Covenants of the Old Testament - Essay Example

Covenants of the Old Testament Covenants of the Old Testament A covenant entails an agreement through an oath, where one or both parties pledge to undertake or avoid particular actions. In the Bible, there were covenants between man and God initiated through divine sanctions (Goldingay, 2010). Through the covenants, God intended to communicate with humankind so that they undergo redemption as a prerequisite to having eternal life in Jesus Christ. The covenants in the Bible follow a given pattern where God passes given obligations which if fulfilled by man, he receives rewards from God. The covenants in the Bible are either conditional or unconditional. For a conditional covenant failure by either party to keep their promise leads to the break of it. In the unconditional promise, only one party has to fulfill certain obligations. Examples of covenants in the Bible include Abrahamic, Noahic, Mosaic, Davidic and the new covenant. The paper gives an intrinsic analysis of the various covenants and their significance in the Old Testament. Abrahamic covenant did not have conditions to be fulfilled by Abraham. In the book of Genesis (12: 1-3 New International Version) outlines the beginning of the covenant between God and Abraham. God told Abraham to move from his father’s house in his country to a land that He will show him. He promises that He will bless and make him a great generation. God will bless those who bless Abraham and curse the enemies. God showed Abraham the extent of the land He will give him (Gen 13: 14-18 New International Version). Abraham built an altar in the land as an honor to God. Apart from the land, God promised Abraham, a great population of descendants. Great kings would emerge from his generation, a fact that is evident in the Davidic Covenant. God promised blessings and redemptions to Abraham’s generation irrespective of their conducts confirming the unconditional nature of the covenant. As a sign of adhering to the covenant, all the male descendants of Abraham were to undergo circumcision (Gen 17: 10 New International Version). The Abrahamic covenant is essential to the Christian Community. It gives an outline of God’s plan for His people making the covenant a basis for the teachings of Christianity. The covenant forms the key to the Scriptures available in the old and new testaments that govern the redemption process. For a Christian to have a comprehension of the scriptures, the covenant is foundational (Couch, 2008). The other covenants in the Bible are outworking of the Abrahamic covenant. The three promises of land, seeds and blessings are literal in their meaning. Today, the teachings of Christianity revolve around receiving God’s blessings by adhering to the teachings of the Bible. The second covenant in the Bible is one that God made with Noah after the destruction of the earth by floods. The covenant was unconditional, as Noah had no obligations to fulfill in keeping the agreement. God made the covenant with Abraham, his descendants and all the living creatures that survived the havoc of the floods (Gen 9:8-12). Sealing of the convention occurred through a rainbow in the sky. Through the covenant with Noah, God promised that never again would humankind be destroyed through floods irrespective of the wickedness of man. The unconditional nature of the covenant does not depend on the conducts of mankind, whether right or wrong before God. Contrary to circumcision in Abrahamic covenant, God used a rainbow to signify His covenant with Noah. The covenant between God and Noah has great significance to Christianity. It indicates that God has the power to punish evil and reward righteous acts. When Noah offered burnt offerings to God at the altar, God promised to keep him and his descendants safe. The sacrifice Noah made to God signified a righteous act necessitating protection. Today, Christianity teaches that God rewards the good deeds and punishes evil. The rainbow meant the conception of the covenant between God and Noah was reliable (Williams, 2014). Through it, God promised Noah that the covenant will be everlasting. Until today, the rainbow, which usually appears during the rainy season, still reminds Christians of the covenant between God and Noah. It gives people hope that God’s promise to Noah is still in effect. The Mosaic covenant took place at Mount Sinai. God made a covenant with Moses regarding the people of Israel. Through the covenant, God revealed that the nation of Israel will become his exclusive possession (Exodus 19: 3-6 New International Version). When they keep their promise, Israel will receive more blessings compared to other countries of the world. From within Israel will arise a Kingdom of royal priests who will have access to God himself. This promise indicated the power of God. God would make Israel a holy nation in the world. God promised grace and mercy to the people of Israel through the covenant with Moses (Exodus 34: 28 New International Version). The Mosaic covenants was conditional as the Israelites, through Moses had to undertake certain prerequisites. Israelites must be ready to receive God’s Grace and forgiveness as their part of ensuring the covenant holds. The covenant with God relies on Grace (Piper, 1983). Mosaic covenant differs from Abrahamic and Noahic due to the conditions Israelite had to fulfill. Israelites were to practice obedience to God in exchange for God’s Grace and Blessings. Davidic covenant entails the promises God made to King David through Prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 7 New International Version). Through the unconditional covenant, God promised King David that Jesus Christ, the savior will come from his lineage. The tribe of Judah would then create a Kingdom that will last forever. The absence of prerequisites for the fulfillment of the covenant makes it unilateral. Accomplishments of the promises made to King David relied solely on the faithful nature of God, and the Israelites did not have to meet certain obligations. During the covenant, God reiterates His earlier promise of land in the Abrahamic covenant. God promised David that his Kingship would pass to his son, a promise fulfilled in the wise Solomon. In verse 13, God pledges that the kingdom will last forever. The objective of the Davidic covenant was to serve as an extension of the Abrahamic covenant through which God promised a seed through his chosen people (Dennery, 2009). In the covenant, God promised to endow David with both personal and royal blessings that he accepted through a prayer (2 Sam 7: 27-29 New International Version). The seed that God talked about in Abrahamic covenant is the Jesus Christ that God promised will come from the lineage of David. The New Covenant formed the last covenant in the Old Testament. God made the new covenant with the Israelites because they broke the earlier one (Jeremiah 31: 31-32 New International Version). The new covenant arose by the people of Israel compromised Mosaic Covenant that they made with God when in Egypt. Mosaic Covenant was conditional. The new covenant exhibits spiritual provision with limited mention of physical rewards. Though not everybody in Israel will undergo restoration, God promises to regenerate Israel as a nation coupled with forgiveness of sins (Jer. 31:33-34 New International Version). God gave the new covenant to for those who believe to receive salvation (John 3:16) and establish the church as outlined in the book of Mathew (16: 18 New International Version). The new covenant promised everlasting blessing. It partly fulfills Abrahamic covenant and covers all people on earth (Benware, 2006). So long as a person believes in God, they will receive abundant blessings. The covenant, therefore, remains unconditional. It signifies that Jesus came for everybody irrespective of the nature and location on earth. Ratification of the new covenant occurred at Calvary through the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus explained the reason he poured his blood during the Passover meal (Mark 14: 23-24 New International Version). References Benware, P. (2006). Understanding end times prophesy: A Comprehensive Approach. Chicago: Moody Publishers. Couch, M. (2008). Dictionary of premillenial theology. Michigan: Kregel Publicatios. Dennery, C. B. (2009). Christ and covenant: Key to the scripture. Florida: Xulon Press. Goldingay, J. (2010). Key questions about Christian faith: Old Testament answers. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic. Holy Bible (New International Version) Piper, J. (1983). God’s Covenant through Moses. Retrieved May 31, 2015, from http://www.desiringgod.org/sermons/gods-covenant-through-moses Williams, H. H. D. L. (2014). Making sense of the bible: A study of 10 key themes traced through the scriptures. S.l.: Wipf & Stock Publishers. Read More