An introduction to the Covenants
The Bible reveals that God is a covenant-making, covenant-keeping and covenant-revealing God. The Bible itself is a covenantal book being divided into two sections, the Old and New Testaments (Covenants), and containing a progressive revelation of nine major covenants. These Covenants comprise the purposes of God in both Creation and Redemption and involve time and eternity. One of the primary keys to the interpretation of Scripture is the Covenantal Principal of Hermeneutics.
What Is A Covenant?
In modern society the word “covenant” has lost some of the fulness and richness that it had in Bible times. In order to rediscover its meaning we will consider its definitions in English, Hebrew and Greek.
English
In English the word “covenant” signifies a mutual understanding between two or more parties, each binding himself to fulfill specified obligations; a legal contract; a binding agreement; a written agreement. It also refers to a solemn agreement to do or not to do a certain thing.
Old Testament Hebrew
Strong’s Concordance defines the Hebrew word Beriyth as “a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh)” which implies the thought of cutting a covenant (Genesis 15:17; Jeremiah 34:18).
Gesenius defines this word as “a covenant, pact or compact.” He then expands this by giving a number of applied definitions under the following categories:
Between men
Treaty, alliance, league (Genesis 14:13; Exodus 23:32; 34:12, 15; Joshua 9:6–16).
Constitution, ordinance (between monarch & subjects) (2 Samuel 3:12, 13; 5:3; Jeremiah 34:8–18).
Agreement, pledge (2 Kings 11:4; Hosea 10:4).
Alliance of friendship (1 Samuel 18:3; 20:8; 23:18).
Alliance of marriage (Proverbs 2:17; Malachi 2:14).
Between God and man
Alliance of friendship (Psalms 25:14).
Covenant, as a divine constitution or ordinance with signs or pledges (Genesis 9:9–17; Exodus 2:24).
Phrases
Covenant-making (Genesis 15:18; Exodus 34:10, 17).
Covenant-keeping (1 Kings 11:11; Leviticus 26:42).
Covenant violation (Deuteronomy 17:2; Leviticus 26:15, 44).
In the King James Version Beriyth is translated; confederacy (Genesis 14:13; Obadiah 7), league (Joshua 9:6, 7; Judges 2:2) and covenant (Genesis 6:18; Leviticus 2:13; Psalms 89:3, 4; Daniel 9:27).
New Testament Greek
In the New Testament there are two Greek words for covenant. Diatheke means “a disposition, arrangement, testament or will”.
According to Arndt and Gingrich’s Lexicon this word means:
Last will and testament. (so exclusively in Hellenistic times) … a will that has been ratified, Galatians 3:15 … in extra-Biblical sources, namely ‘decree’, ‘declaration of purpose’ … The declaration of one person’s will, not the result of an agreement between parties, like a compact or contract … The meaning compact, contract seems to be established for classical times.”
Moulton and Milligan add that:
“… diatheke is properly disposition, an ‘arrangement’ made by one party with plenary power, which the other party may accept or reject, but cannot alter.”
In the King James Version Diatheke is translated: testament (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 7:22; 9:15–17, 20; Revelation 11:19) and covenant (Luke 1:72; Romans 9:14; Ephesians 2:12; Hebrews 12:14; 13:20).
The other Greek word, Suntithemai, means “to put together, place together, to make arrangement.” It refers to an arrangement between men and is never used to refer to the covenants made by God and presented to man. In the King James version, it is translated: covenanted (Luke 22:5), agreed (John 9:22; Acts 23:20) and assented (Acts 24:9).
The word “covenant” in Scripture refers to an agreement or a contract between men, or between God and man. In Scripture, we find that men often made covenants with men in relation to various matters (e.g., Genesis 21:27, 31, 32—covenant between Abraham and Abimelech concerning the well of Beersheba; Luke 22:5—covenant between the chief priests and Judas concerning the price of betrayal).
In every case in Scripture when a covenant was instituted between God and man, God is seen as the initiator. Man did not come to God with a proposal seeking God’s approval, rather God came to man declaring His will and seeking man’s adherence. A covenant is a contract between God and man drawn up by God and presented to man. Man can either accept it or reject it, but he cannot change it. However, the usage of “covenant” in Scripture does not always contain the idea of joint obligation but may signify an obligation undertaken by a single person: God. In these instances, the aspect of covenant is emphasized in “the promise” (Galatians 3:17; Romans 15:8).
Who Originated The Covenants?
Being an interpersonal arrangement a covenant must be made by one person for or with another. The covenants between God and man had to originate with God for He alone has the mind, authority and ability to make them effective. It was always His heart and nature that motivated Him to initiate the covenants with man. The covenants are the greatest manifestations of God’s love, grace and mercy.
A Covenant-Making God
God established His covenant with Noah (Genesis 6:18). He made a covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15:18; 17:2). God made a covenant with David (2 Samuel 23:5). He promised to make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah (Jeremiah 31:31–34). He has also made an everlasting covenant (Isaiah 55:3; 61:8).
A Covenant-Keeping God
God reveals His faithfulness and trustworthiness in that He keeps the covenant that He makes. Once God has made a covenant, He does not forget it nor become negligent of it. He always follows through with the commitments He has made (Deuteronomy 7:9; 2 Chronicles 6:14; Psalms 111:5, 9; Romans 1:31).
A Covenant-Revealing God
In order for man to be in covenant relationship with God He must reveal the covenant to man, openly declaring the promises and terms. Apart from God taking the initiative and revealing His covenant to man, man would be ignorant of the availability of covenantal relationship with Him (Psalms 25:14; Deuteronomy 4:13).
A Covenant-Enabling God
The same God who makes, keeps and reveals His covenants to man also enables man to fulfill his part of the covenant. Apart from the enabling grace of God man has proven his inability to keep the terms of any covenant. This was particularly illustrated under the Mosaic Covenant (Ephesians 2:4–13).
Why Make A Covenant?
The general purpose for a covenant is to provide a binding sense of commitment to an interpersonal relationship. The binding force of even human covenants is seen in Joshua’s covenant with the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:1–27; 2 Samuel 21) and in Zedekiah’s covenant with Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 34:8–18; Ezekiel 17:11–21). Those who enter into covenant obligate themselves to that relationship and provide it with a strong sense of security. This is vividly illustrated in the marriage covenant which was instituted by God to be a model of His covenants. God hates divorce because it disannuls a covenant, destroys its very purpose and does not accurately reflect the irrevocability of the covenants by which man is redeemed (Malachi 2:14–16).
The specific purpose of the Divine covenants is for them to be the vehicles of the expression of God’s will and purpose for man. They are also to be the effective means by which His will and purpose is fulfilled.
God has a reason for everything He does. He moves with definite purpose. Careful forethought and planning goes into all His works. All of God’s purposes proceed from His person. What He does is always consistent with who He is. The kind of person He is dictates the kind of things He does (Isaiah 14:26, 27; Romans 8:28; Isaiah 14:14, 27; 2 Timothy 1:9; Isaiah 46:11; Ephesians 1:9–11; 3:9–11).
God’s purpose for man is seen in both creation and redemption. Before the fall of man God expressed His purpose in creating man in the form of a covenant: the Edenic Covenant. The fulfilment of this covenant was interrupted and apparently frustrated by Adam’s breaking of the conditions of that covenant. This necessitated and ushered in the expression of God’s redemptive purpose for man in the form of the redemptive covenants: the Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Palestinian, Davidic and New Covenants. Thus there was a covenant of creation and covenants of redemption. All of these were included in the scope of the Everlasting Covenant which is the most comprehensive expression of both God’s creative and redemptive purposes for man.
What Constitutes A Covenant?
In keeping with the Threeness of God’s person, there is also a Threeness to the expressions of His purpose. Each Divine covenant has basically three parts to it. These are:
The Words or Promises of the Covenant.
The Blood of the Covenant.
The Seal of the Covenant.
Any covenant is incomplete and therefore invalid without the testimony of these three things. Thus, the triune God gave triune covenants. Each person in the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, had a part in the making, ratifying and sealing of the covenants. In this way the characteristics of the Godhead were impressed on the covenants, as the following chart illustrates.
THE FATHER
The originator, initiator, covenant-maker and keeper, the source, the first, the beginning.
THE WORDS/PROMISES of the Covenant
The Father’s Word To Us
THE SON
The sacrifice of body and blood, the second person, the mediator and ratifier of the covenant.
THE BLOOD of the Covenant
The Son’s Work For Us
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The executor appointed to carry out the will and testament of the Father and the Son, the third person, the completor and fulfiller of the covenant.
THE SEAL of the Covenant
The Holy Spirit’s Work In Us
THE WORDS OF THE COVENANT
In that a covenant is an expressed agreement it consists of words that are either verbalized or written. Involved in the words of each covenant are its promises and terms, as well as the possibility of an oath and a book.
The Promises of the Covenant
In that a covenant is an interpersonal commitment the persons involved would most likely express that commitment in the form of a promise. These promises, could include:
Promises of blessing.
Promises of cursing.
Natural, national and temporal promises.
Spiritual and eternal promises.
The Terms of the Covenant
Any agreement between two parties of necessity involves certain conditions under which the promises will be fulfilled on the part of the covenantor and/or the covenantee.
The Oath of the Covenant
Certain of the Divine Covenants have their promises confirmed with an oath. When such is the case the covenant become irrevocable. Without an oath the promises may be subject to change or cancellation.
Definition of the word
Dictionary
“A solemn affirmation with an appeal to God for its truth.”
Oath-breaking = violation of an oath; perjury.
Oath of Allegiance = an oath binding to true allegiance to a specified power.
Oath of Supremacy = an oath declaring and establishing the supremacy of British sovereigns over every other power, spiritual or temporal in their realm.
Hebrew
SHEBOOAW—Something sworn; an oath, a curse. Signifies “to be complete; to seven oneself, i.e., swear (as if by repeating a declaration seven times)”.
Greek
HORKOS—A fence, a limit, a sacred restraint placed on oneself. Together these words show that the oath is a solemn affirmation. It is the giving of one’s word which binds them to its fulfilment. An oath attached to any covenant promise makes it irrevocable, unable to be annulled.
Illustration of the word
Following are several illustrations from the Scripture which show how the oath makes a covenant irrevocable and binding, never to be made null and void.
People made promises and then added an oath to assure another person that they would keep their promises. Joseph took oath of his sons concerning his bones (Genesis 50:25), (Joshua 2:17, 20; 9:18–20).
The oath and the promise bound the one who uttered it to its fulfilment (Numbers 30:2, 10; 1 Samuel 14:26–28; Acts 23:21; 2 Chronicles 6:22; 15:15).
In certain cases, only a person in authority could release someone from an unwise oath and promise (Genesis 24:8, 41; Numbers 30:2, 10, 13).
The oath made covenant promises irrevocable, so that they could never be annulled (Matthew 14:9; Genesis 26:23, 33; Jeremiah 11:5; Zechariah 8:17).
To break an oath was to inflict a curse upon oneself (Nehemiah 5:12; 10:29; Ezekiel 16:59; Daniel 9:11; Numbers 5:19–25).
When God made promises and confirmed them with an oath, He bound Himself to their fulfilment, making the covenant irrevocable. Such is seen in the Noahic Covenant (Isaiah 54:9), the Abrahamic Covenant (Hebrews 6:16–17), and the Davidic Covenant (Psalms 89:3, 35; 132:11), which consummates in the New Covenant with Christ after the order of Melchisedek (Acts 2:30; Psalms 110; Hebrews 7:20, 21, 28). God’s oath to His promises is a confirmation and an end of all strife and unbelief on the part of man.
The Book of the Covenant
Though all the Divine covenants were eventually put into written form the only one that was specifically made into a book of its own was the Mosaic covenant which was expressly called “The book of the covenant” (Exodus 24:7). The other covenants ended up being recorded in the greatest “Book of the Covenant” which is the Bible.
The Blood of the Covenant
In that a covenant was viewed as being a life and death commitment the ratification of it involved bloodshed. The sacrificial blood used to make the covenant official represented the life commitment of those entering into the covenant. In that a covenant was substantiated by sacrifice it necessitated a priest to offer the sacrifice as well as a sanctuary in which the priest could function.
The Sacrifice of the Covenant
Covenantal sacrifice involved both the shedding of blood and the death of the body. This solemn act vividly illustrated the sacredness of the covenant vows. The sacrifice involved both:
The Body
The Blood
The Mediator of the CovenantAny sacrifice necessitates a sacrificer, one who is a mediator officiating the covenant ratification ceremony. This would include:
The Mediator and High Priest.
The Priesthood.
The Sanctuary of the Covenant
A holy act must occur in a holy place. There must be a place for the functioning of the priesthood in the ministry of the covenant. This involved:
The Altar.
The Tabernacle or Temple.
The Seal of the Covenant
A seal is an ongoing tangible witness to the veracity of the covenant. It serves as a constant reminder of the authenticity of the covenantal promises and terms. Each of the Divine Covenants had its own particular seal which was referred to as either:
The Seal of the Covenant.
The Sign of the Covenant, or
The Token of the Covenant.
What Is The Duration Of A Covenant?
Any covenant or agreement made between men may either have a period of time stated concerning its duration or may be stated as being in effect indefinitely. The Divine covenants were made to be either everlasting or temporal. Some were meant to be in effect for a certain period of time while others were made to be in effect for time and eternity. This is related to the fact that some covenants were revocable while others were irrevocable.
Everlasting Covenants
Certain of the Divine covenants were expressly spoken of as “everlasting covenants” (Genesis 9:16; 17:13; Numbers 25:12, 13; 2 Samuel 23:5; Ezekiel 16:60; Hebrews 13:20). These covenants were made to be never ending, eternal, perpetual, and age-abiding. They were to continue to be in effect forever. However, in the promises, sacrifices and seals of these everlasting covenants there were elements that could not last forever because of their temporal nature. For example, the Abrahamic Covenant is spoken of an everlasting covenant and the seal of it, which is circumcision, is also spoken of as being everlasting (Genesis 17:13). However, the New Testament declares that the external expression of the seal, the circumcision of the flesh, was fulfilled and abolished at the cross. Therefore only the internal and spiritual reality of the seal, which is circumcision of the heart, can be everlasting. Likewise, the animal sacrifices of the everlasting covenants could never be eternal. Only through the once-for-all sacrifice of the Son of God could the principle of covenantal sacrifice be everlasting though the external form was fulfilled and abolished (Genesis 15; Hebrews 10). Though having temporal elements, everlasting covenants are legally binding and remain in effect for eternity.
Temporal Covenants
Other of the Divine covenants were shown to be temporal (Galatians 3:19; Hebrews 9:10). They were made to be limited to time and not permanent. Perhaps the greatest illustration of this was the Mosaic covenant. The Tabernacle services, the sacrificial system, the priesthood, and the festival occasions comprised an external and temporal form of the law. These temporal elements continued to be in effect until Christ fulfilled and abolished them. However, the spiritual knowledge and truth contained in the form is eternal and remains forever (Romans 2:20). Though having eternal and spiritual implications temporal covenants are legally limited to a certain period of time.
Irrevocable Covenants
An irrevocable covenant is one in which God obligates Himself to fulfill the promises of the covenant regardless of man’s response. It remains in effect whether or not man is fulfilling the conditions of it. The strength of an irrevocable covenant is found in the key words “I will”. Following are two examples:
The Abrahamic Covenant
God promised Abraham “I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore …” (Genesis 22:17). Though in the context of this promise the obedience of Abraham is referred to there is no mention of his seed needing to remain obedient in order for this covenant promise to remain in effect. Abraham’s seed was to be innumberable as the stars and sand regardless of their goodness or wickedness.
The Davidic Covenant
God promised David “I will set up thy seed after thee … and I will establish his kingdom.” (2 Samuel 7:12) This promise guaranteed David that there would always be one of his descendants sitting upon his throne. There is no mention of their obedience as a condition for the promise to remain in effect. In reference to their disobedience God did promise “If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men … but my mercy shall not depart away …” (2 Samuel 7:14, 15). Regardless of the goodness or wickedness of the Davidic kings this covenant promise would remain irrevocable.
Revocable Covenants
A revocable covenant is one in which God obligates Himself to fulfill the promises of the covenant only upon man’s obedience to the conditions attached to it by God. If the covenant is broken by man God is not obligated to fulfill His part and it is dissolved, disannulled and no longer remains in effect. This is particularly illustrated in the Mosaic covenant. God stated to Jeremiah concerning this covenant “which my covenant they brake” (Jeremiah 31:32). He also told Zechariah; “that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.” (Zechariah 11:10) Paul spoke of this covenant as being abolished (2 Corinthians 3:13), decaying, waxing old and ready to vanish away (Hebrews 8:13). All these terms serve to confirm the revocability of the Mosaic Covenant.
How Is Covenant Relationship Established?
In order for covenant relationship to be established both parties must understand and fulfill their part of the covenant agreement. The one initiating the covenant must make it available and the one receiving the covenant must respond by entering into and maintaining its terms.
By Calling
God initiated each covenant by first formulating it and then offering it to man, inviting man to come into that covenant relationship. Calling means to invite or bid to come to one’s self (Romans 8:28–30; 2 Timothy 1:9). In the covenants God calls and bids man to come to Himself. It is God’s prerogative to offer His covenants to whoever He chooses. These who were chosen to receive God’s covenants were called to enter into them (Nehemiah 9:7–8; Acts 7:1–8; Hebrews 11:8–10; Genesis 12:1–3).
By Entering
How can man receive and enjoy the benefits of the covenants that God initiates? Is it only by God’s choice or does man have a part? Scripture clearly reveals that man must “enter into covenant” (Deuteronomy 29:1, 12; 2 Chronicles 15:12; Jeremiah 34:10), and that he must “take hold of the covenant” (Isaiah 56:4, 6).
In that God Himself enters into a covenant (Ezekiel 16:8), He can require man to enter into that covenant (Deuteronomy 29:12). Man cannot do what only God can do but God will not do what man must do. Man has the responsibility to commit himself fully to the covenant that God calls him into. This he does by faith and obedience (Hebrews 11:8). Israel failed to enter into the covenant land because of unbelief and disobedience (Hebrews 3–4; Luke 11:52; John 6:28, 29).
By Keeping
God is a covenant-keeping God and thus requires man to “keep the covenant” (Deuteronomy 29:9; 33:9; Psalms 103:17–18). To keep the covenant is to remember it and to continually fulfill its terms. This God does (Psalms 111:5; Genesis 9:15, 16), and so must man (Psalms 103:18). The way covenantal relationship is entered into is also the way it is maintained: by faith and obedience (Hebrews 4:11; 5:9; Genesis 22:18; 26:5; Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 11:27; 30:6–8; Jeremiah 7:22–28; 11:1–10; Romans 5:12–21). It is possible for man to break his covenantal relationship with God (Jeremiah 31:32; Hebrews 8:9).
SUMMARY
God, as the initiator of the covenants, has the perogative to set the conditions by which man may enter into and maintain his covenantal relationship.
What Covenants Did God Make With Man?
Of the nine major Divine covenants in the Bible, eight of them God made with man. These are as follows:
The Edenic Covenant
The Adamic Covenant
The Noahic Covenant
The Abrahamic Covenant
The Mosaic Covenant
The Palestinian Covenant
The Davidic Covenant
The New Covenant
The Everlasting Covenant, the ninth covenant to be dealt with in this text, is that covenant made in the eternal counsels and persons of the Godhead. The covenants listed above were made with various individuals and people through various periods of human history as the following Scriptures reveal.
The Edenic Covenant—made before the entrance of sin, involving the original man and woman, Adam and Eve. It reveals God’s original purpose for the whole of Adam’s race (Genesis 1–2).
The Adamic Covenant—made after the entrance of sin, with Adam and Eve, the original sinners and parents of the human race. It involved God’s judgment on sin and the coming of Messianic redemption (Genesis 3).
The Noahic Covenant—made with Noah, after the Flood, involving all creation, all creatures and all future generations of the human race. It reestablishes God’s purpose as revealed in the Edenic Covenant (Genesis 6–9).
The Abrahamic Covenant—made with Abraham, the father of all who believe, the father of the chosen nation of Israel, after the Tower of Babel and the scattering of the sons of Noah in their tongues, families and nations. It involved Abraham, his natural and national seed called Israel and the Messianic seed, Jesus Christ. It includes in itself the coming in of the believing Israelites and Gentiles into the Kingdom of God (Genesis 12–22).
The Mosaic Covenant—made strictly and only with the chosen nation of Israel, after the Exodus from Egypt at the foot of Mt Sinai. It was not made with any Gentile nation but acted as a “schoolmaster” to bring Israel to the Christ who would be the Saviour of the world (Galatians 3:24; Exodus 19–40).
The Palestinian Covenant—made with the nation of Israel, especially the second and new generation at the end of the 40 years wanderings in the wilderness and before they entered Canaan, the land promised in the Abrahamic Covenant. It laid out the conditions for entering into and maintaining the promised land (Deuteronomy 27–33).
The Davidic Covenant—made with David after the death of King Saul and at the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel under a Davidic King. It involved David, both his natural and spiritual seed and pointed ultimately to the Lord Jesus Christ and the everlasting throne and kingdom of the King of kings and Lord of lords (2 Samuel 7; Psalms 89; Psalms 132).
The New Covenant—made with the two houses of Israel and Judah after the judicial rejection of Messiah by Jewry and just prior to His crucifixion. It replaced the Old or Mosaic Covenant with its external and temporal elements and carnal ordinances. It made available through the cross salvation for the whole world (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Hebrews 8; Matthew 26).
The Everlasting Covenant—made in eternity in the counsels of the eternal Godhead, between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is the all-comprehensive covenant, including in itself the covenants of creation and redemption and God’s eternal purpose for man. All other covenants are but fragments of the whole and are a progressive unfolding of this Everlasting Covenant.
How Are The Covenants Inter-related?
Because the covenants of God to man are but fragments of the whole and each are part of the progressive revelation, there is inter-relatedness between them. They are interwoven together from beginning to end.
The Edenic Covenant, in one sense, stands alone and unique, for it is the only covenant involving man before the entrance of sin. It is the covenant which distinctly declares God’s purpose in the creation of man. The entrance of sin seemed to frustrate the plan and purpose of God for man. However, God foresaw the fall of man and was prepared for it. He immediately set into motion a series of covenants revealing the plan of redemption. It would therefore be by the covenants of redemption that the covenant of creation would find fulfilment. God would not allow sin to annul His creative purposes for man as in the Edenic Covenant.
The first two covenants of redemption were the Adamic and Noahic Covenants. Both were vitally linked as the covenantal language of each reveals. Both were given to the Patriarchs; the first to Adam the father of the whole human race, and the next to Noah the father of the race after the Flood. The major promises of these covenants are that which spoke of redemption by the Messianic seed. Also in the Noahic Covenant particularly the creative purpose of God as stated in the Edenic Covenant is confirmed.
Arising out of the Adamic and Noahic Covenants is the Abrahamic Covenant. It was an extension and an amplification of the previous covenants. It included basically that which was in these covenants. However, it prophesied of the chosen nation, Israel, through whom the Messiah would come. Besides natural and national promises for Israel, its greatest promise was that which concerned all the families of the earth being blessed through the Messianic seed.
Two subsequent covenants were given, these being the Davidic and the New Covenants. A study of these covenants show that they were actually a part of the Abrahamic Covenant. The Davidic Covenant involves the kings of the House of David, of the tribe of Judah. It is the full manifestation of the promise of kings as given in the Abrahamic Covenant, consummating in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of David who is King of kings and Lord of lords. The New Covenant is the fulfilment and fullest expression of the promise in the Abrahamic Covenant concerning his seed blessing all the nations of the earth. This includes both believing Israelites and Gentiles coming into salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Davidic and the New Covenants were in the Abrahamic Covenant. The Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Davidic and New Covenants, as covenants of redemption, are all inter-related and extensions and fulfilments of each other, consummating in the New Covenant. These covenants of redemption were designed to bring man back to the fulfilment of the covenant of creation, the Edenic Covenant.
Two covenants that are vitally linked and interwoven together are the Mosaic and the Palestinian Covenants. These two covenants are unique in that they pertain strictly to the nation of Israel. The Mosaic Covenant was expressed in moral, civil and ceremonial laws which governed the life of the people of Israel. The Palestinian Covenant pertained to the laws and conditions for Israel’s living in the land of Canaan.
An analysis of the Mosaic and Palestinian Covenants reveals their link with the Abrahamic Covenant. Involved in the Abrahamic Covenant were promises concerning Abraham’s seed and that seed’s possessing of the promised land. The Mosaic Covenant concerned the people, the seed of Abraham. The Palestinian Covenant concerned the land promised in the Abrahamic Covenant. However, the Abrahamic Covenant was characterized by grace and faith while the Mosaic and Palestinian Covenants were characterized by law and works. These things together show the marvelous inter-relatedness of the covenants of creation and redemption.
Finally, the Everlasting Covenant, made in the heavens, in eternity past, between the Divine Persons, is revealed to be the all-inclusive covenant. It includes in itself the covenant of creation and all the covenants of redemption. As noted previously, all covenants made by God on the earth relative to mankind are but the progressive unfolding of this covenant of eternity. The New Covenant (the end) makes possible the Edenic Covenant (the beginning) and all other covenants between are but links in the covenantal chain of Divine revelation.