Understanding God's Covenant with Mankind
What significance is there within the covenant of God? This is an important question, and one that cannot be answered within one blog post.
Afterall, the Old and New Testaments are also referred to as the Old and New Covenants.
Christian author Jack Zavada writes, “Most people know the Bible is divided into the Old Testament and New Testament, but the word ‘testament’ also means ‘covenant,’ an oath-bound contract between two parties. The covenant concept is a central theme of Scripture, establishing and defining God’s relationship with humans in every age of history.”
A covenant typically depends on two parties. However, only God is faithful and able to uphold His end of the covenant.
In Genesis 15, we see a covenant made between Abram (later known as Abraham) and God. God promised to increase the descendants of Abram and to bless them.
As was the custom in this type of covenant ritual, animals were cut in two and laid on opposite sides of a path (Genesis 15:9-11).
The individuals entering the covenant would walk between the carcasses, signifying that if one of the members didn’t uphold their end of the deal, then they should be made like the mutilated animals.
This is an intimidating covenant to make, especially when you are dealing with God! However, God knows man’s limitations due to the existence of sin.
Abram and his descendants could never fulfill their part of the covenant, so God acted accordingly. Genesis 15:17 explains, “Now it came about, when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, a smoking oven and a flaming torch appeared which passed between these pieces” (NASB, 2020).
God went through the ritual alone, while Abram watched. God, in His great grace, knew that Abram would be unable to live up to His standards, which would result in death.
When God made a covenant to multiply the descendants of Abram, He made a promise to all mankind. He would send His Son, our Savior, to earth through the lineage of Abram (Genesis 12:1-3).
God’s covenant is important because it reflects His faithfulness and His love for us.
If God says He will do something, then you can rest assured that He will. Friends and family will let you down, but God will never make a promise that He cannot keep or deliver.
Next time you ask yourself, “Does God love me? Is He still with me? Does He even care?,” then remind yourself that He is faithful. 1 Corinthians 1:9 declares, “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (NASB, 2020).
Remember, also, God’s covenant is a testimony of His great love for us (John 3:16). For those who are children of God, in Christ Jesus, He desires the best for us.
He has given us the promise of abundant life now, and He has also given us the promise of eternal life with Him in Heaven.
Even the difficult aspects of the covenant are meant to benefit us. For instance, we are called to be holy as God is holy (Leviticus 20:26).
God asks us to live in a way that glorifies Him, testifies of His goodness to the world, and offers us the most joy. Also, God gives us the strength needed to accomplish His purposes.
Therefore, when we think of our covenant with God in Christ Jesus, let us remember His faithfulness and love.
