In the biblical narrative, the concept of covenants holds significant theological importance, serving as divine agreements between God and His people. However, the Israelites, God's chosen people, were repeatedly warned against forming covenants with idolatrous nations. Such alliances were seen as acts of disobedience and infidelity to God, leading to severe consequences.

Biblical Warnings and Prohibitions

The Israelites were explicitly instructed not to make covenants with the inhabitants of the land they were entering. In Exodus 23:32-33 , God commands, "You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. They must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you." This directive underscores the danger of spiritual compromise and the potential for idolatry to infiltrate the community of Israel.

Similarly, in Deuteronomy 7:2-4 , the Israelites are warned, "And when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy. Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, because they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you."

Historical Instances of Disobedience

Despite these clear instructions, the Israelites frequently disobeyed and entered into covenants with surrounding nations, leading to spiritual and moral decline. One notable instance is found in the book of Judges. The Israelites failed to drive out the Canaanites completely and instead lived among them, leading to intermarriage and the worship of foreign gods. Judges 2:1-3 records the angel of the LORD's rebuke: "I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I had promised to your fathers. I said, 'I will never break My covenant with you, and you are not to make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their altars.' Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done? So now I say, I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you."

King Solomon's reign provides another example. Despite his wisdom, Solomon's alliances through marriage to foreign women led him to idolatry. 1 Kings 11:1-4 states, "King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women. These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, 'You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.' Yet Solomon clung to these women in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines—and his wives turned his heart away. For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been."

Prophetic Condemnation

The prophets of Israel frequently condemned the nation for its unfaithfulness in making covenants with idolatrous nations. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, among others, spoke against these alliances, warning of impending judgment. Isaiah 30:1-2 declares, "Woe to the obstinate children, declares the LORD, who carry out a plan that is not Mine, forming an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin upon sin. They set out to go down to Egypt without consulting Me, to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shade."

Jeremiah 2:18 also highlights the futility of such alliances: "Now what will you gain by traveling along the road to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? What will you gain by traveling along the road to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates?"

Theological Implications

The Israelites' repeated failure to adhere to God's command against forming covenants with idolatrous nations serves as a poignant reminder of the dangers of spiritual compromise. These alliances often led to idolatry, moral decay, and ultimately, divine judgment. The biblical narrative underscores the importance of faithfulness to God's covenant and the perils of turning away from His commandments.Isaiah 30:2-5
That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Hosea 12:1
Ephraim feeds on wind, and follows after the east wind: he daily increases lies and desolation; and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

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alleged, that since to ... adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the ...
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Footnotes
... We are much mistaken, however, if on reading that passage and after making some
allowance for an antiquated style, and a certain degree of quaintness, one of ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/footnotes.htm

An Exposition on the First Ten Chapters of Genesis, and Part of ...
... Of the Order of God in Making the World. [THE HEAVEN.]. ... Now if the main fort be not
taken, the adversary is still capable of making continual resistance. ...
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part ii
... If separate individuals and nations lived in accordance ... and correct ourselves, will
be condemned for having ... and deadening our soul, and making it incapable of ...
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