WIXLIB

DOWNLOAD THIS STUDY GUIDEAND THE VIDEO ATJOINTHEBIBLEPROJECT.COMCOVENANTSINTRODUCTIONThis study guide will be most helpful ifyou work through it slowly with an openBible, looking up all the references.Grab some friends and do it together!STUDY GUIDE FOR COVENANTS1

BIBLICAL COVENANTS ברית What are they?COVENANTδιαθηκη“Covenant” is an English translation of a Hebrew (berit) andGreek (diatheke) word that describes a formal relationshipbetween two parties who agree to a set of promises so theycan work together toward a common goal.There are a number of biblical stories where people makecovenants with each other:ABRAHAM & ABIMELEKISAAC & ABIMELEKDAVID & JONATHANDAVID & THE ELDERS OFHEBRONSOLOMON & HIRAM.make an agreement about access to wellsfor watering animals.GENESIS 21:22-34.make an agreement to have peacefulrelations and not attack each other.GENESIS 26:25-32.make an agreement to protect each otherfrom Saul.1 SAMUEL 23: 13-18.make an agreement that they will followDavid and acknowledge him as king.1 CHRONICLES 11:1-3.make an agreement to keep their kingdomsin a peaceful and productive relationship.1 KINGS 5:10-12These stories show how covenants can fulfill many differentpurposes, but they all involve some greater goal that thetwo parties will work towards. The Covenants theme videotraces the 4 covenants God makes in the Old Testament andhow all those agreements are fulfilled in Jesus and the NewCovenant he initiates.STUDY GUIDE FOR COVENANTS2

Part 1THE COVENANT STORYThe GardenWhile the word “covenant” isn’t used in Genesis 1-3, therelationship God initiates with humanity in the garden is verysimilar to a covenant:GOD’S PARTHUMANITY’S PARTGod provides theworld-garden as a gift tohumanity, and appointsthem as divine imagebearers who will overseeit.Humans are taskedwith caring for andcultivating the gardenand to trust God’sknowledge of goodand evil over their ownattempts to define rightand wrong.GENESIS 1:26-28GENESIS 2:15THIS IS WHAT WE THINK GENESIS2:16-17 MEANS, SEE THE GENESIS1-11 VIDEOHumanity fractures the relationship by suspicion that leads torebellion, which results in exile from the garden into a worldwhere work and family are as much a burden as a blessing.GENESIS 3STUDY GUIDE FOR COVENANTS3

Part 2THE COVENANT STORYNoahGENESIS 8,9After purging his world of humanity’s evil, God makes acovenant with Noah and all creation, opening up a new futurefor God’s good world based on his promises.GOD’S PARTGod promises thatdespite humanity’scontinued tendencytowards selfishnessand evil, he will notdestroy them or hisworld like this everagain. Rather the earthwill become a reliableplace where God willwork out his purposesto rescue everyone andeverything.NOAH AND CREATION’SPARTNothing. God doesn’trequire a darn thing. Hejust states his promise,and signs it with arainbow!GENESIS 9:12-17GENESIS 8:18-21 AND 9:8-11“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest,cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night willnever cease.”GENESIS 8:22STUDY GUIDE FOR COVENANTS4

Part 3THE COVENANT STORYAbrahamGENESIS 12, 15, AND 17God selects Abraham from among the nations scatteredat Babylon, and makes promises to him that will eventuallyrestore his blessing to all humanity.GOD’S PARTABRAHAM’S PARTGod promises to blessAbraham, meaningthat he will have a hugefamily that will inherit apromised piece of land inCanaan. And somehow,God will bring hisblessing to all humanitythrough this family.Abraham is askedto respond to God’spromises in a number ofways:GEN 12:1-3, 6-7A SYMBOL THAT THISFAMILY’S FERTILITY ANDFUTURE LAY IN GOD’SHANDS.GENESIS 11Trust God’s promisesand follow himwherever he leads.GENESIS 12:1, 15:1-6Train up his family todo what is just andright by following God’scommands.GENESIS 18:16-19Circumcise all males inhis family as a “sign ofthe covenant”GENESIS 17THE GREATER GOALGod repeats his promises to Abraham and his descendantsthat through this family, somehow, he’s going to bring hisblessing upon all nationsGENESIS 12:3, 18:18, 22:18, 26:4, 28:14STUDY GUIDE FOR COVENANTS5

Part 4THE COVENANT STORYIsraelEXODUS 19-24God rescues Israel from slavery in Egypt and promises tomake them into a kingdom of priests that he will use to showhimself to all nations.GOD’S PARTEXODUS 1-15ISRAEL’S PARTHe rescued them by hisgrace, and promises tocome and personallydwell in their midst andbring them into the landpromised to Abraham.Obedience to theterms of the covenantembodied in the lawsgiven by God at Mt.Sinai (including the 10commandments)EXODUS 3:7-20EXODUS 20-23THE GREATER GOALGod has chosen Israel as a covenant people to make theminto a priestly nation that will follow him and so representGod’s character to all nations.EXODUS 19:1-6STUDY GUIDE FOR COVENANTS6

Part 5THE COVENANT STORYDavid2 SAMUEL 7, PSALMS 72, 89,132God establishes David as the king over Israel and promisesthat the promises to Abraham and Israel will be fulfilled in hisroyal lineage.GOD’S PARTHe will make David’sname great and keepIsrael in the promisedland, and after Daviddies he will raise up adescendant who willbuild a temple and akingdom that will lastforever.1 SAMUEL 16THRU2 SAMUEL 6DAVID’S PARTHe and his descendantsmust remain faithful toGod and lead all Israel inobedience to the laws ofthe covenant.PSALM 132:11-122 SAMUEL 7:10-16THE GREATER GOALGod will use this futuredescendant of David to bringthe kingdom of God of justiceand peace over all nations, sothat the blessing of Abrahammay come to all people.PSALM 72:1-17STUDY GUIDE FOR COVENANTS7

Part 6THE COVENANT STORYExile and the New CovenantThe story of Israel in the promised land is told in the booksof Joshua thru 2 Kings. Israel fails to live by the terms of thecovenant, and their kings are unfaithful to the covenant madewith David.Israel loses their land and is sent into exile in Babylon.2 KINGS 17 AND 24-25However, Israel’s prophets looked forward to a day whenGod would still fulfill all his covenant promises to fulfill thegreater goal of blessing and hope for all nations:ISAIAHJEREMIAHEZEKIEL.still hoped for a futureking from the line ofDavid who would comeand establish God’skingdom over all nations.saw a day comingwhen God would makea new covenant andall of God’s peoplewould have their heartstransformed and be ableto know and obey Godfrom a place of joy andnot duty.looked for a daywhen God would placehis own Spirit in thehearts of his people andempower them to loveand obey the terms ofthe new covenant.ISAIAH 9, 11.and bring God’s new“covenant of peace”ISAIAH 54:10, 55:3EZEKIEL 36:22-32JEREMIAH 31:31-34.and become a “light tothe nations.”ISAIAH 42:1-7STUDY GUIDE FOR COVENANTS8

Part 7THE COVENANT STORYJesus and the New Covenant PeopleJesus saw himself as fulfilling these prophetic promises andcalled people to become part of the new covenant people.Jesus said his death would seal the new covenant andinaugurate God’s kingdom and new covenant people.MATTHEW 5-7, LUKE 4:14-20, 22:19-22The Gospels all claim that Jesus is Israel’s God becomehuman to fulfill both God’s part and Israel’s part of theCovenants:COVENANT WITHABRAHAMJesus lives by trust inthe Father and teacheshis new family ofdisciples to do what isjust and right, and sobecomes a source ofblessing for all nations.MATTHEW 4, 5-7, 28:18-20COVENANT WITHISRAELCOVENANT WITHDAVIDJesus is the trulyobedient Israelite andempowers his followersto become trulyobedient by followingthe lead of his Spirit.Jesus is the king fromthe line of David.who inaugurates God’skingdom in his life,death, and resurrection,and promises that hisSpirit will be presentwith his new covenantpeople to lead them intoobedience.MATTHEW 5:17-48,ROMANS 8:1-11MATTHEW 1LUKE 24:36-48HEBREWS 8-10Jesus’ disciples, now made up of all nations, are the family ofAbraham, the new covenant people who follow the Spirit ofJesus into a life of freedom and blessing.GALATIANS 3:23-29, 5:16-25STUDY GUIDE FOR COVENANTS9

DISCUSSIONQUESTIONS1Think through the definition of “Covenant” on page2 of the study guide, then read Genesis 8-9 aboutGod’s covenant with Noah and all creation. Notice thatGod’s makes some big promises but asks for nothing inreturn? Why is this unique? What does this tell us aboutGod’s purposes to save all creation?GENESIS 8-92Read Genesis 15 about God’s covenant ceremonywith Abraham. Notice that Abraham is asleep on theground while God performs the ceremony by himself.Why is that significant? What does it tell us about God’spurposes and how they will be fulfilled?GENESIS 153Read Exodus 19:4-6, God’s words to Israel about hiscovenant with them. What are the implications of Israelbeing a kingdom of priests and holy nation? What dopriests do? What does it mean for Israel to be a nationof priests to other nations? Look up 1 Peter 2:9-10 andsee how Peter uses this language to describe the newcovenant family of Jesus’ disciples.EXODUS 19:4-61 PETER 2:9-104Recall God’s covenant with David and read Psalm 72.This poem is all about the hope for a future king fromDavid’s line who will fulfill the goals of the covenantswith Abraham and Israel. How so? What parts of thepoem connect with these previous covenants.PSALM 725Read through Luke’s account of Jesus’ last (Passover)meal with his disciples. How does Jesus see hisimpending death as fulfilling the whole covenantstoryline?LUKE 22:7-226How does the author of Hebrews see Jesus’ life, death,and resurrection as the fulfillment of all the ancientcovenant promises?STUDY GUIDE FOR COVENANTSHEBREWS 8-1010

NOTESSTUDY GUIDE FOR COVENANTS11

to respond to God’s promises in a number of ways: Trust God’s promises and follow him wherever he leads. Train up his family to do what is just and right by following God’s commands. Circumcise all males in his family as a “sign of the covenant” THE COVENANT STORY Part 3 Abraham God