they also knew about offerings, not just the dietary commandments. But how would they have known? 

The Father would have taught them.

YHWH walked and talked with Adam in the garden, which means He gave Adam His instructions directly. But even when receiving instructions firsthand . . .

We messed it up.

Then in Exodus, the Father saves His people and brings them out of the land of Egypt. YHWH shows them who He is and then gives them His same instructions again through Moses, written on the tablets. 

So this time, the Father wrote them down for us to make it easier. But even after getting YHWH’s instructions in writing . . .

We messed up again.

Finally, the Father sent His Son as an example to show us how to walk out His instructions. Not just telling us, not just letting us read it for ourselves, but showing us what it looks like to walk out His instructions. But even after showing us His Son’s perfect example—in person . . .

We messed that up too.

So here we are, a disobedient people from the beginning. First, the Father gave us His instructions verbally, then He wrote them down for us, and lastly, He gave us a living example.

And we messed it up each time.

You see, Israel’s covenant with the Father has existed from the very beginning; it is not He who broke faith with us, but we with Him—failing to follow the simple instructions He laid before us for our own well-being. 

I pray we can learn from our mistakes and remember that Yeshua is our example of what it looks like to walk out our Father’s instructions.

I hope this helps.

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About the Seeking Scripture Team: We are a group of believers from all walks of the faith, saved by grace alone through faith in our Messiah. While we are of one accord in many things, we are all works in progress and lifelong learners. Therefore the opinions of one may not always represent the opinions of all.

Aliisa DeSalvo
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