God’s Covenant With His People

Wayne Galloway
03/26/15 - N/A

Series: Additional Studies

Introduction:

1.  J. B. Payne in Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible devotes 16 pages to the concept of “covenant” in the Old and New Testaments. 2.  He defines “covenant” as “a legally binding obligation, esp. of God for man’s redemption.” 3.  The Hebrew word “berith” is translated “covenant” 276 times in the NASB.  The Greek term “diatheke” is translated “covenant” 30 times in the NASB. 4.  The concept of God having a “covenant” with His people is a primary theme of Scripture. 5.  This lesson will not be a thorough examination of the concept as it is represented in Scripture, but an attempt to give an overview of what God’s covenant with His people is and what it represents to us, His people.

Discussion:

I.  The first we read of God making a covenant with anyone is found in Gen. 6:18; note also 9:9.

A.  God made a covenant with Noah regarding the salvation of himself and his family from the flood.

B.  Afterward this covenant was extended with a promise to Noah and his descendants that God would never destroy the earth with a flood again (Gen. 9:9ff).

C.  This covenant involved a commitment by God to preserve life.  So even at this early mention of the concept of covenant Payne’s definition of covenant is coming into focus.

1.  He says, “a covenant is a legally binding obligation, esp. of God for man’s redemption.”

2.  In this instance “covenant” is set over against the judgment and destruction of life in the flood and involves the promise to preserve Noah.

II.  The second mention of a covenant is in Gen. 15:18 and involves God making a covenant with Abram.

A.  Although it may not be immediately evident this covenant also involves a promise by God to preserve life as a result of God formulating a special relationship with Abram and his descendants.  (This will become more evident as we proceed.)

B.  Gen. 17 gives a great deal of insight into the nature of this covenant.

1.  Like the covenant God made with Noah, God is the one who initiates it.

2.  It is not a mutually negotiated “contract,” where two parties agree, “I will do this, if you will do that.”

3.  God both initiates and makes an unconditional commitment to Noah and Abram.

4.  The covenant identifies a special relationship between God and those He covenants with.  Gen. 17:7 expresses it this way; “I will be God to you and to your descendants after you… and I will be their God.”

5.  Such language will be repeated many times in Scripture.  We make speak of it as “covenant language.”

C.  While covenants may be made between men (cf. Gen. 21:27, 32; 26:28; 31:44) it is the covenant between God and His people that concerns us in this study.

D.  While God made the covenant unconditionally there were expectations from the people that God had a covenant with.

1.  Abraham and his descendants were to keep God’s covenant (17:9).

2.  God’s covenant was a two-way street.

a.  It involved His relationship with the people.

b.  But it also involved their relationship with Him.

c.  Their relationship with Him was symbolized in circumcision (17:9ff).

d.  Interestingly, the idea of covenant involves a “cutting” or a separation.

e.  Abraham and his people were separated from the rest of the people, and separated apart to God (cf. 17:14).  Noah was separated apart to God from the rest of the people who were destroyed by God’s judgment in the flood.

3.  The covenant people were not to break God’s covenant.

a.  Often people today think of breaking God’s covenant as breaking one of the instructions given in His covenant.  But there is more to it than that.

b.  To be sure the covenant people have responsibility to obey the Lord and follow all the instructions that He gives.  (We will come back to this in a moment.)

III.  Critical observations about God’s covenant with His people.

A.  God never breaks His covenant (Judges 2:1-2).

1.  While God’s people may break covenant with Him.  He remains loyal to His promises.

2.  This is another way of saying that He is faithful.  While His people may be unfaithful and even oscillate back and forth between being faithful and being unfaithful He never wavers.

3.  Jer. 11:8-10 talks about how God’s people broke the covenant.

B.  God remembered His covenant with Abraham even when his descendants were in Egypt (Ex. 2:24; 6:4-5).

1.  It was because of His covenant with them that He brought them out of Egypt.

2.  Notice the language that He uses in Ex. 6:7.

C.  There is a familial element associated with this language (cf. 2 Cor. 6:14-18).

1.  Thus Israel is identified as the children of God and He is their father.  Cf. Ex. 19:5-6.

2.  Marriage is a covenant relationship (Mal. 2:14).  God is husband and his people the wife (Jer. 3; Ezek. 16).

3.  There is an exclusiveness associated with the covenant relationship.  Faithfulness is a requirement.

D.  Covenant involves willing submission, i.e., obedience—the expression of the confident trust characteristic of one’s belief in the commitment of God (Ex. 24:7-8).

E.  While obedience is natural and appropriate to the covenant perfect obedience is not the demand.

1.  This is evident from the blood element of the covenant.

2.  The blood of the covenant recognizes that there is a need for forgiveness in order for God to have a relationship with imperfect people.  Noah offered sacrifices.  Abraham offered sacrifices.  The nation of Israel offered sacrifices.

3.  Thus, God’s relationship with His people was not based on their perfect performance, but His willingness to forgive. So, built within the covenant was provision for forgiveness.

4.  Throughout the O.T. transgressing the covenant was not associated with occasional sin, but abandoning God and serving other gods (Deut. 17:2; 29:25-28).

5.  The Ark of the Covenant provides evidence of the relation of the commandments, forgiveness, God and the people (Deut. 31:26-29).

a.  It contained the ten commandment regulations.

b.  The Mercy Seat upon which blood was sprinkled was on top of the regulations.

c.  God’s presence was made known by the pillar of cloud that resided between the cherubim on the mercy seat.

d.  All of this represented the covenant relationship God had with His people Israel.

e.  So, coming back to the necessity of obedience—It is necessary and appropriate, but there will be occasional violations.  Thus, the mercy seat and the blood sprinkled for forgiveness.  Such occasional violations did not mean that they were no longer in relationship with God.  But when they forsook Him and went and served other gods this constituted a breaking of the covenant.

f.  They were taken into Assyrian and Babylonia captivity, and God withdrew His presence from them because they had broken covenant with Him (Jer. 31:32).

F.  This led to God establishing a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34).

1.  This covenant also involves blood sacrifice (Matt. 26:28; Mk. 14:24; Lk. 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25).

2.  This means that this covenant does not involve perfect obedience.  It includes an element of forgiveness in which sins are remembered no more.  However, it definitely involves faithfulness (loyalty), submission and obedience.

3.  The book of Hebrews has much to say about this covenant.

a.  It is better (8:6-13).

b.  The first had regulations associated with an earthly tabernacle; the new has a greater more perfect tabernacle (Heb. 9:1ff).

c.  The blood used obtains eternal redemption (9:12). Cf. 12:24.

IV.  The principles of this study are so very foundational.  Yet sometimes we are confused thinking that perfect obedience to all the commandments is the basis upon which we can have a covenant relationship with God.

A.  People begin to think, “If I am going to be in a relationship with God, I must do everything right.”   This is a lie of the devil who would have you believe it is impossible to have a relationship with God—therefore just quit.

B.  Covenant relationship with God is designed with provision for forgiveness.  It is not impossible to be in covenant relationship with God.

1.  Yes it does require faithfulness (exclusive loyalty to Him).

2.  Yes it does require obedience, but not perfect obedience.

3.  The blood of the covenant must be accepted.

Conclusion:

1.  God’s covenant with His people implies many things.

a.  Some of those things are about our relationship with Him.

b.  But there are also implications relative to other relationships:  spousal, parent/child, even friendships.

2.  God invites you into relationship with Him.  “I will be your God.  Will you be my people?”