The Eight Covenants of God

 
Learning how God thinks is important to every follower of Jesus and should be one of our key objectives as we study the Bible. After all, how can we please God if we don’t know what pleases him and, just as importantly, what displeases him?

And a good way to increase our understanding of what God wants from us and how God thinks is to understand his covenants with mankind. The types of blessings he promises and what demands he makes in return.

In this article, we’ll describe the eight covenants God has made with mankind, starting with the covenant with Adam in the Garden of Eden and ending with the New Covenant he made through Jesus Christ.

To start, we’ll give a little general background about the covenants then we’ll get into the specifics of the eight covenants.

Each covenant is associated with a new period or age of dispensation or unique way in which God dispenses His will in the world, and these will be listed for each covenant.

The covenants and dispensations provide a roadmap of God’s plan for man down through history. Understanding them provides a much better and deeper understanding of God and of the Bible.

In most cases, the associated dispensation started with the formation of the covenant. However, in three cases, the dispensation period would not start until some time in the future. In two of those cases, the dispensation period still has not occurred and will not begin until after the Tribulation in the End Times.

Note that some authors combine the two covenants made with Adam (the Edenic and Adamic covenants) together and, thereby list only seven covenants with God. However, we find this confusing since there were two distinct covenants made with Adam and two distinct dispensations. Thus, we have listed them separately, giving a total of eight covenants. This does not change any of the substance relating to the covenants, only the final count of the covenants.

Let’s get started.

 
What is a Covenant?
Webster defines a covenant as a “binding and solemn agreement made by two or more individuals, parties, etc. to do or keep from doing a specified thing. In law, a formal, sealed contract.”

Dr. Wayne Grudem, professor of biblical and systematic theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, defines a Biblical covenant as: “An unchangeable, divinely imposed legal agreement between God and man that stipulates the conditions of their relationship.” The term “divinely imposed” means that man can never negotiate with God on the terms or change the terms of the covenant; instead, man can only accept or reject the terms of the covenant.

God wants a loving, intimate relationship with all of humanity. But God also demands obedience. The eight covenants define the terms of God’s relationship mankind: what blessing and curses God will give and what man must do to receive the blessings or not do to avoid the curses.

 
The Two Types of Covenants in the Bible:
There are two types of covenants described in the Bible: conditional and unconditional.

Conditional Covenants: In conditional covenants, God promises to grant special blessings provided certain conditions are met or fulfilled. Failure to meet the conditions often results in punishment. Thus, obedience is a requirement of conditional covenants and man must meet his conditions before God will meet His.

Two of the covenants were conditional. These are:
● The Covenant with Adam Before the Fall
● The Covenant with Moses

Unconditional Covenants: In these covenants, God will fulfill His promises no matter what. There are no special requirements of obedience or conditions that need to be met or fulfilled before God will bestow His blessings. There may be some requested conditions but they are not requirements of the covenants.

There are four characteristics of the unconditional covenants:
● They are literal covenants and their terms must be interpreted literally.
● They are eternal and are not restricted or altered by time.
● They are not dependent on man’s obedience. Thus, their ultimate fulfillment can be expected.
● The unconditional covenants made with the nation of Israel belong to Israel and are Israel’s possession.

Six of the covenants were unconditional. They are:
● The covenant with Adam after the Fall (the Adamic covenant)
● The covenant with Noah
● The covenant with Abraham
● The Palestinian Covenant
● The Covenant with David
● The New Covenant

 
The Scope of the Covenants:
● Four of the covenants were made with the nation of Israel and do not apply to humanity in general. These covenants are:

o The covenant with Abraham

o The Palestinian Covenant

o The covenant with Moses

o The covenant made with David

● The four remaining covenants were made between God and mankind in general. They are:

o The Covenant with Adam before the Fall (the Edenic covenant)

o The covenant with Adam after the Fall (the Adamic covenant)

o The covenant with Noah

o The New Covenant (Initially made with Israel but later expanded to extend its spiritual blessings to all mankind)

 
The Eight Covenants:

1. The Covenant With Adam Before the Fall (The Edenic Covenant):
● Introduction: This is God’s first covenant with man. From the very start, God established a formal relationship with man and demanded obedience.
● Dispensation Initiated by Covenant: Dispensation of Innocence
● Scripture References: Genesis 1:28-30; Genesis 2:15-17
● Covenant Type: Conditional
● Covenant Scope: All mankind, through Adam, the representative head of the human race
● Covenant Status: Ended
● Covenant Provisions:

o Man was to be fruitful, and multiply and fill the earth with humanity

o Man was to subdue the earth and have authority over all non-living things

o Man was to have dominion over all living things (the entire animal kingdom on land, in the air, and in the sea)

o No blood was to be shed (thus man’s diet was to be vegetarian)

o Man was to dress and keep (maintain) the Garden of Eden

● Sign of the Covenant: None
● Covenant Conditions:

o To not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

♦ The punishment for disobedience was spiritual death (i.e. separation from God)

 
2. The Covenant With Adam After the Fall (The Adamic Covenant):
● Introduction: This covenant gave the curses against mankind for the sin of Adam and Eve. It also offers the promise of grace for humankind.
● Dispensation Initiated by Covenant: Dispensation of Conscience
● Scripture References: Genesis 3:14-19
● Covenant Type: Unconditional
● Covenant Scope: All mankind
● Covenant Status: Remains in effect until the Renovation of the Earth by Fire
● Covenant Provisions:

o The curse for the serpent:

♦ The serpent was cursed above all other creatures and was to become a loathsome reptile, crawling upon its belly and eating dust

o The curse for Satan:

♦ There would be perpetual hatred between Satan and woman

♦ This hatred was to culminate between the woman’s seed, Christ, and Satan’s seed, the Antichrist

♦ The serpent would bruise the heel of the woman’s Seed (fulfilled with the crucifixion of Jesus)

♦ The women’s Seed will crush Satan’s head (fulfilled initially with the Resurrection; the final fulfillment will come when Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire)

o The Curse for woman:

♦ Multiplication of menstrual pain and conception (i.e. menstrual periods)

♦ Painful childbirth

♦ To be in subjection to the husband. Man would have headship over her.

o The curse for man:

♦ Man would now have to labor hard to secure a living from the soil, which would not respond easily to his efforts to grow food

♦ There would now be physical death

o The curse for the ground:

♦ The ground was cursed with thorns and thistles which would make growing food much more difficult

o The human diet:

♦ The diet remains vegetarian but animals could now be used for dairy products, clothing, and for sacrifices, but not for eating

o The promise of grace:

♦ The seed of the woman (Christ) would redeem the world from the power of Satan and ultimately restore the human race and the Earth to their condition before the “Fall”

● Sign of the Covenant: None
● Covenant Conditions: None

 
3. The Covenant With Noah (The Noahic Covenant):
● Introduction: This covenant was made with Noah immediately following the great flood
● Dispensation Initiated by Covenant: Dispensation of Human Government
● Scripture References: Genesis 9:1-17)
● Covenant Type: Unconditional
● Covenant Scope: Noah and All mankind
● Covenant Status: Still in Effect
● Covenant Provisions:

o That Noah and his descendants would be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth

o That God would never again destroy all life on earth with a flood

o That the fear of man was put into animals and man was to dominate over them

o That people could eat meat if they first drained the blood from it. All animals were fit for food, but man was forbidden from eating or drinking blood.

o Capital punishment was established and all murderers were to be executed

● Sign of the Covenant: The rainbow was created as a reminder of this covenant
● Covenant Conditions: None  

 
4. The Covenant With Abraham (The Abrahamic Covenant):
● Introduction: Abraham was a man of profound faith and God chose Abraham to be the father of Israel
● Dispensation Initiated by Covenant: The Dispensation of the Family (sometimes called the Dispensation of Promise)
● Scripture References: Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 12:6-7; Genesis 13:14-17; Genesis 15:1-21; Genesis 17:1-21; Genesis 22:15-18
● Covenant Type: Unconditional
● Covenant Scope: Abraham and the Nation of Israel
● Covenant Status: Still in effect and will be in effect until the end of time
● Covenant Provisions:

o Abraham:

♦ That God would make Abraham’s name great

♦ That Abraham would have many descendants

♦ That Abraham would be the father of a great nation (Israel)

♦ That Abraham would possess all of the Promised Land

♦ That Abraham would be the father of other nations

♦ That Abraham would be a blessing to others

♦ That the world would be blessed from the line of Abraham (through the Messiah, Jesus Christ, one of Abraham’s descendants)

o The Nation of Israel:

♦ That Israel would become great

♦ That Israel would possess the Promised Land

♦ That Israel would receive victory over its enemies

o The Gentiles:

♦ They would be blessed for blessing Israel

♦ They would be cursed for cursing Israel

♦ They would receive spiritual blessings through Abraham’s Seed (the Messiah)

● Sign of the Covenant: Circumcision, which was to be done 8 days after birth

● Covenant Conditions: None
● Notes:

o The nations coming through Abraham’s descendants were:

♦ The Arab nation through Abraham’s first son Ishmael, born to Sara’s maidservant, Hagar

■ This linage led to the world religion of Islam through the prophet Mohammed

♦ The Jewish nation (Israel) through Abraham’s second son Isaac, born to Sara

■ God promised to bless this linage with the Promised Land, and that this linage would bless all mankind (through the Messiah, Jesus Christ)

■ This linage led to two world religions: Judaism and Christianity

o Confirmation of the Covenant:

♦ Through Isaac:

■ Genesis 26:2-5 — God tells Isaac that He would bless him, establish with him the oath He swore unto Abraham, giving his offspring the Promised Land and blessing all the nations on earth through them. This tells us that the Abrahamic Covenant was to be fulfilled through Abraham’s son, Isaac, who was born to Sara. This was later reaffirmed in Genesis 26:24.

♦ Through Jacob:

■ Genesis 28:10-15 — God tells Jacob, one of Isaac’s two sons, that it was he and his seed that would be given the Promised Land and that all the peoples on earth would be blessed through him and his descendents. Jacob’s twelve sons later fathered the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

o This covenant formed the basis for three later covenants with God:

♦ The Palestinian (Land) Covenant

♦ The Davidic Covenant

♦ The New Covenant

 
5. The Covenant With Moses (The Mosaic Covenant):
● Introduction: This covenant was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai, shortly after the Exodus from Egypt
● Dispensation Initiated by Covenant: The Dispensation of Law
● Scripture References: Exodus 20:1 through Deuteronomy 28:68
● Covenant Type: Conditional
● Covenant Scope: The nation of Israel
● Covenant Status: This covenant formally ended with the death of Jesus on the cross and the start of the New Covenant. However, many of its provisions ended in A.D. 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Romans and the worldwide dispersion of the Jewish people.
● Covenant Provisions:

o The provisions consisted of the Ten Commands, which formed the core of the covenant, plus 603 additional commandments that the Nation of Israel were to follow. These commandments, in their entirety, were known as the “Law of Moses” or just “The Law”.

♦ Of the 613 total commandments, 365 were negative commandments, things which were forbidden and 248 positive commandments, things that were to be done

o The commandments of the Mosaic Covenant can be separated into three different categories, although the commandments were not categorized as such when given to Moses. The three categories are:

♦ The Moral Law: The 10 Commandments plus others that defined proper moral conduct

♦ The Civil Law: Commandments that provided for stability in society covering things such as regulation of debt, slavery, poverty, the transfer of property, and the preservation of families and clans.

♦ The Ceremonial Law: Commandments defining, among others, the construction of the Tabernacle, the Levitical Priesthood, and the structure for worship.

o Some key provisions included in the Law were:

♦ Establishment of the blood sacrifice system where animals would be sacrificed to God as atonement for sins and to restore fellowship with God

♦ Additional dietary restrictions were established:

■ Foods that could be eaten: Only animals with cloven hoofs and which chewed the cud, only fish with both fins and scales and only one type of locus

■ Foods that were forbidden: Birds of prey

♦ The death penalty was expanded beyond just murder to other crimes including idolatry, adultery, cursing God, cursing parents, breaking the Sabbath, and witchcraft.

♦ The practice of circumcision was expanded to include Gentiles who wished to convert to Judaism and become part of the Commonwealth of Israel.

● Sign of the Covenant: The Sabbath, as a day of rest and a sign that Israel had been set apart by God
● Covenant Conditions: Obedience to God’s laws.

o If the Nation of Israel obeyed the laws, they would be blessed; if they disobeyed, they would be punished.

● Notes:

o The Mosaic Covenant established Israel as a distinct people and a distinct nation under God’s theocratic rule

o The Jewish people were responsible for keeping the entire Law, all 613 commandments. Breaking one commandment meant that one would be held guilty of breaking them all.

o The Mosaic Laws were never intended to be a means of salvation. Salvation at that time was only achieved by grace, through a faith in God and in the Messiah that God promised to send at a future time. Instead, the Mosaic Laws were intended to:

♦ Reveal the standard of righteousness that God demanded for a proper relationship with Him

♦ To make people conscious of sin and to provide a knowledge of sin (i.e. to establish right and wrong)

♦ To provide a rule of conduct for the nation of Israel

♦ To establish a system for individual and corporate worship for the Jewish people.

 
6. The Palestinian Covenant (The Land Covenant):
● Introduction: This covenant was given to Israel through Moses and elaborates on the land aspect given in the Abrahamic Covenant.
● Dispensation associated with Covenant: The Dispensation of the Kingdom will be ushered in after Israel has been fully restored to the Promised Land and has been regenerated, following the Tribulation. This is also sometimes called the Dispensation of the Millennium.
● Scripture References: Deuteronomy 29:1-30, Deuteronomy 30:1-10
● Covenant Type: Unconditional
● Covenant Scope: The Nation of Israel
● Covenant Status: Still in effect
● Covenant Provisions:

o If the people of Israel disobeyed God, He would cause them to be scattered around the world

o However, if they repented, God would eventually restore the nation to the land He gave them

o When the nation of Israel is ultimately restored, God will change the hearts of the Jewish people so that they will obey him perfectly and He will cause them to prosper

● Sign of the Covenant: None
● Covenant Conditions: None
● Notes:

o This covenant has been partially fulfilled twice so far:

♦ With the return of the Jews to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple under Cyrus the Great in 586 B.C. after their Babylonian Captivity

♦ With the reinstatement of Israel in 1948 after the destruction of Jerusalem and the second Temple by the Romans and the scattering of the Jews in 70 A.D.

o The final fulfillment will occur after the Tribulation when both Houses of Israel (i.e. all living descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) are regathered from around the world, restored to the Promised Land, repent, and become believers in the Messiah, Jesus Christ

 
7. The Covenant With David (The Davidic Covenant):
● Introduction: This covenant was given to King David through the prophet Nathan
● Dispensation Associated With the Covenant: The Dispensation of Grace would be ushered in almost 1100 years after the covenant was made following Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross
● Scripture References: 2 Samuel 7:4-17 and 1 Chronicles 17:10-14
● Covenant Type: Unconditional
● Covenant Scope: David and the nation of Israel
● Covenant Status: Still in effect and will be in effect until the end of time
● Covenant Provisions:

o The lineage of David will last forever. His posterity shall never be destroyed.

o One of David’s sons (Solomon) would inherit the throne after David

o David’s son (Solomon), the one who inherited his throne, would be disciplined if he disobeyed but God would never remove His blessing from him

o David’s son (Solomon) would build the First Temple

o The Kingdom of David shall never be destroyed

o The Messiah will come from the Seed of David

o A Davidic Kingdom shall rule the earth (the next Davidic Kingdom will be ruled by Jesus when he returns)

o The Davidic Kingdom shall be unending (there is no Davidic Kingdom at this time but it will be reestablished when Jesus returns, and then it will be unending)

● Sign of the Covenant: None
● Covenant Conditions: None
● Notes:

o Since this is an unconditional covenant, there is no requirement for obedience. However, disobedience could lead to chastisement and postponement of the promises.

 
8. The New Covenant:
● Introduction: This is the final covenant God has made with man and was put into effect by the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross and the shedding of His blood. In this covenant, man is justified by God’s grace and mercy, thereby providing for true forgiveness of sins. Jesus Himself is the mediator of this covenant.
● Dispensations Associated With Covenant:

o For the Church (i.e. Jews and Gentiles saved through Jesus Christ): The covenant ushered in the Dispensation of Grace

o For Israel: The Dispensation of the Kingdom will be ushered in after the Tribulation

● Scripture References: Jeremiah 31:27-34; Jeremiah 32:40-41; Ezekiel. 36:26-27; Ezekiel:16:60; Ezekiel 34:25-31; Ezekiel 36:27; Ezekiel 37:26-28; Isaiah 55:3; Isaiah 59:21; Isaiah 61:8-9; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-25; 2 Cor. 3:6; Mat. 26:28; Mark 14:24; Peter 2:9-10; Heb 7:22; Heb. 8:6-13; Heb. 9:11-15; Heb. 10:16; Heb. 10:29; Heb. 11:8-16; Heb. 12:24; Heb. 13:20; Romans 8:2; Romans 11:26-27; Gal. 6:2; Gal. 6:16; Acts 15:14-17; Rev. 21:12-14
● Covenant Type: Unconditional
● Covenant Scope: Initially made with both Houses of Israel (i.e. Judah and Israel) but the spiritual blessings were later expanded to include all mankind
● Covenant Status: Still in Effect
● Covenant Provisions:

o Spiritual blessings (all mankind):

♦ The reign of the Mosaic Law has ended. Man is no longer under the Mosaic Law where people are penalized for not keeping all of God’s commandments.

♦ The New Covenant establishes a system of grace where God will forgive, take away, and forget the sins of those who repent

■ God requires a penalty involving the shedding of blood to be paid for sin and this penalty can never be waived. However, under the new system of grace, the penalty for the sin of those who repent was paid in full by the brutal death of Jesus Christ on the cross and the shedding of his blood in place of theirs.

♦ Those who believe in Jesus Christ, Jews and Gentiles alike, will receive salvation and eternal life.

■ Salvation is now a free gift that cannot be earned by obeying the Law or through good works. It can be only obtained through faith in Jesus Christ..

♦ There will be an indwelling of the Holy Spirit in all believers and the Holy Spirit will give believers a universal knowledge of God and the willingness and strength to follow God’s laws, as defined by Jesus and his apostles. These new laws are called the Law of the Messiah and replace the earlier Law of Moses or Mosaic Law, including the 10 Commandments.

■ Through the Holy Spirit, God’s laws are now written in the hearts of believers rather than on tablets of stone and believers follow them out of willingness rather than out of obligation

o Physical blessings (Israel only):

♦ The regeneration of the remnant of the nation of Israel that survives the Tribulation and all Jews worldwide who are living at that time (i.e. all living descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), who will be regathered and restored to the Promised Land. All Jews will then be brought back into a right relationship with God and receive God’s blessing of salvation through repentance and a belief in the Messiah, Jesus Christ. This will occur after the Tribulation

♦ Israel will be showered with material blessings (during the Millennium)

♦ The Messianic Temple will be built (during the Millennium)

♦ Israel, as a nation, will be preserved. It will never be destroyed.

● Sign of the Covenant: None
● Covenant Conditions: None
● Notes:

o The spiritual blessings promised in this covenant form the foundation for the Christian faith. The covenant promises us that those who do repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ, Jew or Gentile, will receive God’s forgiveness and His gift of eternal life while those who don’t will go to Hell when they die and be forever separated from God in an eternity of torment

 
Summary of the Eight Covenants:

The characteristics of the eight covenants are summarized in the following table.

*The New Covenant was initially made solely with the Nation of Israel but the spiritual blessings were subsequently expanded to include the Gentiles, and thus, all of mankind. The physical blessings remain the sole property of Israel.

 

Some Concluding Thoughts:
Since the very beginning of mankind, God has defined His relationship with man through His covenants. God’s covenants tell us a lot about Him and what He expects and demands from us. They tell us what His promises are for us.

The covenants also show us the thread of Jesus throughout the Old Testament, starting with Adam. Many people believe that the Old Testament has little to do with Jesus, but that is far from the truth. The Old Testament is all about the preparations for the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. And the Covenants point the way.

The Old Testament covenants start with humanity and then, step-by-step, narrow down to Christ and the New Covenant.
● The covenant with Noah guaranteed humanity
● The Covenant with Abraham assured a nation of God’s people
● The covenant with Moses defined God’s nation, the Nation of Israel, and provided for the building of the Tabernacle
● The covenant with David refined the Nation of Israel through David’s kingship and the kingship of his descendents. It also provided for the building of the First Temple by Solomon.
● In the New Covenant, Christ brings to fulfillment the promises of the previous covenants.

o Fulfillment of the promised linage of the Messiah:

♦ The Adamic Covenant told us that the Messiah would be the Seed of the woman

♦ The Abrahamic Covenant told us that the Messiah would be a Seed of Abraham (i.e. that the Messiah would be a Jew and could come from any of the 12 Tribes)

♦ In the time of Jacob, it was foretold that the Seed would come from the Tribe of Judah

♦ The Davidic Covenant told us that the Messiah would come from the family of David in the Tribe of Judah

o Fulfillment of God’s promises to mankind:

♦ Christ would crush the serpent’s head (overcome Satan) (initially fulfilled with the resurrection; final fulfillment will come when Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire)

♦ Christ would bless all nations (fulfilled when salvation was extended to the Gentiles)

♦ Christ is the King who sits forever on David’s throne (Jesus tells us he will return whereupon the Davidic Kingdom will be reestablished and then will be unending)

♦ Christ would redeem us from the power of Satan (achieved through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross)

o The New Covenant also promises the building of the Messianic Temple in the Millennium

We now live under the New Covenant of God’s grace and mercy where salvation is a free gift from God, which can only be received through a belief in His son, Jesus Christ. To receive eternal life, all we have to do is repent of our sins and believe in Jesus. How great is that!

And the New Covenant assures us that the nation of Israel will never be destroyed. With all the unrest in the Middle East and the great likelihood of a nuclear Iran in the near future, God’s covenant tells us that Israel will endure, no matter what.

God’s New Covenant should give us all hope and a very grateful heart. Praise the Lord!