My recent study of Biblical Covenants was inspired by an article written by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, a brilliant Christian Brother who is Jewish. There is much to be learned from the covenants made between the Lord and the people of the earth.

There are eight covenants found in the Bible:

1. Edenic Covenant
2. Adamic Covenant
3. Noahic Covenant
4. Abrahamic Covenant
5. Mosaic Covenant
6. Land Covenant
7. Davidic Covenant
8. New Covenant

Here is a summary of the covenants in chronological order:

The Edenic Covenant

The Lord blessed Adam and Eve. He instructed them to be fruitful and fill the earth. They were given dominion over the animals. He gave them every fruit, nut and herb for food. (Genesis 1:28-30) He then placed them in the Garden of Eden to tend it. They were told that they could eat of the fruit of any of the trees, except the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. If they ate that fruit, they would die. (Genesis 2:15-17)

When, at the deception of the Devil, they ate that forbidden fruit, they transgressed the covenant the Lord made with them. (Hosea 6:7) The Edenic Covenant ceased to be in effect.

The Adamic Covenant

As a result of their transgression of the Edenic Covenant, the Lord commanded a different covenant with the serpent, the woman, and mankind in that order. The serpent was cursed and warned that the seed of the woman would ultimately bruise or break the serpent’s head. The woman was told that she would have difficulty in childbirth, and in related subjects. The man, Adam, was told that he would no longer just gather fruits to eat, but that the earth was cursed and thorns and thistles would grow up, and man would have to sweat in order to gather food to eat. (Genesis 3:19) Mankind would continue to only eat herbs, fruits and nuts, but he would have to “work for his living.” Lastly, the Lord told man that he would physically die and return to the dust out of which he was made.

The Adamic Covenant, sadly, is still in force. Because of the rebellion of Adam, representing mankind, the Lord gave certain conditions under which we must live.

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.”

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.

The Mosaic Covenant was given to the Children of Israel at the time of Moses, and is a well-known covenant. This covenant was made between the Lord and the Israelite people. This covenant was not made with the Gentiles or the Church, but with Israel only. Please see Deuteronomy 4:7-8, Psalm 147:19-20, and Malachi 4:4;

“Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.” – Malachi 4:4 (my emphasis)

This covenant is far more than the Ten Commandments. The Law of Moses contains, I am told, 613 specific laws. There are 603 laws in addition to the Ten Commandments. I have not taken the time to count them, because they do not apply to Believers under the New Covenant (to be discussed later).

Blood sacrifices are a large part of the Mosaic Covenant. They were made for atonement of sin (Leviticus 17:11), but it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin. (Hebrews 10:4) This covenant included diet restrictions and expanded the death penalty to include things like cursing your parents or not obeying the Sabbath. I am quite relieved that Christians are not required to follow the Mosaic Covenant. The Law was strict, and impossible to keep.

“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. – James 2:10 (my emphasis)

The Israelites were not required to meet on the Sabbath. Christians, because we are not under the Mosaic Covenant, are not required to keep the Sabbath, just as we are not required to circumcise our male children. The Apostle Paul instructed the Church at Corinth to meet on the first day of the week. (I Corinthians 16:2) The Apostle John was worshipping the Lord on the Lord’s Day. (Revelation 1:10) The early Church met on the first day of the week, Sunday, for the Lord’s Supper. (Acts 20:7) They met as often as they could, even daily. (Acts 2:46)

Of the five covenants made with Israel, all are unconditional except the Mosaic Covenant. The conditional Mosaic Covenant failed and has been done away with. The Apostle Paul used those very words in II Corinthians 3:11 - “For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.” “Done away” is translated from the Greek word katargeo (Strong’s G2673) which means “to render inoperative.”

This is confirmed by Paul in Romans 10:4 – “For Christ is the end of the law unto righteousness to every one that believes.” The Greek word for “end” is telos (Strong’s G5056) and can mean either “termination” or “goal.”

Under the Law of Moses only the Aaronic priesthood was valid. In order for the Lord Jesus, who was not of the Aaronic line, to become High Priest there must be a change of law. (Hebrews 7:12) The old order and the old priesthood was done away with.

Jesus brought an end to the Mosaic Covenant because He became High Priest.

“... that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.” – Hebrews 2:17

“But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” – Hebrews 9:11-12

“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an High Priest over the house of God.” – Hebrews 10:19-21

The Land Covenant was made between the Lord and the Children of Israel, and the Davidic Covenant was made between the Lord and King David. Therefore, Gentile Christians have no part in either of these covenants. Even though they have no direct effect on the Church today, they are very important covenants. Both covenants are unconditional – the Lord made no conditional requirements on either the Children of Israel or King David.

The Land Covenant is found in Deuteronomy chapters 29 and 30. In chapter 29 Moses warned the Israelites that in a future generation they would be disobedient to the Lord and He would drive them from the land that was promised, and would scatter them into other lands. It is clear that the word of the Lord has come true. In chapter 30, the Lord promised Israel that the land will be theirs and He will bring them back from all the nations where He scattered them.

The importance of the Land Covenant for the Church is to demonstrate the Lord’s intent toward Israel, to bring them back to the land and to bless them. Neither the Church nor any other peoples have a right to this land. The Lord promised it to Israel, something our politicians should bear in mind. This unconditional covenant is still in effect today!

The Davidic Covenant is a personal covenant made between the Lord and King David. It is an unconditional covenant. The Lord, in His wonderful grace, gave this covenant to David without any conditions.

The Davidic Covenant is found at least twice in Scripture. The first account is in II Samuel 7:8-16. In this account the Lord gave the Prophet Nathan instructions on what to tell David. Nathan was to tell David that the Lord would make him a house, as in a dynasty; the House of David. David was told that when he died one of his sons would take his place. The kingdom of this son would be established and he would build the Lord’s Temple. The Lord warned that if this son committed iniquity, the Lord would chasten him.

Verse fifteen of this important passage demonstrates the unconditional nature of the Davidic Covenant. The Lord said that he would not withdraw His mercy from this disobedient son as He removed His mercy from King Saul. The difference is that Solomon, as David’s son, was under the covenant, whereas Saul was not.

There is a subtle difference between the Second Samuel account of the Davidic Covenant and the second account found in I Chronicles 17:7-14. Again, the Prophet Nathan told David that the Lord would make him a house (dynasty). David was told that when he died the Lord would raise up one of his descendants, not one of his sons. The descendant would build a Temple for the Lord. The Lord would be His father, and the descendant would be the Lord’s son. The Lord would establish His throne and kingdom for evermore! This descendant is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, who is the Son of God and a descendant of King David.

When the two passages are compared, it is easy to miss the subtle difference. In speaking of David’s son, who we know to be Solomon, the Lord promised to establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (II Samuel 7:13) The promise was not personal to Solomon, but to the throne of his kingdom. However, in the second passage the promise is personal. The Lord said that “his throne shall be established for evermore.” (I Chronicles 17:14) Of course this covenant, by its eternal nature, is shown to be an unconditional covenant.

The Davidic Covenant also confirms the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant. The Lord promised Abraham that through his seed (his descendants) the entire world would be blessed. The Lord Jesus, Messiah, descendant of King David, is a wonderful blessing to all the world. Praise the Lord for the promised Messiah!

When the Lord announced the New Covenant, He noted that Israel had already broken the old one, the Mosaic Covenant.

“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD.’ – Jeremiah 31:31-32

“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” – Galatians 3:27-29

“For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” – Romans 10:4

“Wherefore (Therefore) the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” – Galatians 3:24-26

“… in time past … ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made near by the blood of Christ.” – Ephesians 2:11-13

“For if thou were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?” – Romans 11:24

Praise the Lord for choosing Abraham to be a blessing to the entire world! Praise the Lord for keeping His promises to the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Praise the Lord for including us, who are not those descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in His wonderful covenant. May His name be praised always and ever!