But God was under no obligation to enter into a covenant relationship with his people. Yet he chose to do so. This is huge—a major, consistent theme of the Bible. His first covenant had been given to Noah (Gen. 9:9–17). When Noah and his family had emerged from the ark, God promised never to repeat a flood of global proportions. He signified this covenant with a rainbow. In this case the covenant required no human response. It was simply a solemn commitment on the part of holy God. God also had made
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