The nature and purpose of God’s covenant with the Jews
The covenant made with Abraham / IbrahimWidely regarded as the father of Christians, Jews and Muslims. He was the first person to teach that there is only one God. His story is told in the biblical book of Genesis and also in the Qur’an, where he is named Ibrahim. was unconditionalWithout conditions or limitations.. But this time, through MosesThe man chosen by God to save the Jews from slavery and take them to the promised land. In the Qur'an he is a messenger chosen by God to give the revelation of the Torah to the Israelites., God made a conditionalAn offer that is subject to one or more conditions being met. covenant with His people. The Ten CommandmentsThe list of rules, revealed by God to Moses, found in the Old Testament books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. Also known as the Decalogue. were a set of rules for them to live by.
During this revelation of God to Moses, the nature of God became clear. He is a God of kindness, love and compassion for His people who He helped escape from slavery in Egypt.
The importance of the Ten Commandments showed that the Jewish people had to start living like God’s people – they must now obey His voice and keep His commands, and they must do this freely.
The Jews were chosen as God’s people through the covenants with Abraham and then Moses - but that privilege came with a responsibility to act as such. The Jews had a purpose to serve, and that was to reveal God to all nations. It was no longer about only the worship of God, but also how they conducted themselves as His people.
