(DISCLAIMER: This article will serve as the first of two exploring God’s various covenants with the human race. Here, the Noahic and Abrahamic covenants will be discussed and the Mosaic, Davidic, and New covenants will be studied next week. If this information helps you, please feel free to SHARE! God Bless!)
The Noahic Covenant
Location in Redemptive History
From the very moment the Fall took place in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3), humanity began its descent into the state of total rebellion that we read of at the start of Genesis 6. Between this state of total rebellion and the moment that God communicated His covenant with Noah, the Great Flood wiped out all of humanity save Noah and his family (Gen. 6:9-8:19). It is here, after the Flood had subsided, that we read the account of the LORD creating His covenant with Noah, the particulars of which will be explored in the following sections.
The Details of the Covenant
First, the covenant is bilateral in that God and the human race must act as co-workers in fulfilling the covenant stipulations (i.e., be fruitful, multiply, and have dominion). However, the covenant is also unilateral, as God Himself gives the human race the capacity to fulfill the stipulations. Second, although there are stipulations to the covenant, indicating that the covenant is conditional, it is also unconditional as God states that He will "never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth" (Gen. 9:11). Finally, the covenant is universal as it applies to all living things (Gen. 9:9-10).
While the nature of the Noahic covenant requires some thought to understand fully, the following two primary elements are not complicated. There are three parties involved in the Noahic covenant: God, the human race, and all living things. The sign of the Noahic covenant is also clear as the Lord says: "I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth." In other words, the rainbow is the sign that God will refrain from enacting total judgment upon the earth until He fulfills the promise from Genesis 3:15.
The Stipulations
The stipulations of the Noahic covenant will sound familiar to the reader as they hearken back to the cultural mandate previously given to Adam. Namely, "be fruitful and multiply and fill the whole earth and subdue it and have dominion" (Gen. 1:28; Gen. 9:1-2). In other words, Noah is to be the new Adam as he takes on the job initially given to Adam. We, as readers, are supposed to wonder if Noah will succeed in being God's faithful partner where Adam failed.
The Promises
Again, God made the promises of the Noahic covenant clear through the sign He gave to all of creation. He will never again interrupt the flow of nature on a global scale through a flood (Gen. 9:11). Rather, God will see the human race through to the point wherein He removes the effects of the curse brought on by Adam's sin, thus fulfilling His promise from Genesis 3:15. These promises find their fulfillment in obvious ways as well.
Fulfillment in Redemptive History
The Noahic covenant is fulfilled (and is being fulfilled) in at least two ways. First, God has not yet judged all of creation. We still await the coming day of the Lord when all injustices will be made right, and the creation will be made new. Second, we see God blessing His people through obedience to the covenant stipulation to be fruitful not only through the natural means of childbirth and the blessing of parenting but also through each person who turns to Jesus in faith and becomes a part of God's everlasting kingdom.
The Abrahamic Covenant
Location in Redemptive History
Many generations have passed since the Noahic covenant was enacted, and things on earth are as corrupt as ever. Evil still destroys God's good world (Gen. 9-11). However, God has not forgotten His promise to crush the serpent and restore His creation. The call of Abraham, and the Abrahamic covenant, further reveal how God will accomplish this task. Namely, He will choose a man to be the father of His covenant people and bless them in three specific ways that will be explored here.
The Details of the Covenant
First, we must look at the basic details of the covenant. As with the Noahic covenant, the Abrahamic covenant is both unilateral and bilateral. It is unilateral because the covenant is "cut" by God alone (Gen. 12:12-21). It is also bilateral because Abraham and his descendants must honor the covenant stipulations to enjoy its blessings. In the same way, the covenant is conditional and unconditional (i.e., the people must obey, but God Himself will ultimately fulfill it). Finally, the covenant is everlasting as the blessings and promises continue into eternity.
The parties and the sign of the Abrahamic covenant are made clear in the text. First, the parties are God, Abraham, Abraham's descendants, and the nations (Gen. 12:1-3). In other words, God makes promises to Abraham and His seed, but those promises are for the benefit of all people, even the people outside the biological family of Abraham. Second, the sign of the covenant is stated in Gen. 17:11, where God says that circumcision will be the sign of the Abrahamic covenant. Likewise, any uncircumcised male is cut off from among the people (Gen. 17:14).
The Stipulations
There are several stipulations within the Abrahamic covenant. However, all of them amount to a single command: obedience. Abraham and his descendants must obey God to fulfill the covenant and enjoy the blessings therein. Although Abraham must continue to believe in and obey God throughout his sojourning, it is his obedience to the covenant sign (circumcision) that is most relevant to the current discussion. Abraham must be circumcised and make circumcision mandatory throughout his generations (Gen. 17:9-14).
The Promises
Abraham is promised three things in the Abrahamic covenant, which are stated in Gen. 12:1-3. First, Abraham is promised land (Gen. 12:1). In this land, Abraham will become a great nation (Gen. 12:2). In other words, Abraham will have many descendants. Finally, the nation that Abraham will become will be the source of universal blessing as through Abraham, "all the families of the earth" shall be blessed (Gen. 12:3).
Fulfillment in Redemptive History
Like the Noahic covenant before it, the Abrahamic covenant is fulfilled and being fulfilled. First, there is a sense in which the covenant was fulfilled in the time of Solomon as Abraham's descendants occupied the land (1 Kings 4:21), had become a great nation (1 Kings 4:20) and were hopeful that they could be a light to the nations (1 Kings 8:41-43).[1] However, this state did not last forever, as we see that Abraham's descendants ultimately ended up in exile for their disobedience. Therefore, the Abrahamic covenant is also being fulfilled in Christ, the "seed" who gives all nations access to the promises (Gal. 3:16).
Continuity/Discontinuity with Previous Covenants
The first and most obvious point of continuity between the Abrahamic covenant and the Noahic covenant, which came before, is the idea of blessing through offspring. The cultural mandate is carried into the Abrahamic covenant from the Noahic covenant. However, the cultural mandate is stated in the Noahic covenant as an imperative. In contrast, in the Abrahamic covenant, God promises the stewardship of the land, fruitful multiplication, and blessing (Gen. 12:1-3). Furthermore, the means through which the Lord will fulfill His promise from Gen. 3:15 and subsequently complete His promise of total judgment from the Noahic covenant is slightly illuminated in the Abrahamic covenant. In other words, the promise will be fulfilled through Abraham's seed, and thus final judgment can come.
“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today” Deuteronomy 7:9-11
[1] Thomas R. Schreiner, Covenant and God’s Purpose for the World (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 44-46. BUY HERE and help me continue this publication. God Bless!