A covenant - Is an agreement made between two persons. This agreement governs the behaviour of each person toward each other and may take precedence over calling, commands, culture, customs etc.  In Acts 5:29 the Apostles declare, "We ought to obey God rather than men". Here, the covenant with God takes precedence over the earthly commands of the Sanhedrin.

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It is very important in understanding scriptures that we understand the role that covenants played  in God's dealing with man. A mis understanding may result in misappropriating God's dealing with mankind under one covenant and consequently mis-applying the covenant. A covenant is not just a promise; it’s a relational arrangement that defines expectations, responsibilities, blessings, and consequences. When the administration of God’s relationship with humanity changes the covenant changes with it. It is important to recognize that God does not change but his administration and how he deals with mankind changes as he mpves forward with his redemptive plan.

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Remember  Salvation is not a late plan. The salvation of humanity was and was God's eternal purpose to gather all of humanity in one under Christ.  Eph. 1:10. This was God's Master Plan.

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God progressively moved this plan forward through covenants, promisses which he revealed and enacted in different dispensations. 

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The Nature of A Covenant

 

1. A promise

2. To a people

3. Place

4. Terms

5. Duration

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Noahic Covenant

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1.Gen. 9:15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. 17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth

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The Noahic Covenant’s Unique Role in Redemptive History
Unlike the other covenants:
•     It is universal (applies to all humanity)
•     It is unconditional
•     It is non-redemptive (it doesn’t save anyone)
•     It is creational, not national or spiritual
•     It is foundational, not directional
It’s the covenant that keeps the world stable long enough for the plan of salvation to unfold.

 

This understanding is key to understanding the word and will of God.

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1. Noahic Covenant (Genesis 9)
•     Universal in scope
•     Establishes stability of creation
•     God promises never again to destroy the earth by flood
This covenant shapes God’s dealings with all humanity going forward.

2. Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12, 15, 17)

•     Focuses on blessing, land, and a chosen people
•     God’s dealings with Abraham’s descendants are now framed by this promise
Israel’s identity and God’s patience with them are deeply tied to this covenant.

God lays out his plan for the redemption of Humanity

Through Abraham, all nations of the earth will be blessed

Those who believe will be blessed with faithful Abraham

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1. It is universal

2, It is for ever

3. It embraces all people

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•     A Seed is coming
•     All nations will be blessed
•     God will create a people for His name
•     The land promise anticipates a future inheritance
•     Abraham becomes the father of all who believe

 

Mosaic Covenant
This covenant It’s not the destination.
But it’s a necessary checkpoint.
The Law:
•     exposes sin
•     defines holiness

        sensitization to cleanliness
•     creates a national priesthood
•     preserves Israel until the Seed comes
•     functions as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ
This covenant does not change the destination.
It simply prepares the people for the next stage.sets the direction of the road.

It  was given Pre-Law, Pre-circumcision

•     A conditional covenant with blessings and curses
•     Israel’s national experience—prosperity, exile, restoration—is explicitly tied to obedience under this covenant

God’s dealings with Israel during this period are covenantally structured.

it is time bound -  till the seed come ro whom the promise was made

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4. Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7)
•     Establishes a royal line
•     Shapes God’s dealings with kings, prophets, and the hope of a Messiah
Even divine discipline of kings is framed by this covenant.

The Davidic covenant reveals:
•     the Messiah will be a King
•     He will rule forever
•     He will shepherd God’s people
•     He will bring justice and peace
•     He will sit on David’s throne
This covenant gives you a clear view of what’s coming.
 

5. New Covenant (Jeremiah 31; Luke 22; Hebrews 8)
•     Internal transformation, forgiveness, Spirit-empowered obedience
•     God’s dealings with humanity now center on Christ, not Torah
The entire mode of relationship shifts.

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Across Scripture, God’s character is constant—holy, just, merciful, faithful.
But the covenantal administration changes, and with it the way God relates to humanity.
A simple analogy:•     sins are forgiven
•     hearts are renewed
•     the Spirit is given
•     Jew and Gentile become one new humanity
•     the Law is written on the heart
•     the promises to Abraham are fulfilled in Christ
•     the Davidic King sits on His throne
•     the Mosaic covenant is fulfilled and set aside
This is the covenant that actually produces the people of God.

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The Sanctuary Covenant

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Heb. 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

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In the new covenant God has catered for every plan and intention of Satan to derail God's plan. And one of the most powerful derailing weapons he has unleashed against the people of God is  Sex. Both in the old testament and new God warns against the vagaries of sex both yo married and un married people. And as part of his covenant he has provided a sanctuary for thise who have been wounded thereby.

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Dispensations

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These are the period or eras when these covenants were given and enacted and to which they apply.

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The Dispensation of the Fulness of time

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10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

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This is the final destination:
•     all things gathered in Christ
•     one people of God
•     unity of Jew and Gentile
•     fulfillment of all promises
•     the New Creation
This is where the journey ends.

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God desribes  himself  "I am the Lord that keepeth covenant" pm Exodus 7:5 he says, "I have rememvered my covenant". God operates within his covenants. God will never break his covenant

 

 

 

 

 

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