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1 Journal Entry - God’s Covenant

Los Angeles University college Bibl100 Dietrich Harmon

Introduction During ancient times, God made various covenants with his people. These covenants used to be promises made by God to the people. The Israelites were the chosen community by God. In the covenant, God decided all the terms. The Israelites either had to accept or reject it, there were no negotiations. This paper explains how the covenant connected to themes such as creation, fall, and redemption within the overarching story of the Bible. It also outlines the importance of knowing the history and culture of covenants, its original meaning and the meaningful insights gained from the concept. The topic of the covenant and the themes of creation, fall and redemption The topic of covenant directly connects to the themes of creation, fall, and redemption. When God created Adam and Eve, he gave them the mandate to procreate and fill the world. He also made them the dominion over all other creations. However, God also set rules for both Adam and Eve. He instructed to eat all other fruits but to avoid the forbidden fruit. The theme of fall is depicted when Adam and Eve

2 Journal Entry - God’s Covenant

decided to disobey God. The serpent came to convince Eve that they should eat the forbidden fruit. Eve also managed to convince Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. After they disobeyed God, he was angry with them and threw them out of the Garden of Eden (Dumbrell, 2019). The theme of fall stemmed from Man’s disobedience to God. The covenant here was that human beings should follow God’s rules, and he would award them by making them the dominion of other creations. During the time of Noah, people also disobeyed God since they failed to build the arc. Noah was told to build an arc since massive floods were coming. Noah also collected all animals and put them in the arc. God punished the people due to their disobedience. The fall of humans here is demonstrated by being swept away by the floods. After the incident, God, however, promises not to destroy the Earth with floods again (Dumbrell, 2019). The covenant here is based on the promise of God and the fact that his people had to follow his rules. Noah was also required by God to never shed or consume blood. God made promises to Abraham on the condition that he would remain loyal to him. “To make Abraham a great nation and bless Abraham and make his name great so that he will be a blessing, to bless those who bless him and curse him who curses him and all people on earth would be blessed through Abraham” (Dumbrell, 2019). God also chose made Abraham the father of nations. His descendants were the Israelites. The Israelites were also required to follow God's rules to receive God's favors. "To give Abraham descendants all the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates, the Promised Land” ( The Israelites disobeyed God multiple times. Their disobedience resulted in a series of covenants with God. God would create new rules for them, but they would go ahead and break the rules. After they broke the rules, God was merciful to forgive them and set other rules, however. God saw the Israelites suffer under the hands of the Egyptians and decided to liberate them. The Israelites would be taken to the Promised Land, but they would take longer to reach there. “They are Israelites; theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; their patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Messiah” (Romans 9:4-5). God had promised to make the Israelites a great nation if they obeyed him. The Israelites would fall if they failed to adhere to God’s rules. “But if you will not listen to me and carry out these commands, and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant…I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and drain away from your life” (Lev 26:14-18). Despite the punishments given to the Israelites, they would still be redeemed by God. This was often through asking for forgiveness or my God’s mercies only. The ancient Israelites were unable to stick to God's covenant. In Gods covenant with the Israelites, he had given them several rules to follow. One of the rules was that they were to worship him all times. However, the Israelites started worshipping the golden calf when Moses went to speak to God. God was furious with the Israelites but forgave them. This was after Moses went back to pick another covenant. "They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law, and forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them" (Gowan, 2015). God redeemed the Israelites many times after they disobeyed him. The fall of the humans was always caused by their disobedience to God and failure to adhere to God’s covenants. Despite their disobedience, God also promised the Israelites covenant. “Behold, the days are coming’, says the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah- not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them,’ says the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:31-32). Importance to know the history, culture or theology surrounding the covenant Knowing the history of the covenant helps us to understand the importance of following God’s rules. The history of the covenant and the theology teaches Christians today to obey God and stick to the covenants. This is because it shows what happened previously when human beings failed to follow God’s

3 Journal Entry - God’s Covenant

rules. God says he will severely punish those who disobey him. “I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you. If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over” (Lev 26:14-18). The original meaning of this concept in Exodus/Deuteronomy In Exodus, God made a covenant with the Israelites to obey him. The covenant they made meant that the Israelites were required to follow God’s rules. In return, God would protect provide them with food and ensure that they reached the Promised Land (Lillback, 2015). The concept of covenant, therefore, meant that God would fulfill his promises to the Israelites provided they followed his rules. "Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people” (Exodus 19:5). The covenant also meant the Ten Commandments which Moses was given by God to share with the Israelites. The Ten Commandments would guide the Israelites to live a peaceful life and worship God. They included the rule of worshipping God, obeying him, not lying to one another, committing adultery or murdering (Gowan, 2015). Moses told the Israelites to obey God because he would fulfill his promises of the covenant. The covenant would also guide the family life of the Israelites. Insights gained The covenant teaches us how to relate to God. It shows us the importance of obeying his rules. God says that those who follow his rules shall seek the Kingdom of Heaven. The covenant also teaches us that God is the creator of the universe and that human beings ought to obey him. When God is making a covenant with his people, he doesn't negotiate (Kaiser, 2013). However, God wishes his people well. This is evident from the promises he makes for those who obey him. The covenant deepens our understanding of God. We also understand our relationship with God. The covenant teaches us that God is loving. This is because he redeems his people numerous times. We learn the importance of repenting to God. When one sins to God, he/she should not be afraid of asking for forgiveness (Kaiser, 2013). The covenant teaches us that God is forgiving, but for those who repent. The covenant also helps us to understand what God expects from us. God makes a lot of promises to his people but only expects them to follow his rules. The Ten Commandments tell us that God expects us to always worship him and live well with each other. The commandments are against vices such as stealing, lying and committing adultery (Kaiser, 2013). The covenant helps us to understand that it is bad to commit such vices. A proper understanding of God’s redeeming power is also gained. This is because the Israelites were redeemed multiple times by God. Conclusion The concept of covenant is very crucial to our lives today. It is in the covenant where God sets his rules to the people. When one follows God's rules, he/she can enjoy God's grace. The promise made to human beings is that they shall enter the kingdom of God if they abide by his rules.

4 Journal Entry - God’s Covenant

REFERENCES Dumbrell, W. J. (2019). Covenant and creation: a theology of Old Testament covenants. Wipf and Stock Publishers. Gowan, D. E. (2015). The Fall and Redemption of the Material World in Apocalyptic Literature. Horizons in Biblical Theology, 7(2), 83-103. Kaiser Jr, W. C. (2013). The promise theme and the theology of rest. Bibliotheca Sacra, 130(518), 135-50. Lillback, P. A. (2015). Ursinus' Development of the Covenant of Creation: A Debt to Melanchthon or Calvin?. Westminster Theological Journal, 43, 247-88.