God's Covenants

What is a covenant?

The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Covenant)

A “covenant” is an agreement enacted between two parties in which one or both make promises under oath to perform or refrain from certain actions stipulated in advance.

What are the covenants in the bible?

The Noahic covenant found in Genesis 9:1-17, The Abrahamic covenant found in Genesis 12-17, The mosaic covenant in Exodus 19-24, the priestly covenant in Numbers 25:13, the davidic covenant found in 2 sam. 7, and the Christian covenant detailed in Hebrews 8

What components does a covenant require?

Promise or oath

promised Noah to never again destroy the earth by water, promised Abraham land, descendants, and redemption(blessing), God promised the people that he would be their God in the Mosaic covenant as well as land, God promised Aaron a perpetual priesthood, God promised David that his descendant would have an everlasting kingdom, He promises us that he will forgive us of our sins and that he will have a place for us in heaven

Blood

Hebrews 9:18 “Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood.”

Genesis 15:10 'And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. '

witnesses

Hebrews 6:13-14 'For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.”

In this covenant rather than Abraham being a participant he became a witness.

When we take communion we renew our covenant before witnesses

blessings/curses

those who fulfilled the covenant would be blessed those who violated the covenant would be cursed

1 Corinthians 11:26-29 ' Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. '

mingling of blood

blood in the bible represents life

Leviticus 17:11 'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. '

When we accept the blood of another we take in their life

this is called a brothering covenant

Hebrews 2:11 'For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, '

changing of names

they would often exchange names which are tied into a persons identity

There was a memorial event or witness

a building of an altar a planting of a tree etc.

this was to remind all who saw it of the covenant which had been made

Genesis 9:13-16 'I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” '