The Pentateuch: The Covenant Of The Old Testament

The Old Testament, as opposed to the New Testament, shows many different sides of God. God is characterized as challenging, spiteful, or even vengeful in some of the stories of the Old Testament. Instead of teaching the concepts of love and forgiveness, the Old Testament emphasizes sacrifice and how it is required to live a life of faith. The Pentateuch introduces the covenants made between God and certain individuals in which, through fulfilling the tasks that God asks of them, they are granted His grace. God used these covenants, promises to His people, to hold mankind accountable for their own use of free will. They either choose to follow God and live a life of happiness and faith, or they choose to live a life of pain and fear without

God spoke to Abraham and told him that He would give him many descendants, even in his and his wife’s old age, with the condition that they follow God. Also, with their obedience, God promised to guide and protect them as they journey into the promise land of Israel. God instructed Abraham and his wife, Sarah, to leave their current life and travel to the land of Canaan. As a result of their obedience, God granted Abraham and Sarah with a son, even though they did not believe that it was possible at first. After, God tested Abraham and Sarah by instructing Abraham to kill his son, Isaac, whom he loved very much. Instead of disobeying God, Abraham followed his orders, and just before he was able to sacrifice his son, God stopped him and rewarded him for his faith in God’s plan. This story shows how a once skeptical barren couple was transformed into a faithful, obedient, and trusting family united under

The prophet, Daniel, showed the theme of holding fast to one’s unwavering faith in God as he chose to stay devoted to God even when the king threatened those who worshiped God. Daniel tried to show people that they should not worship the false idols that the king wanted them to because that would go against the Mosaic Covenant, but rather they should keep their faith and God will protect them. This is seen as even when he was put into the lion’s den, the lions did not attack him because God protected him, just as God protected His people in the time of Moses. Additionally, the theme of sacredness of life is seen in the story of the prophet Daniel. Instead of eating the meat provided by the Babylonian king, Daniel and his friends ate the vegetables God had instructed them to eat, and not only were they healthier than any of the king’s men, but they were also granted with knowledge that had surpassed all of them. This is calling people back to the Mosaic Covenant because people were supposed to only eat the clean food items as was written in their faith.

Another prophet, the prophet Ezra, also was concerned with the theme of holding fast to one’s faith in God. In chapter 9 of the Book of Ezra, Ezra proclaims to God that he is appalled by how the people are turning away from Him and how he is ashamed. He apologizes to God that their sins keep on increasing, and how kings and