John Walton: What is Covenant?
Summary
TLDRThe video explores the concept of a covenant in the Bible, emphasizing its central role in God's relationship with humanity. Beginning in Genesis, the covenant is key to God's revelation of Himself to Abraham and his descendants, later extending to Israel through the law. The ultimate purpose of the covenant is to establish a relationship with humanity by revealing God's nature. This revelation culminates in Jesus Christ, who fulfills the covenant and law, leading to the New Covenant, through which people can now relate to God through Christ.
Takeaways
- đ The concept of a covenant is central throughout the Bible, starting in Genesis and evolving through the Old and New Testaments.
- đ The first major covenant is offered to Abraham in Genesis 12, and it is formalized in Genesis 15 with a sign in Genesis 17.
- đ The covenant continues with Israel in the Exodus story, where the law elaborates on the covenant and God's presence among His people through the Tabernacle and Temple.
- đŁ Prophets in the Old Testament act as covenant mediators, calling Israel to remain accountable to their covenant relationship with God.
- đ€ A covenant establishes a relationship between parties, specifically between God and His people.
- đ§ The purpose of the covenant is not merely to make promises or provide benefits but to reveal God and bring people into a relationship with Him.
- đ At the time of Abraham, no one knew God, so the covenant was God's way of revealing Himself to the world through Abraham's family.
- âïž The law given through the covenant serves as a means of revelation, showing God's holiness and establishing a relationship with Israel.
- âïž Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the covenant and the law, revealing the ultimate holiness and character of God, thus completing God's revelation.
- đ The New Covenant, fulfilled through Christ, establishes a permanent relationship between humanity and God, completing the covenant's purpose.
Q & A
What is a covenant in biblical terms?
-A covenant in the Bible is a relationship established between parties, specifically between God and His people. It involves promises, benefits, and commitments, and serves as a foundational concept in both the Old and New Testaments.
Where is the first reference to a covenant found in the Bible?
-The first reference to a covenant is found in Genesis 9, but it becomes a central focus beginning with the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12.
What role does the covenant play in the Abrahamic stories in Genesis?
-The covenant in the Abrahamic stories establishes a relationship between God and Abraham, promising land, family, and blessing to Abraham and his descendants. It is later ratified in Genesis 15 and marked with a sign in Genesis 17.
How does the covenant evolve in the story of Israel?
-The covenant evolves through the Exodus narrative, where Israel becomes God's covenant people. It is further elaborated with the giving of the law at Sinai and continues through Israelâs history, with the prophets acting as covenant mediators.
What is the ultimate purpose of God's covenant with His people?
-The ultimate purpose of God's covenant is to establish a relationship with His people by revealing Himself to them. This relationship is the goal, while the covenant is the means through which God reveals His character and plans.
Why is revelation a key aspect of the covenant?
-Revelation is key because people cannot have a relationship with a God they do not know. The covenant serves as God's program of revealing Himself to the world, starting with Abraham and his descendants, so that they and the world may come to know Him.
How does the covenant benefit Abraham and his descendants?
-The covenant brings benefits such as land, family, and blessing to Abraham and his descendants. These are advantages they gain from being the first recipients of God's revelation.
Does Israelâs faithfulness affect the covenant's purpose?
-While Israelâs faithfulness affects the benefits they receive, it does not stop Godâs overall plan of revealing Himself. Whether Israel was faithful or unfaithful, Godâs nature would still be revealed through the covenant.
How does the covenant relate to the New Testament?
-In the New Testament, the covenant is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who embodies the ultimate revelation of Godâs holiness and salvation. Christ fulfills both the law and the covenant, bringing the relationship between God and humanity to completion.
What does it mean for the law to be fulfilled in Christ?
-The law is fulfilled in Christ because He embodies the holiness and character of God. Through Christ, the purpose of the law, which was to reveal Godâs holiness, is realized, and the covenant is brought to completion with the New Covenant, where people enter into a relationship with God through Christ.
Outlines
đ The Centrality of Covenant in Biblical Theology
The Bible presents the concept of a covenant early on, starting in Genesis 9 and becoming a central theme in the Abraham stories from Genesis 12 onward. God offers Abraham a covenant relationship, which is formalized in Genesis 15 and signified in Genesis 17. The covenant extends to the Israelites in the Exodus, where it is elaborated through the law at Sinai. This relationship continues throughout the Old Testament with the prophets serving as mediators, calling people back to the covenant. The concept of covenant is essential to understanding God's relationship with His people and extends into the New Testament with the establishment of the New Covenant. This covenant is not simply a political or administrative agreement but rather establishes a deep, relational bond between God and His people.
đ Understanding the Purpose of the Covenant
A covenant fundamentally establishes a relationship between two parties. In the Bible, Godâs goal is to be in a relationship with His people. This relationship begins with a covenant, but it's more than just promises or benefits like land, family, and blessings. The purpose of the covenant is to reveal God to His people, as at the time of Abraham, no one knew or worshiped Yahweh. The covenant becomes the means through which God reveals Himself to Abraham's family, leading them to know Him and fostering a relationship. Thus, the covenant acts as a tool for revelation, allowing Godâs people to come to know Him over time.
đ Israel as God's Instrument for Revelation
Through Israel, God reveals Himself to the world. While Israel stands to gain advantages by receiving the revelation of God first, God's plan is not dependent on their faithfulness. Even in Israel's unfaithfulness, Godâs nature would be revealed. This revelation through Israel allows not only Israel but also the nations to know God. The theme of Israel as a 'light to the nations' is evidenced through figures like Rahab and continues in the prophetic books, such as Ezekiel. The covenant thus serves the dual purpose of drawing Israel into a relationship with God while also allowing the world to come to know Him through their experiences.
âïž The Fulfillment of the Covenant in Christ
The covenant reaches its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who embodies the law and the covenant. In giving the law, God was revealing Himself as a holy God and calling His people to holiness. The law was not just a set of rules but a form of revelation, bringing joy and benefit. Christ fulfills the law by perfectly embodying Godâs holiness and character, thus fulfilling the covenant's purpose. Through Christ, the new covenant is established, bringing people into a renewed relationship with God. The covenant, having revealed God's nature and salvation plan, has now completed its role through Christ.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄCovenant
đĄRevelation
đĄAbraham
đĄLaw
đĄHoliness
đĄIsrael
đĄJesus Christ
đĄPromise
đĄFaithfulness
đĄRelationship
Highlights
The concept of a covenant is introduced in Genesis chapter 9 and becomes the focus with the Abraham stories in Genesis 12.
God offers Abraham a covenant relationship, which is ratified in Genesis 15 and symbolized in Genesis 17.
The covenant relationship between God and Abrahamâs family is central to the rest of Genesis.
The covenant extends into the Exodus narratives, where Israel becomes God's covenant people.
The covenant is elaborated through the giving of the law at Sinai, highlighting its importance in God's relationship with His people.
Prophets serve as mediators of the covenant, calling the people to accountability in their relationship with God.
Covenant remains a central theme in Old Testament theology and transitions into the New Testament with the New Covenant.
Covenant involves not just promises but a relationship between God and His people, with the ultimate goal of knowing God.
God initiates the covenant to reveal Himself to the world, beginning with Abraham and his family.
The benefits of the covenant include land, family, and blessings, but these are secondary to the primary goal of revelation and relationship with God.
God's revelation through the covenant is a progressive process, leading to the knowledge of God through Israel and ultimately the world.
Even if Israel was unfaithful, God would still use them to reveal Himself, as seen in the confessions of Rahab and Ezekiel.
The covenant finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who embodies the holiness and character of God.
Through Christ, the law and covenant are fulfilled, as He is the ultimate revelation of Godâs salvation.
The New Covenant, established through Christ, brings believers into a new relationship with God, completing the work of the original covenant.
Transcripts
[Music]
you can't read very far into the Bible
without encountering this concept of a
covenant uh we first see reference to it
in Genesis chapter 9 but then it really
becomes the center of focus beginning
with the Abraham stories in Genesis 12
where God offers Abraham a covenant
relationship and eventually that's
ratified in Genesis 15 we have a sign of
the Covenant in Genesis 17 and really
the whole back part of Genesis is the
development of this Covenant
relationship establishing it among
Abraham and his family and of course it
doesn't stop there it goes into the
Exodus narratives where Israel becomes
God's covenant people the Covenant is um
elaborated with the law that's given
from SI the Covenant is crucial to God's
residence among his people in the
Tabernacle and Temple and then all the
way through as the Old Testament
proceeds as we have the idea of the
prophets as Covenant mediators or
Covenant Champions calling people to
accountability of the Covenant and so
the Covenant is is Central in Old
Testament Theology and it doesn't stop
there we move into the New Covenant in
the New Testament and so we find out
that Covenant is a fairly important
theological concept so what do we make
of it what is this Covenant thing all
about did God just decide that he was
going to use a covenant to make promises
so he could show that he could keep
them is the Covenant an
administrative sort of facilitating
element uh is Covenant just sort of a
political
agreement what is the Covenant well
let's take a look at a few of the
concepts that might help us understand
it first of all we have to understand
that a covenant entails a
relationship that is uh whatever the
purposes or reasons for the relationship
a covenant establishes a relationship
between parties now relationship is a
key term and that that should help us
quite a bit here because we understand
from the very beginning of Genesis and
all the way through the the Bible to the
very end that God has always intended to
be in relationship with his people
therefore relationship is an important
concept and Covenant is involved with
that but what exactly was the the target
the focus of this relationship because
we see that there are a lot of parts to
it what's the focus I don't think that
it's just promise certainly God made
promises the promises that he makes to
Abraham and his family and that carry on
into Israel are promises that involve
benefits benefits because God has made
this relationship with them and so they
have something to gain land family
blessing there there are things that
they stand to gain and those are
important benefits but is God just doing
this so he can give his his favorites
some benefits I don't think that's going
to help
us God has another goal in
mind and God's goal I would suggest to
you is a goal go that will end in
relationship but has to get there
through a particular
instrument see it's difficult to be in
relationship with someone that you don't
know at the time of Abraham there was no
one no one in the ancient world who knew
God who knew
Yahweh Abraham's family was not
monotheistic they were not worshippers
of Yahweh the text tells us that Joshua
24 among other
places and so there were no faithful
worshippers so how in the world could
God expect relationship from people who
didn't know
him the Covenant then is the beginning
of God's
initiative to reveal
himself God was undertaking a program of
Revelation so that people could come to
know him and through knowing him come
into relationship with
him so relationship was the final goal
but
Revelation was the objective along the
way and God decided that he was going to
reveal himself to the world through
Abraham and his
family they would stand to gain certain
benefits because of the fact that God
was using them in this way it was to
their advantage because they received
the revelation of God first Romans talk
to us about that what advantage does the
Jew have every way through them came the
Oracles of God and so having that
relationship was an advantage to them
but it was also something that God was
going to do regardless of whether they
were Cooperative or not they could lose
the benefits if they were not
Cooperative if they didn't respond but
God was going to reveal himself through
Israel through Abraham's family whether
they were fa faithful or
Unfaithful every aspect of God's nature
would be revealed and all of those
vicissitudes of Israel's keeping or not
keeping the Covenant and in this way God
intended to reveal
himself and through that Revelation that
Israel could come to know him but
through Israel that the world could know
him this is that light to the Nations
idea that they could know God and that
others could know the god of Israel
through them we have the confession of
Rahab in in Joshua chapter 2 uh we know
that your God is great the world was
coming to know him and the same carries
as a theme in Ezekiel especially chapter
20 and so this knowledge of God is
important and that's what God is doing
in the Covenant and that Covenant then
was fulfilled finally in Jesus Christ
because in Christ we find the
Fulfillment of the law and the
Fulfillment of the Covenant when God
gave the law he was revealing himself
revealing himself as a holy God and he
tells them I am Holy and you're to be
holy so law becomes Revelation law
becomes benefit law becomes joy and law
is fulfilled in Christ because in Christ
the Holiness and character of God are
embodied and therefore Christ fulfills
the law Christ fulfills the Covenant
because the ultimate revelation of God
God comes in the Covenant and the
ultimate Revelation eventually of God's
salvation through Christ comes through
the Covenant which then leads to the New
Covenant in which we are now in
relationship to God through Christ and
the Covenant has done its
[Music]
job
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