The Covenantal Framework of the Scriptures Part 2

A. Standard Narrative vs. Covenantal Framework

¹ Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? ² Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. (Ro 3:1–2 NASB95)

³ For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, ⁴ the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. ⁵ Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. (Ro 9:3–5 NIV)

¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. ¹⁷ For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— ¹⁸ and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. ¹⁹ So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. (2 Pe 1:16–19 NASB95)

B. The Gifts and the Callings of the Righteous Remnant

³ He said to Me, “You are My Servant, Israel, In Whom I will show My glory.”… ⁶ He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Is 49:6 NASB95)

• ⁴⁶ Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ “For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, That You may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’” (Ac 13:46–47 NASB95)
• ¹⁵ “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ¹⁶ ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. ¹⁷ I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them ¹⁸ to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ (Ac 26:15–18 NIV)

²⁵ I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part … ²⁸ As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, ²⁹ for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. (Ro 11:25–29 NIV)

¹ The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ² “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” ³ But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. (Jon 1:1–3 NIV)

A. The Ancient Near East (ANE) Legal Treaties (g. Ex. 20 & Deut 28-32)

1. A preamble in which the sovereign is identified
2. An historical prologue describing previous relations between the parties
3. Stipulations and demands of the sovereign
4. Swearing of allegiance with curses and blessings, that is Covenant Ratification
5. Witnesses and directions for carrying out the treaty – including signs of the treaty.

B. Types of ANE treaties

1. The Suzerain Treaty: “A suzerainty treaty was an accord that chiefly defined vassal loyalty. The focus here was on the obligation of the inferior party, though the suzerain embraced specific obligations as well. The suzerain pledged to enable, protect, and sustain his vassals (and their progeny) with all of his resources, power, and ability, if the vassals would swear to keep in perpetuity the specifications, laws, statutes of the suzerain as delineated in the covenant. The chief feature of this covenant was the law-code: the list of requisites that were obligatory on the part of the vassals in order to prove continued covenant fealty. In this case, the suzerain contractually offered the terms in pledge to the vassal, and the vassal swore to accept those terms. The vassals, along with the suzerain, were exclusive direct participants in the enactment and the fulfillment of the covenant terms. This covenant was bilateral in nature, both parties pledging their allegiance.” [1]
2. Royal Grants: “A royal grant was an accord that chiefly rewarded vassal loyalty. The focus here was on the obligation of the superior party, though the vassal owned certain responsibilities as well. In a royal grant, a sovereign awarded favors or benefits to a proven loyalist. Typically, the subject party had long and/or valiantly demonstrated his fidelity to his lord. The suzerain, then, would provide heightened privilege (e.g., special housing, clothing, transportation, property, food, servants, access, etc.) to the faithful subordinate. The chief feature of this covenant was the list of benefits that the sovereign promised to bestow on the subject and his progeny. In this case, the suzerain alone swore to the terms of the covenant. The vassal had only to enjoy those privileges as long as he or his descendants chose to participate in the benefits and retain loyalty to the benefactor. The vassal, at best, participated only indirectly in the enactment of the covenant by witnessing the oath of the benefactor as he swore to the terms. This covenant was unilateral in nature, one party (the benefactor) swearing to his pledge.” [2]

[1] Beacham, Roy E., “The Church Has No Legal Relationship to or Participation in the New Covenant”, pg. 9

[2] Beacham, Roy E., “The Church Has No Legal Relationship to or Participation in the New Covenant”, pg. 9-10

A. The Covenant with Adam/Creation – Grant (Unbroken order of creation)

⁴ What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning cloud And like the dew which goes away early… ⁶ For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. ⁷ But like Adam they have transgressed the covenant; There they have dealt treacherously against Me. (Ho 6:4–7 NASB95)

²⁰ Thus says the Lord: If any of you could break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night would not come at their appointed time, ²¹ only then could my covenant with my servant David be broken, so that he would not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with my ministers the Levites… ²⁵ Thus says the Lord: Only if I had not established my covenant with day and night and the ordinances of heaven and earth, ²⁶ would I reject the offspring of Jacob and of my servant David and not choose any of his descendants as rulers over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes, and will have mercy upon them. (Je 33:20–26 NRSV)

B. The Covenant with Noah – Grant (Perpetuity of the earth)

⁹ “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you ¹⁰ and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. ¹¹ I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” (Ge 9:9–11 NIV)

C. The Covenant with Abraham – Grant (Land grant, administrator/father of blessing to Gentiles)

² “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Ge 12:2–3 NIV)

¹⁴ The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. ¹⁵ All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. (Ge 13:14–15 NIV)

⁴ “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. ⁵ “No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. ⁶ “I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. ⁷ “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. (Gen 17:4-7 NASB)

¹⁸ “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Ge 22:18 NASB95)

• ²² “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Israel is My son, My firstborn. (Ex 4:22 NASB95)
• ⁹ “…I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.” (Je 31:9 NASB95)

³ Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. (Ge 26:3 NIV)

D. The Covenant with the Firstborn Nation – Suzerain Treaty (With the Nation, Moses as Mediator)

² “I am the Lord (YHWH) your God (lit. ‘elohim’), who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ³ “You shall have no other gods before me. ⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, (Ex 20:2–5 NIV)

⁴ Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel… ⁷ Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.” (Ex 24:4–7 NIV)

¹ If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth… ¹⁵ However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: (Dt 28:1-15 NIV)

¹⁹ This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live (Dt 30:19 NIV)

E. The Covenant with David – Grant (David’s seed as King who fulfills God’s covenant with Israel)

⁸ “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. ⁹ I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. ¹⁰ And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning ¹¹ and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. “‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: ¹² When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom… ¹⁶ Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’” (2 Sa 7:8–16 NIV)

² I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself. ³ You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, ⁴ ‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.’” (Ps 89:2–4 NIV)

¹⁴ “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. ¹⁵ “‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. ¹⁶ … ²⁰ “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, ²¹ then my covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne…²⁵ This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth, ²⁶ then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.’” (Je 33:14–26 NIV)

A. Israel’s Hardening and God’s faithfulness

²⁵ I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, (Ro 11:25 NIV)

• ¹⁶ And the Lord said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. ¹⁷ And in that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?’ ¹⁸ And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods. (Dt 31:16–18 NIV)

⁹ He said, “Go and tell this people: “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ ¹⁰ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” ¹¹ Then I said, “For how long, Lord?” And he answered: “Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, (Is 6:9–11 NIV)

• ¹⁰ The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” ¹¹ He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them… ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. ¹⁴ In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. ¹⁵ For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ ¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. (Mt 13:10–16 NIV)

B. Gentile Justification and God’s faithfulness

¹¹ I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. ¹² Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! ¹³ But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, ¹⁴ if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. (Ro 11:11–14 NASB95)

• ¹⁶ “They made Him jealous with strange gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger… ²⁰ “Then He said, ‘I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be (LXX ‘I will show them what their end will be’); For they are a perverse generation, Sons in whom is no faithfulness. ²¹ ‘They have made Me jealous with what is not God; They have provoked Me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation, (Dt 32:16–21 NASB95)

¹⁴ Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. ¹⁵ The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: ¹⁶ “‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, ¹⁷ that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’— ¹⁸ things known from long ago. ¹⁹ “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. (Ac 15:14–19 NIV)

• ³ Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, ⁴ “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations ( ‘Gentiles’). ⁵ No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. (Ge 17:3–5 NIV)

C. Times of the Gentiles and God’s faithfulness

²⁴ They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Lk 21:24 NIV)

⁶³ “It shall come about that as the Lord delighted over you to prosper you, and multiply you, so the Lord will delight over you to make you perish and destroy you; and you will be torn from the land where you are entering to possess it. ⁶⁴ “Moreover, the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone, which you or your fathers have not known. ⁶⁵ “Among those nations you shall find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul. ⁶⁶ “So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life. (Dt 28:63–66 NASB95)

• ¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. (Mt 5:17–18 NIV)

⁶ And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” ⁷ I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. (Da 12:6–7 NASB95)

³⁶ “For the Lord will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free. (Dt 32:36 NASB95)

⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, ⁵ we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. ⁶ “Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land. ⁷ “Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. ⁸ “Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. ⁹ “To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; ¹⁰ nor have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets. ¹¹ “Indeed all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him. ¹² “Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. (Da 9:4–12 NASB95)

D. Final Exile and Regathering

⁸ “Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom (i.e. Israel, cf. v. 7), And I will destroy it from the face of the earth; Yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” Says the Lord. ⁹ “For surely I will command, And will sift the house of Israel among all nations, As grain is sifted in a sieve; Yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground. ¹⁰ All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, Who say, ‘The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.’ (Am 9:8–10 NKJV)

³² “What is in your mind shall never happen—the thought, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, and worship wood and stone.’ ³³ “As I live, declares the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out I will be king over you. ³⁴ I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. ³⁵ And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. ³⁶ As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord God. ³⁷ I will make you pass under the rod (cf. Lev. 27:32), and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. ³⁸ I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord. (Eze 20:32–38 ESV)

⁶ “Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her way with thorns, And I will build a wall against her so that she cannot find her paths. ⁷ “She will pursue her lovers, but she will not overtake them; And she will seek them, but will not find them… ¹³ “I will punish her for the days of the Baals When she used to offer sacrifices to them And adorn herself with her earrings and jewelry, And follow her lovers, so that she forgot Me,” declares the Lord. ¹⁴ “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Bring her into the wilderness And speak kindly to her. (Ho 2:6–14 NASB95)

¹² Therefore, prophesy and say to them: This is what the Lord God says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them, My people, and lead you into the land of Israel… ¹⁴ I will put My Spirit in you, and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. I have spoken, and I will do it.” This is the declaration of the Lord. (Eze 37:12–14 HCSB)

¹ “So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the Lord your God has banished you, ² and you return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, ³ then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. ⁴ “If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. ⁵ “The Lord your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. ⁶ “Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live. (Dt 30:1–6 NASB95)

E. New Covenant as God’s Faithfulness to the Covenant at Sinai

¹ “So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the Lord your God has banished you, ² and you return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, ³ then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you… ⁶ “Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live. (Dt 30:1–6 NASB95)

²⁶ “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. (Eze 36:26–27 NASB95)

²⁷ “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. ²⁸ Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the Lord… ³¹ “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. ³² It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. ³³ “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (Je 31:27–33 NIV)

A. All covenants forward looking

⁴ “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. ⁵ “No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. ⁶ “I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. ⁷ “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. (Gen 17:4-7 NASB)

• ³⁸ They will be my people, and I will be their God. ³⁹ I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. ⁴⁰ I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. (Je 32:38–40 NIV)

¹ If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. (Dt 28:1 NIV)

³ then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you… ⁶ The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. (Dt 30:3–6 NIV)

¹⁰ And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed… ¹² When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (2 Sa 7:10–13 NIV)

B. NC made with the house of Israel

³¹ “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. ³² It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. (Je 31:31–32 NIV)

²¹ “Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land… ²⁶ “I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. (Eze 37:21–26 NASB95)

³⁰ “Indeed the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah have been doing only evil in My sight from their youth; for the sons of Israel have been only provoking Me to anger by the work of their hands,” declares the Lord… ³⁷ “Behold, I will gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and make them dwell in safety. ³⁸ “They shall be My people, and I will be their God; ³⁹ and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. ⁴⁰ “I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. (Je 32:30–40 NASB95)

C. The oath of loyalty and the enactment of the covenant – After exile

‘Like all ANE Covenants, the New Covenant legally commences with the swearing of the oath. As a bilateral treaty, both of the named parties to the covenant (Yahweh God and Israel/Judah) mutually agree to the contract. In official covenant ceremony, the suzerain offers in pledge the terms of the covenant with its obligations, blessings, and penalties. The vassal, in turn, responds to the suzerain’s pledge by swearing to those terms.’ [1]

³⁷ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. ³⁸ Look, your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.(cf. Ps. 118)’” (Mt 23:37–39 NIV)

• ³⁶ “For the LORD will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free. (Deu 32:36 NASB95)
• ⁶ One of them said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long until the end of these extraordinary things? ” ⁷ Then I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river. He raised both his hands toward heaven and swore by Him who lives eternally that it would be for a time, times, and half a time. When the power of the holy people is shattered, all these things will be completed. (Dan 12:6-7 HCSB)

¹⁴ “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Bring her into the wilderness And speak kindly to her. ¹⁵ “Then I will give her her vineyards from there, And the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. ¹⁶ “It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord, “That you will call Me Ishi And will no longer call Me Baali. ¹⁷ “For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, So that they will be mentioned by their names no more. ¹⁸ “In that day I will also make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, The birds of the sky And the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, And will make them lie down in safety. ¹⁹ “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In lovingkindness and in compassion, ²⁰ And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord… ²³ “I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they will say, ‘You are my God!’” (Ho 2:14–23 NASB95)

³⁵ I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations and there, face to face, I will execute judgment upon you. ³⁶ As I judged your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Sovereign Lord. ³⁷ I will take note of you as you pass under my rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. (Eze 20:35–37 NIV)

• ¹ “So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the Lord your God has banished you, ² and you return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, ³ then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. (Dt 30:1–3 NASB95)

⁸ In the whole land,” declares the Lord, “two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. ⁹ This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’” (Zec 13:8–9 NIV)

¹³ I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land… ¹⁷ “‘As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats… ²³ I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. ²⁴ I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken. ²⁵ “‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety. (Eze 34:13–25 NIV)

D. Covenant at Sinai vs. NC Benefits (partial/temporal vs. universal/eternal)

1. Forgiveness of sin

¹ Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. ² Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. (Ps 32:1–2 NIV)

¹⁰ The priest shall then offer the other as a burnt offering in the prescribed way and make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven. (Le 5:10 NIV)

²⁵ I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. (Eze 36:25 NIV)

³¹ “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. ³⁴… “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Je 31:31–34 NIV)

2. Gathered back from Exile

²³ “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: “‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord their God be with them.’” (2 Ch 36:23 NIV)

²³ I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes. ²⁴ “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. (Eze 36:23–24 NIV)

³⁷ I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. ³⁸ They will be my people, and I will be their God… ⁴⁰ I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. (Je 32:37–40 NIV)

3. Spirit poured out

² “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, ³ and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— (Ex 31:2–3 NIV)

²⁵ Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again. (Nu 11:25 NASB95)

¹⁸ So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; (Nu 27:18 NASB95)

²⁸ “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. ²⁹ Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. (Joe 2:28–29 NIV)

²⁹ I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.” (Eze 39:29 NIV)

4. Torah written on the heart

³⁰ The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just. ³¹ The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip. ³² The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, intent on putting them to death; (Ps 37:30–32 NIV)

⁷ “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, A people in whose heart is My law; Do not fear the reproach of man, Nor be dismayed at their revilings. (Is 51:7 NASB95)

³¹ “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. ³² It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. ³³ “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (Je 31:31–33 NIV)

5. Knowledge of God

¹¹ The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent. (Ex 33:11 NIV)

³¹ “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah… ³⁴ No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Je 31:31–34 NIV)

E. New Testament witness of the New Covenant

¹⁵ And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”¹⁷ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves. ¹⁸ For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”¹⁹ Then he took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁰ And in the same way he took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. (Lk 22:15–20 NET)

⁶ But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. ⁷ For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. ⁸ But God found fault with the people and said: “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. ⁹ It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. ¹⁰ This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. ¹¹ No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. ¹² For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” ¹³ By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete (HCSB ‘old’); and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear. (Heb 8:6–13 NIV)

¹¹ But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle (as mediator), not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation…²⁸ so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Heb 9:11-28 NIV)

³ Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ⁴ ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. ⁵ Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, ⁶ you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.” ⁷ So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. ⁸ The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord. (Ex 19:3–8 NIV)

[1] [1] Beacham, Roy E., “The Church Has No Legal Relationship to or Participation in the New Covenant”, pg. 29-30