Why study the covenants of God? This brief study on the covenants of God, is intended to introduce students of the Scriptures to these covenants. They are essential to understanding of God’s relationship to His covenant people and to all who believe in the Son of God for salvation.

Introduction to the Covenants

God, as revealed in the Scriptures, has made covenants with those who are His image bearers. Most of these covenants were made with Abraham and his descendants.  One covenant, the Noahic was made with all of His image bearers. These image bearers are those described in Genesis chapter 1:26-28. They are humans God has created to fill the earth and rule over it and superintending it as God’s mediatorial representatives. This role of humans in relation to God’s creation will be explained in greater detail in the study on the Kingdom of God. See article on the Kingdom of God on the servantsplace.ca website.

When God had completed His creative works, including the creation of humans, He pronounced that everything He had made was “very good,” Genesis 1:31.  This was not to stay this way however, for the first two humans that were created fell into sin, seriously affecting the relationship between God and humanity. Their sin resulted in the physical and spiritual death of humanity. Their sin also corrupted the natural world as it received the judgment of a curse from God upon it. Most importantly, their sin was the cause for God to bring forth a Savior to restore a righteous relationship between God’s image bearers and Himself.

God’s intent in creation was to have the heavens and earth He created bring glory to Him. His image bearers were to both display and declare God’s glory to all creation. The introduction of sin into the world God had created also brought humanity into a critical danger of being destroyed and removed from the earth, which would have prevented them from fulfilling their original task stated in Genesis 1:26-28 and from displaying and declaring God’s glory to all His creation.

The covenants identified in this study are the Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Priestly, Davidic and the New Covenant. Although many other pledges and promises in the Scriptures between humans are designated as covenants, they do not have the divine authority or purpose as do these major covenants between God and His people. Also, there are a few sub-covenants identified by Biblical scholars, such as that of the “land” in Deuteronomy chapters 29-30, however, they may best be understood as re-confirmations of the promises God has made in the covenants to Abraham, Moses and David. Refer to Thomas Constable, Notes on Deuteronomy, Chapters 29-30, latest Edition, (online). The first covenant between God and mankind that is clearly stated in the Scriptures as a covenant is the one God made with Noah in which the word “covenant” is mentioned. See Genesis 6:18, 9:9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16 and 17.

The Hebrew word for “covenant” is ḇerîyṯ, (Strong’s #H1285), which has the basic meaning of an oath, pledge, and obligation. It also has the basic meaning “to cut” as in the actions during the giving of the Abrahamic covenant, when animals were cut in half by Abram. Later, God walked between the cut pieces, by Himself while Abram was asleep. Genesis chapter 15. Thus, the phrase “cutting a covenant” is often used to describe the process of God establishing a covenant with His “covenant people.”

The named covenants of Scripture between God and His image bearers are in form of obligations that are legally binding and can be understood as a grant or a treaty. These covenants were not made with parties who are equal. In each one of them God is the incomparably superior, supreme and sovereign designer and director of the covenant which He revealed to His covenant people.  These people had no part in the drafting of the covenant, nor were they consulted in this process for any input whatsoever. The Abrahamic, Davidic, Priestly and New Covenants are grants from God that are unilateral and unconditional in that the obligation for the keeping of the covenant promises rests with God alone. The Mosaic Covenant was a treaty (contract) agreement that was bilateral and conditional as there were obligations and requirements from both “parties” of the covenant to keep in order for the covenant agreement to stay in force. The unilateral and unconditional covenants between God and mankind are still in force but the bilateral and conditional Mosaic Covenant has been replaced by the New Covenant.

It must be understood that the term “unconditional” applies in a general sense to the unilateral covenants between God and mankind. The only truly strictly unconditional covenant is the Noahic which requires no involvement by humans for the covenant to remain in force. The other unilateral covenants have some aspects where humans must be involved in them. The involvement of humans is typically a reaction of faith and trust in God. If faith and trust is not evident, individual humans will not enjoy the benefits of the covenant. However, God will complete the covenant promises, whether some or many individual humans have no involvement by faith in Him. Their completion is a guarantee from God, who is the covenant-maker, and He will fulfil His obligation to ensure the covenant is met perfectly as He intended.

The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for covenant is berit which, according to Irvin Busenitz is difficult to define based upon its etymology. See Irvin Busenitz, Introduction to the Biblical Covenants, The Master’s Seminary Journal, TMSJ 10/2 (Fall 1999) pages 174-175. The most likely meaning of berit based upon its context in the Old Testament is that it is a binding obligation that has its legal status based upon the sovereignty of God. In the New Testament the Greek word for covenant is diatheke which can be translated as “testament” and care must be taken not to confuse it with a “last will and testament.” The enactment of a “last will and testament” occurs when one party is deceased. This is not the case with “testament” which is in force while both parties are alive. Refer to article by Irvin Busenitz stated above.

1. The Noahic Covenant

Humans did not stop rebelling against God following the sinful actions of the earth’s first family. This sinfulness increased in intensity until God finally dealt with this sin in a most dramatic display of His wrath. God set apart only eight image bearers, Noah, his wife, Noah’s three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth and their wives, to escape His display of wrath upon the earth. All other persons upon the earth died when God caused the earth to be completely covered in water and Noah and his family escaped death by being secured in the ark that God instructed Noah to build. The narrative of these dramatic events is described in Genesis chapters 6 to 9. Following the receding of the flood waters, God by His own volition and divine will made a covenant with Noah which included all living things upon the earth and Noah’s descendants which effectively included all persons on the ark and all who would be born after them.

The details of the Noahic Covenant are stated in Genesis 9:8-17 with a pre-amble to the covenant stated in Genesis 6:18 and 8:21-22. The content of the covenant is (1) it was made by God, without prior consultation,

with anyone or anything; (2) It was made by God with Noah and his family and descendants and with every living creature upon the earth; (3) It consisted of God’s promise to never again destroy all living things in the world with a flood, Genesis 8:21-22; 9:11; 15. (4) It would be an everlasting covenant (berit olam) that would be in effect as long as the earth remains, Genesis 8:21-22; 9:12, 16; (5) It would have a covenant sign, the rainbow, which was a promise to the living creatures on the earth that upon seeing the rainbow in the cloud, God would remember His covenant promises, Genesis 9:12-17.

God’s preamble to this covenant in Genesis 8:21-22 included the promise that “as long as the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.” This is a promise of the continuation of the cycles of the seasons and that of day and night as the earth revolves around the sun. In the continuation of the preamble to the covenant, in Genesis 9:1, God told Noah and his sons to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” This command was a re-commission by God to humans that He first gave to Adam in Genesis 1:28 to fulfil God’s intention that His created earth be filled with humans He had created.

The Noahic covenant was the only covenant God made that was not specifically connected to His chosen people. However, this covenant has implications for His chosen people including all of Abraham’s descendants. The background or basis for God’s everlasting covenant with Noah is not discussed in Genesis chapters 6-9 other than the immediate need for it as God was to destroy all living things on the earth. The purpose for this covenant extends backwards to Genesis chapter 1, where it is revealed that God created image bearers to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth and to have specific tasks including having dominion over every living thing upon the earth. The purpose for this covenant also extends forward to passages such as Isaiah 43:7 which reveals that God’s image bearers were created for His glory. God’s purposes for His creation also included the renown of His name, Psalm 102:12 and 135:13 which was also connected to other works He has and will accomplish such as the miracle of the escape of His people through the parted waters of the Red Sea, Isaiah 63:12 and the future blessings of the Messianic kingdom, Isaiah 55:13.

Another and some would claim the most important basis (for redeemed mankind) for God’s covenant with Noah is God’s desire to live forever (tabernacle) with those who have faith in Him. This is evident in a much beloved name for God in Isaiah, Immanuel, which has the meaning of “God with us,” Isaiah 7:14, 8:8, 10. In order for God to fulfill His perfect plans and purposes for those He has created for His glory, God needed to preserve His image-bearers until the time when He would live among (tabernacle) his glorified people forever in the eternal state, Revelation 21:3. God also needed to preserve His image bearers among the people He chose to come from the lineage of Abraham so that His chosen Servant,  the kinsmen Redeemer, from that line would fulfill His salvific purposes in order for God to live forever among His redeemed people. (The word “salvific” in this article has the meaning of “pertaining to salvation.”).

It is very significant that Revelation 21:3 contains what Biblical scholars suggest as the “covenant formula.” The formula, stated in the NKJV as, “and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.” Similar forms of this formula are found in the Scriptures in passages that discuss God’s covenants with His people, specifically those relating to the New Covenant, see Jeremiah 24:7, 31:33; 32:38 and Ezekiel 37:23, 37. If, as this essay of the covenants suggests, is correct, the supreme reason God established His covenant with Noah was to ensure that He would forever be the God of His people to live with them and receive everlasting praise and worship from them as they display and declare His glory.

2. The Abrahamic Covenant

The Abrahamic Covenant is critical to God’s sovereign purposes for the redemption of those who by faith would enter into permanent relationship with Him and glorify Him forever. Students of Scripture must comprehend the significance of God’s covenant with Abraham in its connection to the entire scope of God’s plans for creation and the complete teaching of the Scriptures. This covenant directly impacts every major doctrine and theological teaching of the Bible. It is also the specific basis for (1) God’s faithful and longsuffering dealings with His unique chosen people to give them a land for their possession, (2) His care to protect His chosen people from the idolatrous and self-exalting influences of pagan societies; (3) His desire to bless to all nations through the intended faithful ministry of His chosen people; (4) His promise of a blessed future both in the messianic kingdom and in the eternal state to all those who would have faith in Him; (5) His sovereign choice of a unique people through whom, a Savior (a seed) would come to become the means by which redemption would be made available to these chosen people and to all others on the earth who would have faith in this Savior.

The Circumstances Leading to the Abrahamic Covenant

Genesis chapters 10 and 11 provide details of the days following the great flood during the days of Noah. The flood did not exterminate sinfulness from the earth and mankind’s rebellion against God.  Sin again became an abhorrence to God as it did in the Garden of Eden and in the days prior to the great flood. Genesis chapter 10, which is record of events after the flood, includes a narration of the powerful influence of Ham’s grandson and Noah’s great grandson Nimrod who among other things was the founder and ruler of Babel and other pagan city states such as Nineveh.

These pagan peoples who spoke the same language rebelled against the command of God to fill the earth and subdue it, Genesis 1:28 and 9:1, 7. In the land of Shinar in which Babel (Babylon) was founded by Nimrod, the people decided to build a tower, which would have a top “in the heavens” and to make a name for themselves which would thwart the plan of God of having people fill the earth, Genesis 11:1-4.  Underlying this effort of tower building was the idolatrous hearts of the people, from which flowed their wicked intentions to exalt and govern themselves. These post-flood peoples who should have learned from the stories of their immediate families of cause of the great flood, deliberately flaunted their wickedness in God’s face.

God judged the people of the earth and rather than eliminating them, He kept His covenant promise to Noah by allowing them to live. His judgment upon them was to confuse their single language and cause them to speak in different languages which resulted in their spreading out over the face of the earth, each in their own language group. This action of God did not exterminate their wicked hearts and they continued to exalt themselves wherever they spread out upon the earth.  God hated this and every form of the worship that did not exalt Him alone. He had a redemptive plan to preserve to Himself a people through which His promise of Genesis 3:15 would be kept and to whom He would be their covenant God and they would be His people, worshipping Him and glorifying Him only. While the people of the earth, now speaking many different languages spread out to fill the earth, God called one man, Abram including his immediate family, to leave the pagan culture of Ur, located south of Babylon, and travel to a land God would show him.

For a more detailed explanation of the events and circumstances leading to God’s covenant with Abraham, see Kenneth A. Matthews, New American Commentary, Volume 1, Genesis 1-11:26. Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996. Thomas L. Constable, Notes on Genesis, latest edition, (online).  For insight on the worship of false gods and pagan worship practices of the post-flood people of Babylon prior to God’s calling of Abraham, see Andrew M. Woods, The Coming Kingdom, Grace Gospel Press, 2016.

The Content of the Abrahamic Covenant

The Scriptural references to the Abrahamic Covenant include the direct covenant language of Genesis 15:18 and 17:1-21 but include the wider discussion God had with Abraham recorded in Genesis 12:1-3, 7; 13:14-

17; 15:1-21; 17:1-21; 18:17-33; 21:12-13; and 22:1-18. God re-confirmed this covenant with Abraham’s son Isaac, Genesis 26:2-5 and Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, Genesis 28:10-17. References to permanence (everlasting, forever) of this covenant occur in 1 Chronicles 16:15-17 and Psalm 105:8-9. See also a possible reference in Isaiah 24:5. Other specific references occur in Exodus 2:24; 6:2-5; Leviticus 26:42-45 and Deuteronomy 4:31.

There are many other references in the Old Testament where this covenant is mentioned in terms of what God had sworn by an oath to the forefathers of the people descended from Abraham. God’s faithful servant Stephen mentioned this covenant as a promise sworn to Abraham, Acts 7:17. Paul also mentioned this covenant in terms of a promise, Romans 4:13-25; Galatians chapter 3; and 4:23. The author of Hebrews also mentions this covenant in terms of a promise, 6:13-18; 7:6; 11:8-10, 17-18. Paul, however, explains that there is a distinction between promises and covenants, Romans 9:4. Keith Essex discusses this issue in “The Abrahamic Covenant,” the Master’s Seminary Journal, TMSJ 10/2 (1999), pages 193-194. Other New Testament references to the Abrahamic Covenant include Luke 1:72-75; Acts 3:25; and 7:8.

The content of God’s covenant with Abraham can be understood in at least three major areas: “land,” “seed” and “blessing.” The introductory declaration by God regarding His covenant with Abraham (then Abram) in Genesis 12:1-3, 7 is an example of these three significant aspects of the covenant. Land is stated in 12:1, 7; nation (signifying seed) is stated in 12:2; and blessing is stated in 12:2-3.

The Covenant Stipulation of the Land

The statement by God of “a land” that He would show to Abram is a significant theme of the Abrahamic Covenant. The land promise is also stated in specific passages directly pertaining to this covenant in Genesis 13:14-17; 15:7, 16-21; 17:8; 26:3-4; 28:13, 15. God’s promise of this land is also stated, for example in Genesis 35:11-12; 48:4; Deuteronomy 11:24-25; 30:1-10; and Joshua 1:4-5. The boundaries of the land of the messianic kingdom are stated in Ezekiel 47:13-23. These are representative examples only and not an exhaustive listing of all the land promises. The stipulation of land that God included in His covenant with Abraham meant that the people He had chosen to be descendants of Abraham would have a significant place of their own among the peoples of the earth. This stipulation was of major importance to Abraham’s son Isaac, his grandson Jacob and great-grandsons who became the heads of the tribes of Israel. These tribes were allotted specific territories within the land, as homelands in themselves for the members of each tribe, Numbers chapters 32-34 and confirmed in the book of Joshua.

The “land” is of extreme importance in our modern day. The people of Israel still long for occupation of all the land of promise and Isaiah wrote often of the future return of the faithful remnant to the land from the many countries where they are scattered. This return will follow the terrifying days of the tribulation as the Messiah will defeat His enemies who are also enemies of His people, and He will establish His messianic kingdom which will be a complete fulfillment of the land promise contained in the Abrahamic Covenant. Selected references in Isaiah to the fulfilled land promises including Zion and the return of the faithful remnant to the land occur in Isaiah 2:1-4; 4:2-6; 9:6-7; 10:20-23; 11:11-16; 14:1-2; 26:1-4; 27:12; 35:1-10; 40:2-3; 41:9; 43:1-7; 49:5-26; 51:10-16; 54:1-17; 55:12-13; 57:13, 18; 60:1-22; 61:2b-11; 62:1-12; 65:8-10; 66:5-13, 18-21. See also Psalm 105:1-45. These are selected references only and not an exhaustive listing.

It is critical to the understanding of the Abrahamic Covenant that God’s stipulation of a land for Abraham’s descendants has not been obliterated or removed. The land is as important today as it was to Abraham and the twelve tribes of Israel, and it will continue to be of utmost concern until God creates a new earth and a new heavens. It is of utmost concern to the Servant of God, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will reign for a thousand years on the throne of David on Mount Zion in the midst of the land that God stipulated in His covenant with Abraham thousands of years ago.

The Covenant Stipulation of Seed

The second major stipulation of the Abrahamic Covenant is the mention of a nation to come from Abraham which is also described as “seed,” which is revealed in Scripture both in a plural and a singular sense. Beginning in Genesis 12:2 with the mention of a great nation to come from Abram and it is repeated within the covenant context in 13:14-16, 15:4-5; 17:1-21; 18:18-19; 21:12; 22:17-18; 26:3-4; and 28:14. Other references in the Old Testament include Psalm 105:6; 106:40-45; Jeremiah 33:23-26; and Micah 7:18-20. In the New Testament the seed stipulation of the Abrahamic Covenant is stated in Acts 3:25; Galatians 3:16-18; and 4:21-31.

In Genesis 15:1-5, the promise of “seed” is emphasized. Abraham (Abram) stated, “Look, you have given me no children, (seed), so one of my servants will be my heir,” Genesis 15:3. God responded in 15:4, “a son coming from your own body will be your heir.” God told Abram to look up at the heavens and to count the stars if he could number them for his descendants would be as numerous as the stars, Genesis 15:5. Abram’s response to this promise and God’s act following this response is stunning in its theological significance. “And Abram believed the LORD; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness,” Genesis 15:6.

Within the greater context of the God’s covenant promises to Abraham is this double response between Abraham (Abram) and God. God made a promise of innumerable seed that would come from Abraham. In response Abraham expressed his faith in God and in response to Abraham’s faith (he believed the LORD), God reckoned (counted) to him as righteousness. The Apostle Paul, writing of this exchange between Abraham and God said in the fourth chapter of Romans, said “faith was counted to Abraham for righteousness,” Romans 4:9.

In Galatians 3:5-14, Paul expands upon this simple statement by stating, “⁵ Does He, who gives you the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by your doing works of the law or by believing what you heard?  ⁶ Just as Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness, ⁷ know that those who believe are the sons of Abraham. ⁸ The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, when it proclaimed the gospel to Abraham saying, “All nations will be blessed in you.” ⁹ So those who believe are blessed along with Abraham, who believed. ¹⁰ For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not keep doing everything written in the book of the law.”  ¹¹ Now obviously no one is justified before God by the law, because “The one who is righteous will live by faith.”  ¹² But the law is not based on faith; but the one who does works will live by them. ¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse for us; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,” ¹⁴ so that the blessing of Abraham by Christ Jesus might come to the Gentiles and so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit by faith.”

James also wrote about the significance of Abraham’s faith in God, stating, “the Scripture was fulfilled which said, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteous,” James 2:23. The great truth that believers are justified by their faith was established within the context of the Abrahamic covenant several centuries before God declared the law to Moses. God declares that believers are justified (saved) not from obedience to the law but only by faith in Him. Salvation as revelation is unfolded in the Scriptures would be based upon the believer’s faith in the cross work (shed blood) of Jesus Christ. However, even Abraham had some knowledge of the future as the writer of Hebrews states, “for he was looking forward to a city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God,” Hebrews 11:10.

The “seed” promise of the Abrahamic Covenant is declared by God in Genesis as an heir that would come from Abraham leading to innumerable descendants and a great nation. However, the “seed” promise would be applied in the New Testament in a singular sense with the meaning of One specific “seed.” Paul stated in the third chapter of Galatians, “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say “and to your descendants,” as of many; but as of one, “and to your descendent,” who is Christ.” Galatians 3:16. Paul was quoting from Genesis 12:7 where the word “descendants” is literally “seed.”  Some may question Paul’s understanding that “seed” in Genesis 12:7 refers to a singular descendant of Abraham.

Thomas Constable suggests, ” The Hebrew word for “seed” or “offspring” (zera, v. 16) is a collective singular, that can refer either to one descendant or many descendants. An English collective singular, for example, is “sheep”—that can refer to one sheep or many sheep. Both “seed” and “offspring” are also collective singulars in English. Paul explained that the “seed” God had in mind, in Genesis 13:15 and 17:8, was the one descendant: “Christ.” 162 [Note 162: See Robert A. Pyne, “The ‘Seed,’ the Spirit, and the Blessing of Abraham,” Bibliotheca Sacra 152:606 (April-June 1995):214-16.] (Thomas Constable, Notes on Galatians, 2017 Edition).

Paul may have had in mind the earlier promise by God stated in Genesis 3:15, that a singular person, “he” would bruise (put to death) the head of the serpent (Satan). Also, as the writing of Scripture unfolds, the singular sense of this seed is revealed. In Genesis 22:18, God promised Abraham, “and through your descendants (literally “seed”) all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” Keith Essex (TMSJ 10/2 (Fall 1999), page 205, suggests that the word “seed” in Genesis 22:17b-18 should be understood in the singular. In Genesis 49, the patriarch Jacob makes a prophecy about this “seed’ who will come from the descendants of his son Judah referring to a future person, as “him” and “he,” Genesis 49:9-12. This “seed” would also be revealed as one who would sit upon the throne of David in a future kingdom, Isaiah 9:6-7 and Luke 1:32-33.

The prophet Micah revealed where this singular “seed” described as one who was to be ruler in Israel, would be born, Bethlehem Ephrathah in Judah, Micah 5:2. This was confirmed in Matthew 2:1-6 as the birthplace of Jesus Christ. For an extended discussion on Paul’s use of the singular “seed” in Galatians 3:16, see Thomas R. Schreiner, Galatians, Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Zondervan, 2010, pages 228-230. However one understands the meaning of “seed” as plural or singular in the Abrahamic Covenant, Scripture points to this seed as the greater Son of Abraham, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would be from the tribe of Judah, who would be born as a son, who will be the Savior of the world and who will rule on the throne of David over His kingdom on the earth.

The Covenant Stipulation of Blessing

The third major stipulation of the Abrahamic Covenant is blessing. In the initial statement of the covenant, in Genesis 12:1-3, God states the blessings of the covenant. In 12:2 God states, “I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” In 12:3, God promises that “I will bless those who bless you, and he who curses you, I will curse.  Through you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”  In Genesis 17:16, God promises blessings on Sarah who shall bear the promised heir. In Genesis 18:18, God promises that all nations would be blessed in Abraham. In Genesis 22:17, God again promises to bless Abraham and in 22:18, as discussed above, God stated “and through your descendants (seed) all the nations of the earth will be blessed.”  It is certainly significant that in the midst of the greater context of the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis, Abraham meets Melchizedek, who is described as the king of Salem and the priest of the “God most High,” who conveyed a blessing on both Abraham (Abram) and God, Genesis 14:18-20.

God, in His covenant with Abraham, pronounced a blessing on Abraham. God also stated that Abraham would be a blessing and stated that all who bless Abraham would themselves be blessed. God also stated that Sarah would be blessed and that through Abraham and his descendants (seed), all the families and all the nations of the earth would be blessed. These blessings are re-confirmed with Abraham’s son Isaac in Genesis 26:3, 4, 12 and 24. Isaac conferred the blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant on his son Jacob, Genesis 27:29 and 28:3-4. The blessings of the covenant were also confirmed by the LORD upon Jacob, Genesis 28:13-14, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The ground on which you lie, I will give to you and to your descendants. ¹⁴ Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, east, north and south. Through you and your offspring (seed) will all the families of the earth be blessed.”

In the Old Testament, God promised to bless His people in Numbers 6:27; Deuteronomy 7:12-14; 15:6; 26:15; 33:29; Psalm 33:12; 37:22; 67:7; 72:17; Isaiah 19:24-25; 44:1-3; 51:2; 61:9; 65:23; Jeremiah 4:2; and Zechariah 8:13. In the New Testament God’s promised blessing through His covenant with Abraham is stated in Acts 3:25; Romans 4:9; Galatians 3:8, 9, 14; and Hebrews 6:13-20. Because of the failure of the physical descendants of Abraham to be a blessing to the nations, the ultimate blessing of God through the Abrahamic Covenant is through the singular “seed,” the Suffering Servant, the Messiah, who is the Lord Jesus Christ who will bless all nations through His work of salvation. Although Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8 speaks of the Servant as being a covenant to the people, which is a New Covenant stipulation, the outcome of the Servants ministry fulfills the aspect of blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant. It is stated in Isaiah 42:6, the Servant will be a light to the Gentiles and in 49:8, it is stated that He will be used by God to restore the earth. In Isaiah 49:6, it is stated that the Servant will be God’s salvation to the ends of the earth. The blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant, directed to all the families and nations of the earth, are blessings of salvation wrought through the salvific cross work of the “seed” of the covenant, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The blessings of salvation apply to all who have faith in the Son of God, and just as it was said of Abraham, those who have such faith, their faith will be reckoned to them as righteousness.

Other Important Considerations of the Abrahamic Covenant

1. Everlasting Promises

The promises of the Abrahamic Covenant are stated to be everlasting in Genesis 13:15; 17:7-8, 13 and 19. They are everlasting in the sense that they will continue until God establishes the new heavens and the new earth. In another sense they will truly last forever in that all who have put their faith in the Son and fulfil the promise of blessing to all families and nations of the earth will live forever in the new heavens and new earth. They will live with God who will “tabernacle” among them, as He has promised them in stating the great covenant formula, they shall be His people and He will be their God.

It is not correct to claim that all the promises of blessings to the people of the earth of the Abrahamic Covenant were met with the first advent of Jesus Christ. The salvific and blessing promises continue to this day and will continue into eternity for it is those who have been declared justified (righteous) by their faith in Christ, will continue to live forever in the presence of the LORD and the Lamb, who sit upon their throne, Revelation 22:1. Also, once the covenant people of God are restored spiritually and have returned to the land of promise at the inauguration of the millennial kingdom of the Messiah, they will then begin to fully fulfill their role under the Abrahamic Covenant to be a blessing to all nations and families of the earth, Isaiah 61:6a, 9, 11; 62:1-3.

2. Sign of the Covenant

As with many covenants the Abrahamic Covenant has a sign attached to it. The sign for the Abrahamic Covenant was circumcision, Genesis 17:9-14, which signified the obedience by Abraham and his male descendants to the requirements of the covenant. Those who were not circumcised were said to have broken the covenant, Genesis 17:14. This conditional individual requirement was to be kept for all generations for it is an everlasting condition. It does not mean that the Abrahamic Covenant itself can be destroyed by disobedience to this requirement, but only that individuals who are directly in the lineage of Abraham, who are not circumcised to not participate in the temporal blessings of the covenant directed to such things as family and land issues.

God’s promises are sure and cannot fail for He will fulfil all that He purposed to do through the promises of this covenant. It should be noted that the requirement of circumcision applies to the actual physical male descendants of Abraham and not to Abraham’s spiritual descendants, Galatians 3:7, 29. Paul discussed the pros and cons of circumcision in Romans 2:25-29; 3:1-8, 27-31; 4:9-12; 1 Corinthians 7:18-19; Galatians 2:3-21; 5:1-6, 11-12; 6:12-15; Ephesians 2:11-13; Philippians 3:3; Colossians 2:11; 3:11 and Titus 1:10.

3. The Mosaic Covenant

The Mosaic Covenant is vast in that it is begins in Exodus and has content that extends to the end of Deuteronomy. It is often referred to as “the law” in a singular sense although it contains many hundreds of stipulations, regulations and ordinances that are legally binding “laws.” Although many understand the Mosaic Covenant to be bi-lateral and conditional, it is “basically” unconditional and unilateral in that God’s purposes for this covenant was completed as He intended. It was a covenant that was given from One who was absolutely Sovereign and the only God to a specified chosen nation of individuals who were corrupt, rebellious and weak, and were unable to fulfill the least of the legally binding stipulations of the covenant. It did not require acceptance by the people of God for it to be ratified or in-force. It was in place when God declared the various segments of the covenant to Moses, beginning at Mount Sinai and during the long wilderness journeys of the covenant people of God.

The covenant had conditional elements in that God’s blessings on His people were contingent on their obedience to His covenant decrees. Disobedience to the covenant’s requirements by God’s people did not destroy and end the covenant. God, who cannot lie or commit sin, could not “break” the covenant’s legal requirements. Thus, the other party to the covenant, God’s people were solely responsible for keeping them. The penalty for breaking the covenant resulted in spiritual and physical consequences for God’s people including physical death, spiritual separation from God and the removal from the promised land for a specified period of time.

The Mosaic Covenant can be understood, in one sense, as the legally binding constitution for the new nation that emerged from slavery in Egypt to take residence in their own unique land that God had promised them. This covenant-constitution was necessary for God’s people to properly and righteously live in relation to their God and with each other. The covenant contained legal, ceremonial, and moral aspects which were inter-twined and should be considered as inseparable integral stipulations. The Mosaic Covenant, like all other covenants God made, was given or pronounced without any prior consultation or input or review by God’s image bearers. It would be an abhorrence to God for Him to seek the advice of sinful humanity before making any decree that regulates the relationship between Himself and His created beings. The Mosaic Covenant is the only covenant that has been replaced by another covenant that Scripture calls the New Covenant. It was not replaced because it was imperfect or did not accomplish all God intended it to accomplish. It was perfect, sure, right, pure and true, Psalm 19:7-11, and its divine author was perfect. It was replaced because it had perfectly accomplished its purpose was completely fulfilled in Abraham’s and David’s greater Son, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The central teaching of the Mosaic Covenant is found in Exodus chapters 19-24. However, elements of the covenant in its wider sense are found in Exodus chapter 25 to the end of Deuteronomy. The essential core of the covenant is the ten commandments or as some scholars are prone to say, “the ten words,” Exodus 20:1-17. But there are a total of 613 commands within the wider scope of the covenant, 248 being positive commands and 365 being negative commands. Jewish legalism added much erroneous teaching and comment on the commands of the covenant and Jesus spent considerable time during His public ministry at His first advent correcting these additions and comments. This is seen for example in the first public sermon of Jesus which is called the sermon on the mount, Matthew chapters 5-7. Jesus called the legalistic Pharisees and Teachers of the law hypocrites because they so corrupted the teaching of the commands of the covenant that they led astray the people of Israel by making entrance into God’s kingdom based entirely upon works and not by faith. Jesus stated that no one could gain entrance into God’s kingdom unless their righteousness exceeded that of the scribes and the Pharisees, Matthew 5:20.

The Preparation for the Mosaic Covenant

God was preparing His people for the covenant before they were freed from Egypt. When God met Moses at the “burning bush,” Exodus chapter 3, He said to Moses “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” Exodus 3:12. God was preparing His people who were then in slavery in Egypt for a new life of freedom in a land He had promised them. Before this would become a reality, God gave Moses an indication of what was expected of His chosen people. They were being freed so they could worship Him. This was also a repeated stipulation during the days when Moses met with Pharaoh of Egypt demanding that Pharaoh release the Hebrew people, so they could worship their God. See Exodus 4:23; 7:16; 8:1; 20, 9:1; 13; 10:3, 7, 8, 11, 24, 26; and 12:31 in the NIV. The KJV, NKJV and ESV translate the Hebrew word ‘abad as “serve” for these verses. The NASB translates ‘abad as worship in Exodus 3:12 and 12:31 but translates ‘abad as “serve” and in all the other verses. The word “serve” has several meanings but in the context of Exodus chapters 3 to 12 it has a direct relationship to worship, thus, to serve God is to worship Him.

The Prologue to the Mosaic Covenant

When the people under the leadership of Moses arrived and camped near mount Sinai, God spoke to Moses and said, “This is what you will say to the house of Jacob and tell the Israelites: ⁴ You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. ⁵ Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant then you will be my special possession from among all peoples.  For although all the earth is mine, ⁶ you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Exodus 19:3-6. Prior to the declaration of the covenant, God told Moses that He desired the people to obey Him and keep His covenant. If they did this, then they would be His special possession from all the earth’s peoples and they would also be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Thus, from the very beginning of God’s statements regarding His covenant, Exodus 19:5; there is conditionality, (if / then) attached to it. However, this conditional aspect must be understood in conjunction with God’s earlier covenant with Abraham.

The unconditional premise of the Abrahamic Covenant of land, seed (with its inclusion of nation) and blessing is not diminished or contingent upon the obedience of God’s people to His covenant with Moses. God will fulfill completely all He had promised in His covenant with Abraham. If the covenant people of God did not obey His voice and keep the Mosaic Covenant (and they did not), they would not receive the offered blessings of being His special possession, nor would they righteously serve (worship) God as a kingdom of priests, nor would they be a holy nation before Him. Later revelation in Scripture shows that God indeed kept the Mosaic Covenant in force until it was perfectly fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. See Matthew 5:17; Galatians 3:13, 21-24.

It is not that the law has completely vanished, for Christ stated, “for truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one dot or one pen-stroke will in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.”  Matthew 5:18. However, believers in Christ are not under the law, Romans 6:14-15 and Galatians 5:18. Because of a fundamental change in the priesthood, in that Jesus Christ is an eternal priest in the “order of Melchizedek” and not in accordance with prescriptions of the law itself, the law was in need of change, Hebrews 7:11-28. Christ, through the sprinkling of His blood which was superior to the sprinkling of the blood of animals, therefore has become the surety or guarantee of a better covenant, Hebrews 7:22, 8:8, 13; 9:13-15; and 12:24. Also, what the law was not intended to accomplish, that is unhindered and free access to God was accomplished by the mediator of the new covenant. This was symbolically performed at the death of Christ when the great curtain in the temple torn from top to bottom, Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45, and Ephesians 2:11-18, signifying that believers can with boldness now enter the holy place (meet with God) because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, Hebrews 10:19-22. Christ has brought us into a direct relationship with God, and all who believe in Him, both Jews and Gentiles are one in Him. Christ is the mediator of the new covenant, Hebrews 9:15 through His shed blood, Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; and 1 Corinthians 11:25. Christ therefore fulfills what was prophesized of Him in Isaiah 42:6, 49:8 and 52:13-53:12 regarding His role in the new covenant which has replaced the Mosaic Covenant.

The Preamble to the Mosaic Covenant

God in Exodus 20:2 declares a brief preamble to the Mosaic Covenant. God makes two defining statements of His qualifications to unilaterally declare His covenant with His people at the inauguration of their nationhood. God first declares, “I am the LORD your God.” He confirms His great name by which He told Moses to reveal to the people of Israel who were in slavery in Egypt. In Exodus 3:14 God states, “You will say this to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.” God by stating that He is Yahweh, their God in Exodus 20:2 declares His sovereign right to make a covenant with those people who He had earlier described as His “special possession,” Exodus 19:5 and would later describe as “a holy people to the LORD your God.  The LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special (treasured) people, above all peoples on the face of the earth.” Deuteronomy 7:6. See also Deuteronomy 14:2. God did not need to authenticate His right to make a covenant with His people but made this simple statement of His name to remind them that He alone is their God, and they alone are His special people.

The second brief statement God makes in Exodus 20:2 in the preamble to the Mosaic Covenant, is that it was He “who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”   God was reminding His covenant people of His great love for them by freeing them to worship Him. This momentous act by God on their behalf is declared often in the Scriptures, for example, Psalm 78:12-16; 81:10; Isaiah 11:16 and Jeremiah 11:4. God’s frequent statements to His covenant people of their freedom from Egyptian slavery is not an egotistical boast about His past accomplishments but is a reminder that He can be entirely trusted. He is the only true God, for no other “god” could accomplish this, certainly not their idols who could accomplish nothing. This statement of their freedom of slavery also serves to reassure God’s people that they can have confidence in the future for their God (1) will stand with them and provide safety from their enemies, Isaiah 37:36; (2) provide release from captivity, Ezra chapter 1; (3) provide a Savior for them, Isaiah 63:1-6;  (4) provide a future peaceful and righteous kingdom to be ruled by their Messiah, Isaiah 2:1-4; 4:2-6; 9:6-7, and many other passages in Isaiah. Through all these provisions, they will finally be faithful and pure priests and ministers of God, Isaiah 61:6, and they will have everlasting joy, Isaiah 61:7.

The People of the Mosaic Covenant

God’s covenant, declared to Moses was specifically for His covenant people, whom He had just freed from slavery in Egypt. God did not enter into this covenant with a people who were obedient, faithful and who desired to worship Him. They were rebellious, unfaithful and continually worshipped worthless idols. They often willingly ignored God and sought the aid of pagan nations for help when threatened by their enemies. There was little to commend them as ready recipients of God’s graceful care for them. Yet they were God’s people whom He chose for His own sake, and for the glory of His name. The people of the Mosaic Covenant were those who were linked uniquely to God through the provisions and promises of the covenant God made (cut) with Abraham, Deuteronomy 7:6-9.  God’s plan for them involved a Savior who would come from this people, a seed, who Isaiah describes as the Servant who would bring salvation to them as well as those from all nations of the earth. God would fulfill His desire for worshippers from these people and all peoples who would display and declare His glory to all creation.

The Precepts of the Mosaic Covenant

As mentioned above, the central content of the Mosaic Covenant is found in Exodus chapters 19-24 with the most well-known part of this central content being the ten commandments known also as the decalogue. This central content is called the “Book of the Covenant” in Exodus 24:7. The teachings of the covenant, which is called the law, also include the material from Exodus 19 to Deuteronomy 33. The teachings of the covenant are called precepts, statutes and laws in Nehemiah 9:14. Many Psalms reference the teachings of the law as being precepts, an example being Psalm 119:4, “You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently.” (NKJV). William D. Barrick discusses the key stipulations of the Mosaic Covenant, in The Masters Seminary Journal, TMSJ 10/2 (Fall 1999), pages 213-232.  Barrick suggests that the law is a unity comprising of three key areas involving Moral stipulations, Exodus 20:1-17; Civil stipulations, Exodus 20:22-23:33; and Ceremonial stipulations, Exodus 25:1-31:18. It is evident that these suggested stipulations extend beyond the content of the “Book of the Covenant,” indicating that the law is much more than the decalogue or the few chapters following its declaration.

The Purpose of the Mosaic Covenant

Exodus 19:3-6 reveals God’s intentions for His people if they obeyed His voice and keep His covenant. Their obedience would result in being a treasure to God above all peoples. They would also be a kingdom of priests and also be a holy nation. Other specific purposes were revealed in the New Testament. Paul in Romans 3:19-20 and 7:7-14 stated that knowledge of sin came by the law therefore humans understand their sinfulness through the precepts of the law. Also, the law acted as a teacher or tutor with the intention of bringing people to Christ in that justification comes by faith and not through obedience to the law, Galatians 3:24.

The law was summarized in two statements by Jesus Christ in Matthew 22:34-39. Jesus stated, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment.  ³⁹ The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  ⁴⁰ On these two commandments the whole law and prophets hang.” Matthew 22:37-39. See also Mark 12:28-34 and Luke 10:27. Jesus was quoting from two passages in the law, the first from Deuteronomy 6:5 and the second from Leviticus 19:18. Thus the purpose of the Mosaic Covenant, the law has three general aspects, (1) A Special People (treasured by God, who are holy and are priests to God); (2) A Salvific Premise (a tutor to lead people to Christ) and (3) A Specific Pursuit (to love God and neighbor).

Other Important Considerations of the Mosaic Covenant

1. The Promises of the Mosaic Covenant

Although the Mosaic Covenant had personal or individual conditions which if breached by God’s people resulted in a loss of blessings, its overall intent was unilateral in that God’s plans and purposes could not be defeated by any person, human or otherwise or by any event. Thus, the promises of the Mosaic covenant were permanent as they coincided with the Abrahamic, Davidic and New covenants. The following promises within the Mosaic covenant although not completely fulfilled at present, will be fully completed in the days of the millennium kingdom of the Messiah. (1) The covenant people of God are to be God’s treasured people above all other peoples, Exodus 19:6. (2) They are to be a kingdom of priests, Exodus 19:6. (3) They are to be a holy nation, Exodus 19:6. (4) They are to be given a land, Exodus 20:12. Finally (5) They are to be blessed by God above all peoples, Deuteronomy 7:14.

2. The Sign of the Mosaic Covenant

Covenants in the Old Testament were often symbolized with a sign that indicated their significance as a binding treaty, accord and promise between God and His people. The sign of the Noahic covenant was the rainbow, Genesis 9:12-17. The sign of the Abrahamic covenant was circumcision, Genesis 17:9-14 and the sign of the Mosaic covenant was the Sabbath, Exodus 31:12-17; Ezekiel 20:12, 20. Exodus 31:13 states, “Tell the Israelites, You must keep my Sabbaths, for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; so that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” The keeping of the Sabbath was inculcated in the decalogue as the fourth commandment. The sign of the Sabbath was to remind the Israelites of the creation by God of the heavens and the earth, and that God rested on the seventh day. This day was to be holy to God’s people, for it was a holy God who sanctified them, and they were to keep it “holy,” Exodus 20:8; Deuteronomy 5:12.

However, it was because of the failure of the Israelites to keep the commandment regarding the Sabbath, that God judged His people and removed them from their land. This was stated as a consequence of breaking the Sabbath in Leviticus 26:27-46. But in future days, still to come, following the present Church age, the Sabbath will again have significance for God and His people. Isaiah spoke of future blessings of those who keep the Sabbath, Isaiah 56:1-8; 58:13-14 and 66:23. In the days of the millennial kingdom, the sabbath will once again be kept, Ezekiel 44:24; 45:17; 46:1-15. Although the Sabbath is the only commandment of the decalogue not to be re-confirmed in the New Testament, as being significant for the Church age, it will re-emerge in importance during the earthly reign of the Messiah following the tribulation.

4. The Priestly Covenant

The immediate context of God giving a covenant of a perpetual priesthood is found in Numbers chapter 25. The historical background to the covenant is the story of Balak and Balaam, Numbers chapters 22-24. The time of these events was near the end of the Israelites forty-year sojourn in the wilderness. Balak, the king of the Moabites was afraid that the advancing Israelites would do to the Moabites all that they had done to the Amorites. So Balak called upon Balaam, who practiced divination, to curse the Israelites in the hope that the Moabites would defeat God’s people and drive them out of Moab, Numbers 22:1-6. Balaam was prevented from cursing the Israelites during three attempts and pronounced a blessing upon them. See also Deuteronomy 23:3-6 and Joshua 24:9-10. Numbers 31:16 reveals however, that Balaam was successful in having the women of Moab seduce the men of Israel and draw them into sinning against God. Balaam was later put to death by the Israelites, Joshua 13:22.

As a result of Balaam’s intrigue against Israel, the men of Israel committed harlotry with the women of Moab and also committed idolatry by bowing down to the gods of Moab, Numbers 25:1-2. This brought the anger and judgment of God upon Israel through a plague that resulted in the deaths of twenty-four thousand of the Israelites, Numbers 25:9. There would have been many more Israelites killed had not Phineas, a priest, who was the grandson of Aaron, taken direct action against an Israelite male and a woman from the Midianites. The man, in sight of all Moses and all of Israel, took this woman into his tent. Phinehas went into the tent and killed both of them with a spear, Numbers 25:6-8. God defended the action of Phinehas by a remarkable declaration that he was giving to him a covenant of peace, which was described as a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because Phinehas was zealous for God and made atonement on behalf of the children of Israel, Numbers 25:10-13.

The DASV for Numbers 25:10-13 states: ¹⁰ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ¹¹ Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the Israelites, by showing such jealousy as I have for them, so that I did not consume Israel in my jealousy. ¹² Therefore declare, ‘I am giving to him my covenant of peace.’ ¹³ So it will be to him and to his descendants after him, a covenant of a permanent priesthood; because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.

Four Aspects of the Priestly Covenant

First, God introduced the priestly covenant as a covenant of peace, Numbers 25:12, thus it has an aspect of blessing, in that the act of Phinehas in his zeal for God brought the blessing of God’s peace upon the priesthood and upon the Israelites.

Second, this covenant was perpetual in that the priesthood would last beyond the duration of the Mosaic covenant into the millennial kingdom of the Messiah, Ezekiel 40:46; 44:15-31 and 48:10-12. The permanence of the Priestly covenant is also clearly stated in Jeremiah 33:19-22.

Third, this covenant involved a lineage or seed as it was not only made to Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, but to the descendants or seed of Phinehas who would serve as priests to God. It is also called the Levitical priesthood as Aaron was a Levite (a descendant of Levi), Exodus 4:14; as was Phinehas, Exodus 6:25. The Levites had a specific role in the ministry of the tabernacle, Numbers 1:51-53. They were as sons of Aaron, the anointed priests to God, Numbers 3:2. Their role and ministry is further described in Numbers chapters 3 and 4.

Fourth, this covenant had an aspect of atonement. The act of Phineas, in putting to death, as a sacrifice those who were openly defying God, was described by God as making atonement for the Israelites. The Israelite man and the Midianite woman were identified by name and tribal association in Numbers 25: 14-15. Because of their open rebellion against God, He commanded Moses to attack the Midianites and destroy them because of the Midianites involvement in the treachery of the men of Israelite in that the Israelites were seduced into worshipping the Baal of Peor, Numbers 25:3, 16-18.

5. The Davidic Covenant

All of the major covenants identified in this essay are inter-connected. First, they build upon the promises that God has made beginning in the Noahic covenant and continue with additional promises from each covenant until the fulfillment of all covenantal promises in the new covenant. Second, they are inter-connected because they all, excepting the Noahic covenant, are promises made by God to His unique covenant people, the Israelites and their descendants. Third, all covenants including the Noahic, are interwoven with the great purpose of God in creating the heavens and the earth. God’s creation was, is and forever will be, a demonstration of His glory. God’s faithful image-bearers, humans, are doing and will continue forever to display and declare His glory to all creation and thus the covenants ensure that God’s purpose in the display and declaration of His glory will be perfectly and completely fulfilled. God’s glory is to be seen in all creation and within each nation. God has not simply delegated this to humans and withdrawn from this task. He divinely and sovereignly oversees every step of it and will continue to do so for all eternity.

A vital continuation of the covenant promises of God occurs in His covenant with David. The major covenantal promises of land, seed, blessing and nation from previous covenants are not ignored in the Davidic covenant and a very significant element is added. This addition involves the promise that the royal “house” and throne of David will be everlasting and that a “seed,” a Son will come from David’s line who will be later identified as Jesus Christ to whom God will give the throne of David, and this Son will reign on this throne over the house of Jacob forever, and His Kingdom will be everlasting, Isaiah 9:6-7 and Luke 1:31-33.

The Circumstances Leading to the Declaration of the Davidic Covenant

The first statement of the Davidic covenant occurs in 2 Samuel 7:8-16. Prior to this declaration of the statement of the covenant, the ark of God had been brought by David into his city following the defeat of the Philistines, 2 Samuel chapter 6. David desired to build a permanent house for the ark which still was “housed” within tent curtains, 2 Samuel 7:1-2. God however had other plans for a permanent building to house the ark and instructed the prophet Nathan to deliver a message of covenant to David that was of far greater importance than David’s concern for the ark.

The Content of the Davidic Covenant

The initial content of God’s declaration to David through the prophet Nathan is in 2 Samuel 7:8-16: ⁸ Now therefore tell David my servant, ‘This is what the LORD of hosts says, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over my people Israel. ⁹ I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies before you; and I will make your name great, as famous as the greatest who have ever lived on earth. ¹⁰ I will establish a place for my people Israel, and will plant them there, so that they may live in their own place, and not be disturbed anymore; neither will violent men oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning, ¹¹ from the day that I appointed judges to be over my people Israel.  I will give you rest from all your enemies. Furthermore, the LORD declares to you that he will build you a house. ¹² When your days are completed and you sleep with your fathers, I will set up one of your descendants after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴ I will be his father, and he will be my son.  If he sins, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with stripes inflicted by human beings.¹⁵ But my steadfast love will never be taken from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I ousted before you. ¹⁶ Your house and your kingdom will be made secure forever before me.  Your throne will be established forever. See also 1 Chronicles 17:7-15.

From this initial statement in 2 Samuel chapter 7, of the declaration of the covenant, many significant elements of the covenant are important to emphasize. First, David was to be a leader over God’s people Israel, thus emphasizing the element of nation. Second, God promises to make David’s name great, “as famous as the greatest who have ever lived on earth,” 2 Samuel 7:9. Third, God promises a place for His people Israel, where they will be (forever) free from oppression, and have rest from all their enemies, vss. 10-11. Fourth, God promised to build a “house” for David’s lineage, vs. 11. This is irony as David was so concerned to build a “house” for God’s ark that would eventually decay, but God promised to build a house that would never see decay (as later revelation reveals). Fifth, a male descendant would come from David who will build a house for God’s name, vs. 13. Sixth, the throne of David’s kingdom through his descendant, would last forever, vs. 13. Seventh, the human (non-divine) descendants of David, who sit upon the throne of David, who sin, would be disciplined by God, vs. 14. Eighth, God’s steadfast (merciful) love will never depart from David’s royal line, vs.15. Ninth, David’s house, kingdom and throne will be established forever, vs. 16.

Although the word “covenant” is not expressly stated by God in this initial statement, David certainly understood God’s promises to him as a covenant as David states in his “last words” recorded in 2 Samuel chapter 23. David stated, “Is not my house like this with God? For he has made an everlasting covenant with

me, order in all things and secure.  Will he not deliver me and bring all that I desire to fruition?”  2 Samuel 23:5. God confirmed that He had make a covenant with David when He spoke with David’s son Solomon, 2 Chronicles 7:18. It is also mentioned specifically as a covenant in 1 Kings 8:23-26; 2 Chronicles 21:7; Psalm 89:3 and 35; 132:12; and Jeremiah 33:19-22.

Other Scriptures attest to the promises of the Davidic covenant. Many of the Psalms are known as “royal” or “messianic” because of their content that mention the promises God had made to David regarding his everlasting kingly lineage involving David’s greater Son, the Messiah (His life, death and resurrection), and also regarding David’s everlasting house, throne and kingdom which had some limited application in the first advent of Jesus Christ but will completely be fulfilled in the earthly millennial kingdom of the Messiah. These Psalms include 2, 8, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24, 40, 41, 45, 68, 69, 72, 89, 91, 101, 102, 110, 118 and 144.  For a very helpful exposition of the royal and messianic content of these Psalms, see T. Ernest Wilson, The Messianic Psalms, Gospel Folio Press, 1997. A magnificent statement of the Davidic covenant is also stated in Isaiah 9:6-7:

⁶ For unto us a child is born,  unto us a son is given,  and the government will be upon his shoulders: and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.  He will rule on the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

The Completion of the Davidic Covenant

As with other covenants, the Davidic covenant has similar significant elements, such as land, nation, seed, and kingdom which are stated in 2 Samuel 7:8-16 and blessing stated in Psalm 72;17. The greatest addition to these elements, however, is that God’s Son, the suffering Servant of Isaiah, the Messiah, Jesus Christ would be the fulfillment of the entire covenant. It is only through the life, death, resurrection and return of Jesus Christ that God’s covenant with David could be perfectly completed. Jesus Christ was recognized as a king during His first advent, Matthew 2:2; 27:11; Mark 15:2; Luke 23:3; and John 18:37. The angel Gabriel announced to Mary before she gave birth to Jesus, ³⁰ The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ Look, you will conceive in your womb, give birth to a son, and will call his name Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. ³³ He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:30-33.

It will be at Christ’s second advent, when the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant will be witnessed by all living upon the earth at that time. Christ will establish His messianic kingdom. He will reign upon the throne of David, for Christ came from the line of David, both during the messianic kingdom and into the eternal state. He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, Luke 1:33 indicating that God’s people Israel will have a recognized identity in heaven eternally.

Christ’s rule will be characterized by peace, righteousness and justice, Isaiah 9:7. He will also rule with a “iron sceptre” (rod of iron), Psalm 2:9 and Revelation 19:15. There are many other aspects of the rule of Christ upon the throne of David that this very short study cannot state. However, it is important for the student of the Scriptures to understand that all who have faith in the Messiah, Jesus Christ will participate in the promises and blessings of not only the Davidic Covenant but also the Abrahamic Covenant through their participation in the New Covenant. God, being so loving, merciful and gracious to the people He has created, provided a way through which those who trust Him by faith and believe in the salvific works of His Son, have direct and unencumbered access now (in the present) to the One who will rule upon the throne of David. This “way” was through the wonderful promises and elements of the final covenant of our study, the New Covenant, which also was revealed in the Old Testament.

6. The New Covenant

God’s covenants with Abraham and David are unilateral in the sense that God will perfectly and completely fulfill all of His covenant promises with His covenant people. God will also enable His covenant people to fully participate in these promises and benefit from them. As was evident from the conditional aspects of the Mosaic covenant, God’s people were unable to keep the regulations and commands of the covenant because of their wickedness and rebellion against God. It was not that they occasionally or rarely transgressed the precepts and statutes of God’s law, but they continually walked in open rebellion against God. Therefore, there were three major objectives among many others that God intended to accomplish by His declaration of the new covenant.

First, God provided the means by which people could participate in the blessings of these unilateral covenants. God’s own arm provided salvation, Isaiah 59:16 and 63:5, through the shedding of the blood of suffering Servant, the Messiah who was revealed in the New Testament as Jesus Christ. It was the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ that God intended to be the means by which all who believed in Christ would participate in the New covenant, Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25, and Hebrews 12:24.

Second, God accomplished what His covenant people and all mankind could not do. God radically changed the hearts and minds of those who were to have faith in Christ. God performed “spiritual surgery” by giving them a new heart, and by putting His Spirit in them, Ezekiel 36:26-27. It is only by this radical act of God that they could walk righteously before Him and participate in the blessings He had promised them.

Third, it was necessary for God to replace the Mosaic covenant, for it was intended to be “our tutor until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith,” Galatians 3:24. The KJV for this verse states, “wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” See notes on the Mosaic Covenant for the fulfilled purposes of the law and its replacement by the New Covenant.

Scriptural Content of the New Covenant

The specific words “new covenant” is only stated in the Old Testament in Jeremiah 31:31-34 although it is referenced by its intended meaning in many other passages such as Isaiah 42:6; 49:8; 54:10; 55:3; 59:21; 61:8; Jeremiah 24:7; 32:40; 52:5; Ezekiel 11:19-21; 16:60; 36:24-28; 37:26-27; and Hosea 2:16-23. The Servant Songs in Isaiah can be understood as an indirect (words “new covenant” not mentioned) but describe essential aspects of the means by which God enacts the new covenant. This would also be true of many OT passages that speak of God’s provision of spiritual salvation and prophetic passages regarding the Messiah who as the Servant of God was given by God as a covenant, as stated in Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8. Many other OT passages have been suggested by Biblical scholars as referring to the new covenant but many of these may be a reference to either the Abrahamic or Davidic covenants. These references are not listed in this short survey of the new covenant. The new covenant is referenced in the New Testament in Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; Romans 11:27; 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews chapters 7-10; 12:24 and 13:20-21.

Specific Conditions of the New Covenant

As the actual mention of a “new covenant” is stated in Jeremiah 31:31-34, (wider context in Jeremiah chapter 31), it is useful for the student of the Scriptures to first examine this passage to understand important specific conditions of this covenant. Other new covenant passages will also be examined.  Jeremiah 31:31-34 states,

³¹ Look, 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 But it will not be like the covenant that I made with their forefathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt;  for they broke my covenant,  although I was their husband,” 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 within them, I will write it in their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. ³⁴ Each person will no longer have to teach his neighbor, or each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD.’ For they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them,” says the LORD.  For I will forgive their iniquity,  and remember their sin no more.

 First, it is a future covenant (days are coming, vs.31 and after those days vs. 33). It was not revealed in the Old Testament when God would “make” a new covenant. The first direct mention that it was now in place occurs in Matthew 26:28 where Christ revealed that it was through (or in) His shed blood that the new covenant was enacted for the remission of sins.

Second, it is a covenant that is made between God and the house of Israel and Judah (vs. 31). This statement has been the cause of much debate among Biblical scholars as to the extent of the new covenant in the days of the first advent of Jesus Christ and following days and if the Church participates in any way in this covenant. A first set of questions arises regarding the recipients of the blessings of the covenant. Is the new covenant for the benefit of the covenant people of God only or does the Church participate in it in some way or has the Church replaced Israel as the sole recipient of the blessings of the covenant? A second set of questions arises around the timing of the completion of the new covenant. Was the new covenant fulfilled at the first advent of Christ, or is there only a future fulfillment, or is this there a partial fulfillment now and a completion of the covenant blessings in the future?  A third set of questions by some traditional dispensationalists arise when they question whether there may be two new covenants, one for the covenant people of God and another for the Church.

From an examination of the Biblical evidence, it is clear that the covenant people of God, the faithful remnant of the nation of Israel, will completely fulfill the new covenant in the future messianic kingdom. They will totally participate in all the blessings of the new covenant during the messianic kingdom era when they will be ruled by the promised seed, the Messiah who will be physically present with them in all of the land which has been promised to them and who will sit on the throne of David and who, along with His covenant people, will bless all nations of the earth thus fulfilling the Abrahamic, Davidic and new covenants. Also, the Church now and since the time of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, participates in the spiritual aspects of the new covenant.

These spiritual aspects can be understood as the blessings that result from having “new hearts” and having been indwelt by the Spirit of God, Ezekiel 36:26-27. These blessings to the Church do not represent a replacement for the blessings promised to the covenant people of God. Members of the body of Christ, both Jews and Gentiles comprising the Church, have been given these spiritual blessings because they are now “in Christ” and have spiritual regeneration through belief in Christ and in the atoning efficacy of His shed blood. It is only because they are “in Christ” that they derive these spiritual blessings of the new covenant. There is also, no Scriptural evidence for two new covenants, one for God’s covenant people, Israel and another for the Church.

Third, it was not like (or according to) the Mosaic Covenant (vs. 32). The old Mosaic Covenant was broken by God’s covenant people even though God was “their husband,” (vs. 32). Hosea 2:19-20 states, “I will betroth you to me forever. I will take you as my wife in righteousness, justice, loyal love, and compassion. ²⁰ I will take you as my wife in faithfulness, and you will know the LORD.” See also Hosea 2:16; and Isaiah 54:5. God had considered His covenant given at Mount Sinai as a marriage vow between a husband (God) and a wife (Israelites). God was faithful in keeping all of the covenant promises of the Mosaic covenant. However, the Israelites, like an unfaithful wife, broke the covenant and God therefore decreed a “new” covenant that would not have contingencies for obedience which would result in a broken covenant.

Fourth, God promises to instill His law in their hearts (vs. 33). King David had earlier exclaimed as recorded in Psalm 40:8, “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is in my heart.” David had also spoken of the righteous in Psalm 37:31, “The law of his God is in his heart; not one of his steps slip.” These and similar statements reflect a desire by followers of God to be obedient to His laws, but they ultimately fail because of sin that besets everyone. God in the specific conditions of the new covenant indeed promises something “new.” God promises that in future days He will put His law within His covenant people. This is a guarantee that the “law” (all that God commands and requires), will be obeyed to His satisfaction because God will also put His Spirit within His people, Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26-27.

It is this intervention by God by making a permanent solution to sin in that God will justify all who have faith in His Son. Those who are justified by faith will have God’s law and His Spirit residing permanently in them. These are New Testament blessings promised long before by the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel. All who have faith in the Son, both Jews and Gentiles are recipients now of these promises by God. In the far future, as the messianic kingdom begins, God’s covenant people, national Israel will come to faith in their Messiah and also will have God’s law and His Spirit within them.

Fifth, God’s covenant formula (vs. 33). A significant promise statement of the new covenant is made by God in Jeremiah 31:33. This statement is often referred to as the covenant formula. This formula is, “I will be their God, and they will be my people.” This statement is more than a slogan. It is the confirmation that finally, after generations of a broken relationship between God and His covenant people, there will be a restored fellowship. God’s people will be perfectly reconciled to Him through their belief in the atoning sacrifice of His Son. This covenant formula was first plainly stated by God in Jeremiah 24:7. It also occurs in Jeremiah 32:38, Ezekiel 11:20; 14:11; 34:30; 36:28; 37:23, 27; Zechariah 8:8; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Hebrews 8:10 and Revelation 21:3. It is this final occurrence of this promise-statement that is the most satisfying for those who have faith in their Messiah. God intended this statement, not as a temporary measure leading to His eternal relationship with His people, but as the defining foundation of this relationship that will last forever. He forever will dwell (tabernacle) with His people as their God.

Sixth, knowing the Lord (vs. 34). Another outstanding promise of the new covenant is that God’s covenant people will know Him. It is not that they will know about Him and all He has done for His people and all humanity, but that they will know Him through a perfectly holy relationship with Him. The Apostle Paul expressed this as an attainment, having cast aside all personal accomplishments, and being found in Christ, not in his own righteousness, but through the righteousness which was given to Him from God by faith (in Christ), Philippians 3:7-10. Jeremiah earlier, in 9:24, had declared the words of God, “but let the one who boasts boast in this; that they understand and know me, that I am the LORD who acts with loyal love, justice, and righteousness, in the earth, for these are the things I delight in.” God, through the provisions of the new covenant made it possible for all who have faith in the Messiah to truly know Him. An excellent publication on this topic is Knowing God by J. I. Packer, IVP Books, 1993.

Seventh, forgiveness of sins (vs. 34). The final specific promise to God’s covenant people in the Jeremiah 34:31-34 passage is that God will “forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.” (vs. 34).  Several chapters of the New Testament book of Hebrews address the various aspects of the new covenant in comparison to the mosaic covenant. In Hebrews chapter 10, the writer states, “For since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, not the true form of these things, it can never with the same sacrifices offered continually year after year, make perfect those who approach for worship. ² Otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshippers, having been cleansed once for all, would have had no more consciousness of sins? ³ But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. ⁴ For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” Hebrews 10:1-4. Thus, it is only through the provisions of the new covenant that sins were forgiven and forgotten by God. Those who lived before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ appropriated this forgiveness in that they looked forward in faith to God’s promise of a Redeemer that was first stated in Genesis 3:15. Those who were alive at the time and following Christ’s death and resurrection look to the fact of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and by faith appropriate the forgiveness of their sins through the covenant promises of God who is always faithful and perfectly keeps His promises.

Another prominent new covenant passage in the Old Testament is Ezekiel 36:24-28 which states,

²⁴ For I will take you from the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. ²⁵ I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean from all your filth, and from all your idols, I will cleanse you. ²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will remove the stony heart from your body, and I will give you a heart of flesh.  ²⁷ I will put my Spirit within you, so that you walk in my statutes, and keep my regulations.  ²⁸ Then you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; and you will be my people, and I will be your God.

A brief analysis of this passage reveals that first, this passage confirms a major aspect of the Abrahamic covenant regarding the “land” that God has promised to His covenant people. Some may understand that the present migration of Jews from the nations of the world to Israel is a pre-cursor to or an anticipation of the complete fulfillment of the new covenant promise of Ezekiel 36:24 and 28. As noted in the Messianic Study of Isaiah which precedes this essay on the Covenants, the fulfillment of the “land” promise will occur at the end of the tribulation and at the establishment of the Messianic kingdom. Thus, the Abrahamic, Davidic and New covenants all have land promise provisions that await a final fulfillment.

Second, God will cleanse His covenant people from their wickedness, 36:25. This is a picture of forgiveness which is clearly described in the New Testament in 1 John 1:9.

Third, God will instill a new heart in His covenant people that will enable them to respond righteously to Him, 36:26.

Fourth, God will put His Spirit within them, 36:26-27, an action that ensures an everlasting righteous relationship between God who is holy and His Spirit-indwelt image-bearers.

Fifth, these cumulative actions will result in God’s ultimate desire being fulfilled forever, that they will be His people, and He will be their God, Ezekiel 36:18 and Revelation 21:3.

There is a blending of the Davidic and New covenant promises in Ezekiel 37:24-28. The Davidic covenant promise of a king to rule over God’s covenant people as a prince forever is the topic of vss. 24-26 and the new covenant, which is described as a covenant of peace is the topic of vss. 27-28. In these later verses, God promises to:

 first, establish His people, guaranteeing that they will live securely in the land and fulfill the earlier promise that they will be a blessing to all nations.

Second, God promises to multiply them which is also emphasized in Isaiah 66:7-11.

Third, God promises to set His Sanctuary and Tabernacle in the midst of them forever. This is clearly a promise of God Himself being the Sanctuary who dwells (lives with them as living in a tent together) with them. This will be fulfilled on earth during the Messianic kingdom when the Son of God, the Messiah will live among His covenant people and forever in heaven as revealed in Revelation 21:3.

Fourth, God confirms His ultimate desire to live in the midst of His people with the covenant formula, Ezekiel 27:27, He will be their God and they shall be His people.

Fifth, God confirms the covenant promise first made to Abraham that his descendants, (Israel) will be a blessing to the nations in that when God, sanctifies Israel by His presence, 27:28, the nations will know that is the LORD who has accomplished all He has planned through His covenant people.

In Isaiah, the aspects of the new covenant include the identification of the person who fulfills the “seed.” promise of the Abrahamic covenant and the person who fulfills the promise of an eternal ruler of the Davidic covenant. Direct references to this person occur in 42:6; 49:8. In Isaiah this one is identified as the Servant of God of whom the LORD gives as a covenant to the people. The New Testament reveals that it is Jesus Christ who is this Servant and is specifically identified with the new covenant through His shed blood, Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; and Luke 22:20.

Hosea 2:18-23 emphasizes a few additional aspects of the new covenant. (1), the earth will know peace, “in that day” (Messianic kingdom). Animals (ie: beasts, birds, creeping things) will be at peace with each other as will humans who will not engage in battle with one another, 2:18. (2), God describes His relationship with His covenant people in terms of a marriage (betroth) that has as its basis, righteousness, justice, lovingkindness, mercy and faithfulness, 2:19-20 (NKJV). (3), the covenant people of God will truly know Him, vss. 20b-23.

7. Covenants in Isaiah

Direct references to a covenant, the Hebrew word berit, in Isaiah occur in 24:5; 28:15, 18; 33:8; 42:6; 49:8; 54:10; 55:3; 56:4, 6; 59:21; and 61:8. A brief analysis of these occurrences will aid the student of the Scriptures to identify to which specific covenant between God and His covenant people they refer and which occurrences refer only to a treaty or agreement among mankind.  Isaiah 28:15, 18 and 33:8 do not refer to a covenant made by God with His covenant people but refer to pacts and agreements made between unregenerate Jews and pagan nations which lead to physical and spiritual death.

Isaiah 24:5, “The earth is defiled by its inhabitants; because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant.”

The context of 24:5 is within a separate section of Isaiah dealing with apocalyptic or end-times issues and specifically why God will punish the earth and its inhabitants. One of the reasons for God’s judgment is that the people of the earth, both Jews and Gentiles, have transgressed His laws and violated His statutes. They have completely rebelled against God and turned to their own way. They also have “broken the everlasting covenant.” Isaiah does not identify which “everlasting covenant” has been broken. Many have speculated that this covenant may refer to the Noahic, Abrahamic or Davidic Covenants. Others suggest that this everlasting covenant may be a reference to God’s commands to mankind that they subdue, rule over and fill the earth, Genesis 1:28.  However, this also is speculation. As the context of Isaiah chapters 24-27 is certainly eschatological (end-times) judgment on the wicked and the restoration of Israel, it seems best not to attempt to conclusively identify which covenant that God was referencing. It may be a general statement that mankind is so wicked that they have “broken” all of God’s covenants and they have no desire to repent of their sinfulness and rebellion against Him.

Isaiah 42:6, “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and protect you. I will give you as a covenant for the people, and a light for the nations.”

Isaiah 49:8, “This is what the LORD says, In the time of my favor, I answered you; and in a day of salvation, I helped you. I will protect you, I will give you as a covenant for the people, to restore the land, to reestablish their desolate inheritances.”

Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8 both occur within passages that are often called “Servant Songs”, Isaiah 42:1-9 and 49:1-13. Other “Servant Songs” occur in 50:4-11 and 52:13-52:12. These “songs” are prophetic statements about the great suffering Servant of the LORD who is identified in the New Testament as the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Among other wonderful truths revealed in 42:6 and 49:8, the LORD states that He will give His Servant (the Messiah) “as a covenant for the people.” This is a highly significant statement about the intention of God to save His covenant people from their sins and provide the means by which they can live forever with Him. That these statements refer to the role of Jesus Christ in the New Covenant is clearly stated in the New Testament in Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; and 1 Corinthians 11:25. See also Romans 11:27; Hebrews chapters 7-10; 12:24 and 13:20-21. Although the New Covenant was in the Old Testament specifically made between God and the house of Israel and Judah, Jeremiah 31:31, the statement by Christ in Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24 and Luke 22:20 reveals that some of the spiritual benefits of the New Covenant were applicable to those who believe in Christ for salvation and have therefore become members of His body, the Church. See notes above on the New Covenant.

Isaiah 54:10, “For the mountains may be moved, and the hills shaken, but my loyal love will never leave you, nor will my covenant of peace ever be broken, says the LORD who has compassion on you.”

The promise of God in Isaiah 54:10 is that His “covenant of peace” will never be broken. Many Biblical scholars suggest that this is a clear reference to the New Covenant for God has taken the initiative to make peace with His covenant people and this could only be accomplished through the provisions of the New Covenant.  This is very clear in Ezekiel 37:26 where God mentions this covenant of peace and also states that He will set His sanctuary, (Himself) among them forever. This covenant of peace is also mentioned in a New Covenant context in Ezekiel 34:25. As the notes on the New Covenant, (see above) reveal, God promises in the Old Testament that for His covenant people, He will cleans them, exchange their hearts of stone and instill a new heart within them and will put His Spirit within them, Ezekiel 36:25-28. It is this radical change to His people ensuring that they will be prepared to live righteously with Him that God states is His “covenant of peace” with them.

Isaiah 55:3, “Incline your ear and come to me; listen, so you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, just like my loyal covenant made to David.”

Some may suggest that this promise is a reference to the Davidic Covenant because of the translation of some English versions of the Old Testament. See the KJV, NKJV, NASB and the ESV for comparison. However, as it refers to the covenant with David that God had previously made with His covenant people, it is most likely that God is referring to another covenant which is everlasting. This can only be the new covenant through which believers appropriate the blessings of the other unilateral covenants because they are “in Christ.”

Isaiah 56:4, “For this is what the LORD says: To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and hold on tight to my covenant.”

Isaiah 56:6, “Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not defile it and holds on tight to my covenant.”

From the context of Isaiah 56:4-6, the covenant statements in 56:4 and 56:6 most certainly refer to the Mosaic covenant. These verses should be compared to Exodus 19:5-6 and Psalm 103:17-18. The reference to the Sabbath in both Isaiah 56:4 and 6 also helps to confirm the identity of the “covenant” in these verses. These verses are clear statements of the Lord’s intention, in the days of the Old Testament, to offer salvation to all peoples including eunuchs and Gentiles (foreigners). It was one of the primary tasks of Israel to be the Lord’s representative to all nations so that all peoples could join themselves to the Lord through faith in Him. Israel failed miserably in this role and the Lord assigned His Servant, the Messiah to fulfil this task, Isaiah 49:6.

Isaiah 59:21, “As for me, this is my covenant with them, says the LORD, my Spirit that is on you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, will not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouths of your children, nor out of the mouth of your children’s children, says the LORD, from now to forever.”

The statement of the LORD in Isaiah 59:21 regarding His covenant including His Spirit that is upon them and including words that the LORD has put in the mouths of His covenant people and in the mouths of their children forever is an unmistakable reference to the New Covenant. These words will not depart from His covenant people forever. This new covenant reference is confirmed in Jeremiah 31:34 and in the New Testament in Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16.

Isaiah 61:8, “For I, the LORD, love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully repay them and make an everlasting covenant with them.”

The final occurrence to “covenant” in Isaiah in 61:8 is another clear reference to the new covenant. Chapter 61 begins with a prophetic statement regarding the first and second advents of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verses 1-2a speak of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ during His first advent and verses 2b and following are prophecies of the days His second advent when Israel will finally fulfil their responsibilities as “priests of the LORD,” 61:6 and have everlasting joy, 61:7. Isaiah completes chapter 61 with joyful statements about the salvation and righteousness that he describes as his garments, and about the righteousness and praise the LORD will cause to sprout up before all the nations of the earth, 61:10-11. All of Isaiah chapter 61 is therefore a prophetic revelation regarding the glorious aspects of the new covenant.

Recommended resources

Books:

-Paul Martin Henebury, The Words of the Covenant – A Biblical Theology: Volume 1 – Old Testament Expectation, Xulon Press, 2021. (Kindle version available). (Vol. 2 on the NT in preparation).

-Michael Rydelnik and Edwin Blum, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, Moody Publishers, 2019. In this book see articles by various authors: T. Desmond Alexander, Genesis 12:1-3; 22:16-18: The Covenant with Abraham, pages 259-270; Walter C. Kaiser Jr., 2 Samuel 7: The Davidic Covenant (1); pages 385-397; Eugene H. Merrill, 1 Chronicles 17: The Davidic Covenant (II), pages 425-435; Robert L. Cole, Psalm 90: The Fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant, pages 645-661; Robert B. Chisholm Jr., Isaiah 55:3-5: The Fulfillment of the Davidic Promise, pages 975-981; Josh Matthews, Jeremiah 31:31-34: The New Covenant, pages 1035-1047; Randall L. McKinnon, Jeremiah 33:14-26: The Branch and the Abrahamic Promises, pages 1049-1062.

Journal Articles:

-The Master’s Seminary Journal, TMSJ 10/2 (Fall 1999) Dispensationalism,

–R Bruce Compton, The Church and the New Covenant, the Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal, DSBJ 8 (Fall 2003): pages 3-48.

The Journal articles stated above are available online and can be downloaded in pdf format.

Unless otherwise stated, the Bible version used throughout this article is the Digital American Standard Version, © DASV Bible, Ted Hildebrandt, 2011. Used by permission.

This article is adapted from Appendix 2, of the E-book, Isaiah: A Messianic Study. See under E-books page on the servantsplace.ca website.  This article in pdf format (below)  can be downloaded to your computer.

Article 004 The Covenants of God