Chapter #4 – Understanding Covenants
2Co 11:3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ” (asv)
Anyone familiar with the Scriptures recognizes that the subject of covenants is of critical importance in our understanding of the Scriptures. The subject of God’s authority expressed by covenant is often ignored, taken for granted, or just touched upon indirectly. Yet, when we examine the Scriptures from Genesis through Revelation, we can see that God has chosen to express His relationship with humanity through the means of covenants. This being true, we need to spend time and give diligence examining the various covenants revealed in Scripture. Furthermore, and no less important, we need to understand the various means by which many have been led astray by ignoring, both ignorantly and willfully, the covenants that have been fulfilled and those that are presently binding upon God’s people.
Questions? Is the above statement true? If so, do we need to spend more time studying the Scriptures by covenants? YES. There is not a single person among us who has not heard a sermon or lesson with a “pick and choose” selection of inspired Scriptures, whatever seemed a suitable “proof text” for the point or points the speaker / teacher wanted to make. (A good example is the subject of prayer, that is merchandised by many innocent teachers and exploited by many unscrupulous merchants of religion.)
I. What Is a Covenant?
A covenant is basically a mutual agreement of two or more persons, to do or to not to do some act or thing. A contract can be written or spoken, and most often can be enforceable by existing law. A written deed is recognized by civil authority as a covenant. The consent of a man and a woman to live together in marriage is recognized both in Scripture and in common law as a covenant.
We must make a distinction between covenants between men founded on “mutual agreement,” and the Covenants executed by the Almighty God which are not of “mutual agreement,” but commandments given and blessings or curses promised for obedience or disobedience. God’s covenants with man, after given, are not negotiable. The statements in the Scriptures speaking of God, directly by Him, or his prophets, and today through his Son, are not “mutual agreements.”
Questions? What about vows? Ecc 5:4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
What about promises to pay for work to be done? Work to be done for pay? Written versus spoken agreements? An old time saying stating, “His word was his bond,” is not so honored today. An example of a spoken commitment and a handshake:
“In 1984, Pennzoil made a verbal, yet still binding, contract with the Getty Oil company
to purchase the company. The deal, however, was encroached upon by the Texaco Oil
Company when it instead acquired Getty. In a landmark lawsuit presided over by Judge
Solomon (Sol) Casseb of San Antonio, Pennzoil, represented by a legal team including
Joe Jamail and Baine Kerr, won 10.53 billion dollars from Texaco. (The case was later
settled for three billion.) Pennzoil paid Mr. Jamail 335 million dollars and Mr. Kerr ten
million for the victory.”
What about the vows taken at marriage? A cartoon from the newspaper showed the bride at the altar with her fingers crossed behind her back! On a popular TV show, a marriage was performed and the groom changed “as long as we shall live” to “as long as we are in love.” The bride looked up in astonishment as did the preacher. The groom only laughed. What is a marriage? Who ordained it? Who has the right to legislate concerning it? The “Church?” God? Just a “mutual agreement?”
Technical Meaning of Covenant
In Scripture, the Hebrew word that is translated as "covenant" is berit, and can refer to covenants made between man and God, man with man, the marriage relationship, and other forms of alliances. The term is related to the word for cutting, and this concords with the fact that the act of covenant-making in Hebrew is the idiomatic katab berit, "cut a covenant." Even today we talk of “cutting a deal.”
Covenants among men were dissolved at the consent of both parties, but not the will of just one party. When there is a lack of fulfillment of obligation, the other party has the legal (or moral) right to determine what repercussions will follow. When and if either side no longer desired to be within that covenant, or if one party in the covenant did not fulfill their obligation, the covenant was considered dissolved. The discretion of the one who kept his part of the “bargain” often laid out the terms for dissolution of the contract. This was true from the beginning and continues even today.
Important
We can (and will) look at the covenants in the Old Testament and have a better insight into the nature of God's covenant with His people. It is interesting to see that the Greek language did not have a term that fully expressed the idea of the Hebrew “berit.” The word chosen to translate berit into the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, was diatheke.. In the 'covenants' of God, it was God alone who set the conditions; hence, "covenant" can be used to translate diatheke only when this is kept in mind when translating from Greek to English.
In New Covenant terms, it is important to remember that diatheke can refer either to a will or a testament or to a covenant. As we will see in our examination of covenant in the New Testament, the Hebrew author does well in explaining how diatheke is both the testament of Christ and the covenant in His blood.
Old Testament Covenants
The Garden of Eden
Although the word "Covenant" is not directly used in Genesis 1-3, the idea of covenant is certainly present. God says the following in Genesis 2:15-17:
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
We know from Genesis 3 that once Adam and Eve disobeyed this command, God cast them from the Garden. We can see, therefore, that God and Adam had some form of "Covenant" establishing Adam living in and tending the Garden as long as he does not eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Once Adam and Eve partook of the fruit, the agreement was violated, and God decreed awesome consequences against both parties involved.
The Covenant With Noah
The first Covenant, so called in the Bible, is the one between God and Noah. When God comes to Noah and charges him to build the Ark, He makes the following promise in Genesis 6:18:
But I will establish my Covenant with thee; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.
This promise is fulfilled in Genesis 9:9-17:
"And I, behold, I establish my Covenant with you, and with your seed after you; and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you. Of all that go out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. And I will establish my Covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of the flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth." And God said, "This is the token of the Covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud, and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting Covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth." And God said unto Noah, "This is the token of the Covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth."
Let us note the following characteristics of the Covenant between God and Noah (and the whole earth):
* The covenant is with all creatures on the earth.
* The covenant is unconditional -- it is not dependent on the obedience of anyone.
* The covenant obliges God to never destroy all flesh from the earth by water.
* There is no obligation on the part of man or any other creature (God does issue commands to mankind in Genesis 9:1-7, but obedience to them or lack thereof does not mitigate (modify) this covenant).
* The sign of the covenant is the rainbow.
This is the last covenant in the Old Testament that considers all mankind, not just the descendants of Abraham/Isaac/Jacob.
The Covenant with Abraham
We are introduced to Abram/Abraham in Genesis 12, and we learn that he follows God's charge to him and he travels to Canaan. We learn of the Covenant that God made with Abraham in Genesis 15:18-21 and Genesis 17:1-14:
* In that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.
* And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram,
and said unto him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And
I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly."
* And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, "As for me, behold,
my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations.
Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham;
for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee. And I will make thee
exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee
throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and
to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land
of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will
be their God."
* And God said unto Abraham, "And as for thee, thou shalt keep my covenant, thou,
and thy seed after thee throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which ye
shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee: every male among you shall
be circumcised. And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall
be a token of a covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be
circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he that is born in
the house, or bought with money of any foreigner that is not of thy seed. He that is
born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised:
and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the
uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul
shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant."
Let us examine the various components of this covenant:
The covenant is between God and Abraham and Abraham's descendants (and spiritually, through Jesus Christ, the seed of Abraham, and through whom we as Christians are heirs of the promise to Abraham, Galatians 3:29).
Contrary to the beliefs of many, this covenant is conditional, first on the obedience of Abraham (Genesis 17:1-2), and the continual obedience of his descendants (Genesis 17:9-10).
* The covenant obliges God to make Abraham a father of many nations, to be his and his descendants' God, and to give to Abraham's descendants the land of Canaan.
* The covenant obliges Abraham and his descendants to obey God, specifically through circumcision.
* The sign of the covenant is the circumcision of all males over eight days old.
It must be re-emphasized that the covenant was conditional upon the obedience of those under it, and the disobedience of the Israelites led to the end of their possession of Canaan (cf. 2 Kings 17). This covenant finds its continuation spiritually through Christ Jesus, as noted in Galatians 3. (This will be discussed in a future chapter.)
The Covenant with Israel
The direct, physical realization of the promises of God to Abraham are found in God's Covenant with the Israelites. The Covenant is inaugurated and its contents listed in Exodus 19ff, and the following is said in Exodus 24:7--:
And he took the book of the Covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said,
"All that the LORD hath spoken will we do, and be obedient."
The components of the covenant are as follows:
*The Covenant is between God and the nation of Israel (Exodus 19:1-6).
* The enactment of the promises of God is not conditional, since the promises were those made to faithful Abraham, but the continuation of the Covenant and its blessings are conditioned on the obedience to the law (Exo 20-23, Deu 4).
* The Covenant obliges God to give the land of Canaan to the Israelites, to keep them there, to bless them and shield them from their adversaries, and to be their God and for them to be His people (Exo 19:3-6, Deu 4)
* The Covenant obliges the Israelites to fully obey the guidelines established in the Law of Moses (Exo 20 -- Deu 31).
* The sign of the Covenant, above and beyond circumcision, was the ark of the Covenant (Exodus 35-40).
The Israelites, as we know, did not keep the Covenant, and this led to God giving them over into the hands of their enemies (Judges, 1 Samuel), and finally, exile (2 Ki 17, 2 Chr 36). God renewed His Covenant with the people many times, yet the Covenant is superceded by the new and better Covenant through Christ Jesus (Eph 2:11-18).
The Covenant With David
David says the following in 2 Samuel 23:5 Verily my house is not so with God; Yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant, Ordered in all things, and sure: For it is all my salvation, and all my desire, Although he maketh it not to grow (He will not increase it; give me my desires; etc.).
David exclaims here that God has made a Covenant with him; while no text gives the terms of the Covenant and calls it as much, God's message to Nathan in 2 Samuel 7:8-16 seems to fit the bill:
"Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, 'Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be prince over my people, over Israel; and I have been with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee; and I will make thee a great name, like unto the name of the great ones that are in the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as at the first, and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I will cause thee to rest from all thine enemies. Moreover the LORD telleth thee that the LORD will make thee a house. When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made sure for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.'"
Let us examine the properties of this Covenant:
*The Covenant is between God and David and David's descendants.
* The Covenant was conditioned upon David's obedience; the extent of the promise of physical rule over Israel by the House of David was dependent on the obedience of David's descendants; when Solomon was unfaithful, God responded by removing 10 tribes from his son (cf. 1 Kings 11:9-13), and the House of David lost all political control after Zedekiah (cf. 2 Chronicles 36). The complete fulfillment of the promise is in Jesus Christ, who is the eternal king in the House of David.
* The Covenant obliges God to make a dynasty from David, and to maintain a descendant of David on his throne.
* The Covenant obliges David and his descendants to be obedient to the Law of Moses.
* There is not a sign listed for this Covenant.
While there are many who have difficulties with the idea of having no physical king on David's throne after Zedekiah, it must be remembered again that the physical promise was conditional, and the promise to David finds its fulfillment in Christ Jesus.
The Old Testament is full of other Covenants, generally either re-ratifications of the Covenant between God and Israel or Covenants as agreements between men and between nations. The major Covenants, however, are listed above. One of the significant passages concerning a new day and a new way that was coming is found in Jeremiah 31:31-34:
31 The Lord said: The time will surely come when I will make a new agreement (covenant) with the people of Israel and Judah. 32 It will be different from the agreement (covenant) I made with their ancestors when I led them out of Egypt. Although I was their God, they broke that agreement (covenant). 33 Here is the new agreement (covenant) that I, the Lord, will make with the people of Israel: “I will write my laws on their hearts and minds. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 “No longer will they have to teach one another to obey me. I, the Lord, promise that all of them will obey me, ordinary people and rulers alike. I will forgive their sins and forget the evil things they have done.” (NLT).
Covenant During the Life of Christ
We now enter one of the most controverted portions of Holy Scripture concerning God’s covenants with man. Please be reminded of certain facts:
1. Virtually all of our “Bibles” today are divided into Old Testament and New Testament. There is in most every case a sheet inserted indicating that Matthew begins the “New Testament.” Please be reminded that this sheet was not in any of the original manuscripts, but was inserted by a Roman Catholic printer in the 15th century. (This fact is confirmed by so many of our respected scholars, both in our brotherhood and others, that it is undeniable. Ask for confirmation if interested.)
2. The words “testament” and “covenant” come from the exact same word in Greek. Why translators have chosen to use one in one place and the other in another is unexplainable. Hebrews is the best example of “first one and then the other.” (Ask for detailed information if interested.)
3. Principles of righteousness do not change. From Adam and Eve to you and me today, the principles are the same. God “is,” present tense! (Heb. 11:6) Christ cannot change (13:8); the Holy Spirit cannot change (Eph 4:4); the Word of God cannot change (1Pet 1:23; etc.).
Before we turn to the New Covenant that became authoritative at Pentecost, let us examine the nature of the covenant that was in force during the life of Christ – up to the day of Pentecost.
ENDNOTES: