Covenants to Israel

A covenant is a written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action. The covenants to Israel are God’s agreements and promises of grace provision for the nation of Israel. The Hebrew word for “covenant” is בּרית (berı̂yth) in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the Greek word is διαθήκη (diathēkē). Those in the nation of Israel must be descendants of Abraham (racial Jews) and must have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. To inherit God's eternal promise, they must have eternal life.

The Jew had to believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior in order to receive God's grace blessings of the unconditional covenants. The Jew cannot gain their spiritual heritage without first believing in Jesus Christ. Being a Jew genetically does not qualify anyone to benefit from these covenants. Unbelievers cannot inherit eternal life or benefit from these unconditional covenants. Only Jewish believers benefit from these covenants.

Covenants are defined in the Old Testament as God expressing favor toward some group of people. God's favor is always expressed as grace provision. The ones being favored can never earn the grace that God sovereignly bestows. God will always fulfill His promises because He is infinitely able to do so through His omnipotence and He is also immutable, so He cannot back out of the promises He makes. So the covenants to Israel can be defined as the sovereign will of God establishing His promises to bless the nation of Israel.

There are five covenants to Israel. Four are unconditional and one is conditional. The following diagram illustrates the four unconditional covenants and their relationship to each other.

The Abrahamic Covenant

The Abrahamic Covenant is found in the conversation between God and Abraham in Genesis 12, 13, 15, 17, and 22. Abraham and his seed were promised land (the land of Canaan), seed (descendants), and blessing (through faith) forever if they utilize God’s grace provision. This is the basic covenant.

The Abrahamic Covenant defines the new race of Jews for the nation of Israel. Abraham became the first of a race of Jews and the first Jewish believer at age 99. His circumcision was the outward sign of his belief in the future Messiah for salvation.

The Abrahamic Covenant says that the seed of the woman, the humanity of Christ, will descend from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Gen. 12:1-3; Gen. 13:15-16; Gen. 15:18; Gen. 22:15-18; Gen. 26:3-4; Exodus 6:2-8. See category on The Abrahamic Covenant.

"Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."" (Genesis 12:1-3, NASB)

"for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. "I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered." (Genesis 13:15-16, NASB)

"On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:" (Genesis 15:18, NASB)

The Palestinian or Land Covenant

The Palestinian or Land Covenant is based on the Abrahamic Covenant and amplifies the land promises. Israel’s ownership of the land is unconditional, but possession is based upon obedience to the plan of salvation and spiritual growth in grace. Deut. 30:1-8; Gen. 15:18; Joshua 1:3-4; Num. 34:1-12. See category on The Palestinian or Land Covenant.

"On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:" (Genesis 15:18, NASB)

""Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. "From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory." (Joshua 1:3-4, NASB)

The Davidic Covenant

The Davidic Covenant amplifies the seed promises of the Abrahamic Covenant. Among the seed (descendants of Abraham) would be the humanity of the God-man Jesus Christ (the seed of the woman of Genesis 3:15) who would descend from the tribe of Judah through the family of David and become the Savior of mankind. 2 Sam. 7:12-16; Psalms 89:20-37. See category on The Davidic Covenant to Israel.

““When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”‘““ (2 Samuel 7:12-16, NASB)

"And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."" (Genesis 3:15, NASB)

The New Covenant

The New Covenant promises the restoration of the nation of Israel (only regenerate Jews) at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. The restored nation of Israel will exist in the Millennium. The New Covenant amplifies the blessing promises of the Abrahamic Covenant. It provided for conversion through the blood of the everlasting covenant and soul grace apparatus. Jer. 31:31-34; Rom. 11:27; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 8:8-12; Heb.10:15-17.

““Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. “They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”“ (Jeremiah 31:31-34, NASB)

“"THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS."” (Romans 11:27, NASB)

"But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law," (Galatians 4:4, NASB)

“And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, "THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM," He then says, "AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE."” (Hebrews 10:15-17, NASB)

The “seed of the woman,” the resurrected Jesus Christ, will return to the earth at the Second Advent to restore the nation of Israel. Our Lord will rule and bless the nation of Israel throughout the Millennium. See category on The New Covenant to Israel.

The Old Covenant or Mosaic Law

The Mosaic Law is God’s covenant to Israel that defines God’s spiritual and governing policy for the nation of Israel. It is the only conditional covenant to Israel and involves both believers and unbelievers. The Mosaic Law contains God’s statutes and ordinances and laws that address every aspect of life in the nation of Israel including legal freedoms, the laws and functions of divine establishment, and the functions of the spiritual life for believers in Israel. Exodus 19:3; Lev. 26:46; Rom. 3:19; Rom. 9:4. See category on The Mosaic Law.

"Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel:" (Exodus 19:3, NASB)

"These are the statutes and ordinances and laws which the LORD established between Himself and the sons of Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai." (Leviticus 26:46, NASB)

"Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God;" (Romans 3:19, NASB)

"who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises," (Romans 9:4, NASB)

Covenants, Survey of Genesis to Lamentations

Genesis

Abrahamic Covenant: Gen. 12:1-3: Land, seed, blessing.

Exodus

The Law: the format for obedience under Palestinian Covenant and staying in the Promised Land.

Leviticus

The Abrahamic Covenant - basically the Palestinian Covenant because it deals with possession of the Land. Not the gaining it, but the holding of it. The five cycles of discipline. Leviticus 26.

Numbers

Abrahamic Covenant - first opportunity at Palestinian Covenant. National Discipline - 38 1/2 years in wilderness. Jewish Dispensation - two generation concept.

Deuteronomy

Abrahamic Covenant - preparation to enter upon the Palestinian Covenant. Deut. 12:l-32; Deut. 28 through Deut. 30. The second statement of the Law.

Joshua

Abrahamic Covenant - Palestinian division of the Covenant in focus. The acquisition of part of the land but failure to take all of it.

Judges

Abrahamic Covenant - Palestinian Covenant threatened. Ownership of the land, always secure. Possession, conditional, therefore hanging in the balance.

Ruth

Relationship to Covenants only in the perpetuation of seed of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob; Ruth in line of David, therefore the Davidic Covenant.

1 Samuel

Abrahamic Covenant - the Land partially occupied though still containing many enemies.

2 Samuel

Abrahamic Covenant: The actual format of the Davidic Covenant under three principles - house, kingdom and throne. The establishing of the lineage of David as line of the Messiah and building this on his son, Solomon’s line. David’s life and discipline.

1 Kings

Abrahamic Covenant - about to lose the Land, great apostacy from the Law.

2 Kings

Abrahamic Covenant. Royal line of David constantly threatened. Palestinian Covenant under constant threat because of breaking Mosaic Covenant. Royal line of David constantly threatened ended with removal of north and south from the land under the Fifth Cycle of Discipline.

1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles

Five cycles of discipline - Chronicles ends with both north and south in captivity, North to Assyria, South to Babylon.

Ezra

Abrahamic Covenant - Judah again in their land, possessing it, under the Palestinian Covenant.

Nehemiah

Abrahamic Covenant - Israel in part, Judah technically, back in the land to begin anew, later to come under the fourth cycle of discipline under Rome in 63 BC, then to the Fifth Cycle of Discipline under Titus the Roman general in 70 AD.

Esther

Covenant Relationship - Davidic Covenant--preservation of the Seed, remnant while in captivity.

Job

No particular identification with the Abrahamic Covenant.

Psalms

No particular identification with the Abrahamic Covenant.

Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes does not relate to the covenants except in the fact that Solomon, the one involved, was to be the major executor of the Davidic Covenant from the standpoint of house, kingdom, and throne. The major contribution of the book of Ecclesiastes is to show the human viewpoint thinking, procedures and end of a mature believer in reversion.

Song of Solomon

No particular identification with the Abrahamic Covenant.