What could make someone live the rest of their life with hope and confidence? And, what could do that in the face of war, national economic meltdown, cancer, divorce, or religious persecution? It’s a word we often hear in the Bible, but don’t often appreciate. That word is covenant.
The nature and guarantee of God’s relationship with His people is wrapped up in the idea of covenants. I want this underappreciated word to help you become a person who can smile at the future.
The founding covenants that serve as the backbone of the Bible are the big four covenants God made with Noah, Abraham, Israel, and David. The final and ultimate covenant is called the New Covenant, and it completes them all.
How do covenants made with three now-in-heaven people and an ancient country give me hope and confidence, come what may? Let’s look.
The big biblical covenants have five components. When you read about each covenant, look for these features.
Let’s start with the covenant with Noah. God had created mankind in His image (Genesis 1–2) and gave a mandate to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and rule over it. Humankind was to represent God. But, in Genesis 3 Adam and Eve sinned and came under God’s condemnation.
God’s judgment came with the great flood of Genesis 6–9. But God had also made a promise to redeem mankind through an offspring of Eve (Genesis 3:15). Before and after the flood, God made a covenant with Noah, his sons, and all living things. This carried God’s promise of a Redeemer forward.
The solemn relationship was with Noah, his sons, and also with the earth and living creatures. Even though humans had sinned and were still corrupt, God promised a stable earth for His mission to flourish. He promised to never curse the whole earth with a flood (Genesis 8:20–22) and to bless all people and animals by making them fruitful and multiply. The original purpose and mission of creation was guaranteed in this covenant.
There were obligations to Noah and his offspring (see Genesis 9). They were to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth as God’s image bearers. They were to value human life and protect it. Capital punishment was instituted to put a check on the violence in the world. The first form of government was to protect human life; if anyone violated that, they would be punished.
God instituted a sign to remind everyone of His promise: the rainbow. Wherever a rainbow shines, all humans are to remember God’s promise to uphold a stable world where His image-bearers could flourish. Only in the last 20 years or so has the rainbow been stolen as a sign to uphold a sinful worldview and lifestyle that runs contrary to creation itself.
Noah and his sons and their families did multiply and start filling the earth. But they quickly disobeyed and tried to build a city (Babel) so they could be their own gods. God came down and confused their language and drove these nations to the far reaches of the world. But God did not destroy the earth. Yes, there are natural disasters, but the whole world has never been destroyed, and His promise and mandate still stand.
Very shortly after Babel, God called Abram out of Ur, which was not far from Babel. Abram was promised Canaan as a homeland, and later his name was changed to Abraham. God established a special relationship with Abraham and his descendants.
We are included in the promise and mission by faith in Jesus Christ. God calls us to bless the world through speaking the gospel and living as followers of Jesus.
God made big promises to Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3, Genesis 15, Genesis 17). Abraham was to become a great nation. There would be as many people as the stars he could see in the sky. Abraham was going have a great name. He would be famous all over the world. God would protect his family from their enemies and all the nations would be blessed through him. These are some of the biggest promises in the Bible, and they are still being fulfilled today. Jesus is the great descendent of Abraham, and everyone is blessed with eternal life who believes in Him (Galatians 3:16, 23–29).
Some of these promises became Abraham’s mission and purpose. He was to trust God and bring a blessing to the nations. We are included in the promise and mission by faith in Jesus Christ. God calls us to bless the world through speaking the gospel and living as followers of Jesus.
There are obligations in this covenant. God promised to make a nation, and He did. God has blessed the nations through Jesus. Abraham and his people had obligations too. They were to trust Him and obey him. If they didn’t, they missed the blessing in this life. But God would keep His promise. God actually promised to keep His promise even if His people disobeyed. For Abraham and the nation that came from him, there was a sign—circumcision.
430 years later, according to God’s promise, the nation of Israel was formed, named after Abraham’s grandson. It had multiplied to millions of people. At first they were enslaved in Egypt, but God delivered them. God made another covenant.
We call this the Mosaic covenant because Moses was the leader God used to set it up. But this time God made a special relationship with the whole nation. Israel had a purpose much like the one given to Abraham: They were to be a kingdom of priests and holy nation (Exodus 19:5–6). Israel was to bless the world by showing them how to worship God and obey Him as king.
They both took on obligations. God would bless Israel with safety and prosperity, and Israel would worship and obey God’s commands. Israel’s obligations included obeying the Ten Commandments and God’s rules for worship. If they obeyed, God promised to bless their nation. If they didn’t, they were cursed by being ransacked or captured by other countries.
There were special signs to help Israel remember: circumcision, Passover, and Sabbath. Every birth of a boy, every Passover feast, and every Sabbath, Israel could see what God did for them. For the most part, Israel’s heart was not in the covenant. They disobeyed God and worshipped other gods. God sent nations to punish them.
But God did not give up on his promise to Abraham. The Davidic Covenant is rooted in all the previous covenants. Abraham’s offspring was represented by David, a king from the tribe of Judah as Jacob had prophesied (Genesis 49:10). God lovingly chose David and his descendants for a special relationship: “I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son” (2 Samuel 7:14).
David intended to build a temple, a house for God’s dwelling in Israel. God responded by promising to build David’s “house”—dynasty—so that a King from David’s line would reign forever. No specific sign is given, but an enduring throne is close.
The Davidic kings’ mission was to uphold the Mosaic law and make sure Israel was faithful to their covenant, with promises of blessings for obedience. When any king failed in his obligations, he and the whole nation received God’s discipline.
But God still planned to fulfill the covenant. One special descendant of David was to bless and rule the nations. A thousand years later, Jesus Christ came to fulfill this covenant.
From Genesis 3 through Moses, David, and Israel’s kings, there were predictions of a New Covenant. Israel and the world needed a new heart (Deuteronomy 30:1–6). They needed a king who was sinless and eternal (Isaiah 9:6–7). They needed someone to pay for their sins, and they needed God’s Spirit to help them obey.
This is what the New Covenant did. It was promised in Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36. It was fulfilled in Jesus. God established a special relationship with Israel and the nations. They would trust and worship Him, He would bless them and live with them forever. The promise of the New Covenant is eternal life with God one day in a new heavens and a new earth.
God himself guarantees them. Jesus fulfills them. Like a great wedding day, the church awaits the return of Christ.
The New Covenant has a mission and purpose, to carry the blessing of Abraham to the nations. We are a loving community making disciples of Jesus Christ because it is the mission of the New Covenant. There are obligations: Believers must trust and obey from a heart of faith. God must take care of their sins and change their hearts.
The New Covenant actually extends and amplifies the Abrahamic Covenant.
Jesus died and rose to pay for His people’s sins. His resurrection won the victory over death and Satan, fulfilling the promise from Genesis 3:15. After Jesus’ ascension, he sent His Holy Spirit to give life and transformation to His people. All who repent and believe have been made new by the Holy Spirit. They have the power and willingness to obey God. They are reminded of Christ’s death and the Spirit’s work by the signs of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Jesus’ death did two things. It paid for all the sins past for His people, and it paid all the sins future of His people. They will not ever be condemned again; it is an irrevocable covenant. The Holy Spirit will also make sure they stay faithful until the end.
The New Covenant will come to completion when Jesus returns, resurrects the saints, and reigns as King in the new heavens and new earth. This covenant promises forgiveness, resurrection and eternal life with God.
Some of the most special moments in the life of Faith Bible Church are announcing engagements and celebrating 50th wedding anniversaries. The 50th anniversary is the marvel: Human frailty and failure make it rare to keep the marriage covenant for that long.
But the great covenants of the Bible are better. God himself guarantees them. Jesus fulfills them. Like a great wedding day, the church awaits the return of Christ. Because of God’s character and Christ’s work, we can smile at the days ahead.
Richard Sibbes wrote in 1637, “This is their comfort, that howsoever things may be carried in this world in a seeming confusion, in a cloud, and in a mystery, yet in conclusion all shall end well on the church’s side. Their trouble shall end in peace, their abasement in glory and their conflict in crown.”
Dr. Dan Jarms is teaching pastor and team leader at Faith Bible Church in Spokane Washington, as well as associate dean at The Master's Seminary in Spokane. He has been married for over 30 years to Linda, and has three adult children. He earned his B.A. in English at the Master’s College, B.Ed. at Eastern Washington University, M.Div and D.Min in Expository Preaching at The Master’s Seminary. His other interests include NCAA basketball, woodworking, and art.
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