Covenant-Faithful God

The Bible speaks of “covenant” in many places. Yet for many people, the word covenant remains unfamiliar or at least somewhat vague. I was inspired to explore this broad and fascinating subject by a dear Bible teacher and spiritual father to many, Pastor Roger Finch.

In this three-part blog series, we will take time to explore what the Bible means by covenant. First, we will look at what a covenant actually is and what the key covenants in the Bible tell us about God.

In the second part, we will take a closer look at the covenant between God and Abraham — to me, it is one of the most fascinating events in the Old Testament!

In the third part, we will reflect on what God’s covenant faithfulness means for us who live in the new covenant brought by Christ.

I hope that through this series, the word “covenant” will not remain just theological jargon, but will open up a new perspective—or deepen your perspective—on what God reveals Himself to be like in the Bible. 💙

What Does Covenant Actually Mean?

In everyday life, we talk about promises and agreements.We promise a friend that we will call later. Or we sign an employment contract or some other “binding” agreement. Both involve different degrees of commitment.

A biblical covenant, however, is something far deeper than a promise or an ordinary agreement.

A covenant is a lasting and binding relationship in which the parties commit themselves to one another. It includes promises, but often also obligations. It defines the nature of the relationship between the parties and what follows from it.

When the Bible speaks about the covenants God makes, however, the focus is not primarily on the form of the covenant, but on what kind of God makes the covenant and what His purposes are in making it.

The covenants tell us about a God who commits Himself. They tell us about a God who takes His relationship with us seriously — with nations, but also with you and me. A God who wants to love us more than anything else.

God Takes the Initiative

The great covenants in salvation history were — and are — initiated by God.

After the Flood, God says to Noah:

“I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth." (Gen.9:9-10, NIV)

Abram (later Abraham) does not ask God to make a covenant with him. God calls him.

Israel does not free itself from Egypt or earn its place as God’s people. God saves the nation and makes a covenant with them.

The prophet Jeremiah foretells a time when God Himself will make a new covenant.

Of course, the Bible also tells of covenants between people and God that were initiated by people. For example, Hezekiah wanted to make a covenant with God. This is described in 2 Chronicles:

"Now I intend to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us." (2. Chronicles 29:10, NIV)

The Major Covenants in the Bible

Although the Bible speaks of several covenants, together they form one great story of God’s plan of salvation. Here are a few of them.

The Covenant with Noah

(You can read about this in your Bible: Genesis 6:17–18, Genesis 8:20–22, and Genesis 9:8–17)

After the Flood, God makes a covenant with Noah, his descendants, and every living creature. He promises never again to destroy the whole earth with a flood.

The rainbow is given as the sign of the covenant.

This covenant applies to all humanity and all creation.

The Covenant with Abram (later Abraham)

(You can read about this in your Bible: Genesis 12:1–3 and Genesis 15)

God calls Abram (whom He names Abraham in Genesis 17:5, “father of many nations”) and promises him descendants, land, and blessing.

But the promise does not concern just one man. God says:

"... and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Gen.12:3, NIV)

Through Abraham, God begins to carry out a plan whose effects reach the whole world. We will return to this covenant in much greater detail in the next post.

The Covenant with Israel

(You can read about this in your Bible: Exodus 24)

After delivering Israel from Egypt, God makes a covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai. He calls Israel His own people and gives them the law.

This covenant emphasizes that belonging to God’s people is also reflected in the way they live. The covenant is not only a privilege. It is also a call to faithfulness.

The Covenant with David

(You can read about this in your Bible: Psalm 89:3-4 and 2 Samuel 7:8–16)

God gives King David a promise that through his family line will come a ruler whose kingdom will endure. In the Old Testament, this promise begins to point toward the awaited Messiah.

The New Covenant

The prophets begin to speak of a new covenant.Jeremiah describes a time when God will write His law on people’s hearts and forgive their sins. Jesus fulfills this promise at the Last Supper when He says:

"In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.' " (Luke 22:20, NIV)

There, the long covenant story of the Old Testament reaches its climax.

What Do These Covenants Have in Common?

Although the covenants are different, a few common features appear repeatedly. First, in these covenants, God takes the initiative. Second, a covenant creates a relationship. It is not merely about an individual promise, but about God committing Himself to people. Third, the covenants include promises given by God. These covenants also place obligations on the other party: the human being.

Another very important theme connected with covenants that runs throughout the Bible is blood. According to the Bible, the blood contains “life” (New International Version), or the “soul,” as the Finnish 1933/1938 and Raamattu Kansalle translations express it.

Leviticus 17:11 says that blood makes atonement. Sacrificial blood is therefore also connected with atonement and the forgiveness of sins in the relationship between sinful humanity and a holy God. This is why blood speaks of the seriousness of a covenant: it is not a light promise, but a commitment involving life and death.

Blood appears in different ways in the different covenants. In connection with the covenant with Noah, Noah offers animal sacrifices to God immediately after the flood, before God declares His covenant with him and with every living creature (Gen. 8:20–9:17).

In the covenant with Abram, the animals are cut in two, and God Himself passes between the pieces (Gen. 15:9–18).

In the covenant made with Israel at Sinai, the blood of the sacrificed animals is sprinkled on the altar and on the people, and Moses says explicitly: “This is the blood of the covenant...”  (Exod. 24:5–8).

When the covenant with David is made, the Bible does not describe a separate blood ritual (2. Sam. 7), but blood is present in other significant ways.

• 1 Chron. 22:8 (NIV) says:

“But this word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight.’”

Here King David tells his son Solomon that God has forbidden David from building the temple, so the task would be left to Solomon.

• Another context in which blood appears especially clearly in connection with the Davidic covenant is—no more and no less than—Jesus Christ. After all, He is a descendant of David, the “Son of David.” In Jesus, humanity entered the time of the “new covenant.”

  
  

In the new covenant, blood is absolutely central: Jesus says that the cup is “the new covenant in His blood,” and the new covenant is established through the blood He shed on the cross (Luke 22:20; Heb. 9:15–22).

Covenants also often include a visible sign that serves as a reminder of the covenant and makes it tangible. The sign of the covenant with Noah is the rainbow (Gen. 9:12–17), the sign of the covenant with Abraham is circumcision (Gen. 17:11), and the sign of the covenant made with Israel is the Sabbath (Exod. 31:13, 16–17).

In connection with the covenant with David, the Bible does not name a corresponding separate covenant sign (2. Sam. 7), but in the New Covenant, Jesus institutes Communion, in which the bread and the cup remind us of His body and blood and of the new covenant He made (Luke 22:19–20).

In addition, covenants almost always extend beyond a single individual. They concern descendants, nations, and future generations. A covenant, then, is not a temporary agreement. It is part of God’s long history of salvation.

What Do the Covenants Tell Us About God?

The covenants tell us a great deal about what God is like. In the Old Testament (too), people fail again and again. Noah’s descendants fall into sin, Abraham wavers in his faith, Israel rebels, the kings fail, and so on.

Yet God’s plan does not come to an end. He always remains faithful to His own word. This is often called God’s faithfulness or covenant faithfulness.

God does not change His mind on a whim, nor does He forget His promises. He does not abandon His plan because people prove to be weak. That is precisely why covenant tells us more about God than about people. It tells us about a God who commits Himself and keeps His word. A God who acts faithfully from generation to generation.

Next Time

Of all the covenant accounts in the Bible, one has made an especially deep impression on me.

It is the covenant between God and Abram. Ever since I heard a more detailed teaching about that event, I have been able to see it “before my eyes” as if on a movie screen—it is that powerful!

We will take a closer look at it in the next part of the series.