What Is a Covenant
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What Is a Covenant
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No longer is the law engraved on stone tablets but on the hearts of men. Therefore those continuing to follow the Old Covenant traditions of the Jews are not like the faith and obedience of Abraham.
K. Baltzer, The Covenant Formulary (Philadelphia: 1971); G. E. Mendenhall, “Covenant Forms in Israelite Tradition,” BA 17 (1954): 50–76; repr. E. F. Campbell, Jr., and D. N. Freedman, eds., The Biblical Archaeologist Reader 3 (Garden City: 1970): 25–53; M. Weinfeld, “berîth,” TDOT 2 rev. ed, (1977): 253–279., Myers, A. C. (1987). In The Eerdmans Bible dictionary (pp. 240–242). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
Sermon Notes
Speakers Notes:
M.Kasperson Sermon “What’s a Covenant?” 5/7/16
Good Morning,
A rabbi and a minister decided to buy a new car together. The day after they bought it, the rabbi found the minister driving it. The minister explained that he had just gone to the car wash because, in his religion, it is customary to welcome a new member with the rite of baptism. The next day, the minister discovered the rabbi had turned their car into a convertible.
It seems the Rabbi wanted to be baptized or was hoping many would be converted? Maybe he was tired of the Old Covenant. We hear the term but do we really know what a covenant is?
Today we will explore the practice of the Old Covenant.
In the ancient Near East a covenant between people or peoples many times one more powerful than the other included 5 categories
- The names of the parties involved
- A historical survey of the past relations between the parties
- The stipulations made
- The list of divine witnesses
- The list of blessings if both sides kept the agreement and curses if one, especially the weaker, or both, broke it
An integral part of the blessing is the ritual slaughtering of an animal (splitting the animal in halves) and the pronouncement of the formula: “Just as this beast is cut up, so may I be cut up”. If I break this covenant I will be killed as this animal was.
God often uses human understandings or processes to get His point across. Let’s see this in:
Gen 15:1-21 15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”
4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.”5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
7 Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.”
8 And he said, “Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?”
9 So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. 18 On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying:
“To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— 19 the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
Now let’s see the 5 Major Biblical Covenants did not all required an animal be cut. But it does give true meaning to the phrase “Let’s cut a covenant”
Lets notice a common theme through these covenants which separate them and really make two distinct types of covenants
First, there is the Physical Covenant promising physical blessings for obedience but lacking the promise of eternal life. The laws as they were presented expected a physical and even rebellious response. The Laws of Moses, presented to Israel constitute a total package of laws designed for a carnal, physical people in service of God. So an entire system of sacrifices and persons to administer them was set up. Sin would be a present reality in the nation of Israel and access to God would be limited. A tabernacle was needed to separate the mostly sinful people from the holiness of God. He wanted a relationship with Israel but because of their sin he had to keep them at arm’s length to not contaminate that privileged relation with God.
You will see this especially in His covenant with Israel, not so much in the other ones except again they promised physical blessings. You will see this as we review each covenant.
Second, there is the Spiritual Covenant which
Abrahamic
Gen 17:1-14 17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
Noahatic
Gen 9:8-17 8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 9 “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants[a]after you, 10 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, every beast of the earth. 11 Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12 And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; 15 and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
Mosaic (Old Covenant)
Exodus 19:3-6 3 And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
Jer 34:8-22 Treacherous Treatment of Slaves
8 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem to proclaim liberty to them: 9 that every man should set free his male and female slave—a Hebrew man or woman—that no one should keep a Jewish brother in bondage. 10 Now when all the princes and all the people, who had entered into the covenant, heard that everyone should set free his male and female slaves, that no one should keep them in bondage anymore, they obeyed and let them go. 11 But afterward they changed their minds and made the male and female slaves return, whom they had set free, and brought them into subjection as male and female slaves.
12 Therefore the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,13 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying, 14 “At the end of seven years let every man set free his Hebrew brother, who has been sold to him; and when he has served you six years, you shall let him go free from you.” But your fathers did not obey Me nor incline their ear. 15 Then you recently turned and did what was right in My sight—every man proclaiming liberty to his neighbor; and you made a covenant before Me in the house which is called by My name. 16 Then you turned around and profaned My name, and every one of you brought back his male and female slaves, whom you had set at liberty, at their pleasure, and brought them back into subjection, to be your male and female slaves.’
So here is an example of breaking a covenant, and the rebellious nature humans have under the Old Covenant.
God gave Israel the "7 year free the slave" rule which states that a slave shall serve 7 years then you shall free them of their obligation.
Exodus 21:2-11 2 If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh, he shall go out free and pay nothing. 3 If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him.4 If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. 5 But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.
7 “And if a man sells his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. 8 If she does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her. 9 And if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. 10 If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marriage rights. 11 And if he does not do these three for her, then she shall go out free, without payingmoney.
So the Consequence of breaking God’s Covenant
17 “Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and every one to his neighbor. Behold, I proclaim liberty to you,’ says the Lord—‘to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine! And I will deliver you to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 And I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between the parts of it— 19 the princes of Judah, the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf— 20 I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life. Their dead bodies shall be for meat for the birds of the heaven and the beasts of the earth. 21 And I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army which has gone back from you. 22 Behold, I will command,’ says the Lord, ‘and cause them to return to this city. They will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.’”
Davidic
David United the 12 Tribes from around 1000-961 BCE made Jerusalem it’s capital had many successful military campaigns and ushered in a “Golden Age” for the Israelite peoples
1Kings 8:1717 Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple[a] for the name of the Lord God of Israel.
2 Sam 7:1313 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
This refers to the Future Reign of David (in the Kingdom of God) – The better covenant with Jesus and then the Kingdom – will refer to more later
Ezek 34:1-25
4 4 The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered.
20 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. 21 Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, 22 therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.
25 “I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.
Ezek 37:26 26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore.
Isa 55:3 Incline your ear, and come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—
The sure mercies of David.
Jesus Christ (New Covenant)
We are all very familiar with the New Covenant except maybe the connections between the new and old
Deut 5:29 29 Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!
Deut 6:6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart
Deut 10:16 16 Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer.
Deut 10:12-13 12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?
Notice the exclusion of the regimental laws
1Sam 15:22-23“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
Psalm 40:6-8 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8 I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.”
Micah 6:6-8 With what shall I come before the Lord,
And bow myself before the High God?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
With calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
Ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
Jer 31:31-34 1 “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them,[a] says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
It does not say the law will be abolished
Matt 5:17-19 17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
No longer is the law engraved on STONE TABLETS but on the HEARTS OF MEN
Therefore those continuing to follow the old covenant traditions of the Jews are not like the faith and obedience of Abraham
Matt 21:40-43 43 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”
41 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?[a]
43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.
Jesus Christ is the Kingdom OF God that is coming and we are called to be the firstfruits of this Kingdom to come.
Matt 26:28 28 For this is My blood of the new[a] covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
1Cor 11:2525 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
Jer 31:31-34 31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them,[a] says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Jer 32:37-40 37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. 38 They shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39 then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them.40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.
Ezek 37:25-27 25 Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever. 26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27 My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
We are preparing ourselves for this Kingdom of Peace, It is coming, we just have to endure the beast and the tribulation through with Gods protection until the end.
Jos 24:1-13 The Covenant at Shechem
24 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River[a] in old times; and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac. 4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 Also I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to what I did among them. Afterward I brought you out.
6 ‘Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 So they cried out to the Lord; and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, brought the sea upon them, and covered them. And your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you dwelt in the wilderness a long time.8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, and they fought with you. But I gave them into your hand, that you might possess their land, and I destroyed them from before you. 9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose to make war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.10 But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand. 11 Then you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you—also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand. 12 I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow. 13 I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’
Covenant. †An agreement between two or more parties outlining mutual rights and responsibilities.
I. Near Eastern Covenants
In order to promote greater cohesion among members of a clan, a tribe, or a nation, as well as to encourage greater cooperation between nations, the ancients often formed binding agreements. Among the better known are the so-called Hittite international treaties between the Hittite ruler Hattusilis III and the Egyptian pharaoh Rameses II, and the suzerainty or vassal treaties concluded between the Hittites and states which thus became their vassals. In form these texts usually consisted of (1) the names of the parties involved; (2) a historical survey of past relations between the parties; (3) the stipulations made by the Hittites for their vassals; (4) a list of divine witnesses; and (5) a list of sanctions expressed as the blessings which the divine witnesses would guarantee if both sides should keep the terms of the treaty and the divine curses which would ensue in the event that one of them (mainly the vassals) were to break his obligations. Many of these treaties bound the vassal to the overlord, who would in turn protect the vassal. Similar agreements are known from Mesopotamia (e.g., Assurbanipal’s treaty with Qedar; Esarhaddon’s vassal treaties; cf. the Mari texts) and Egypt (e.g., the Egyptian version of the treaty between Rameses II and the Hittite Hattusilis).
An integral part of a covenant was the ritual slaughtering of an animal and the pronouncement of the formula: “Just as this [beast] is cut up, so may [X] be cut up.” Most likely the parties making the covenant thereby declared that whoever might break the agreement would likewise be killed.
II. Terminology
The most common Hebrew word for covenant is Heb. berîṯ, which also means “agreement” or “arrangement.” This word may be derived from Heb. bārâ “eat bread with,” which suggests that the contracting parties symbolized their bond by a common meal at the conclusion of the formal agreement, or from Akk. birītu “fetter,” which also suggests the bond between them (cf. Akk. riksu; Hitt. išḫiul “bond”). In the New Testament, as in the LXX, Gk. diathḗkē “last will, testament” designates a covenant.
III. Old Testament
The Old Testament lists a number of different covenants: a covenant of friendship between David and Jonathan, Saul’s son (1 Sam. 18:3–4; cf. 22:8, “league” [NIV “covenant”]; 23:18), which included “legal” sanctions (20:8); a covenant between King Solomon and one of his subjects, Shemei (1 Kgs. 2:42–46); another between Jehoiada the high priest and the royal guard (2 Kgs. 11:4); a covenant between King David and Abner (2 Sam. 3:12–21; KJV “league”; NIV “agreement”), actually symbolizing a treaty between the ten northern tribes and the two southern tribes governed by David; a covenant between the sovereign and his vassals (implied at 1 Kgs. 4:21 in reference to the tribute pains by the various kings to Solomon); a covenant between the two kings Solomon and Hiram (1 Kgs. 5:12, “treaty” [KJV “league”]); and the covenant between God and his people (see below). Many of these covenants were between two unequal parties, one more powerful than the other.
Ancient covenants were solemnized through certain accompanying rituals, such as the swearing of an oath (e.g., by Abraham’s steward Eliezer; Gen. 24:2–3, 9, 41), a shared meal (as between Abimelech and Isaac; 26:28–30), or the exchanging of clothes (as between David and Jonathan; 1 Sam. 18:4). A common ancient Near Eastern custom was the cutting of sacrificial animals into pieces, as mentioned in the account of God’s covenant with Abraham (Gen. 15:9–21; cf. Jer. 34:18–20). After the animals were cut lengthwise and the pieces of meat placed opposite one another, the participants walked between the pieces, perhaps symbolizing that whoever would break the covenant would be “cut” like the animals (the standard idiom meaning to make a covenant, Heb. kāraṯ berîṯ “cut a covenant,” may derive from this custom).
A central factor in the Judeo-Christian transition is God’s covenant with his people, presented as always initiated by God himself, first with Noah (Gen. 9:8–17), then with Abram (Gen. 15; 17), and later with Abraham’s descendants, the Israelites of the Exodus (Exod. 19–24). By contrast, the covenant at Josh. 24 appears to represent an agreement by the various elements of the people Israel to join themselves in a somewhat flexible confederation, vowing their allegiance to the rule of Yahweh rather than to a human sovereign (perhaps to avoid the intolerable circumstances many in their midst had experienced at the hands of the Egyptian pharaoh and the kings of the Canaanite city-states). The Davidic covenant, indicated to have been instituted by God (2 Sam. 7; 1 Kgs. 8:17ff.), formed the foundation for the greatest ruling dynasty in Israelite history.
Many scholars have noted several parallels between Israelite covenants and the ancient Near Eastern treaties. One of the clearest examples is the covenant ceremony at Josh. 24, which contains these basic elements: the preamble, presenting the participants (vv. 1–2); historical prologue describing the previous relations of God and Israel (vv. 2–13); stipulations (v. 14); list of witnesses (v. 22; cf. v. 27); sanctions—curses and blessings (vv. 19–20, 25); provision for deposit of the covenant document and its periodic reading (v. 26); and the oath (vv. 15, 21). It has been suggested that additional stipulations are contained in the legislation represented by the Book of the Covenant (Exod. 20:22–23:33). Numerous examples of curses and blessings can be attested. For example, Yahweh would not protect his chosen people if they violated the sacred ark of the covenant. Accordingly, he permitted the Hebrews to be defeated by the Philistines and the ark of the covenant captured as punishment for the corruption of the priests of Eli (1 Sam. 4:4–11; cf. 2:27–36; 3:11–14). Many years later, after repeated warnings against apostasy, Yahweh is seen to have visited upon his chosen people the most severe of punishments—the Exile.
Following the deportation of the northern tribes to Assyria and the southern tribes to Babylonia, the major prophets envisaged a “new covenant” between Yahweh and his scattered people, called the faithful remnant (see Jer. 31:31–34 for the contrast between the covenant made at Mt. Horeb and the new covenant; cf. Isa. 42:9). Yahweh would forgive the Israelites for their idolatry, would write his will upon their hearts, and would renew the broken bond of fellowship. Furthermore, he would guarantee, according to his “everlasting covenant” or his “covenant of peace” (Ezek. 34:25; 37:26), that one of David’s descendants would rule his people (Isa. 55:3 [cf. 61:8]; Jer. 32:37–40; Ezek. 37:25–27; cf. 2 Sam. 7:13) and that one day all nations would share in Israel’s covenantal blessings.
Three Old Testament passages employ “covenant” in a metaphorical sense. Jeremiah compares God’s covenantal promises to the regular succession of day and night (Jer. 33:20, 25), while Malachi likens a covenant to the marriage bond (Mal. 2:14). Hosea mentions a divine covenant with the animals whereby God intends to protect his unfaithful people (Hos. 2:18).
IV. New Testament
The first-century A.D. Jews continued to draw religious and moral inspiration from God’s covenantal faithfulness to their ancestor Abraham (Luke 1:72; Acts 3:25; 7:8; Gal. 3:15, 17) and to their forefathers at Mt. Sinai (2 Cor. 3:14). Though familiar with the Old Testament teachings concerning the covenant, Jesus nevertheless interpreted them in the light of a new (so Luke 22:20; cf. 1 Cor. 11:25) covenant (so Matt. 26:28 par. Mark 14:24) of forgiveness, ratified by his own sacrifice—his own blood shed on the cross and symbolized by the wine of the Last Supper (Matt. 26:28).
Paul makes an even greater distinction between the old and the new covenants. Viewing Jer. 31:31–34 (quoted at Rom. 11:27) as an implied reference to Christ, the apostle focuses not only on Christ’s sacrifice (1 Cor. 11:25) but also on his saving work in the transformed hearts of mankind (2 Cor. 3:1–6), even though they might have had no previous religious or social ties with Israel (Eph 2:12). At 2 Cor. 3:14–18 he supports his distinction between the two covenants by reasoning that the new covenant in Christ issues freedom and grants believers a glimpse of the divine majesty and glory.
The author of Hebrews retains the Pauline contrast between the old covenant made at Mt. Sinai and the new, as well as the Pauline association of Jer. 31:31–34 (quoted at Heb. 8:8; cf. 10:16) with Jesus’ sacrificial death. He further concludes, as emphatically as Paul, that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross accomplishes genuine mediation between God and sinners (9:1ff., 15, 18ff.; cf. 12:24), but sets forth, in greater detail than Paul, Christ’s priestly role as the permanent intercessor to the Father on behalf of his own (7:24–25).
As in the Mosaic covenant, God’s covenant in Jesus Christ preserves several parallels with Near Eastern vassal treaties (eg., the symbolic meal). Again, as in the Old Testament, God initiates this covenant. But the notions of divine forgiveness and the inclusion of people from all nations add unique dimensions.
V. Theological Reflections
Exegetes and theologians have long debated the connection between the old (Old Testament) and new (New Testament) covenants, as well as the nature of the old covenant. Some accept only one covenant between God and man and consider the differences of the several accounts secondary. Others distinguish between the various Old Testament covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David, as well as the new covenant announced by Jeremiah. Perhaps a balanced view might best be reached by affirming that God’s unmerited grace in Jesus Christ is the underlying, unifying principle, and that the particular significance of each covenant, given its social, political, and religious setting, be affirmed.
Bibliography. K. Baltzer, The Covenant Formulary (Philadelphia: 1971); G. E. Mendenhall, “Covenant Forms in Israelite Tradition,” BA 17 (1954): 50–76; repr. E. F. Campbell, Jr., and D. N. Freedman, eds., The Biblical Archaeologist Reader 3 (Garden City: 1970): 25–53; M. Weinfeld, “berîth,” TDOT 2 rev. ed, (1977): 253–279.[1]
[1] Myers, A. C. (1987). In The Eerdmans Bible dictionary (pp. 240–242). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.