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CHAPTER 2

The History of Redemption and the Covenant

The Bible testifies of the greatness of God’s absolute sovereignty for He is greater than all, and of His work of saving mankind through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Covenants are the links and the means of fulfilling this work in actual history. The Bible is a record of the redemptive history that is connected by covenants; therefore, it can be called a covenantal book that promises salvation. God took Israel out of Egypt, “from the midst of the iron furnace,” to make them His people and become their God under the covenant (Deut 4:20; 1 Kgs 8:51; Jer 11:4).

A covenant is a promise that God made especially with mankind because of His love for them (Lev 26:9). Accordingly, mankind can become united with God and have a personal relationship with God through His covenant. The key point and purpose of the covenant that God established with mankind is for Him to make them His own people. Mankind can become His people through the covenant just as God declares in Jeremiah 31:33 and Ezekiel 36:28, “I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Gen 17:7; Exod 6:7; 19:5–6; Lev 26:11–12; Deut 29:13; 2 Kgs 11:17; 2 Chr 23:16; Ezek 37:27; 2 Cor 6:16).

The word covenant is defined as “an agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action.” A covenant is usually ratified when it is beneficial to both parties. However, God’s covenant is a pronouncement of God’s unilateral grace. This promise of God is unchangeable (Heb 6:17) and faithful (Rom 3:3; 1 Cor 1:9; 10:13; 2 Cor 1:18; 1 Thes 5:24; 2 Thes 3:3; 2 Tim 2:13; Titus 1:9; 3:8; Heb 11:11; 1 Pet 4:19; 1 Jn 1:9). When His people keep the covenant, God will surely fulfill that covenant and respond with lovingkindness and truth (Ps 103:17–18).

Psalm 25:10 All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.

What are the most distinctive features in the covenant that God made with mankind?

First, it is unilateral and sovereign.

Fallen mankind absolutely does not qualify to have a covenantal relationship with God (Ps 14:3; Jer 17:9; Rom 3:10). Nevertheless, God who is greater than all came and unilaterally established the covenant to achieve the great administration, that is salvation for His elect. Through God’s unconditional grace, this covenant was given to Adam when Adam was in a state of total depravity because of his fall. This is the reason that the Bible describes as “covenant” that which God “commanded” (Josh 7:11), “confirm[ed]” (Lev 26:9; Deut 5:2), and “gave” (Acts 7:8). Since God’s covenant is sovereignly administered, it is an eternally unchangeable and utterly unbreakable promise.

Second, it is eternal.

It is stated in Deuteronomy 7:9 that God “keeps His covenant…to a thousandth generation” (see also 1 Chr 16:15). The psalmist in Psalm 105:8 also confesses, “He has remembered His covenant forever, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations.” The expression thousand generations mentioned in these verses is not a literal number of generations, but a symbol of “eternity.” Thus, it conveys the perpetuity of God’s covenant. The covenant that God made with Abraham not only continued in the covenants of Moses and David, but also in many more covenants in the following generations. Hence, the efficacy of God’s covenant ceaselessly continues throughout all generations. Even human covenants cannot be nullified nor can conditions be added after they have been established (Gal 3:15). God’s covenant is definitely firmer than man’s covenants, and it is eternally binding. God did not forsake His people even when they broke the covenant, and He protected them because it was His covenant (Jer 29:10).

Moreover, God renewed His covenant in every generation. These covenants are not mutually exclusive. They are all founded upon and linked to the covenants that were already established. Thus, there is continuity and unity in all the covenants of God.4 He had to renew and reestablish His covenant in every era in order to reaffirm and bring to light His redemptive will to save His chosen people. Also, it was to seal the relationship firmly between God and His people.

Hence, the fact that God made a covenant with mankind shows God’s unchanging grace and infinite love. Because of this covenant, we can look forward to the hope of heaven that will ultimately lead us to salvation. Our hope does not falter, for God’s covenant is steadfast and it is not shaken by any challenge. Even the turning of the ages and the flow of time cannot challenge the perpetuity of the covenant, and the faithfulness of the covenant is never nullified or withdrawn under any circumstance (Deut 4:31; Gal 3:17).

Let us now consider the covenants of God found in the Bible. In the Garden of Eden, God told Adam, “but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die” (Gen 2:17). According to this promise, Adam’s life and death depended on his act (or work) of obedience. Thus, this promise is called the “covenant of works.” Since the covenant of works is the covenant that God made with the first man Adam who represents all mankind, it is known as the “federal headship.”5

However, Eve listened to the serpent and ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam also ate the fruit that she gave him. As a result, they both fell (Gen 3:1–6). Because of their disobedience, Adam and Eve could not keep their places. Consequently, death came upon all mankind through the sin of one man, Adam, “for as in Adam all die” (1 Cor 15:22).

God made a covenant for the redemption of mankind since the fall of Adam. This covenant began with the promise of the woman’s seed (Gen 3:15) and continued until the time of Noah (Gen 6:18; 9:8–17). It was valid in the time of Abraham (Gen 15; 17) and also in the times of the successive patriarchs (Gen 26:2–5; 28:10–22). The covenant became more concrete through the exodus generation and its succeeding generation in the wilderness (Exod 19:5; 24:1–7; Deut 29; 30). Then it continued into the time of David (2 Sam 7:12–16) and finally was completed through Jesus Christ (Matt 26:26–28; Mark 14:22–25; Luke 22:19–20; 1 Cor 11:23–25; Heb 7:22; 8:13).

1. The First Revelation of the Covenant (Proto-gospel)

To Adam and Eve who had fallen, God promised the seed of the woman. Although this promise is not a formal covenant, it is the first revelation of God’s covenant for it clearly expresses God’s intention of saving mankind from their sins. In this promise God vowed, “…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” (Gen 3:15). Because this is the first promise in the Bible that reveals God’s will for Jesus Christ to destroy the powers of Satan and save us from sin and death (i.e., Satan’s powers), it is called the proto-gospel.

The seed of the woman promised in this covenant refers to the Messiah who is to come and save fallen mankind. The head is the most important member of the body. The promise that he will “bruise…the head” signifies a complete defeat without any possibility of restoration. It prophesies that Jesus Christ, the woman’s offspring, will defeat Satan and his forces to triumph completely (1 Cor 15:22, 25–26; Rev 20:9–10).

God confirmed this covenant with Adam and Eve by making garments of skin and clothing them Himself (Gen 3:21). The garments of skin obtained through the sacrifice of an animal that died in place of the man, who actually deserved death, foreshadow the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross; they were an assurance of the promise of the woman’s seed (John 1:29; 1 Cor 5:7). All of God’s covenants in the Bible are established on this foundation of His administration for redemption—that He will save mankind through the Messiah, the seed of the woman.

2. The Noahic Covenant (Covenant of the Bow)

After commanding Noah to build an ark, God said that He would establish a covenant with him (Gen 6:14). This is the first occurrence of the word “covenant” in the Bible.

Genesis 6:18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.

God established the covenant with Noah to secure the path through which the seed of the woman could come, even in the midst of the judgment of the world. When the flood covered the world, “all flesh that moved on the earth perished, birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind…all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died” (Gen 7:21–22). In the midst of this destruction, “only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark” (Gen 7:23). After the flood, God established a covenant with Noah through a bow (rainbow). He put a bow in a cloud and made it a sign that He would not judge mankind again by a flood, but would preserve them until the completion of the history of redemption (Gen 9:8–17).

The covenant that God made before the flood was given to just one person—Noah (Gen 6:18). However, the covenant of the bow established after the flood was a universal covenant given to Noah, his sons, and “all flesh” that were with Noah (Gen 9:10–12, 15–17). Therefore, the universe and all things in it will be restored on the day when the salvation of mankind is complete (Acts 3:21; Rom 8:18–23).

3. The Abrahamic Covenant

First, God chose Abraham through His sovereign grace to effectuate His promise with Adam. Then, God established a covenant with Abraham with a plan to bless all nations and people of the world through him. In light of this, the Abrahamic covenant can be considered the blueprint of God’s plan of salvation, which would be carried out in history. Hence, the Abrahamic covenant is the basic model and structure of all covenants.

God established covenants with Abraham seven times:6

(1) God called Abraham and made the first promise in Genesis 12:1–3.

(2) God made the first promise of the land of Canaan in Genesis 12:7.

(3) God made another promise of the land of Canaan and about Abraham’s descendants in Genesis 13:15–18.

(4) God reaffirmed His promise of the descendants and the land of Canaan through the covenant of the torch in Genesis 15:12–21.

(5) God established the “covenant of circumcision” in Genesis 17:9–14.

(6) God promised the birth of Isaac once again in Genesis 18:10.

(7) After Abraham had offered up Isaac, God made the final confirmation of all the covenants He had made previously.

The covenants that God made with Abraham were repeatedly confirmed with Isaac (Gen 26:3, 24), and Jacob (Gen 28:13–15; 35:12). Also, the covenants not only applied to Abraham’s descendants, but also applied universally to all nations (Ps 105:8–11; Gal 3:7–9, 29).

4. The Sinaitic Covenant

God established the Sinaitic covenant with the Israelites as He gave the Ten Commandments when they had been camping in the Wilderness of Sinai for about 11 months. The Ten Commandments are the core and essence of the entire Law. They are not merely a set of commandments, but God’s covenant (Exod 19:5; 24:7). In other words, the Ten Commandments are more than just commandments or law (Exod 24:12)—they are God’s covenant of salvation which include His promises. Therefore, the ark that contained the Ten Commandments was called the “Ark of the Covenant” (Deut 31:26; 1 Sam 4:5; Heb 9:4; Rev 11:19), or the “Ark of God” (1 Sam 3:3), and the book where the commandments were recorded was called the “Book of the Covenant” (Exod 24:7; 2 Kgs 23:21; 2 Chr 34:30).

In the Sinaitic covenant, Moses read the book of the covenant in the hearing of the people of Israel (Exod 20:22–23:33) and they responded, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” (Exod 24:7). This covenant was a promise that God would be their protector as long as they remained under God’s rule and sincerely served Him. After the covenant was established, Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words” (Exod 24:8).

The Sinaitic covenant that was given to the first generation of the Israelites in the early stage of the wilderness journey was reestablished on the first day of the eleventh month in the fortieth year since the Exodus. This covenant is called the “covenant of the Plains of Moab,” distinct from the Sinaitic covenant (Deut 29:1–29).

However, the people of Israel completely forgot about those covenants after Joshua, who was Moses’ successor, and all of the people from that generation were gathered to their fathers (Judg 2:6–10). They forsook God, committing abominable sins in the sight of the Lord. As a result of not keeping the Sinaitic covenant, they were punished through other nations (Ps 78:10–11, 37). Nevertheless, God, who is faithful to the covenant, restrained His anger many times and did not forsake His people (Ps 78:38). Rather, He guided and held onto them until the end, and He eventually established the Davidic covenant (Ps 78:70–72).

5. The Davidic Covenant

God established this covenant with King David after the Israelites’ entry into Canaan, the period of the judges, and the reign of King Saul (2 Sam 7:12–16; 1 Chr 17:10–14). When David expressed the desire to build the temple of God and prayed, God gave this covenant through the prophet Nathan as an answer to that prayer (2 Sam 7:3–4).

The central message of the Davidic covenant is that the temple of God will be built by a descendant of David and that God will establish the throne of His kingdom forever (2 Sam 7:12–13). This was a promise about David’s son Solomon; moreover, it was about the Messiah, the King of all kings, who would come through the royal line of David and establish the eternal kingdom of God. There are a couple of special characteristics in the covenant that God made with David.

First, it is a covenant made with an oath. An oath is generally understood as “a formal promise to achieve a goal or purpose.” Also translated as “swear” or “adjure,” the Hebrew word shares the same consonant root as , which means “seven.” Thus, swearing or making an oath implies repeating the promise seven times. As a result, a promise with an oath (swear) is certain to be kept by both parties. Psalm 89:3–4 states, “I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant….” God continues to use this word to make oaths and swear to David: “Once I have sworn by My holiness…” (Ps 89:35) and “…which You swore to David in Your faithfulness” (Ps 89:49).

An oath is a pledge which is much stronger than a promise. If men have to keep their oaths, how much more certain and steadfast God’s decisions must be if He confirms them with an oath (Ps 110:4)! Things decided by imperfect human beings can always change and be amended, but the things decided by the oath of God, who is the perfect sovereign ruler, are perfect and certainly remain immutable.

Second, it is a covenant made through faithfulness.

The word faithfulness means “steadfast or true in affection or allegiance.” Psalm 89:49 affirms, “…which You swore to David in Your faithfulness.”

Psalm 132:11 The LORD has sworn to David, a truth from which He will not turn back; “Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.”

The word truth is , which is derived from the word , meaning “to be faithful” or “to be truthful.” God is truthful, and thus it is impossible for God to lie (Heb 6:18). Therefore, the covenant made through God’s faithfulness is the promise that will surely be fulfilled. No one can break His covenant (Jer 33:20–21). Isaiah 55:3 refers to the covenant that God established with David as “the faithful mercies shown to David.” This is a declaration that the Davidic covenant will certainly be fulfilled, and that no interference—regardless of how strong it may be—can get in the way of its fulfillment.

6. The New Covenant of Jeremiah

This was the covenant that God gave to the prophet Jeremiah in the dismal times before Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BC (Jer 31:31–34). The giving of a new covenant does not imply that the old covenant was imperfect; rather, it reflects the grace of God, who has compassion upon imperfect mankind and works to grant them perfect salvation. Even though God poured out His grace and renewed the covenant in every generation, the Israelites continued to engage in even greater sins through countless immoral and disobedient acts, eventually facing destruction. The purpose of the new covenant was to keep His people from losing the hope of salvation when taken captive to Babylon (Jer 51:50–53). In this covenant, God expressed His strong will by urging the Israelites to trust firmly in the new covenant and endure the time of the captivity until the end, making it an opportunity to repent, for He would surely save them.

There were two stipulations to this covenant.

First, God would write His law on the hearts of His people.

In Jeremiah 31:33, God declares, “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it.” While the old covenant was inscribed on stone tablets, the new covenant is inscribed on tablets of human hearts; thus, we can now become “a letter of Christ” through the gospel (2 Cor 3:1–3). Therefore, His promise that “I will be their God, and they shall be My people,” would eventually be fulfilled (Jer 31:33; cf. Exod 6:7; 19:4–6; Ezek 36:25–28).

Second, the least to the greatest would know God.

Jeremiah 31:34 states, “And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them” (cf. Heb 8:8–13). In other words, God will allow people to come to know Him through the work of the Holy Spirit, even without the teaching of men (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13).

The new covenant that the prophet Jeremiah prophesied was fulfilled at the coming of Jesus Christ, who had the power to fulfill the old covenant (Rom 8:2–4). For that reason, Jesus is described in Hebrews 12:24 as “the mediator of a new covenant” (also Heb 9:15). Jesus also said at the Last Supper, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20; cf. 1 Cor 11:25).

All of the covenants of the Bible were completed through the new covenant that our Lord Jesus Christ established through His suffering on the cross, which is the only and absolute foundation for the salvation of mankind and the coming of the eternal kingdom of heaven (Matt 26:27–29; Mark 14:24–25; Luke 22:20; Heb 8:10–13; 13:20). Therefore, in Christ all who have become spiritual sons of Abraham are in covenantal relationship with God (Rom 4:11, 16; Gal 3:7–9, 29).

The central theme of all the covenants is that God will take the covenantal people as His own and He will be their God (Gen 17:7; Exod 6:6–7; 19:4–6; Lev 11:45; 26:11–12; Deut 4:20; 29:13; 2 Kgs 11:17; 2 Chr 23:16; 2 Cor 6:16). Therefore, Greeks, Jews, circumcised, uncircumcised, barbarians, Scythians, slaves, and freemen can all receive salvation through faith in Jesus Christ—the mediator of the new covenant (Heb 8:6)—and they can become God’s covenantal people (Rom 10:11–13; Col 3:11).