Actions do have consequences in this world. If people are mean, they won’t have many friends. If plants aren’t watered, they will die. On the other hand, a person who is driving safely might be hit and killed by a drunk driver. Cancer may strike a little child for no known reason. Both believers and unbelievers experience sorrows and joys in this fallen world.

Many Christians think that if something good happens to them, it’s because God is rewarding them for being obedient. On the flip side, if something bad happens to them, they think that God is punishing them for some sin in their life. We all know people who have received good things they didn’t deserve, as well as others who have received bad things they didn’t deserve.

Consider Jesus’ words about our heavenly Father who “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt. 5:45). Frequently Christians read verses regarding blessings and curses in the Old Testament that were meant for the nation of Israel and attempt to apply these promises to their lives today. The Mosaic covenant (also called the old covenant; see Gal. 4:24) was a conditional agreement between God and the people of Israel that was mediated by Moses (Exod. 19–24) with different outcomes based upon the people’s obedience to its terms.

This covenant was extremely important for two reasons: 1) it showed the nation of Israel (and us) the impossibility of keeping God’s law perfectly due to our sinful natures, teaching us about our need for a savior, and 2) the Mosaic covenant provided a forum for Christ to come and be the perfect Son of Israel who would obey God’s law in all things and be the once-for-all sacrifice for sin.

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