Meaning And Types Of Old Testament Covenants - 1618 Words

This essay attempts to define the meaning and types of Old Testament Covenants and describe The Creation Covenants as seen in the Old Testament. The Creation Covenants will be discussed and their common interpretations will be examined so they will be more easily explained. The Creation Covenants include the Adamic and Noahic Covenants. 1. What is a Covenant? God created humanity as an expression of His loving, relational character. In His wisdom, and because He is the Creator and sustainer of love, God created man with the free will to choose whether or not to love and worship Him in return. Adam and Eve’s choice to disobey initiated sin into the life of man, disconnecting the spiritual union they had with the Lord. From that very moment,†¦show more content†¦Second, in all the covenants of a major character there is a concrete declaration that the conditions and blessings of the covenant apply to the sons and future generations of the person or peoples with whom the original covenant is made. Third, there was a special and easily recognized covenant-language used in the establishing of the compact and in the defining of its promises and conditions. Forth, when in the prophets, or other subsequent writers, mention is made of a covenant which applies to the generations there addressed, it is always possible to go back to t he place where the covenanted relationship was originally established (The Biblical Covenants). 2. Types of Covenants There are three basic types of covenants in the Bible. They can be distinguished by overserving who swears the oath. The three types are Kinship, Vassal, and Grant. Biblical examples of each include: Kinship- Exodus 24 (1st Saini/Mosaic) and Genesis 21 (Abraham and Abimelech); Vassal- Genesis 17 (2nd Abrahamic) and Deuteronomy (Final Mosaic); Grant: Genesis 15 (1st Abrahamic) and Genesis 22 (Final Abrahamic). A Kinship Covenant is mutual and both parties swear to the oath. A Vassal Covenant is imposed and the inferior party swears to the oath. The Grant Covenant is bestowed and the superior party swears to the oath. The covenants mentioned in Scripture are divided into Minor Covenants and Major Covenants. The Minor Covenants have fourShow MoreRelatedEssay on Covenant Throughout The Old and New Testaments1319 Words   |  6 Pagesso formal. During the years the Old Testament was written, agreements and deals were primarily verbal contracts between two participan ts. Those contracts took on many forms and different customs were associated with each. These contracts also called covenants and have many different uses and meanings throughout the bible. Some commitments made in these covenants had been accompanied by self-maledictory oaths or curses that would have been implemented if the covenants were violated (New InternationalRead MoreThe Structure of Biblical Authority998 Words   |  4 Pagesdefends the suzerain-vassal paradigm of the biblical covenant and canon of Scripture. Scripture’s authority, according to Kline is not merely related to its ontology (that God has spoken it); but in its basic economic form, Scripture is a covenantal document and therefore is authoritative. It is through this covenant that God binds himself to his covenant people and they to him. As our covenant suzerain, God sovereignly rules his vassals with covenant stipulations. Part One In chapter one, Formal OriginsRead MoreCovenant : A Special Type Of Relationship919 Words   |  4 PagesCOVENANT N THE PENTATEUCH In the clearest sense a covenant is a special type of relationship. Normally practiced in the ancient Near East, covenant making allowed two parties, who were not related by blood, to enter into a special bond. There is considerable evidence to suggest that the concept of covenantal relationship was common in the ancient Near East. J. Arthur Thompson believes that one should keep the idea of covenant sacred, â€Å"In translating the word it may be helpful to use differentRead MoreResearch Paper1634 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿ [Type the document title] A covenant is a promise or an agreement with binding obligations. (Arnold) In relations to the Bible it signifies God’s pledge to bless mankind. The characteristics of a covenant are such that they are irreversible and permanently binding. The Bible contains many covenants, most of which are contained in the Old Testament. One of which is prophesized in the Old Testament, and for Christians the promise is fulfilled in the New Testament. The majorRead MorePuritanism Covenant and the Perfect Society in New England1536 Words   |  7 PagesPuritanism Covenant and the Perfect Society in New England When the Puritans came to New England, they came to settle with a clear society in mind. Not only would this society be free from the persecution that they endured in Old England; it would be free to create what the leader of the religion referred to as a perfect society. In their attempt to escape the persecution they had come so accustomed to, they set up their own rigid belief system based on the inclusion of the human soul andRead MoreA Comparison Of The Tanach And Bible1380 Words   |  6 Pagessacred text, the type of literature is in each canon, authorship of the text and how it is used in daily practice such as food, interpretation of the commandments and how a Torah is used in a synagogue. STRUCTURE OF EACH CANON The Bible is known as ‘authoritative written source’ (Bowley, 1999) and is a library of 66 books and is made of two parts: Old Testament (39 books) and New Testament (27 books). The Bible was only officially put together around the third century. The Old Testament was writtenRead MoreThe Old Testament And The Ancient Near East1543 Words   |  7 PagesTHE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST I. Summary of Scholarly Debate Looking back, we can see glimpses of the lives of those who lived in the Ancient Near East, known as the ANE, through their stories and myths that have survived over centuries of time. Many of these stories contain unique elements that make each one personal to the civilization that they belong to, but there are common themes and ideas that are virtually shared between the traditional stories stemming from this region ofRead MoreAnalysis Of The Messiah And The Psalms By Richard P. Belcher Jr.1398 Words   |  6 Pagescomprehensive nature of Jesus’ reference to the Old Testament is meant to demonstrate that all the Old Testament speaks of Jesus in some way, not merely those texts commonly accepted as ‘Messianic’. Thus Jesus himself gives the divine authorization for reading all the Old Testament in reference to him.† Belcher further explains that because of Jesus’ statement â€Å"in Luke 24:44 that the things written about him in the Old Testamen t must be fulfilled† then the Old Testament should be approached as being preparatoryRead MoreGenesis Chapter 15 : God s Covenant Of A Son And Land918 Words   |  4 PagesGenesis Chapter 15 is God’s covenant of a son and land to Abram’s people as a reward for Abram’s faithfulness. These promises are fulfilled in the later chapters of Genesis and in Exodus. The book of Genesis is the first book of the Old Testament in the Bible, written to the people of Israel. The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew; â€Å"Genesis† in Hebrew is translated as â€Å"in the beginning.† Within the book of Genesis, the journeys of God’s creations are explained. The chapters leadingRead MoreMoses The Christ Like Man943 Words   |  4 Pageswas a true man of God, and a type of the coming Christ. According to Deuteronomy 18:15, Amplified Bible (AMP), â€Å"The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me [Moses] from among you, from your countrymen (brothers). You shall listen to him.† Moses early experience of his life characterizes him as a Christ like man of God that made him victorious of every circumstance in God’s divine plan. Moses, foreshadower of Jesus Christ When discussing the Old Testament, the 1 Corinthians 10:11 Amplified