The Basics

Webster’s definition of a covenant-

"1. A mutual consent or agreement of two or more persons, to do or to forbear some act or thing; a contract; stipulation.

"2. A writing containing the terms of agreement or contract between parties."

A Covenant must be ratified:

"Where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Heb 9:17,18.

A covenant cannot be changed once it is ratified:

"Bretheren, I speak after the manner of men; though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, NO man disannulleth, or addeth thereto." Gal 3:15

"Friends, let me give you an example from everyday affairs of the free life I am talking about. Once a person's will has been ratified, no one else can annul it or add to it." The Message Bible (MSG)

Brothers, let me use an example from everyday life. Once a person's will has been ratified, no one can cancel it or add conditions to it. The International Standard Bible (ISV)

History Lesson: The Old Covenant at Mount Sinai

The word covenant, as it is referred to in the bible, has two significant meanings:

1. An agreement or contract between two or more parties.
2. The writings containing the terms or conditions of an agreement.

If we accept the first definition, without doubt, it was the mutual agreement, or contract, made at Sinai between God and Israel respecting the moral law. But if we accept the second definition, it was the law itself; for that contained the conditions of the covenant.

In Exodus 19:1, the setting in which the law was given is described. "In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai."

Then the redeemed of the Hebrews built tents and camped around the base of Sinai, "And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bear you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is mine; and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel." Verses 3-6.

Here God is proposing an agreement: "If you will obey my voice, . . . Then ye shall be to me a peculiar treasure."

Having received this proposition from the Lord, Moses, the mediator between these parties, "came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him." Verse 7.

After receiving God’s proposition, the beneficiaries agreed to the terms: "And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do." Verse 8.

Before closing the preliminary contract, "Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord." Verse 8.

After preparing the people for the descent of the Lord to proclaim His judgments, Jehovah utters the ten precepts of the moral law-

Then the lord charges Moses, "Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven", and then proclaim one last time the conditions of the covenant as described in Ex 20:22 to 23:22.

In response, "Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. Ex 24:3.

"These words the Lord spake," said Moses, "unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice; AND HE ADDED NO MORE." Deut.5:22. This was THE VOICE OF GOD, which the people had so solemnly covenanted to obey. Ex.19:5.

The Old Covenant -an agreement between two mutual parties (Summary of Events):

Thus far God has stated that he wants Israel to be a treasured nation, a kingdom of priests, and a sacred or holy people. "And now if you will surely listen to my voice, and will keep my covenant, you shall become a special treasure to me above the nations, for all the earth is Mine. And you shall become a kingdom of priests for Me, a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the sons of Israel." –(Exodus 19:5,6) The Interlinear Hebrew-English Old Testament, vol. 1, p. 192. The history of Israel reveals that the covenant is the agreement between God and them, that if they were obedient, then God would have made them a peculiar people. It was because of disobedience and the continual departure from the covenant that Daniel made supplication on behalf of Israel in Dan 9:3-15. As a result, God said that seventy weeks were determined for Israel and that in the middle of the sixty-ninth week the Messiah would confirm the New Covenant that Jeremiah and Ezekiel prophesied about (Jer 31:31-34; Ezek 11:19,20).

The New and Old Covenants were for the Jews-

The New Covenant prophesied to Jeremiah-

"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 brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord; but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." Jer.31:31-34.

The New Covenant prophesied to Daniel and the Jews-
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy....And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:... And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." Daniel 9:24, 26, 27.

The ministry of Christ is to the Jews-
When he sent out His disciples, He "commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Matt.10:5,6

"Salvation," said our Lord to the woman of Samaria, "is of the Jews." John 4:22. See also Matt 15:24.

Jesus came as a fulfillment of the promises given to Israel-
"Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants (plural), and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ has come, who is over all, God blessed forever." Rom 9:4, 5

Note: All of the apostles were Jews, and it was with them that Jesus begun the solemn act of ratifying the New Covenant. (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25). It was not until after the end of the seventy weeks of Daniels prophecy that the disciples began to preach to the gentiles. Prior to that time, they preached the gospel "to none but unto the Jews only". Acts 11:19.

Why a New 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 brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord" Jer 31:31-32.

The fault: "For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when 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 when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord" Heb 8:8; Jer 31:31-32. (See also Daniel 9:4-7, 15, 16)

"But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because THEY sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone;" Rom 9:31,32.

Note: God had intended that the first covenant was sought by faith, not by works, which is the reason they fell short. It was never intended that the law was to be the means of receiving the blessings of the promised inheritance.

"Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." Rom 10:1-3.

"For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in THEM that heard it." Heb 4:2.

What About 20^th Century Gentiles?

"Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time 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 nigh by the blood of Christ." Eph.2:11-13.

The Gentiles were "in time past. . . 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."

The Israelites are spoken of as those "to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and THE COVENANTS, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen." verses 14-20.

Note: After the Seventy weeks of Daniel’s prophecy the gospel was then preached to the gentiles. (Acts 9; 26:17). Peter also was given a vision signifying that he should not hinder the gentiles from receiving Christ as Lord. (Acts 10: 9; 15:7-9, 14-18).

It is by union with the Jews that the Gentiles are made the adopted children of God and joint heirs with Christ-
Address to the Jews: "The Lord called thy name, A GREEN OLIVE TREE, fair, and of goodly fruit; with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken."

Address to the Gentiles: "And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou barest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear; for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness; otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in; for God is able to graff them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree, which is wild by nature, and were graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?"