Day3
A Quick Guide to Five Key Covenants
There’s no consensus on the exact number of covenants between God and humanity. However, there are five foundational covenants that God makes with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David, before establishing the new covenant through Jesus.
NOAHIC COVENANT
After Adam and Eve’s exile from Eden, the biblical narrative feels grim. In Genesis 4, Cain sides with the serpent, killing his brother in cold blood, and a man named Lamech brags about his murderous, chauvinistic ways. Genesis 5 repeats the refrain “and he died” eight times, revealing how death reigned over humanity. Then there’s this weird story in Genesis 6 that’s meant to show the rapid advancement of evil. So that by the time we come to the story of Noah, sin has enveloped the whole world, sending it back into pre-creation chaos. In response, God sends a flood, making way for a restored creation that will begin with Noah and his family.
God enters a formal relationship with Noah and all living creatures, promising that, despite humanity’s corruption, he will never again flood the earth (Gen. 8:20-9:17). He will instead preserve the world as he works toward keeping his promise to rescue humanity and creation through the “offspring of the woman” (Gen. 3:15). God then invites humans to partner with him in filling and ruling his world. God’s covenant with Noah is unconditional, and his promise is accompanied with a sign of his faithfulness, the rainbow, to remind future generations of this covenant (Gen. 9:12-17).
ABRAHAMIC COVENANT
After God makes a covenant with Noah, evil continues to ruin the world. Genesis 9-11 traces the downward spiral of humanity, and we’re left to wonder: How will God restore his good world? God’s rescue plan continues, and he calls Abraham into a covenantal relationship.
This redemptive partnership between God and Abraham is developed progressively in Genesis 12, 15, and 17. He promises Abraham a huge family that will inherit a piece of land in Canaan and bring universal blessing to all humanity.
Similar to the Noahic covenant, this covenant is also accompanied by an outward sign, a reminder to Abraham and his ancestors. God commands the men to be circumcised (Gen. 17:9-14), a symbol that sets Abraham and his family apart and shows that their fertility and future lay in God’s hands.
God tells Abraham to leave his land and follow wherever he leads, train his family to do what is right and just, and practice circumcision in every generation. This covenant is both conditional and unconditional. God and Abraham each have a part to play, but ultimately, God will keep his promise to give Abraham a family who will inherit the land and bless the world.
Action Step:
Click the links below and watch these short videos.
https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/genesis-1-11/?utm_source=web_social_share&medium=shared_video
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