God's Covenants
Last updated
Last updated
1. The Noahic Covenant (Everlasting)
Reference: Genesis 9:8-17
Summary: After the flood, God makes a covenant with Noah and all living creatures that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood. The rainbow is given as the sign of this everlasting covenant.
Reference: Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 15; Genesis 17
Summary: God promises Abraham that He would make him a great nation, bless him, make his name great, bless those who bless him, and curse those who curse him. All families of the earth would be blessed through Abraham. This covenant includes promises of land, descendants, and blessing. Circumcision is given as the sign of the covenant.
Reference: Exodus 19-24; Deuteronomy
Summary: Made with the Israelites at Mount Sinai, this covenant includes the Ten Commandments and the Law. It establishes Israel as a holy nation and a kingdom of priests. Obedience to the Law would lead to blessings, while disobedience would result in curses.
Reference: Numbers 25:10-13
Summary: This covenant is made with Aaron and his descendants, establishing them as God's chosen priests forever.
Reference: 2 Samuel 7:12-16
Summary: God promises David that his descendants would rule Israel forever, establishing his throne for eternity. This covenant is foundational for the expectation of a Messiah, a descendant of David who would reign forever.
Reference: Jeremiah 31:31-34;
Summary: The New Covenant is promised to the people of Israel and Judah during a time of exile and anticipates a future in which God will write His law on their hearts, all will know Him, and He will forgive their iniquities.
7. New Testament Covenant
Reference: Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8
This covenant is attributed to Jesus and is called the "Eucharist," which is the act of eating bread and drinking wine, representing Christ's body and blood.
New Covenant
30 Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.
31 “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. 32 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 broke my covenant, though I was a husband to[d] them,[e]” declares the Lord. 33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 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,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”