People have not initiated covenants with Him. As a Sovereign He himself has made covenants with the people and other living things He has created as He pleases.
Bible describes the four divine Covenants giving some or all of these elements
- Between which parties the Covenant is made
- Content of the Covenant
- Promise
- Token of the Covenant.
1. Covenant of Noah
And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
Between which parties the Covenant is made?
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.
What is the Promise of the Covenant?
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.
What is the Token of the Covenant?
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.
Genesis 9:8-17
Summary:
Sovereign God has made Covenant
- with Noah and his seed and all life upon earth, humans and animals
- Promise: God of Israel will never again drown all life on Earth
- Token of this covenant is the rainbow in the clouds that reminds God of His promise
2. Covenant with Abraham
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
Between which parties the Covenant is made?
As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, (Abraham)
What is the Promise of the Covenant?
and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
Between which parties the Covenant is made?
And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant,
What is the Promise of the covenant?
to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
What is the Token of the Covenant?
And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. ... And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
Summary:
A. God has made a Covenant
- with the person of Abraham
- Promising he will become the father of many nations
- with Abraham and his seed
- Promising that they will inherit Canaan Land
- the Token of this Covenant with Abraham and his seed is circumcision of male offspring
3. Covenant at Sinai (Mosaic Covenant)
And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying,
Between which parties the Covenant is made?
Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
What is the content of the Covenant?
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant,
What is the Promise of the 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.
And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.
And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
Exodus19:3-8
Summary:
God has made a Covenant in Sinai
- with the house of Jacob, the children of Israel
- Content: they obey His voice and commandments
- Promise: they will be unto Him chosen people and holy nation
4. Blood Covenant in Christ
For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 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. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
1 Cor 11:23 - 26
Summary:
- The Covenant is made between Christ and His disciples
- The Covenant is the cup of the Blood of Christ
Comment:
The New Covenant (Latin testamentum) is quite a subject - which one of the other Covenants in the Bible is made Old by the New?
I wish to point out in this context a striking fact - these words come to us from beyond the grave, from a dead man.
They are in one of the oldest books of the New Testament, the authentic Pauline letter to the newly established congregation of Christian in the city of Corinth (probably mid 50'ies AD) and Saint Paul states absolutely clearly that these words about the New Covenant were given to him directly by the Lord. (This was probably during the fourteen years when Paul had his private lessons from Christ in the Arabian Desert).
The New Covenant is quite strikingly different. Although Blood Covenant is well established in the Biblical rituals at the Temple of Jerusalem a Jew would never even imagine a covenant with God that would include the drinking of human blood.
Thus this Covenant is not invented by men but similarly to the other Covenants it is made by the Sovereign God of Israel.
The same God who happened to command the token of circumcision for the Covenant of Abraham - a religious practice so essential to Judaism that is now under attack by "enlightened people" in California and elsewhere in the world.
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