Lesson for July 14, 2024

Hermeneutics 101

Lesson 6

Covenants

A covenant is an agreement (testament) between two parties. God’s covenants with humanity fall into two categories: 1) Conditional – if mankind will keep the conditions of the agreement, then God will fulfill the promise that was given 2) Unconditional – God will fulfill His promise that was given regardless of mankind’s response to the condition of the agreement. God’s covenants are always based on His grace and always line up perfectly with the dispensations found in Scripture.

Edenic Covenant

(Genesis 1:26-31; 2:16-17)

This covenant was conditional, based on mankind’s response to God’s promise. Adam and Eve were to subdue the earth by taking rulership over it, to produce children, and refrain from eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam and Eve failed to obey God, died spiritually, were expelled from the Garden of Eden, lost the rulership of the earth to Satan, brought the curse of sin upon mankind, and eventually died physically. This covenant coincided with the Age of Innocence in the Dispensation of the Gentiles.

Adamic Covenant

(Genesis 3:14-19)

This unconditional covenant was the curse that came upon mankind as the result of sin. Adam was condemned to work by “the sweat of his face,” Eve was cursed with great pain in childbirth, and the headship of the family was given to Adam. But more important was the promise of the coming Redeemer in Genesis 3:15. The promise was that the “seed” of the woman would “bruise the head of the serpent,” an obvious reference to the fact that Christ would defeat Satan in the end. The Adamic Covenant coincided with the Age of Conscience in the Dispensation of the Gentiles.

Noahic Covenant

(Genesis 8:20-22; 9:1-27)

This unconditional covenant was given by God to Noah and his family after the flood and was a promise He would never again destroy the earth and its inhabitants by water (the rainbow was given as a permanent sign to God’s faithfulness). It also reestablished the proper order in nature with mankind ruling over it. God gave specific unconditional promises regarding Noah’s sons and their future. They were commanded to replenish the earth with children. The Noahic Covenant coincided with the Age of Human Government in the Dispensation of the Gentiles.

Abrahamic Covenant

(Genesis 12:1-4; 13:14-17; 15:1-7; 17:1-8)

This unconditional covenant was given to Abraham in seven parts:

1. “I will make from you a great nation” – the Jewish nation has been a great and mighty nation at various times in history.
2. “I will bless you” – Abraham was blessed with physical prosperity, as well as spiritual prosperity.
3. “And I will make thy name great” – Abraham was the Father of the Jews and has a very recognizable name among all nations of the earth.
4. “And you will be a great blessing” – because of Abraham’s seed (Jesus Christ), he has been a great blessing to millions of people that have come to know Christ as Savior.
5. “I will bless them that bless you” – seen throughout history, those who protect and ally with Israel are always blessed.
6. “And I will curse them that curse you” – those that oppose Israel have eventually been destroyed.
7. “In you will all the families of the earth be blessed” – this refers to the coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, through the linage of Abraham and the blessings that accompany the Hypostatic Union of Christ for all mankind.

Nothing was required on the part of Abraham in order to enjoy the promises of this covenant. The Abrahamic covenant coincided with the Age of Promise in the Dispensation of Israel.

Mosaic Covenant

(Exodus 20:1 – 31:18)

This conditional covenant between God and Moses established the law for the nation of Israel in three parts:

1. Codex I – the moral code, called the Commandments, established morality and mankind’s responsibility before God, which included the Ten Commandments. Mankind’s inability to keep the moral code demonstrated that all were sinners in need of a Savior.
2. Codex II – the spiritual code, called the Ordinances, included the Levitical offerings, the Tabernacle, the Feasts, the priestly dress, and was a complete typology of Christology (the study of Christ) and Soteriology (the study of salvation).
3. Codex III – the social code, called the Judgments, established Divine Establishment Principles, such as privacy and freedom. This code set up procedures for the establishment of a national entity and laid out standards for diet, sanitation, taxation, marriage, divorce, military service, etc.

In order to enjoy the blessings associated with this covenant, everyone was to keep the Law. However, keeping the Law was never designed to bring salvation. The Mosaic Covenant coincided with the Age of Law in the Dispensation of Israel.

Palestinian Covenant

(Deuteronomy 30:1-10)

This unconditional covenant was confirmation of an earlier promise to Abraham regarding the Promised Land, the time when Israel, as a nation accepts Christ as Messiah, then the covenant will be fulfilled. It was a part of an unconditional covenant to Abraham and cannot be changed. This same land covenant was confirmed in Ezekiel 16. It was God Who affected the first portion of this covenant and He will affect its complete fulfillment according to His Sovereign Will, not man’s will.

There are seven elements to this covenant:

1. The nation of Israel will be dispersed – v. 1-3
2. Israel will have a change of mind regarding Christ as Messiah – v. 1-3
3. Their Messiah will return – v. 3-6
4. Israel will be restored to the land – v.5
5. Israel will accept Christ as Messiah – v. 4-8
6. Israel’s enemies will be judged – v. 7
7. Israel will receive her full blessing from God – v.9

Davidic Covenant

(II Samuel 7:4-16)

This unconditional covenant was given to David and he was promised a royal linage, a throne, and a kingdom. It is this covenant that established forever the line of David through which the Messiah would come. This covenant to David is confirmed in Psalms 89:3-4,34-36 and many other passages. The promises of this covenant guaranteed five things:

1. David will have a son to succeed him as king
2. David will have a child and he will build the Temple
3. His kingdom will be established forever, a prophecy regarding the Millennium.
4. His throne will be established forever, a reference to the Messianic rulership of Christ during the Millennium.
5. Disobedience will not negate God’s promise to David, even though the nation will be disciplined by God.

The New Covenant

(Jeremiah 31:31-40)

This unconditional covenant was prophesied by Jeremiah and will be fulfilled in the Millennium for Israel. Since Israel as a nation failed to keep the Mosaic Law, God in His grace made a new agreement with the nation, which is called the New Covenant. The interesting thing about this covenant is that the Church has been made party to it because Jesus Christ is the Mediator of this covenant. 

This covenant was based upon the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ for all mankind. Both the Jews and the Gentiles (who have been “grafted” into the covenant) are recipients of the blessings of this covenant during the Church Age, as members of the Royal Family of God. 

In the Dispensation of the Millennium, Israel will be the recipient of these same blessings. This was the covenant spoken of by Jesus in the upper room at the Last Supper. It is a covenant of grace, not law, and is entered into by man (including Israel in the Millennium) upon faith in Christ, which of course is non-meritorious. We must remember that the Mosaic Law, which was superseded by this covenant, was conditional and based on man’s obedience. The New Covenant, on the other hand, is unconditional and based on God’s faithfulness. (Hebrews 8:7-10:39; Romans 11:1-36)