Old Covenant


Life is filled with Agreements or covenants. Before signing an agreement, or entering

into a covenant, it is wise to understand the nature of that covenant. Human judges render verdicts

every day based upon what participating parties agree by a covenant to do. God has also written

a covenant and will someday render His eternal verdict based upon His covenant. Nothing is more

important than understanding the nature of our covenant relationship with God.

The Hebrew word for covenant is berith. The word testament is not found in the Old Testament Scriptures. In the New Testament Scriptures, the Greek word diatheke is used to translate berith. There are many covenants mentioned in the Bible. For example, there are seven different covenants mentioned in the book of Genesis. They are the:

1. Covenant with Noah regarding the ark (Gen. 6:18).

2. Covenant with Noah and every living creature regarding future floods (Gen. 9:9 - 17).

3. Covenant with Abram concerning the Promised Land (Gen. 15:18).

4. Covenant of circumcision with Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 17:1 - 21).

5. Covenant between Abraham and Abimelech (Gen. 21:17 - 32).

6. Covenant between Isaac and Abimelech (Gen. 26:28).

7. Covenant between Jacob and Laban (Gen. 31:44 - 45).

When the Bible talks about the Old Covenant. However, it is not referring to any of these!

The Old Covenant was a conditional or bilateral agreement that God made with the Israelites. The Old Covenant was in effect during the dispensation of the Law. It is “old” in comparison to the New Covenant, promised by Jeremiah the prophet (Jeremiah 31:31, 33) and made effective by the death of the Lord Jesus (Luke 22:20). In the Old Covenant, the Israelites were required to obey God and keep the Law, and in return, He protected and blessed them (Deuteronomy 30:15–18; 1 Samuel 12:14–15). In the New Covenant, things change and God becomes the proactive and unconditional source of salvation and blessing. In the New Covenant, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

 The Old Covenant required people to please God, but no one can measure up to perfection, and the Old Covenant resulted in a string of failures. “Through the law, we become conscious of our sin” (Romans 3:20). The Old Covenant established our guilt before God and our need for a Savior. The Old Covenant was never intended to save us; in fact, “the old written The covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life”.

Old Covenant: Between God and Israel

The Old Covenant was established between God and the people of Israel after God freed them from slavery in Egypt. Moses, who led the people out, served as the mediator of this contract, which was made at Mount Sinai, God promised that the people of Israel would be His chosen people, and that he would be their God.

God issued the Ten Commandments and the laws in Leviticus to be obeyed by the Hebrews. If they complied, he pledged prosperity and protection in the Promised Land. Altogether, there were 613 laws, covering every aspect of human behaviour. Males had to be circumcised; sabbaths had to be observed, and people had to obey hundreds of dietary, social, and hygiene rules. All these regulations were intended to protect the Israelites from their neighbours' pagan influences, but no one could keep so many laws. To address the people's sins, God set up a system of animal sacrifices, in which the people provided cattle, sheep, and doves to be killed. Sin required blood sacrifices.

 Article by: David Livingston

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