Covenant — Bible — Andrew Forrest

Exodus 19:7-9a

7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. 8 All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord. 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.”

A few more thoughts on covenant and law: The covenant is permanent, at least from the Lord’s point of view. He is committed to being faithful to the covenant, no matter what, even when it costs the life of the Son of God. Also, note that covenant precedes law. That is, the law provides details to the covenant, so the people know how to keep it.

Here, the Lord strengthens Moses’s position before the people, so that the people won’t question that Moses is speaking for the Lord.

“Israel’s laws are the fences within which life can flourish. They make possible a distinctive way of life so that other nations can see what [the Lord] is like and what he expects.” -Carmen Imes, Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters

The people see that the covenant is a good thing, and they accept its terms. When they remember their promise, things will go well with them; when they forget it, they will struggle. This is the pattern of the Old Testament from here on. Ultimately, the Father sends the Son to perfectly keep the terms of the covenant and so thereby release blessing to the entire world.