Law vs. Covenant. What's the diff?

Law versus Covenant.  What's the difference?

My hope is to alleviate the confusion that some have regarding Father's Law (aka commandments) as compared to the agreement He made with the exodus multitude regarding this Law.

Law is defined by dictionary.com as:

the principles and regulations established in a community by some authority and applicable to its people,whether in the form of legislation or of custom and policies recognized and enforced by judicial decision.

As pertaining to the Bible, law is usually translated from the Hebrew towrah (aka torah) meaning

law, direction, instruction.

Whereas covenant has a dictionary definition of:

an agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons to do or not do something specified.

It comes from the Hebrew bĕriyth meaning

covenant, alliance, pledge.

As we see here a law refers to the regulations and instructions given a community. A covenant is an agreement or pledge usually between two or more parties.

Father's Law wasn't created during the exodus but has existed since at least Abraham.  We know this because Father blessed Abraham as a result of his obedience as seen in Genesis 26:

4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

When we check the Hebrew we find that verse 5 is indeed speaking of the Torah.

Now that we've determined that the Law predates the exodus let's have a look at the covenant.  Moses had this to say:

2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb (Sinai). 3 He did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with all of us who are alive here today.

Here we see that the covenant between our Heavenly Father and those on the exodus began at Horeb/Sinai.  Father first speaks of it in Exodus 19:

5 Now if you will listen to Me and carefully keep My covenant, you will be My own possession out of all the peoples, although all the earth is Mine, 6 and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.”

We see that Father offers the covenant.  If they decide to keep the covenant, Father will make them a kingdom of priests and His holy nation.  Let's see what happens next:

7 After Moses came back, he summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. 8 Then all the people responded together, “We will do all that the Lord has spoken.” So Moses brought the people’s words back to the Lord.

The people accept the offer!  The rest of the chapter describes the process of getting the people ready to enter the covenant:  Exodus 9:9-25.

Then Father spoke all the words below.  (Notice that the underlined content are not actual commandments, but explanations,  promises and duration of the covenant agreement.)

2 I am the Lord (YHWH) your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.
3 Do not have other gods besides Me.
4 Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers’ sin, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands.
7 Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses His name.
8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: 9 You are to labor six days and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the foreigner who is within your gates. 11 For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.
12 Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 Do not murder.
14 Do not commit adultery.
15 Do not steal.
16 Do not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

 Looking closely we find that this isn't just a list of commandments/law.  The underlined portions are parts of the covenant agreement.  Some of the words are explanations to help us understand His nature.  In verse 4 He explains that He is jealous.  In verse 11 He explains that He rested on the seventh day of creation.  That's why the 7th day Sabbath is so special.

The remainder of the underlined portions are conditions and consequences of the covenant.

 In verse four He promises that children will be punished for the sins of their fathers up to four generations.  And for 1000 generations He will return the love of those that keep His commandments.  (Incidentally 1000 generations would equal 20-70,000 years depending on what one considers to be a generation.  Father made this promise less than 4,000 years ago according to sources I find.)  This covenant duration is still in its infancy!

Notice also that no time frame is ever given for the Law---only the Covenant!  The Law has existed at least since Abraham.  I suspect it goes back to Creation as Father Himself rested on the Sabbath.  He reminds us of this in the Ten Commandments.

The next three chapters consist of additional commandments.  Just before the covenant ceremony Father makes additional promises such as this:

25 Worship the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. I will remove illnesses from you. 26 No woman will miscarry or be childless in your land. I will give you the full number of your days.  (Exodus 23)

Father promises immediately before the covenant ceremony that He will prevent famine, illness, miscarriages, being barren and dying young.

7 He then took the covenant scroll and read it aloud to the people. They responded, “We will do and obey everything that the Lord has commanded.” (Exodus 24)

Moses reads the covenant aloud and they agree to obey everything.

I believe that as long as the Covenant agreement was kept (the Law obeyed) that Father would keep them from famine, illness, miscarriages, being barren or dying young.   If not, then what does that say about one's faith in the Almighty?  Is He a man that would break His promise?

Do you or anyone you love experience the bad things listed above?  If so, have they examined the words of the covenant to see if they are in violation?  If not for themselves, why not for their children?

Again, the duration is 1,000 generations (20-70,000 years).  No where does the Almighty say "until Jesus comes".  If Jesus had brought us something better then why do you and yours experience the bad things that Father said wouldn't happen?

Don't take my remarks to be against Jesus.  They are not.  He is my Master and my primary life goal is to follow all his teachings.  We will discuss Jesus and the new covenant in later blog entries.