Here is what God told them about their future - you will notice that there are some commands and instruction that are a part of it:

God said: "I'm sending an angel ahead to guard you as you journey to the land I've prepared for you. Listen to and obey this angel and don't rebel against him for I have put my name and authority upon him."

Now here's an instruction: "IF you will listen carefully to him and do all that I say through him:"

And here's the result of obeying the instruction: "I, your God, will be an enemy to your enemies and oppose those who oppose you. My angel will go ahead of you into the land I've prepared for you, the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out."

God's instruction: "Don't bow down and worship their gods or follow their religious practices. You must destroy all of their idols and sacred stones. You must worship only the LORD your God."

The result for following God's instruction: "I will bless your food and water and take away your sickness. I will remove all barrenness and miscarriages from you and give you long lives.

"I will terrorize the nations you come against and throw them into confusion. They will turn their backs and run. I will send hornets ahead of you to drive the people out as you go in. But I will do it gradually so the wild animals will not take over and so the land won't become desolate."

Notice how simple the instructions were. Notice how great the blessings for obeying those instructions were. This is how God treats people - the requirements are easy to understand and the blessings are great.

God also told the people not to make any agreements with the people living in the lands He was giving them or to let them live in the lands with them because His people would be corrupted by their pagan religious practices.

Remember the covenant that God made with Israel just before He gave them the Ten Commandments? "If you will obey my voice and keep the agreement, the covenant I have for you, you shall be a special treasure to Me above all the other people of the earth." How simple! How awesome a result for obedience! This is what is sometimes called the Old Covenant. It's also the New Covenant. The difference being that the New Covenant is based on better promises; the laws would be written in peoples' hearts rather than on stone and the rewards would include eternal life.

The basis for the covenant was the Ten Commandments and they are based on the two Great Commandments: Love God and love your neighbor. The first four commandments tell us how to love God and the other six tell us how to love other people. All of the other laws of God found in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, are based on one or more of the Ten Commandments.

When Moses told the people all of the laws and instructions God had given him in Exodus 20 through 23, including the Ten Commandments God had personally spoken to them, the people again responded unanimously, "Every thing the LORD has said we will do."

God told Moses to come back up the mountain and to bring with him, Aaron his brother, Nadab and Abihu, Aaron's two oldest sons, and seventy of the elders of Israel. When they got up the mountain they saw God. He was on a kind of pavement like sapphire, as clear and blue as the sky. God did not raise His hand against them and they ate and drank before Him. Then God called Moses to come further up to receive two stone tablets written with the laws and commandments He had given Israel.

Moses left Aaron and Hur in charge and went up Mt. Sinai alone and was there forty days. He received many instructions about the tabernacle, the altar, priestly garments, etc.

At the end of the forty days God gave Moses the two tablets of stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments and the terms of the covenant by the very finger of God.

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