In the sequence of covenants between the Lord and man, the next two were made with Noah, as representative of all mankind, and Abraham and his descendants. Both of these covenants are unconditional, meaning that the Lord made the promises without requiring certain conditions of the recipients.
Our initial thought of the Noahic Covenant is that the Lord promised not to destroy the earth again by flood. But there is more. Noah and his family, and all their descendants are to repopulate the earth. Man is to have dominion over the animals, and the animals will fear man. Prior to the Flood man only ate fruits, nuts and vegetables. Under the Noahic Covenant, man was given permission to eat meat.
An important provision of the Noahic Covenant is the importance of blood. Blood represents the life of man and animals. Man is not to eat or drink blood. Further, “Whoso sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed.” (Genesis 9:5) This is the basis for capital punishment. Whether man or animal, who or whatever sheds the blood of a human being, shall be put to death, because man is made in the image of God.
The unconditional Noahic Covenant is still very much in effect.
Understanding the Abrahamic Covenant is very important. This covenant is an unconditional covenant. No conditions were placed on Abraham for the completion of the covenant. Because the Lord, the Most High God, does not go back on His word, the promises of this covenant are still in effect. That means even though all of the promises have not yet been fulfilled, they will come to pass because the Lord will keep His word.
In addition, this covenant was made between the Lord and Abraham and his seed (descendants). It was not made with mankind in general. This means that all the blessings promised to Abraham’s descendants, the Israelite people, have not been given to the Gentiles, or the Church. These blessings do not accrue to the Church. The Church has not replaced Israel.
Another important statement of this covenant is found in Genesis 12:3;
“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”The principal of blessing and cursing applies to the world’s treatment of Abraham and his descendants. This is a promise and warning to all of us. Churches that participate in the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement (BDS) should seriously consider this Scripture.
Because of Abraham and his faith, the Lord Jesus was his descendant, and through Jesus we are all blessed. This portion of the Abrahamic Covenant is freely accepted, and yet the warning about cursing the descendants of Abraham is ignored. We cannot pick and choose which portions of Scripture we accept or reject.
The promise of land for Abraham and his descendants is still largely unfulfilled. This promise includes all the land between the Nile River and the Euphrates River. This includes all of Jordan, Lebanon, the Arabian Peninsula which includes Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf States, and portions of Egypt, Syria and Iraq. (Genesis 15:18) Look at a map of the Middle East and see what God has promised to Abraham and his descendants.
Lest you think this desert wilderness is of no value (beyond the oil it contains), if the Lord can change the area of Sodom and Gomorrah from a garden (Genesis 13:10) to desert waste, He can change this vast area of the Middle East back to a “garden of God.” The land promised amounts to well over 1,200,000 square miles. That is comparable to four or five times the State of Texas.
Once again, because the Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant, it is still in effect.
Praise the Lord because He is steadfast, He is long-suffering (patient), and He does not change. (Malachi 3:6) May His name be praised forever!