Abrahamic Covenant Essay

What is Judaism? Who are Jews? Judaism is considered one of the oldest and most popular monotheistic religions today. Judaism’s followers are called Jews and they have been through many tough challenges and trials but are still able to proudly identify themselves as Jews. Jewish beliefs, customs, history, holidays, symbols, and the holocaust are just a few of the things that make Jews who they are.

Covenants play a major role in Judaism, as it was a covenant between Abram/Abraham and G-d that first created Judaism. Covenants are promises between G-d and his people, in which certain demands must be met, such as the rite of circumcision being performed on every male in the Judaism community, so that G-d may protect his people.

A covenant is defined as a promise or agreement between two parties. The Abrahamic Covenant is a precise covenant between God and Abraham which can be seen in numerous events, throughout scripture. Genesis 12-50 reveals the Abrahamic covenant from Abraham to Joseph. The covenant is displayed in event and incidents throughout the history of Abraham and his descendants, which was part of God’s perfect will. God called out a specific people for himself, who have throughout the covenant demonstrated a lack of faith and obedience, nevertheless God still fulfilled His promises.

“Covenants were a common feature of life in the ANE, and played an important part in business, politics and family life, as well as in religion.” (163) Covenants were unbreakable and were taken as a very serious commitment done by two or more people. The covenant with Abraham (Gen 15, 17) Covenant of grant that also obligated God to oversee the promises made to Abraham. Abraham’s posterity in view requires obedience on the part of the Israelites. The Sinaitic (Mosaic) covenant is Israel’s election based on God’s initiative, grace, and love. Israel is Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation. Freed from bondage for relationship with Yahweh. Noahic Covenants (Gen 9:8-17) Universal covenant in scope and application. Made with Noah and his

Theologically, a covenant (used of relations between God and man) denotes a gracious undertaking entered into by God for the benefit and blessing of humanity and specifically of those who by faith receive the promises and commit themselves to the obligation which this undertaking involves. The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant. God made

Although covenants from God, which appear in both the Old and New Testaments, share similar traits with modern treaties or contracts, God’s covenants are still far more important and powerful than any modern treaty or contract. This will be proven by explaining covenants, more specifically, its origins, the traits involved, and how they differ from modern day contracts and treaties.

As Barry Horner points out, although the covenantalists feign a high regard of the role of Jewish people in their covenantal construct, “there is nothing distinctively ‘covenantal’…when compared with differing eschatological opinions”. Therefore, they view all believers in both the Old and New Testaments are to be regarded as the same faith community. Both Jewish and gentile believers are to be collectively designated as the church and thus all the prophecies regarding both Israel and the church can be amalgamated and regarded as a single entity. Therefore, under covenantalism, the nation of Israel has no distinct future and the entirety of the Scriptures focuses solely on the redemption of the church.

With Adam’s covenant with God having been defunct as of the expulsion from Eden, the extant covenants are limited to those of Noah, Abraham, and of Moses. All mankind is considered heir to the burdens of Adam and Noah. According to the Jewish tradition, the obligations created through Abraham and Moses are what distinguish the Children of Israel as a people apart from the

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though 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, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

The covenant idea is at once simple and complex to serve as a gathering point for a person, yet sufficiently complex for the entire Bible worldwide and therefore the essential outlook of all biblically rooted traditions to be built around it. Moreover, a covenant builds a legal defined partnership based upon a relationship, outlining the Imperium, influence, and integrity of all the parties involved. Furthermore, a covenant necessitates the need for parties to go beyond the legal definition to totally understand this covenantal relationship does exist between God and man other than between parties. The Hebrew term brit means a covenant. It is about an everlasting relationship between parties having equalized and free status that provides

The word covenant relates to an agreement between God and Man (Tullock & McEntire, 2012). Each part of the contract is written by God, and he ensures that the terms of the agreement have been met. The role that has been viewed in the Israelite religion that relates to the word covenant would be the Sinai covenant that God made with the Israelites. In Exodus 19:5, God tells the Israelites that “If you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be a treasured possession out of all peoples” (Tullock & McEntire, 2012. pp. 75-76). This statement meant that the Israelites would be a holy nation and be separated from others for God’s use only.

many times in different texts. Some scholars my say that the word covenants is hard to find a true meaning. You will hear the word covenant throughout the Old Testament. I think sometimes when we hear the word covenant only one or two covenants come to mind. There are many covenants throughout the Bible. I will attempt to define and explain five covenants. These five covenants are: Noahic Covenant, Abrahamic Covenant, Mosaic Covenant, Davidic Covenant and the Fifth Covenant or the (New Covenant). In these particular covenants we will find the promises God made with his people. In this paper I will attempted to answer questions which of these

Businesses around the world do business bases on contracts. And on a personal level people like to do business on the basis of a contract, where all the contingencies for both sides are spelled out. In the Bible, a covenant definition is literally, a contract. Today as its always been, God makes promises to His people which always requires a certain conduct from them. God is a covenant-keeping God, who does not deal with us on the basis of random promises, but takes the initiative of entering into a promise (covenant) with His people.

The development and destiny of the Jewish people emerged in the book of Genesis. According to Tony Fahey’s (Fahey 1982: 64) analysis of Max Weber’s Ancient Jerusalem, “The covenant conception argued by Weber as the initial great uniqueness of Israelite religiosity and political organization.” The uniqueness of the covenant conception regarding Abraham is exemplified in the first book of the Bible (Genesis. 15:18 New International Version);

Moreover, each of these covenants has “it’s own character and scope; and each prepares for and provides the found for, the next”. Alexander and Baker hold fast in agreement and proceed to say, “ Yet the faith and varied responses of the ancestors and Israelites are best grasped in relation to covenant making, covenant breaking and renewals of covenant”. The narrative of the Pentateuch has a progressive nature, as do the covenants made between people and God.