Throughout the Old Testament God continually manifests himself to humanity. When He is speaking to the prophets, leaders, or the nation of Israel, He presents opportunities for obedience in the form of covenants. Faithfulness is also needed to secure an association with God. Obedience is probably the most difficult aspect of mankind’s relationship with God. These covenants are the essential promises and pacts between God and humanity. I will present evidence from each of the Four Canons (Pentateuch, History, Poetry /Wisdom, and Prophets) from the Old Testament that our best is only possible by obeying God.
[PENTATEUCH]
The Pentateuch or otherwise known as the Torah is a five-part literary composition. These compositions contain the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The main story is about the founding of Israel and their exodus out of Egypt. In Genesis 9: 11-17, there is one of the covenants God made with man, Noah.
First of all, what is a covenant? A covenant is an agreement and union between two individuals. Conditional and unconditional are the two basic types. In a conditional (bilateral) covenant, both parties need to fulfill it. An unconditional (unilateral) covenant only one of the parties must act, and nothing else is required from the other. This covenant was made after God had flooded the earth due to man’s wickedness and evil. God wanted no part of a relationship with mankind. Noah, who had been always humble and faithful, was spared
Covenant and law are both prevalent themes that are used throughout the Old Testament of the Bible. A covenant is a binding contract in which “a kinship bond between two parties” is created when each party carries out assigned expectations established in the making of the covenant (Hahn and Bergsma 1). A law is a binding rule or regulation that is used to regulate the conduct of a community or group of people and is usually enforced by some kind of authority. There are many similarities and differences between covenant and law, and in some cases covenant and law can be connected so that one supports the other. This is especially true when talking about the Mosaic Law and God’s covenant with Israel. In these two items God creates expectations through the covenant, rules and regulations through the Law, and allows for covenant-maintenance by using both together rather than a simple law code.
The treaty analogue sheds light on some biblical phraseology used in covenant contexts. The relationship of the suzerain to the vassal is often expressed as a father – son relationship. The references to Israel as Yahweh’s son is illuminated by this characteristic idiom: The father – son metaphor informs another idiom: In treaties and diplomatic correspondence, the relationship between the two parties is one of “love.”
In the Beginning: At the beginning of the universe. God created heaven and earth in six days and rested on the seventh. During those six days God spoke to the darkness and created the world, brought forth light, created the sky, land and animals and plants to inhabit them. However, even during this creation he was contemplating the creation of a being made in his own image.
Biblical covenant is “legal term denoting a formal and legally binding declaration of benefits to be given by one party to another, with or without conditions attached.” (Arnold) Biblical covenant is a part of God holy plan and they reveal enteral plan. Each covenant plays a part of God plan of salvation. The Mosaic covenant showed that being saved by works was impossible and reveals God’s Holy character the need of a savior. “The Mosaic Covenant was like the vassal treaties of the ancient Near East, where a more powerful king entered into a relationship with a lesser king.” Knowing the Bible)
The Davidic, Adamic, and Abrahamic Covenants all promise the Messiah coming to fulfill the Law of the Profits and in the end smash Satan's head and triumph over him. The Noah Covenant reminds us that sin will not go unnoticed forever, but God will never again flood the earth to destroy all life on earth. Personally, these Covenants have helped guide me in my life promising Jesus, and reminding us that ultimately God will judge our sin. The Covenants express God's desire for us to personally know and obey Him
Without devotion to God, violence and death would flourish in Israel. These factors would impede God’s blessings of security and life; thus, the Mosaic covenant demonstrates the continual faithfulness of God in the Old Testament. Finally, God is faithful to Israel during the people’s complaints in the desert. Rather than abandoning the nation for its faithlessness, God provides them will nourishment and protection during their journey. These acts further reinforce the faithfulness of God, even when his followers stray. In all, the Pentateuch demonstrates the theme of God’s faithfulness.
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
A covenant relationship can either be between God and man or between man and another man. The agreement between God and people called a divine covenant, that signify the relationship between people and God as expressed in the biblical
The Old Testament is a work that is saturated with the theme of Covenant. There is an ebb and flow of the epic history of the Old Testament. According to some theologists, a covenant was not just an agreement or or a contract; it was a solemn bond established between two or more parties. For example, in Exodus when God flooded the earth, He sent a rainbow to Noah to make a covenant with him and the people of the earth that he would never destroy the earth again with water. A covenant also involved a firm commitment to the relationship. There is a slight difference between a covenant and a contract, however. Covenant involves a person’s whole being for the rest of their life.
A covenant is an important agreement or promise. The Covenant of Grace states that God approached mankind, not the other way around and all mankind had to do was accept this covenant of grace. This allowed mankind, as sinful as they were, the chance to return to God.
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
The Old Testament consisted of a set of documentations of religious scriptures, which were written by different people at various times for a different audience. Most of the Old Testament contains short stories of traditional stories and those stories of distinguished ways God established mankind. These stories are often told to the people in narrative form, which are guidelines often referred to as laws, songs, genealogies, and a list from these authors that composed the Old Testaments. The pressing of set documentation is essential because it is the framework for the lives of God 's followers. The term “Old Testament” originated as a means to express spoken traditions and God 's creation of that particular era. It is an method of philosophical investigation was designed to answer the why questions within these spiritual text documentations. These religious documentations consisted of four parts. These four sections retrieved from the Old Testaments are the laws, history, wisdom and prophecy. The laws are a rule of behavior enforced within the community. The rules are sometimes called “Torah.” When analyzing this Torah, these rules viewed within the first five spiritual books of the Bible. For example, in the first Torah in Genesis, it explains the creation, Noah’s Flood, Abraham and Isaac, and Joseph’s coats of many colors. However, the laws in Exodus were in regards to the going out. The going out took about 40 plus years, until the people led to
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.
“Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all my
God develops many special relationships with His people throughout the Old Testament. Another word to describe the relationship between God and his people is covenant. The word covenant goes into the details of the relationship. Within the five books of the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), Historical books, Poetical books, and the Prophet books, one may pick up on the relationships being developed between God and humanity. God has an unconditional love for His people; He is always faithful to them. On the other hand, humanity has more of a conditional relationship with God. Humanity continuously falls short, making the love seem “conditional,” but are given a choice to either follow God into a relationship and receive love and benefits of the covenant or not. “No child of the covenant who presents to Him a faithless and insincere heart shall be included in its blessings.” Going off the idea of love being unconditional and conditional, this paper focuses on how the Old Testament is about God, humanity and their relationship.