Oct 26, 2018
By Rev. Dale E. Rood
We could learn a lot from crayons.
Some are sharp, some are pretty, and some are dull.
Some have weird names, and all are different colors,
but they all have to live in the same box.
Covenant is something we hear about but I’m not sure it is well understood. It is often compared to a contract in which two or more parties develop and identify a relationship by which to accomplish certain purposes. Covenant, however, is more than that, as it has, shall I call it, a sacred dimension that establishes a relationship with strong consequences if it is broken. It was used to establish rules of behavior by which trust and predictability could be introduced into social and political relationships such as a ruler with his people or the people with each other. Biblically, covenant was the means by which the relationships and responsibilities of the people of God could be regulated with God and with each other.
Historically, there were two basic types of covenantal relationships. Suzerainty identified a relationship of a king or lord to his vassals. It was a superior to an inferior relationship. The second type was parity, which established a relationship between two equals. When you look at the Ten Commandments, you will see both these covenantal dimensions there. The first three commands are of God to His people, a superior to an inferior. The last six are of the people to each other, a relationship of parity. The fourth commandment, which is the Sabbath commandment, is a transitional part of this covenant.
Covenants were also divided between conditional and unconditional covenants. Promises in scripture generally are examples of unconditional covenants that God makes with His people. Viewing promises as covenants, there are hundreds of covenants in the Bible. Conditional covenants have the dimension of “if‒then” in them. The Ten Commandments are a prime example of a conditional covenant.
There are eight covenants that stand out, each defining more clearly God’s relationship with His people and His purposes for them. Those eight covenants are:
1. the Edenic Covenant (Genesis 2:15-17),
2. the Adamic Covenant (Genesis 3:15),
3. the Noahic Covenant (Genesis 9:9-16),
4. the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:2-3),
5. the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 19:5),
6. the Palestinian Covenant (Deuteronomy 30:3-6),
7. the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:16), and
8. the New Covenant (Galatians 3:23-29,
Hebrews 8:6-11)
Of these, some are unconditional and some are conditional. My purpose here is to examine these eight covenants and how each has identified more clearly God’s purposes and expectations for His people as time progressed. We will also explore which are conditional and which are unconditional.
The Edenic Covenant is the very first covenant in scripture. It is between God and Adam and Eve, and determines the boundaries of their relationship with God and their responsibilities in the Garden of Eden. This is a conditional covenant as it requires a response from mankind. There are two parts of this covenant. 1) They are to “tend and keep” the Garden (vs. 15) and 2) they are to abstain from eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. (Notice there is no exclusion from eating from the Tree of Life. That exclusion comes later.) It would seem that this covenant would have been the only covenant necessary if it had not been violated. We are familiar with the Bible story about how Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden and thus from the Tree of Life because they failed to keep this one simple agreement: not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. This is really the story of all of us, with Adam being representative of all mankind. Adam in Hebrew literally means “mankind.”
From this point on, God’s purpose with His creation is to restore the lost relationship destroyed by the failure to keep the Edenic Covenant. Each succeeding covenant from now on further defines the boundaries within which God’s restoration process will function.
The second covenant, the first after the fall, is the Adamic Covenant, which is an unconditional covenant. It is found in Genesis 3:15 where God speaks to Satan, represented by the serpent, saying there will be enmity between the Seed of the Woman and Satan, and that “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” This covenant delineates that the restoration God is working will come through human kind, the seed of the woman, and not through heavenly intervention. This is behind Jesus’ refusal to call “more than twelve legions of angels” to rescue Him. (Matthew 26:53). How did God do this? He did it by Himself becoming human in the person of Jesus Christ.
The third is the Noahic Covenant, the covenant made to Noah, all his descendants, and all creation following the flood, signified by the rainbow. It is found in Genesis 9:8-17 and is an unconditional covenant. In this covenant God reveals His true character, that of mercy and not judgment. The flood that destroyed all of life on land except for that which was with Noah on the Ark was not characteristic of God. God’s heart is not for the torment and destruction of mankind. He will never again destroy all mankind or life with a flood. Whatever total destruction that happens in the future will not be at the hand of God but will be because mankind and all creation never came in out of the realm of darkness and into God’s light. See John 3:18-19.
The fourth covenant is the Abrahamic Covenant and is found in Genesis 12:2-3 and Genesis 15:5. It is made to Abraham, the father of all Israel, and is an unconditional covenant, though it is based on Abraham’s character and faith (Genesis 15:6, 18:19). This covenant establishes Israel, determines that the path of God’s redemption will be through Abraham’s descendants, eventually blessing all mankind. (Genesis 12:3)
The Mosaic Covenant is the fifth covenant established with Moses and the people of Israel, freshly come out of Egypt, in Exodus 19:5-6. This is a conditional covenant with conditions identified primarily by the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17. By this covenant sin is defined. Remember the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Edenic Covenant? This covenant formally defines what is good and what is evil (notice Romans 7:7) and offers consequences when not obeyed. It was not necessary to define sin under the Edenic Covenant, but this became necessary when mankind thought to obtain godhood (Genesis 3:5) and understand for himself what is good and evil.
The sixth covenant is the so-called Palestinian Covenant found in Deuteronomy 30:1-10 and Joshua 1:6-9. This is a conditional covenant with the people of Israel promising success and restoration when the precepts of this covenant are maintained or renewed. Notice the emphasis on the condition of the heart in this covenant. God’s concern here is not so much on the jots and tittles of the law as upon the condition of the heart. We are focusing more narrowly on the purposes and heart of God for His people and their restoration. God’s restoration is not here yet, but the promise of restoration from sin and the means by which it will take place is becoming clearer.
The seventh covenant is the Davidic Covenant, found in 2 Samuel 7:8-16 with a focus on verse 16. This is an unconditional covenant though, like Abraham, it was based on David’s faith and character. This covenant is between God and David and David’s family line. Israel is still the people of God, but the trail of restoration and salvation is more narrowly defined. God’s salvation will come through David’s family line. The people of Jesus’ day were well aware of this and were looking for somebody from David’s family line who would come and redeem Israel. Notice the many references the people made to Jesus as the Son of David. (Matthew 21:9, Mark 10:48, etc.)
Finally we come to the New Covenant, the eighth and final covenant of God with His people. In this covenant God’s purposes for salvation and restoration of His people are narrowed to One Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 1:1-4, 8:6-12, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Galatians 3:23-29) This is a conditional covenant and the condition is that one must believe. In John 6:29, 14:1, and many more, God’s plan of salvation and restoration is now fully revealed, and the People of God is now expanded to all who believe, whether they be Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free, etc. Understanding of the New Covenant is made clearer by all the previous covenants that have been made. The Kingdom of God is breaking in. (Matthew 4:17)
Do you see the progression of the purposes of God through history, and how the day is sure when the Edenic Covenant or its equivalent will be restored? When Jesus uttered the words, “It is finished!” from the cross, this is what He meant. It hasn’t happened yet, but everything is in place to bring it about. It is a matter now of waiting, looking for the Kingdom of God already in our midst, and anticipating its fullness when Jesus Christ comes again.