Covenants in the Bible are binding relational agreements between God and man, and also between man and man. A covenant between God and humanity is designed to preserve and fulfill God’s redemptive plan. Simply put, it is an agreement to do or not to do a particular thing, a pact or binding agreement between two or more parties. It is a promise with conditions attached.
The first major covenant in the Bible is the Noahic covenant , the covenant between God and Noah after the flood. Though some believe there was an Adamic covenant, especially the prophecy that the seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent and the serpent shall bruise His heel, that covenant is not as clearly structured because some formal terms are not stated explicitly.
In Genesis 6:18, we see God declaring that He would establish His covenant with Noah before the flood. In Genesis 7:5, the Bible records that Noah did according to all that God commanded him. Based on God’s covenant promise to Noah, the Bible says that God remembered Noah and every living thing in the ark, and He made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided (Genesis 8:1).
In Genesis 8:20, Noah offered a sacrifice, and the covenant was extended to all humanity. That covenant is still in existence today, and the token of the covenant was given by God , the rainbow (Genesis 9:12–17).
Let us now look at the elements of a covenant:
1. Cutting — signifying life and death.
2. Conditional or unconditional terms.
3. Structure — promises (terms or laws), blood, and a sign.
In the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 17), we see the terms clearly:
1. The cutting of the covenant through the sacrifice of animals.
2. The token of the covenant, circumcision of every male child on the eighth day.
3. The structure of the promises found in verses 6–10:
> “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 in 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 wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
> And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
> This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every male child among you shall be circumcised.”
There is also the Mosaic covenant, which God entered into with the children of Israel after they left Egypt under the leadership of Moses.
There is the Davidic covenant between God and David and his descendants. (God does enter into covenants with individuals.) This covenant culminated in our Savior Jesus Christ coming from the lineage of David.
Then we have the Messianic covenant, which brings us, the Gentiles, into the promise, being grafted into the Abrahamic covenant. We are the seed of Abraham by virtue of our relationship with Christ Jesus. This is described as the New Covenant.
This New Covenant is:
* A grace-based relationship between God and man established by the shed blood of Jesus.
* If you agree with its terms, God’s law is written in your heart, unlike the laws written on tablets of stone in the Mosaic covenant.
* Full forgiveness of sins.
* The indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
* Mediated by Jesus Christ and enacted through His death and resurrection.
* An internal transformation —God writes His laws in the heart and mind for true obedience through a transformed life.
* Complete and permanent forgiveness through the shed blood of Jesus, unlike the continual animal sacrifices of the Mosaic covenant.
(See Jeremiah 31:31; Hebrews 8:8–13; Hebrews 12:24; Acts 2:1.)
As sweet and beautiful as God’s covenant with man is, people still go against His covenant and are disciplined, not because God is wicked, but because covenant terms and conditions have been violated. There are always repercussions. However, our God is merciful. We see Him intervening again and again when people realize their wrongdoing and turn back to Him.
He said in 2 Chronicles 7:14:
> “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Know this, beloved: just as God takes His covenant with humanity seriously, He also takes seriously the covenants man makes with man. This demands our attention.
Have you entered into an agreement with another person? Then you must diligently keep your part of the agreement. Better still, think carefully before entering into any agreement at all. Do not blindly enter into business partnerships, marriage covenants, or other binding commitments if you are not prepared to keep your part.
Do not say it does not matter. As a child of God, there is no major decision you should enter into without seeking His face and confirming that He is leading you. If you have even the smallest doubt, return to Him until you receive clarity. If you do not have His clear direction, do not proceed.
Read 2 Samuel 21:1–14. What a sobering story. The children of Israel disobeyed God’s command to wipe out the Amorites completely. Instead, they made a covenant with the Gibeonites and promised to spare them. Later, when Saul became king, he killed some of them in his zeal to gain favor with his people.
Did the Gibeonites cause the three years of famine during David’s reign? Yes. Did they withhold the rain? No. Who gives rain in its season? God. After the demands of justice were met, verse 14 says that God answered prayer on behalf of the land.
Notice also that David spared Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, because of the covenant he had made with Jonathan (verse 7). That covenant between David and Jonathan was described as the LORD’s oath, a covenant between two people.
Do not blindly enter into agreements. It is dangerous if you fail to fulfill your part. See what happened to Saul’s descendants; even innocent individuals suffered. Even Michal, Saul’s daughter, lost her sons. God is Judge, and His judgment is always right.
BEWARE.
It is well.