The Covenant

After the Israelites had escaped from Egypt, Moses led them south into the wilderness (desert), where they had no enemies to attack them, until they came to Mount Sinai (see map).  There they halted for a time and something very important happened: God and the Israelites made a covenant or alliance together.

God promised that he would take care of them and bless them so long as they obeyed him: “Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples.  Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation” (NRSV, Exodus 19:5-6).

The Israelites were then given the Law of God which they were to obey and which we call the Ten Commandments.  At that time people thought that God did not mind if one led a good life or a bad life, but the Ten Commandments put them right.  They taught the Israelites two things: first that they must worship the true God and not idols; and secondly, that they were to be pure and honest and kind in their lives.  “So Moses came, summoned the elders of the people, and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him.  The people all answered as one: ‘Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do’ (NRSV, Exodus 19:7-8).

After this there was a sacrifice of oxen to seal this covenant or alliance with God.  The history of the Israelites under this alliance is called the ‘Old Covenant’ or ‘Old Testament’.

In the desert

The Israelites did not at once enter the land of Canaan which God had promised them, but instead they wandered in the desert with their flocks and herds for 40 years.  Now that he had given them the Ten Rules for good living, the Ten Commandments, God wanted them to have a long time of quiet in which to learn to keep them.  The excitement of moving into Canaan or Palestine so soon afterwards would have put all thoughts of the Ten Commandments out of their minds; but in the lonely wilderness, with nothing to disturb them, they had the opportunity of forming good habits which they would not easily give up.

Conquest and settlement

At the end of 40 years the Israelites entered Palestine under the leadership of Joshua.  When we remember that God intended to train the Israelites to love and obey him in order that he might use them to bring all the nations of the world to love and obey him too, it is easy to see why he chose Palestine as their land.  With the sea to the west, a mountain range to the north, and a desert to the east and south, the Israelites could go on living quietly away from the bad influence of the other nations and yet be in the middle of them when the time came to teach them.

Influence of pagan tribes

Bit by bit they made their way into the different parts of the country and after some years we find them settled in.  Unfortunately the tribes already living in Palestine were all pagan, and little by little the Israelites became friendly with them and got into their pagan ways.  They lost their simple faith in God which they had had in the desert.  Instead they began to worship idols and to visit the pagan temples.  There were some Israelites, however, who remained true and loyal.

First Israelite king

The Israelites had a great enemy in the people of the Philistines who were always attacking them whenever they had the chance.  Up till then the Israelites had no king and they thought it would be a good thing to choose one to lead them to victory.  The first king was Saul but, though he won many battles, it was left to the next king, David, to defeat the neighbouring peoples and make his kingdom safe.

Temple of Solomon

When his son Solomon became king all was peaceful, and the time was ready to build a temple for God in Jerusalem.  Up to that time all they had was the Tabernacle.  This was a large tent which they had used in the desert for services.  It was divided into two parts, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, and was surrounded by a courtyard.  The Temple of Solomon was built after the same plan but was much bigger.  It was made of stone, was decorated with gold and took seven years to finish.

The divided kingdom

Towards the end of his life Solomon was rather cruel, especially to the 10 Israelite tribes in North Palestine.  He forced them to work at building his palace in Jerusalem and taxed them heavily in order to get the money to pay for it.  The result was that, when he died, these tribes set up a king of their own.  That made two kingdoms, the Northern one of Israel with its capital Samaria, and the Southern one of Judah with its capital Jerusalem.

SUMMARY

1. At Mount Sinai God promised that the Israelites should be his own chosen people and have his special care, and they promised to worship him only and to obey his Ten Commandments.  This partnership was called the Covenant (or Testament).

2. After wandering in the desert for 40 years, the Israelites settled in Palestine.

3. When Solomon, their third king, died the kingdom split into two parts, the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.