--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The relationship between God and his…" description: "\"The relationship between God and his people was always the one having absolute primacy, the one that had basically to determine all human relationships..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/david-novak-10709_absolute_the-relationship-between-god-and-his-peo_2243225.jpg" --- # The relationship between God and his people was always the… ![“The relationship between God and his people was always the one having absolute primacy, the one that had basically to determine all human relationships, whether those within the covenanted community itself or those between the covenanted community and the outside world.” quote by David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/david-novak-10709_absolute_the-relationship-between-god-and-his-peo_2243225.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/david-novak-10709_absolute_the-relationship-between-god-and-his-peo_2243225.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/david-novak-10709_absolute_the-relationship-between-god-and-his-peo_2243225.jpg) > “The relationship between God and his people was always the one having absolute primacy, the one that had basically to determine all human relationships, whether those within the covenanted community itself or those between the covenanted community and the outside world.” [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Divine authority historically shaped social hierarchies, influencing how communities define relationships within and outside their covenant. **In simple terms:** God’s primacy historically ordered human relations. Key Takeaway Recognize how belief systems shape social structures. Themes religion authority community Mood analytical thoughtful Type philosophical theological When to use this quote - church governance - interfaith dialogue - civic policy Key Concepts theology sociology Questions to Reflect On - How do modern laws reflect or reject religious authority? - What role should faith play in public life? A Different Perspective Secular societies may reject divine primacy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absolute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolute/) [Absolute Primacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolute-primacy-3507527/) [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Basically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basically/) [Between](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/between/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Determine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determine/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having/) [His](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/his/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-relationship/) [Human relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-relationships/) [Itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/itself/) [Outside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outside/) [Outside world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outside-world/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Primacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primacy/) [Primacy Basically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primacy-basically-5094525/) [Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship/) [Relationship God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship-god-331545/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) [Relationships Covenanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships-covenanted-5094526/) [Those](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/those/) [Whether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whether/) [Within](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/within/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“When you look at what C.S. Lewis is saying, his message is so anti-life, so cruel, so unjust. The view that the Narnia books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/when-you-look-at-what-c-s-lewis-is-saying-his-message-is-so-anti-life/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [I've lived in a preindustrial (rural Argentina) as well as an industrial world. You experience a different sense of time in a community that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shoshana-zuboff/i-ve-lived-in-a-preindustrial-rural-argentina-as-well-as-an/) [Shoshana Zuboff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shoshana-zuboff/) > [In your relationship with God there are also times when you want to say things and you're trying to find the words to express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicky-gumbel/in-your-relationship-with-god-there-are-also-times-when-you-want-to/) [Nicky Gumbel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicky-gumbel/) > [“At the heart of Christian theology there lies a personal relationship with God. Like all personal relationships, it is based on a degree of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-l-bray/at-the-heart-of-christian-theology-there-lies-a-personal-relationship/) [Gerald L. Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-l-bray/) > [The relationship we have with God is not the same over a life; sometimes, as with human relationships, it goes through bad patches and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/the-relationship-we-have-with-god-is-not-the-same-over-a-life/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [I really, deeply believe in the primacy of character. I believe that my job as a writer is to put a believable human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayana-mathis/i-really-deeply-believe-in-the-primacy-of-character-i-believe-that-my/) [Ayana Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayana-mathis/) > [Saving time, it seems, has a primacy that's too rarely examined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/saving-time-it-seems-has-a-primacy-that-s-too-rarely-examined/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [Our present urgency is to recover a sense of the primacy of the Universe as our fundamental context, and the primacy of the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/our-present-urgency-is-to-recover-a-sense-of-the-primacy-of-the/) [Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/) > [For with primacy in power is also joined an awe inspiring accountability to the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/for-with-primacy-in-power-is-also-joined-an-awe-inspiring/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [It is also painful to see that the struggle against hunger and malnutrition is hindered by market priorities, the primacy of profit, which have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/it-is-also-painful-to-see-that-the-struggle-against-hunger-and/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [To believe that the intolerable crime is to burn a few cars and rob some shops, whereas to kill a young man is trivial,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-badiou/to-believe-that-the-intolerable-crime-is-to-burn-a-few-cars-and-rob/) [Alain Badiou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-badiou/) > [The tow pillars of democratic government are the primacy of the law and the budget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-tow-pillars-of-democratic-government-are-the-primacy-of-the-law/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [An important tradition within westren philosophy believes in the primacy of natural science as a guide to truth. This is sometimes met with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-c-smart/an-important-tradition-within-westren-philosophy-believes-in-the/) [J. J. C. Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-c-smart/) > [All the best have something in common, a regard for reality, an agreement to its primacy over the imagination. Even the richest, most surprising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wislawa-szymborska/all-the-best-have-something-in-common-a-regard-for-reality-an/) [Wislawa Szymborska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wislawa-szymborska/) > [People from all over the world came to America and assimilated into a single culture rooted in the founding, which is rooted in individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/people-from-all-over-the-world-came-to-america-and-assimilated-into-a/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) ## More by David Novak > [A traditional rabbi is the man to whom the community and its members turn to rule on what Jewish law requires of them, particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/a-traditional-rabbi-is-the-man-to-whom-the-community-and-its-members/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) > [Historically, Jews only accept converts rather than actively seeking them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/historically-jews-only-accept-converts-rather-than-actively-seeking/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) > [As a traditional Jew, I have benefited personally from the hospitality of Chabad Hasidim on many occasions, and I marvel at how many Jews…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/as-a-traditional-jew-i-have-benefited-personally-from-the-hospitality/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) > [Roots can live without branches, although truncated; branches cannot live without roots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/roots-can-live-without-branches-although-truncated-branches-cannot/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) > [In deciding among theological views, one should be something of a consequentialist: the choice of one theological position over another should be, if not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/in-deciding-among-theological-views-one-should-be-something-of-a/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) > [At the political level, most Jews and most Catholics have accepted the liberal idea of religious freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/at-the-political-level-most-jews-and-most-catholics-have-accepted-the/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) > [Jewish status is defined by the divine election of Israel and his descendants. One does not become a Jew by one's own volition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/jewish-status-is-defined-by-the-divine-election-of-israel-and-his/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) > [Although most Christian churches advocate some sort of mission to non-Christians, no Jewish group advocates a mission to non-Jews. Proselytization seems to be foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/although-most-christian-churches-advocate-some-sort-of-mission-to-non/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) > [The community in which one hears the voice of God structures how one hears that voice and interprets what it says.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/the-community-in-which-one-hears-the-voice-of-god-structures-how-one/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) > [Religious traditions are in a constant state of development and renewed self-understanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/religious-traditions-are-in-a-constant-state-of-development-and/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) > [In historical messianism, the reign of the Messiah is brought about by a Jewish ruler powerful enough to gather the Jewish exiles back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/in-historical-messianism-the-reign-of-the-messiah-is-brought-about-by/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) > [The Holocaust, taken by itself, is a black hole. To look at it directly is to be swallowed up by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/the-holocaust-taken-by-itself-is-a-black-hole-to-look-at-it-directly/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) > [In a very real sense, Jews have to believe that Christians have missed the point about how to wait for the end, and Christians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/in-a-very-real-sense-jews-have-to-believe-that-christians-have-missed/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) > [The religious doctrine of traditional Judaism entails the acceptance of the nationhood of the Jewish people and the everlasting sanctity of the Land of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/the-religious-doctrine-of-traditional-judaism-entails-the-acceptance/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) > [The one and only time I met Pope Benedict XVI was when he was Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/the-one-and-only-time-i-met-pope-benedict-xvi-was-when-he-was-joseph/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) [Explore all 64 David Novak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) ## More Absolute quotes > [“In the worldly life, due to maadakta (intoxication of the ego of ‘I am Chandubhai’), one has completely lost awareness of everything about one’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/in-the-worldly-life-due-to-maadakta-intoxication-of-the-ego-of-i-am/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [Absolute is a game with only one player where Absolute forgets itself so it would have a reason to fulfill the motion while returning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/absolute-is-a-game-with-only-one-player-where-absolute-forgets-itself/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“The necessity of nothingness does not create anything. The real value and meaning of the Being are not in its necessity but in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/the-necessity-of-nothingness-does-not-create-anything-the-real-value/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/anarchy-is-the-stepping-stone-to-absolute-power/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [I can like something. You can like something. It's not an absolute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-i-am/i-can-like-something-you-can-like-something-it-s-not-an-absolute/) [will.i.am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-i-am/) > [Nothing is absolute. Everything changes, everything moves, everything revolves, everything flies and goes away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frida-kahlo/nothing-is-absolute-everything-changes-everything-moves-everything/) [Frida Kahlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frida-kahlo/) > [I - it's simply not for me to evaluate an independent rating agency's processes. But I will say that there was reason to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-carney/i-it-s-simply-not-for-me-to-evaluate-an-independent-rating-agency-s/) [Jay Carney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-carney/) > [Absolute morality is the regulation of conduct in such a way that pain shall not be inflicted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/absolute-morality-is-the-regulation-of-conduct-in-such-a-way-that/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [What is liberty? There is no such thing as absolute liberty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benito-mussolini/what-is-liberty-there-is-no-such-thing-as-absolute-liberty/) [Benito Mussolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benito-mussolini/) > [Doing the right thing at all costs is an absolute, and only a sith deals in absolutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-filoni/doing-the-right-thing-at-all-costs-is-an-absolute-and-only-a-sith/) [Dave Filoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-filoni/) > [“Energy is the world-born phenomenon, the world that puts itself in motion and flies into space by receiving space into itself. From this point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/energy-is-the-world-born-phenomenon-the-world-that-puts-itself-in/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“As we see it, space is possible only when the primordial Being swallows emptiness. Space is born when the Being accepts emptiness, the Nonbeing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/as-we-see-it-space-is-possible-only-when-the-primordial-being/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [Absolute faith can blind you to the consequences of the actions you allow. It can tell you it's okay to drop bombs on another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/absolute-faith-can-blind-you-to-the-consequences-of-the-actions-you/) [Andrew Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-denton/) > [“Zero is a gateway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/zero-is-a-gateway/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [Absolute perfection is here and now, not in some future, near or far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/absolute-perfection-is-here-and-now-not-in-some-future-near-or-far/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) [Browse all 631 Absolute quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolute/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The relationship between God and his people was always the one having absolute primacy, the one that had basically to determine all human relationships, whether those within the covenanted community itself or those between the covenanted community and the outside world.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Novak" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/the-relationship-between-god-and-his-people-was-always-the-one-having/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Absolute" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/the-relationship-between-god-and-his-people-was-always-the-one-having/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/david-novak-10709_absolute_the-relationship-between-god-and-his-peo_2243225.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/david-novak-10709_absolute_the-relationship-between-god-and-his-peo_2243225.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/david-novak-10709_absolute_the-relationship-between-god-and-his-peo_2243225.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The relationship between God and his people was always the one having absolute primacy, the one that had…” — David Novak", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Novak", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The relationship between God and his...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/the-relationship-between-god-and-his-people-was-always-the-one-having/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/the-relationship-between-god-and-his-people-was-always-the-one-having/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```