COVENANTS – PART 1

A covenant is also an arrangement between people who commit to do certain things for each other. A covenant is an extremely serious promise that requires trust, faithfulness, and loyalty in order for the covenant to be kept. When each person involved in the covenant does his part to keep it, he or she is blessed with a deep and wonderful relationship. But when covenants are not kept, the consequences are extremely severe. Covenants are a major theme in the Bible. YHVH’s first Covenants were made with Old Testament people like Noah, but covenants appear in all parts of the Bible. In fact, another way to say Old and New Testament is to say Old and New Covenant. YHVH made covenants with Abraham, King David, and the Israelites. However, the most important covenant in the Bible is YHVH’s Covenant with all people through the work of His Son, Yeshua Moshiach. YHVH’s Covenant gives everyone the opportunity to have a close relationship with Him. It gives meaning to our lives and provides us with guidelines about how we should act. If we accept YHVH’s Covenant with us, He will bless us here on earth, and we will live with Him in heaven for eternity.

What Can We Learn From YHVH’s Covenants?

YHVH Keeps His Promises:
YHVH said to Noah: yes, this is the sign of My Covenant with all the creatures of the earth. -- Genesis 9:17. Noah stepped out of the ark onto an earth devoid of human life. But YHVH gave him a reassuring Promise. This Covenant had three parts:

1 -- never again will a flood do such destruction;
2 -- as long as the earth remains, the seasons will always come as expected;
3 -- a rainbow will be visible when it rains as a sign to all that YHVH will keep His Promises. The earth’s order and seasons are still preserved, and rainbows still remind us of YHVH’s Faithfulness to His Word.

Many of YHVH’s Covenants Include Us:
Adonai told Abram; Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others. -- Genesis 12:1-2. When YHVH called Abram, he moved out in faith from Ur to Haran and finally to Canaan. YHVH then established a covenant with Abram, telling him that he would found a great nation. Not only would this nation be blessed, YHVH said, but the other nations of the earth would be blessed through Abram’s descendants. Israel, the nation that would come from Abram, was to follow YHVH and influence those with whom it came in contact. Through Abram’s family tree, Yeshua Moshiach was born to save humanity. Through Moshiach, people can have a personal relationship with YHVH and be blessed beyond measure.

YHVH’S Covenants Require A Personal Response:
YHVH promised to bless Abram and make him great, but there was one condition. Abram had to do what YHVH wanted him to do. This meant leaving his home and friends and traveling to a new land where YHVH promised to build a great nation from Abram’s family. Abram obeyed, walking away from his home for YHVH’s promise of even greater blessings in the future. YHVH may be trying to lead you to a place of greater service and usefulness for him. Don’t let the comfort and security of your present position make you miss YHVH’s plan for you.

Yeshua Established A New Covenant Between Us and YHVH:
After supper He took another cup of wine and said: This wine is the token of YHVH’s New Covenant to save you -- an agreement sealed with the Blood I will pour out for you. -- Luke 22:20. In Old Testament times, YHVH agreed to forgive people’s sins if they brought animals for the priests to sacrifice. When this sacrificial system was inaugurated, the agreement between YHVH and man was sealed with the blood of animals -- Exodus 24:8. But animal blood did not in itself remove sin [only YHVH can forgive sin], and animal sacrifices had to be repeated day by day and year after year. Yeshua instituted a [New Covenant] or agreement between humans and YHVH. Under this New Covenant, Yeshua would die in the place of sinners. Unlike the blood of animals, His Blood [because He is YHVH] would truly remove the sins of all who put their faith in Him. And Yeshua’ sacrifice would never have to be repeated; it would be good for all eternity [Hebrews 9:23-28]. The prophets looked forward to this New Covenant that would fulfil the old sacrificial agreement -- Jeremiah 31:31-34, and John the Baptist called Yeshua [the Lamb of YHVH, who takes away the sin of the world] -- John 1:29.

YHVH’S New Covenant in Moshiach Offers Us Forgiveness:
Our High Priest has been given a ministry that is far superior to the ministry of those who serve under the Old Laws, for He is the one who guarantees for us a better Covenant with YHVH, based on better promises. -- Hebrews 8:6. This passage contains a quotation from -- Jeremiah 31:31-34 and compares the New Covenant with the Old. The Old Covenant was the Covenant of Law between YHVH and Israel. The New and better way is the Covenant of grace -- Moshiach’s offer to forgive our sins and bring us to YHVH through His Sacrificial Death. This Covenant is New in extent -- it goes beyond Israel and Judah to all the Gentile nations. It is New in application because it is written in our hearts and minds. It offers a new way to forgiveness, not through animal sacrifice, but through faith. Have you entered into this New Covenant and begun walking in the better way?

Human Covenants:
A covenant is a framework of trust, responsibilities, and benefits that connects two people. It can apply to almost every human relationship from personal friendships to international trade agreements. There are three different kinds of covenants that take place between people: covenants between friends, covenants with ourselves, and political covenants.

Covenants Between Friends:
Covenants can be between two best friends like David and Jonathan -- 1 Samuel 18:3. Their covenant not only sealed their friendship forever, but it also made sure they would be loyal to each other no matter what the circumstances. King Saul [Jonathan’s father] was jealous of David and wanted to kill him. Because of their covenant with each other, Jonathan saved David’s life by telling him to run and hide. Marriage is another kind of covenant relationship -- Malachi 2:14. This helps explain the many Old Testament Laws on marriage and divorce. When people get married, they are not making simple promises that are easy to keep. A marriage covenant involves a deep commitment to which each person must be completely dedicated.