A Covenant was Revealed Through Joseph

Through Moses, a covenant was given to Israel¹ It consisted of commandments and promises contingent on keeping them. While the full weight of God’s blessings cannot be obtained without a covenant from him, neither can the full weight of his wrath. Christians mistakenly think that the God of the Old Testament was more severe than the God of the New Testament. In reality, the curses that fell upon those who disobeyed God in the Old Testament were a consequence of breaking the covenant given from God through Moses. The New Testament does not contain the consequences of the people rejecting the new covenant offered through Christ, with the exception of the couple that disobeyed the law of consecration after having received it.² The consequence for the general rejection of the covenant came after the conclusion of the accounts, and was every bit as horrific as anything in the Old Testament.³ The God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New, and he will consistently treat all who disobey a received covenant with the degree of penalty observed in the past.

There is a consequence of breaking a covenant.

For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation. (D&C 82:3.)

This was well-understood in ancient times, as evidenced by the fact that the Nephites would allow their mortal enemies to escape unharmed if they swore a covenant that they would not return to fight again.⁴ Every time God extends a covenant, he also extends a cursing if the conditions are not met. For example, when God dispensed the gospel to Israel through Moses with a covenant, he said:

Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day... (Deuteronomy 11:26-28.)

We see the results of the cursing played out in the death penalty and similarly steep consequences prescribed in the law of Moses. For example, in Ezekiel we read that the Pharaoh would be taken captive, beg for his life, and yet all his company would be destroyed, all as a consequence of breaking a covenant:

Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons: Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head. And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken it. (Ezekiel 17:17-21)

Jeremiah provided an example of the issuance of a covenant from God to the people and the consequence of their breaking it:

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; And say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant, Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God: Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not...Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them. (Jeremiah 11:14,8,11.)

The principle of penalties for breaking a covenant are in just as much force today as they ever were in the past. This used to be taught in the temple with prescribed penalties for breaking the covenant of the dispensation of the gospel given to Joseph Smith.⁵

One way we can break covenants is through changing ordinances. God has clearly expressed that no man—not even a church leader—has the right to change ordinances. In Malachi 1, the Lord blasts the priests for having changed the ordinances he had revealed to them:

A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts. And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the Lord of hosts. Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand. For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 1:6-11.)

The Lord states that, because they modified his ordinances, he would not bless them (verse 9), he would not accept their offerings (verse 10), and he would take the covenant from them and give it to another people (verse 11). The Lord always punishes those who have broken a covenant through changing the ordinances.

The sons of Eli changed the ordinances, and took greater than their portion from that which was dedicated to the Lord. In addition, through their syphoning off of the offering, they made the people loathe giving their offerings:

And the priests’ custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. Also before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for men abhorred the offering of the Lord. (1 Samuel 2:13-17.)

As we learn from the account of the sons of Eli, one consequence of changing the ordinances is that it trains men to “abhor the offering of the Lord” because they fail to receive God’s blessings despite their religious practice, as God does not bless men for conducting adulterated ordinances.

Isaiah described that the latter day people would change the ordinances and reject the covenant:

The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants: they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, set at nought the ancient covenant. (Isaiah 24:5, Gileadi Translation.)

In the past, God unleashed terrible punishments upon those who rejected a covenant once offered.⁶ Will an unchanging God treat this generation any differently? “For thus saith the Lord God; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.” (Ezekiel 16:59.)