Christ Central to Every Covenant
A covenant is a contract or agreement between God and man. Some covenants are unconditional — God will fulfil them, irrespective of man's obedience. Other covenants are conditional upon man's obedience.
Christ is central to all of the covenants in Scripture.
From the Garden of Eden to the New Covenant in His blood, every covenant reveals the person and work of Jesus Christ.
The covenant in the Garden of Eden governed man's relationship with God in a state of innocence. It included both privilege and responsibility, with one prohibition that would test man's obedience.
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
The Adamic covenant deals with the fall and restoration of mankind and creation. When Christ returns, creation will be removed from its bondage (Romans 8:21). This covenant includes both judgment and the promise of a Redeemer.
And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Satan's means of bringing sin into the world, the serpent, is cursed and goes from being the most beautiful of God's creatures to the most repugnant. The brazen serpent raised by Moses in the wilderness (Numbers 21:5-9) becomes a picture of Christ being made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21), the brass representing judgement; the serpent sin.
The seed of the woman descends through Seth (Genesis 5:3-7), Noah (Genesis 6:8-10), Shem (Genesis 9:26-27), Abraham (Genesis 12:1-4), Isaac (Genesis 17:19-21), Jacob (Genesis 28:10-14), Judah (Genesis 49:10), David (2 Samuel 7:5-17), ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Isaiah 7:9-14; Matthew 1:20-23).
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
The covenant with Noah established God's promise never to flood the earth again. It also introduced human government and confirmed the relationship of man to the earth after the Flood.
And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
The Abrahamic Covenant founds the nation of Israel. It is confirmed with Abraham with emphasis on the land (Genesis 13:14-18), the spiritual seed (Genesis 15:1-6) and its everlasting quality (Genesis 17:6-8). It is an unconditional covenant — God will fulfil it. God caused Abraham to fall asleep as He ratified the covenant alone (Genesis 15:12-18).
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
1. "I will make of thee a great nation"
Fulfilled in the Jews (Genesis 13:16; John 8:37), Arabs (Genesis 17:20), and in Christ (Romans 4:16-17, Romans 9:7-8; Galatians 3:7,29).
2. "I will bless thee"
To Abraham (Genesis 13:14-17, Genesis 15:18-21, Genesis 24:35). To believers in Christ (Genesis 15:6; John 8:56).
3. "And make thy name great"
Abraham is renowned, not only in Christianity but also in Judaism and with the Moslems.
4. "And thou shalt be a blessing"
With the work of fulfilment of Abraham's seed, Jesus Christ, he was a blessing (Galatians 3:13-14).
5. "I will bless them that bless thee"
This is seen in the rise of many nations — Britain in the 19th century, the rise of the USA.
6. "And curse him that curseth thee"
The decline of nations such as the Spanish Empire after the Armada, the fall of Nazi Germany, the fall of the Czars of Russia, the decline of Egypt at the Exodus. Scriptural examples: Deuteronomy 30:7; Isaiah 14:1-2; Joel 3:1-8; Micah 5:7-9; Haggai 2:22; Zechariah 14:1-3; Matthew 25:40-46.
7. "In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed"
The whole world can be blessed through Jesus, the son of Abraham (John 8:56-58; Galatians 3:16).
It is clear that we should support the Jew as it is a sure means of enjoying divine blessing.
The covenant between God and Israel, given through the Law of Moses (Exodus - Deuteronomy). It was a conditional covenant — it depended on man's obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1,15).
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
Section 1 — The Commandments
Proves that no man can keep the Law. All men are proven sinners, and therefore need a Saviour.
Section 2 — The Tabernacle and Sacrifices
Pictures Christ as the Saviour, the only sacrifice which can pay the eternal penalty of sin.
Section 3 — Social Code
Laws to preserve the nation Israel — law, hygiene, morals, taxation, etc.
The Palestinian Covenant deals with the Jews controlling an area of land in the Middle East which was unconditionally given to Abraham. It should be noted that the Jews have never possessed the land as specified, but will do so during the Millennium (Deuteronomy 30:1-9, Isaiah 11:10-12, Jeremiah 23:3-8, Ezekiel 37:21-25).
And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
It is unconditional — God will fulfil it.
Some argue that Joshua 21:43-45 proves Israel already received all the land God promised, so there is no future fulfillment needed:
And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.
Joshua 21:43-45 is about God's faithfulness, not Israel's complete possession. The same book says:
God gave the land — He was faithful. But Israel did not fully take possession of it.
The promise was "from the river of Egypt unto … the river Euphrates" (Genesis 15:18; Joshua 1:4).
Even Solomon only had tributary kingdoms there that "brought presents, and served" (1 Kings 4:21). That is vassal rule, not settlement or possession.
Amos 9:15 (about 700 years after Joshua): "they shall no more be pulled up out of their land". Israel was uprooted in 586 BC and AD 70.
Hebrews 4:8: "if Jesus [Joshua] had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day."
Acts 7:5: "he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession".
Combine with Genesis 13:15 and Genesis 17:8 ("for ever" / "everlasting possession"). This requires resurrection and the Millennium.
Conclusion: Joshua 21 shows God was faithful to give the land. Israel's full, permanent possession of all of it is still future.
Israel will have a king forever. This covenant promises a descendant of David who will rule on an eternal throne.
And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
The covenant has one condition — disobedience will be rewarded with discipline but will not cause the cancellation of the covenant (2 Samuel 7:15; Psalm 89:20-37).
Discipline came with the division of the kingdom under Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:16-20). Discipline continued with the captivity of Samaria in 721 BC and Judah in 586 BC. Since then the only King of David crowned in Jerusalem has been crowned with a crown of thorns (Matthew 27:29).
The Davidic Covenant was confirmed to Mary (Luke 1:31-33; Acts 2:29-31). The Davidic Covenant will be fulfilled at the Second Advent of Christ when He will commence His everlasting rule with the 1,000 year reign of the Millennium (Luke 1:32, Acts 2:29-30, Revelation 20:4-6).
The New Covenant guarantees eternal blessing under the Abrahamic Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-37, Hebrews 8:7-9). It is unconditional — God will fulfil it. "I will" (Hebrews 8:10,12) rather than "If ye will" (Exodus 19:5).
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.