It’s impossible to read any portion of the Bible, Old or New Testament, without running into some reference to a covenant. It’s one of the main ways God interacts with His people, and it’s integral to understanding the overarching narrative of Scripture. But what exactly is a covenant? Simply put, it is a binding agreement between two parties. You’re probably most familiar with this in the context of a marriage or real estate covenant. There is a commitment and a promised result from one or both parties. It is generally accompanied by an outward sign, such as a wedding ring or a signature on a contract. The covenant can benefit both parties as equal partners, or it can be an uneven give-and-take relationship in which one person is of a higher rank than the other. Covenants between God and mankind are of the latter variety - God always gives us more than we could ever give Him.
Let’s take a look at the 5 covenants in the Bible.
The Noahic Covenant
The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma [from Noah’s sacrifice] and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”
God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.
Genesis 8:21-22, 9:12-15 (NIV)
God promised to preserve the earth, even though evil would again run rampant.
This is the only covenant that is completely unconditional - God does not require any obedience or participation from humans or animals.
The rainbow is given as a reminder of the “everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” (Gen. 9:16)
The Abrahamic Covenant
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to himand said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
Genesis 17:1-14 (NIV)
Accompanied by the signs of Abram’s name change to Abraham and circumcision.
This covenant is both unconditional and conditional.
Unconditional: Abraham became the father of many nations and a conduit of blessing for the whole world (Gen. 12:3) through no means of his own, because God caused the miraculous birth of his legitimate son and heir.
Conditional: God tested Abraham’s faith in the promises of this covenant by asking him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. After God interrupted the near-sacrifice, He said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:16-18, ESV, emphasis added). Circumcision was also a condition for the future land inheritance. Circumcision identified Abraham’s descendants as God’s people, and those who were not part of God’s people would have no possession in the Promised Land.
God offered Abraham huge, miraculous things he had no power or control over, all in exchange for his faith.
The Mosaic Covenant
This is the one you’re probably most familiar with - and not just because of Moses as portrayed by Charleton Heston holding up the Ten Commandments - but because it shapes the story of the Bible from Exodus to the New Testament. There is a lot of Scripture that goes along with this covenant (it would basically be Exodus-Deuteronomy), so I’ll just put some key verses…
“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
Exodus 19:5-6a (ESV)
“You shall serve the LORD your God, and he will bless your bread and water, and I will take sickness away from among you. None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you… Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land… You shall make no covenant with them and their gods, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
Exodus 23:25-27, 30, 32-33 (ESV)
“All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you… And the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.”
Deuteronomy 28:45, 64
“And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you, and return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.”
Deuteronomy 30:1-3
This covenant is conditional. The Israelites were blessed if they held up their end of the deal, but there were consequences if they didn’t.
Conditions: they were required to fulfill the Law found in Exodus-Deuteronomy, drive the inhabitants out of the Promised Land, and most importantly, love the true God and not worship other gods.
The lavish blessings included health, fertility, abundance, and freedom from oppression.
The consequences of national disobedience were the opposite of the blessings: sickness, drought, poor harvests, and captivity and oppression from foreign nations.
God didn’t break off the covenant when Israel failed (which they repeatedly did). Instead, He offered them a way back to His blessings if they would repent and obey.
This covenant was displayed through the obedience of the Israelites and their observance of prescribed rituals, Holy Days, and a weekly Sabbath rest.
The Davidic Covenant
“‘The Lord declares to you [David] that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’”
2 Samuel 7:11b-16 (NIV)
The Lord swore an oath to David,
a sure oath he will not revoke:
“One of your own descendants
I will place on your throne.
If your sons keep my covenant
and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
on your throne for ever and ever.”
Psalm 132:11-12 (NIV)
This covenant is both conditional and unconditional.
Conditional: David and his descendants were required to obey the Law and keep in step with the Mosaic Covenant for the kingly line to endure. Some wicked kings would lead the people astray, and godly kings who would bring the people back into the Covenant blessing, but the kingship of Israel and Judah eventually ended because of their disobedience.
Unconditional: God was planning to bring King Jesus through the line of David, so the “throne established forever” was not contingent on human obedience.
The crown and throne were possibly outward symbols of this covenant.
The New Covenant
“Do not think that I [Jesus] have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
Matthew 5:17 (NIV)
In the same way, after the supper he [Jesus] took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”
Luke 22:20 (NIV)
But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said:
“The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.
This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God, and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Hebrews 8:6-12 (NIV)
The New Covenant is both unconditional and conditional.
Unconditional: Available to all people regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, occupation, or lineage. It is not dependent upon our deeds or actions.
Conditional: We must accept it through faith.
It is accompanied by the outward symbols of Baptism and Communion/Eucharist.
The New Covenant is the culmination of the four previous covenants through Jesus.
God preserved the earth through the Noahic Covenant to fulfill His promise of a Savior (Genesis 3:15).
Jesus came from the Jewish people, who began with Abraham, to be a blessing to all nations.
Jesus fulfilled all the Law required by the Mosaic Covenant through His perfect obedience, atoning sacrifice, and taking up the role of High Priest.
Jesus came through the kingly line of David to establish an eternal Kingdom.
Whew! I know that was a lot. Thanks for bearing with me. I hope this post was helpful if you had any confusion about what a covenant is or its purpose in the narrative of the Bible and salvation.
Check out this video or podcast episode from the BibleProject for more information.