God's Covenant Relationship

God’s Covenant Relationship

A covenant is a binding agreement, or a contractual relationship. It must of necessity be between at least two or more parties. In purchasing a house the buyer and seller come to an agreement. This agreement may also depend on the approval of a bank or some other lending institution. A covenant can be among two equal parties or a superior and inferior party. For instance, in purchasing a car the buyer and seller are two equal parties. They can haggle over the price and terms of the sell. An example of superior and inferior parties could be parents telling their children they promise to take them to grandma’s house if they clean up their room. The children are in no position to debate or bargain and say they will clean up part of the room. In a marriage covenant, the man and woman entering the relationship are equals, but God is superior to both parties. It is God and not the man or woman that sets the conditions of marriage. This information is important in reading the Bible, for we read of various covenants between God and His people.

In the Bible we first read of God’s covenant with Noah. God was going to destroy the world by flood. Due to Noah’s righteousness, God told Noah to build an ark of gopher wood and to take inside the ark certain animals, Genesis 6. Genesis 6.18 reads, "I will establish my covenant with you." Thus this covenant was between a superior party, God, and inferior party, Noah. Noah was not in any condition to bargain or haggle over the conditions laid out by God. After the flood the Lord promised to never again destroy the world by flood, Genesis 8.21. The Lord did not set any conditions for man to observe. He simply stated what He would not do, destroy the world by flood.

Genesis 15 God entered into a covenant relationship with Abraham. He promised to give Abraham the land of Canaan.

That covenant was expanded in Genesis 17 when God promised to make of Abraham a great nation.

Abraham entered into a covenant with Abimelech when there was a disagreement near Beersheba over some wells.

Part of the covenant between Abraham and God was through Abraham’s seed. All the nations of the earth would be blessed, Genesis 22.18.

God fulfilled His promises to Abraham. From Abraham came Isaac. Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. God stipulated that the covenant relationship would carry on to Jacob. Thus, Jacob had twelve sons and it was this family that went into Egypt in Genesis 46. Roughly 400 years later we read of the Israelites being so numerous Pharaoh was afraid of them. In Joshua we read of Israel taking the land of Canaan.

Josh 21:43 So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. 44 The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. 45 Not a word

failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.

Thus God had fulfilled what He had promised Abraham in all areas except one; which we will consider later on in this article.

On the other hand, God had laid out conditions for Israel to continue to live in Canaan.

"The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good…If you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law" (Deuteronomy 30.9a, 10a). "But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess" (Deuteronomy 30.17-18).

Eventually Israel did turn to serve other Gods and were punished. However, the covenant of a great nation and the land of Canaan was fulfilled. Sadly, many today expect God to re-establish Israel as His Holy nation. Such is based on the assumption that God intended Israel to last forever in the Land of Canaan. It also minimizes the final part of the covenant with Abraham; through his seeds all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.

Still later on, God entered in to a covenant with David. 2 Samuel 7.12-16 states that God promised to build a house for David. The seed of David would establish his kingdom and build a house for the Lord. In this kingdom, the seed of David will reign on his throne forever. Therefore, this kingdom and rule will last forever.

In one sense Solomon did some of what God said. Solomon, the son of David, built the temple in Jerusalem. Solomon ruled over Israel. However, neither the temple nor the reign of Solomon lasted forever. After 40 years Solomon died; later on the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, 2 Chronicles 36.15-21.

The seed of David was not Solomon but Jesus. He is of the lineage of Abraham and David, Luke 3.31-34; Matthew 1.2,6,7,16. It was when Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave that His church, the kingdom of God was established, Mark 9.1; Matthew 16.16-18; Acts 2.47. It is through the blood of Christ that people of all nations have the forgiveness of sin and the hope of salvation.

Acts 3:25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' 26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities."

Gal 3:8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed." 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

So what does all of this mean to us? First, the condition for salvation is determined by God and not man. Second, God is not going to re-establish Israel today in order to fulfill His covenant with either Abraham or David. Once a covenant is fulfilled it is fulfilled. Third, the only way for man to be saved today is to obey Christ’s law. Man can not be saved by any other religion. Finally, those that claim to believe in the Bible must accept Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises. D.T.

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