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Chapter 7
Eight Covenants

For a complete study on Biblical Covenants go to www.john2116.com , click on “Teaching Articles” on right of screen and then download “ACTS Covenants; God’s Plan Revealed”

In terms of Biblical history, the first 17 books of the Bible are the most important; the 5 books of the Torah (Law, Pentateuch) and the following 12 historical books (Joshua – Esther).

One way of gaining insight into God’s plan of redemption is to view the Bible as a series of    unfolding promises by God. When God makes promises He never fails to keep them. As recipients of those promises we often fail to keep our end of the promise. When God enters in to a promise to mankind it is called a Covenant.

1. THE EDENIC COVENANT

God made the first covenant with Adam in the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve had sinned. This period before the “fall of man” is often called the Age of Innocence because Adam and Eve knew no evil.

THE COVENANT

The Edenic covenant is found in Genesis 2:15-17; God said, “You shall not eat.” With that command was the immediate ability for Adam to choose: he could either obey or disobey God.

COVENANT HEADS

God made the covenant with Adam; therefore, both God and Adam were the covenant heads. However, everyone joining Adam’s family or future clan would also be subject to the terms of the covenant. This means that the entire human race was represented by Adam, the first man, in this covenant.

TERMS OF THE COVENANT

The covenant in the Garden of Eden is the first “universal covenant,” meaning it pertains to all mankind. In it, Adam is charged with three responsibilities, two general and one specific:

  1. General: To be fruitful and multiply (produce children) and to subdue (manage) the earth and have dominion (rule) over all the living things (Gen 1:28).
  2. General: To maintain and care for the Garden of Eden and enjoy its fruit (Gen 1:29; 2:15).
  3. Specific: To not eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, under penalty of death (Gen 2:16,17).

2.   THE ADAMIC COVENANT

The second covenant that God made with man was with Adam and Eve. This time, Adam and Eve were in a different spiritual condition than at the time of the first covenant. They were no longer innocent because they had sinned and their eyes were opened to the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 3:7).

Adam and Eve could discern good and evil. Since they were able to make clear choices, this period of time is often referred to as the Age of Conscience. The second covenant God made is found in Genesis 3:14-21.

COVENANT HEADS The Adamic Covenant was between God and Adam and Eve.

TERMS OF THE ADAMIC COVENANT

  1. The Serpent is cursed (Gen 3:15)
    • The curse affects not only the serpent, but also the evil force behind the serpent, Satan.
    • Satan is Though he will have some power and success, it will be for a limited time. “You shall bruise His heel” prophecies that Satan will seem to have victory over Jesus the Messiah as He hangs upon the Cross with His weight upon His heel. But ultimately, Satan will be judged by Christ and trampled at the Cross: “He shall bruise your head” (see 1Corinthians 2:7,8). In a broader sense, the human race will one day completely triumph over the evil one (Rom 16:20).
  2. A Savior is promised (Gen 3:15)

The first prophecy in the Bible of the coming of a Savior or Messiah is given in the reference to a Seed.

3. The woman comes under God’s general curse (Gen 3:16)

  • There will be pain in
  • The woman will desire the lost joint-rulership with her
  1. The man comes under God’s general curse (Gen 3:17-19)
    • The ground is cursed and will bring forth weeds among man’s
    • The man’s role is changed, damaged, crippled; his work will be filled with sweat, challenge and futility, and will end in
  2. Due to sin, all of mankind dies spiritually and ultimately will die His flesh will decay until it returns to the dust from which it originally came (Gen 3:19; Rom 5:12- 21).

3. THE NOAHIC COVENANT

The third covenant is the Noahic Covenant. God made this covenant with Noah and his descendants just after the Great Flood. Noah and his family were the only survivors of the flood. Biblical scholars refer to this period of time as the Age of Human Government. We read in the Scriptures of God’s displeasure and sorrow at the violence and sin that had spread throughout the earth during the time of the Adamic Covenant (Genesis 6:11-13).

THE COVENANT The covenant is found in Genesis 9:1-17.

THE COVENANT HEADS The covenant heads of the Noahic Covenant are God and Noah.

THE TERMS OF THE COVENANT

  1. The responsibility to populate the earth is restated (Gen 9:1; Gen 1:28).
  2. Man having dominion over the animal kingdom is restated (v2; Gen 1:28).
  3. Up to this point, man had been Man is now permitted to eat the flesh of animals, though not the meat with blood in it (vs3,4). God established the shedding of blood as a substitutionary sacrifice for man’s sin. Therefore, blood belongs to God; man is not to partake of blood (Lev 17:11).
  4. All human life is Any man or animal that sheds a man’s blood must be put to death (vs5,6). The judgment upon sin is ultimately death; this is affirmed by the Edenic, Adamic and Noahic Covenants.
  5. God confirms the covenant with Noah, with all mankind, and with every living creature on the face of the earth (vs 9,10).
  6. God promises to never again destroy the earth by a universal flood (v11). The next time God destroys the earth, it will be with fire (2Pet 3:10).
  7. The rainbow is given as God’s testimony to the existence of this covenant and His promise to never again destroy the earth by The rainbow reminds us that the Noahic Covenant remains in effect (vs12-17).

4.  THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT

The Abrahamic Covenant is the fourth in a series of covenants in Scripture that demonstrate mankind’s need for a Savior.

Promise

Through the promises God made to Abraham, the beginnings of a nation were instituted – Israel, God’s chosen people, and through Abraham, all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen 11:10-22; 12:1-3).

God promises to use the people of Israel as an example of the kind of relationship He desires in a people He can call His own. “I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people” (Lev 26:12). This is why this time period is often called The Age of Promise.

COVENANT INITIATED

The Abrahamic Covenant is initiated in Genesis 12:1-3. It is an unconditional covenant, which means it will be fulfilled solely by God. It is a covenant of grace that is not dependent on man’s behavior. It depends solely upon God Who promises to fulfill the blessings.

The Abrahamic covenant was first given in simple, general terms (Gen 12:1-3). It was later confirmed to Abraham in greater detail (Gen 13:14-17; 15:1-7, 18-21; 17:1-8).

COVENANT HEADS The Covenant is made between God and Abraham.

TERMS OF THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT

God adds something new to the covenant with Abraham. It is the first of the theocratic covenants. The word “theocratic” or “theocracy” means that God is the supreme ruler of the government. God is looking for a people to call His own. Because He is a Sovereign King, His will is to rule and reign over His people.

The Abrahamic Covenant is the foundation of all future theocratic covenants. It provides for blessings in three general areas:

  1. National – “I will make you a great nation” (Gen 12:2)
  2. Personal – “I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing” (v2)
  3. Universal – “In you all families of the earth shall be blessed” (v3)

God seals His covenant with Abraham by the splitting of animals. He then indicates that the

sign of the covenant will be circumcision (Gen 15:9-21; 17:10,11).

5. THE MOSAIC COVENANT

The fifth major covenant we will study is the Covenant of the Law or the Mosaic Covenant. It was made between God and the people of Israel through Moses. The requirements and blessings for the Mosaic covenant are found in Exodus 19:5-8.

There is a period of time that began at the giving of the Law to Moses and ended at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the Cross. It is known by theologians as the Age of the Law. During this time, there were three covenants instituted by God. They are the Mosaic Covenant, the Palestinian Covenant and the Davidic Covenant.

The Mosaic Covenant is probably the best known because it relates to the Law. A large part of the Bible is about the Law. Fully 38 of the 39 Old Testament books in some way involve the Law or the Mosaic Covenant.

The word law (or laws) appears 460 times in the Bible. When God gave the Law to Israel, He was communicating to them the kind of behavior – personal, societal and national – that would both please Him and most benefit the people. But they would need to be willing to embrace and live by His Law.

THE COVENANT HEADS

The Mosaic Covenant heads were God and Moses. Moses was acting on behalf of the people of Israel.

SURVEY OF THE MOSAIC COVENANT

The covenant with Moses is the second of the theocratic covenants (the first is the Abrahamic Covenant). The Mosaic Covenant is conditional because of the following language: if you will indeed obey My Voice… then you shall be a special treasure” (Ex 19:5). If the people would do their part, then God would do His part. From the time of Creation to this point in history, the overwhelming human challenge continued to be obedience to God from the heart.

The Mosaic Covenant was given to the nation of Israel. It was given so that those who believed in the promise to Abraham through the Abrahamic Covenant would know how to conduct their lives – both toward one another and toward God.

The Mosaic Covenant governs the lives of God’s chosen people in relation to Him, His people and His Tabernacle. Some of the provisions include:

  1. God’s Special Possession: To make the children of Israel His special possession among all people if they would obey God and keep His covenant (Ex 19:5).
  2. A Kingdom of Priests: To make the children of Israel a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex 19:6). The Ten Commandments: As part of the terms of this covenant, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:1-17). These commandments are explained in detail in the remainder of the Pentateuch (Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). The Ten Commandments were to govern their personal lives, mainly in relationship to God and to one
  3. The Judgments: To govern their social lives, particularly as they related to one another (Ex 21:1–24:11).
  4. The Ordinances: To govern their religious lives so that the people would know how to approach God in a way that would please Him (Ex 24:12–31:18).
  5. The Sabbath: To give the children of Israel the Sabbath as the permanent sign of this covenant (Ex 31:12-17).

6. THE PALESTINIAN COVENANT

The next covenant is the Palestinian Covenant. It concerns the promised land of Palestine.

The Palestinian Covenant is about the “land” that God had promised the people of Israel through the Abrahamic Covenant. This is not to be confused with the present-day Palestinian people.

The actual Palestinian Covenant language is found in Deuteronomy 29:10-15 and 30:11-20. This covenant took place during the Age of the Law, and was given    40 years after the Mosaic Covenant.

THE COVENANT HEADS The Palestinian Covenant is made between God and Moses on behalf of the people.

A Land of Milk and Honey

The Promised Land was a land “flowing with milk and honey.” The expression “milk and honey” in Hebrew culture meant that the land was filled with fields for raising cattle (milk from the cattle) and was good for farming (honeybees are essential to farming).

Unbelievers Die in the Wilderness

The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years until the old generation passed away and a new generation came into being. After 40 years of wandering, the Israelites were still in the same place where they had begun, but with a new leader, Joshua. Moses was still used by God to re- affirm His plan and purpose.

7. THE DAVIDIC COVENANT

The Palestinian Covenant concerned the land (Promised Land). The Davidic Covenant

relates to the “Seed” or lineage prophesied in the Adamic Covenant (Gen 3:15; Rom 1:3).

The Davidic covenant takes place during the Age of the Law (that was ushered in by the Mosaic Covenant). The Davidic covenant was made about 500 years after the Mosaic Covenant, and reaffirmed the lineage of the “Seed.”

THE COVENANT HEADS The Davidic Covenant was between God and King David, delivered through the prophet Nathan.

THE COVENANT

The actual language of the Davidic Covenant is found in 2Samuel 7:4-17. Important key words are found in this passage. Many interpret the key words found in the covenant in the following way:

  1. House: refers to a family line or dynasty (v11).
  2. Kingdom: refers to a realm of political power and to a people who are governed by a king (v12).
  3. Throne: refers to the authority of the king’s rule (v13).
  4. Forever: refers to the eternal and unconditional nature of this promise to David and Israel (v13).

8.   THE NEW COVENANT (Foretold in Jeremiah 31:31-34)

The New Covenant is called “new” in contrast to the “old covenant” with Moses (Jer 31:32; Heb 8:6-13). The new replaces the old because the old Mosaic Covenant was limited. It could only point to the things that the New Covenant actually fulfilled: The child of God could live a victorious life consistent with the righteous commands and character of God.

The New Covenant fulfilled (consummated, completed) all previous covenant revelations. But it also established something infinitely greater. Thus, it exceeded all previous covenants.

All that was promised by God – all that had been revealed in the previous covenants by

prophetic foretype – was now completed and embodied in the Person of Jesus Christ.

There was much that the prior covenants could not do, or were inadequate to perform. The prior covenants could not:

  • Change man’s heart and
  • Open a way of salvation as a free gift to all
  • Give every recipient of God’s salvation the power, ability and gifting that would enable them to lovingly obey God, be transformed from within and live

All that could not be accomplished by the prior covenants is now fully realized in the New Covenant. It is all available through Jesus Christ and the person of the Holy Spirit now living within every believer!