UNDERSTANDING THE COVENANT
Gen. 6:18 (a)
The concept of covenant was tightly interwoven into the fabric of the cultures of the Old
Testament. Not simply in the Hebraic society of the Old Testament but in the nations that interacted with them…covenant was an integral part of all social, political, relational, and religious
activity.
One of the difficulties of the modern reader in understanding the Bible (and the promises
of God within) is our ignorance of the concept of covenant and how seriously God and the culture that gave birth to the Bible took it.
Strictly defined, a covenant is “an agreement between two parties binding them mutually
to some agreed upon obligations and benefits.” The key to covenant is promise (blessing), obligations and consequences (blessing/curse).
In Western culture covenant is not a central concept. Covenant is based on trust… contract on mistrust.
In Bible history we find God entering into covenant at crucial junctures:
Noah: Preservation
Abraham: Land and descendants
Moses: Obedience to the Law
David: Royal inheritance/restoration of Praise
New Covenant: Forgiveness/intimacy with God
There are two kinds of covenant:
1. The Covenant of Obligation (bi-lateral covenant)
Moses at Sinai: “Two sided”
God obligates Himself to: deliverance, protection, blessing (Exodus 19:5; 24:3)
2. The Covenant of Grant (unilateral/one-sided)
NOAH
God obligated Himself to preservation
HOW DO YOU MAKE COVENANT?
The verb “to make” in Hebrew literally means “to cut”. When covenant was made several animals
were brought out, cut in half and arranged opposite each other. The person or persons “cutting”
the covenant would walk through the aisle formed by the carcasses and make a vow (promise).
“If I do not keep the provisions of the Covenant let it happen to me as it happened to these slain
animals” (Jeremiah 34:18-20).
16 October Edition