There are two main types of covenants made during ancient times. First, there was the bilateral covenant, which was made between equals. In other words, the agreement was entered into by two parties and both had input into the agreement. Moreover, the responsibilities of each party were clearly defined in the text of the contract. The Mosaic Covenant was such a contract, whereby the Lord’s responsibilities were clearly defined: protector, provider etc., and the responsibilities of the people were also clearly defined: devotion to God and loving one’s neighbor etc. The failure of either party to fulfill its part of the contract would permit the remaining party to dissolve the agreement between the two.
The second type of covenant was what is called the unilateral covenant. A unilateral covenant was one in which one party was solely responsible for its success. An example of this type of covenant is found in Genesis 15. This is where God promised Abraham both descendants and a land in which his descendants would live. Abraham didn’t have to do anything to inherit the promises. God, himself, walked through the sacrifices alone, while Abraham watched (Genesis 15:1-18).[1]
Technically speaking, the covenant the Jews entered into under Ezra and Nehemiah was a unilateral covenant, because they agreed to submit themselves to the Mosaic Covenant, and didn’t seek to add anything in an effort to get God to do anything additional for them. Nevertheless, the Mosaic Covenant, itself, was a bilateral covenant. The Jews had their responsibilities to fulfill, and God had his. If either side didn’t fulfill his part of the covenant, the other party could opt out of the agreement, but God always fulfilled his part, even to the extreme, offering mercy and forgiveness for the Jews’ unfaithfulness in doing their part.
According to the covenant agreed to under Ezra and Nehemiah, the Jews would separate themselves from the people of the lands and obey the Mosaic Covenant. In other words, one cannot live as the heathen and serve the Lord at the same time. One is able to do one but not the other. Therefore, the covenant Israel entered into under Ezra and Nehemiah required complete separation from the heathen, even to the point of separating from heathen marriages and heathen children born of those marriages. The Jews entered into this covenant willingly and not through intimidation or force, agreeing to obey God and calling down a curse upon themselves, if they didn’t follow through (Nehemiah 10:28-30).
If the people of the lands sought to bring their goods into the province of Judah to sell, the Jews agreed to refuse to do business on the Sabbath day or any of the annual feast days, which commemorated what the Lord had done for them (Nehemiah 10:31). Moreover, the Jews took the responsibility of the care of the House of God upon themselves, promising to give a third part of shekel, which was used for the service of the Temple, for the shewbread, for the daily sacrifices, for Sabbaths, new moons and the annual holy days, which make atonement for the people of Israel. Finally, they cast lots for the responsibility of providing wood for the sacrifices burnt upon the altar in the House of God (Nehemiah 10:32-34).
The Jews also agreed to bring in the firstfruits of the increase of the ground, also what the Law required concerning the first born of their sons and their livestock, which was to provide for the living of the priests whose course ministered in the house of God in their season, and for the Levites who served in the Temple (Nehemiah 10:35-37).
The Levites were in charge of taking the tithes and this was overseen by a son of Aaron, a priest. Moreover, a tithe of the tithes the Levites brought in was brought into the treasure house of the Temple and set aside for the priests that minister, and for the porters and the singers, so that the table of the Lord is not forsaken (Nehemiah 10:38-39).
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[1] See my earlier study on the life of Abraham: The Second Covenant.
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