The Biblical Covenants and the New Testament
by Joseph Shulam @2024
July 27, 1991
There are three kinds of covenants in the Bible.
They are a covenant of grant, a one-sided grant from a king to his vassal or a master to his servant. This "covenant of grant" has no bilateral conditions set on it. It is a grant from the master to his servant without the relationship of pre-conditions or contingency.
The second type of covenant is a bilateral covenant between two or more parties. For this kind of covenant to be valid, qualifications, liabilities, and requirements must be met according to agreement. Typically, a bilateral covenant includes conditions and requirements from both parties.
The third kind of covenant is one-sided, a "promise" in modern English.
In this study, we will examine these types of covenants and learn about the relationship between what is commonly called the Old Testament and the New Testament.
The first thing to notice is that the words "testament" and "covenant" are interchangeable. They are both translations of the same Greek word, "Diatheki," which is also used some 254 times in the LXX to translate the word "B'rith" into Greek.
What is the difference between the two terms:
Covenant=contract, agreement, pledge, pact, treaty.
Testament = will, covenant, resolution, legacy.
The main difference between these two words in English is that the word testament can mean the "last will of a dying person."
Why is it the same Greek word "Diatheki" translated in the Tanach, which is always "Covenant" and in the New Testament sometimes "Covenant" and others "Testament"?
Some examples:
LUKE 1:72: "To perform the mercy [promised] to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;"
LUKE 22:20: "Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup [is] the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."
Hebrews 9:1: "Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service and a worldly sanctuary."
HEB 9:4: "Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod t h a t budded, and the tables of the covenant."
HEB 9:15: "And for this cause, he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance."
HEB 9:16: "For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator."
HEB 9:17: "For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth."
HEB 9:18: "Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. unto you Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined."
I. Three covenants of Grant are in the Bible. All of Biblical history revolves around them.
A. Noah
GENESIS 9:8-17
"And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 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. And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall there anymore be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every libing 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 so that I may remember the everlasting Covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh 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."
1. God takes the initiative.
2. This covenant has no history. God does not tell Noah that he gave him this covenant because of his faithfulness or that he might do something for God. It is strictly a promise of God to Noah. Noah is passive. He receives the covenant and thanks God for it with his sacrifice.
3. There is no obligation whatever is laid on Noah and his descendants, expressed or implied.
4. This covenant is 100% positive and one-sided.
B. Abraham.
(With Abraham, there are several covenants. There is the covenant of circumcision, which is not a covenant of Grant)
Let's, however, look at the covenant of grant in Genesis 15.
GEN 15:1-17: "After all these things, the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou has given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness. And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away. And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation, they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces."
1. Like Noah, this covenant binds only God. God obligates himself here to give Abraham Canaan.
2. God has Abraham prepare an adjuration by cutting the animals in two. The meaning of God crossing between the two halves of the heifer: "Just as this heifer is cut up, so may I."
C. In chapter 17, we find a completely different concept.
GEN17:1-17
"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, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name anymore 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. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting 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. 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 ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 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. And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?"
1. Note that this covenant starts with the words of God, "I will make my covenant between me and thee."
2. It is a mutual agreement with conditions like, "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."
3. If one does not keep the covenant agreement, God appoints a punishment, "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."
D. The Covenant with David is also a covenant of Grant.
2 SAMUEL 23:1-5" Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jessee said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The spirit of the Lord spake to me, and His word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow."
2 SAMUEL 7:1-21: "And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies; And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee: thy throne shall be established forever. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David. Then went King David in, and sat before the Lord, and he said, Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord God? And what can David say more unto thee? For thou, Lord God, knowest thy servant. For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou did all these great things, to make thy servant know them."
Psalm 89 expands this teaching of an eternal covenant with David and his house.
1. The most crucial point in this text is the paragraph that deals with the potential sinfulness of the "seed of David." "If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever; thy throne shall be established forever."
2. This covenant with the house of David is not dependent on the
future relationship of David's seed with God. Although his seed will be punished with the punishment of men, they will not lose their status granted by this covenant to be a royal house forever.
3. Like the other covenants of Grant, the Covenant of God with the house of David is done for "God's own sake" and "according to thine own heart."
II. The Covenant of Yeshua the Messiah is a covenant of Grant based on these three covenants of Grant in the Tanach.
A. Note: MATTHEW 1:1, "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."
B. All three Grant covenants play a significant role in the New Testament as the basis for what Yeshua did and taught.
ACTS 3:25-26, "Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the Covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
1PET 3:19-21," By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:"
C. This is why God HAD to keep his promises to Israel and send a Messiah; why Paul, in Galatians 3, argues that GRACE comes by the Covenant of Abraham and not the Covenant with Moses, which was conditional to Israel's obedience.
III. The New Covenant fulfills what God promised unilaterally to Noah, Abraham, and David.
MATT 1:22 "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,"
MATT 2:15: "And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying Out of Egypt have I called my Son."
JAMES 2:23: "And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God."
A. These covenants were connected with the covenant of salt, which was why every sacrifice was salted to remind Israel of these eternal promises of God for salvation.
2 CHRONICLES 13:5 "Ought ye not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?"
NUMBERS 18:19 " "All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute forever: it is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord unto thee and to thy seed with thee.
IV. What happens with the conditional Covenant of Sinai with all its satellites?
Looking at the passages of BLESSINGS and CURSES, one would immediately see the conditional character of the Sinai covenant with Israel. An explanation needs to be given for the Sinai Covenant and its satellites. God called Moses to the mountain; they built the Golden Calf, and the covenant was broken. Moses pleaded with God. God agreed to give Moses a second set of Tables. They broke the covenant again in the wilderness, and Moses renewed a covenant with them in Moab's plains. When they get to Shechem, they again make a covenant with Joshua, corroborating the covenant in Sinai. (JOSHUA 24:25 "So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.")
A. To understand this aspect of the Bible, we should ask ourselves what the Covenant of Sinai promised the people of Israel.
B. Look at the blessings and curses in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 to see what the law given at Mt Sinai was supposed to accomplish.
LEVITICUS 26:3-6 "If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and your vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land."
LEVITICUS 26:15-17 "And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhors my judgments so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you error, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you, and ye shall flee when none pursueth you."
C. The Sinai covenant was made with the children of Israel. It is based on the circumcision covenant and their relationship to the land.
LEVITICUS 26:40-46 "If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: Then will I remember my Covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my Covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes. And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the Lord their God. But I will, for their sakes, remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the Lord. These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the Lord made between him and the children of Israel in Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses."
D. With whom is the Sinai covenant made?
DEUT 29:12: "That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into his oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day: That he may establish thee today for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and Jacob. Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath: But with him that standeth here with us this day before the Lord our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day:"
V. The New Testament does not address Israel's relationship to the Old Testament.
It only deals with the Gentiles' relationship to the Sinai covenant. Therefore, it is my opinion that the Acts 15 affair is the only obligation that is absolutely binding on the Gentiles in the Messiah. That does not mean that they could not voluntarily choose, on the basis of 1 Corinthians 9:18ff, to adopt some Jewish cultural manifestations.
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