What Is the Covenant Path and How Do I Get on It?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to the Old Testament in a lesson titled “Introduction to the Old Testament.” The lesson was introduced by the following information. 

When you consider studying the Old Testament [or First Testament of Jesus Christ] this year, how do you feel? Eager? Uncertain? Afraid? All of these emotions are understandable. The Old Testament is one of the oldest collections of writings in the world, and this can make it both exciting and intimidating. These writings come from an ancient culture that can seem foreign and sometimes strange or even uncomfortable. And yet in these writings we see people having experiences that seem familiar. We recognize gospel themes that witness of the divinity of Jesus Christ and His gospel. Yes, people like Abraham, Sarah, Hannah, and Daniel lived lives that, in some ways, were very different from ours. But they also experienced family joy and family discord, moments of faith and moments of uncertainty, and successes and failures – like all of us do. More important, they exercised faith, repented, made covenants, had spiritual experiences, and never gave up on the promise of a Savior. As we learn how God moved in their lives, we also see Him in ours, and we say with the psalmist: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path…. Therefore thy servant loveth it” (Psalm 119:105, 140).

As with all Come Follow Me lessons, this one includes several principles, including (1) The Old Testament testifies of Jesus Christ, (2) Jesus Christ is Jehovah in the Old Testament, (3) The Lord restored many “plain and precious things” through Joseph Smith, and (4) The Old Testament helps me understand my covenant relationship with God. This essay will discuss principle #4 about understanding my covenant relationship with God.

The Old Testament is the story of God seeking to make us His “peculiar treasure” by covenant (Exodus 19:5). For that reason, a good way to prepare to read the Old Testament is to learn about covenants – specifically the everlasting covenant God offered to ancient prophets like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their posterity.

In the October 2022 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson spoke on the topic “The Everlasting Covenant.” He introduced his remarks as follows. 

I have spoken frequently about the importance of the Abrahamic covenant and the gathering of Israel. When we embrace the gospel and are baptized, we take upon ourselves the sacred name of Jesus Christ. Baptism is the gate that leads to becoming joint heirs to all the promises given anciently by the Lord to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their posterity.

“The new and everlasting covenant” (Doctrine and Covenants 132:6) and the Abrahamic covenant are essentially the same – two ways of phrasing the covenant God made with mortal men and women at different times. The adjective everlasting denotes that this covenant existed before the foundation of the world! The plan laid out in the Grand Council in Heaven included the sobering realization that we would all be cut off from God’s presence. However, God promised that He would provide a Savior who would overcome the consequences of the Fall. God told Adam after his baptism:

“Thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity.

“Behold, thou art one in me, a son of God; and thus may all become my sons” (Moses 6:67-68).

Adam and Eve accepted the ordinance of baptism and began the process of being one with God. They had entered the covenant path.

When you and I also enter that path, we have a new way of life. We thereby create a relationship with God that allows Him to bless and change us. The covenant path leads us back to Him. If we let God prevail in our lives, that covenant will lead us closer and closer to Him. All covenants are intended to be binding. They create a relationship with everlasting ties.

Once we make a covenant with God, we leave neutral ground forever. God will not abandon His relationship with those who have forged such a bond with Him….

Once you and I have made a covenant with God, our relationship with Him becomes much closer than before our covenant. Now we are bound together. Because of our covenant with God, He will never tire in His efforts to help us, and we will never exhaust His merciful patience with us. Each of us has a special place in God’s heart. He has high hopes for us….

Those who make sacred covenants and keep them are promised eternal life and exaltation, “the greatest of all the gifts of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 14:7). Jesus Christ is the guarantor of those covenants (see Hebrews 7:22; 8:6). Covenant keepers who love God and allow Him to prevail over all other things in their lives make Him the most powerful influence in their lives.